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The Shortest Players in Baseball History

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Baseball is one of those sports where you want to try to be around six feet tall as you want to generate power while also not giving too big of a strike zone. However, there have been plenty of short players that made their way to the MLB with the hopes of taking walks and stealing bases.

Then, there were a few players that were really short to the point where they became famous due to their small statures. Here’s a look at the five players to reach the MLB standing at 5’3” or shorter:

5. Pompeyo Davalillo

Also known as Yo-Yo, Pompeyo Davalillo came from Venezuela, which made him one of the first from the country to join Major League Baseball. Davalillo spent much of his time playing in the Minor Leagues due to the fact that he didn’t like flying on airplanes while also getting injured multiple times. Still, Davalillo was able to get at least a little bit of time in the MLB.

Standing at 5’3”, Davalillo appeared in just 19 games, all during the 1953 season with the Washington Senators. During that time, he collected 17 hits in his 64 plate appearances. He was also able to steal one base and knock in a pair of runs. Like everyone else on the list, Davalillo failed to hit a home run during his Major League career.

4. Stubby Magner

When you’re short and played baseball at the turn of the century, you’re bound to have a matching nickname. Born as Edmund Magner in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1888, Magner earned the nickname Stubby due to his 5’3” frame. Magner attended Cornell and turned his attention to professional baseball afterward. 

In 1911, Magner made his Major League debut with the New York Highlanders (now the Yankees). It would be Magner’s only season in the MLB as he had 41 plate appearances. He collected seven hits and four walks en route to a .212 career batting average. Instead of sticking around baseball, Magner returned to Cornell where he coached hockey.

3. Bob Emmerich

Another member of the 5’3” members of the list, Bob Emmerich was a New York City native that was born in the 1800s. Emmerich took many years to reach the MLB as it wasn’t until 1923 he finally made his debut at the age of 32. Emmerich was a member of the Boston Braves during all 13 games of his Major League career.

During that time, Emmerich made 27 plate appearances but collected just two hits and two walks. He was also able to steal one base, though it wouldn’t be enough to keep him on an MLB roster. Emmerich lived until 1948 after his MLB season ended, passing away at the age of 57.

2. Jess Cortazzo

While he’s another 5’3” player on the list, Jess Cortazzo didn’t last as long as the others that have been mentioned already. A native of Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, Cortazzo was just 18 years old when he made his Major League debut in 1923. He did so with the Chicago White Sox, and his debut was his only MLB game to boot.

Cortazzo, as the youngest player in the league at the time, had just one at-bat and didn’t reach base. It was interesting to see that he never got another chance since he was so young, making it so that he had the absolute minimum time that you can get while being in the Major Leagues. Cortazzo lived until 1963, returning to Pennsylvania after his brief MLB stint.

1. Eddie Gaedel

The rest of the list is comprised of players who were the only 5’3” members in league history, but Eddie Gaedel stands well below the rest of the list. Gaedel was just 60 pounds and was 3’7” when he was working on airplanes with the United States Army before turning his attention to performing arts.

St. Louis Browns owner Bill Beeck discovered Gaedel’s showmanship and signed him to play a game with the team to drive up ticket sales. Gaedel, like Cortazzo, had just one plate appearance but was able to reach base. On four straight pitches, Gaedel drew a walk and was pulled for a pinch runner. The next day, American League president Will Harridge voided Gaedel’s contract and his plate appearance was temporarily lifted from the MLB record books.

The Tallest Players in Baseball History

Posted on by scatty

There are certain sports where being tall isn’t the biggest advantage. Unlike football or basketball, sports like baseball tend to be advantageous for those that are around the average height. However, there have still been plenty of players that made their way into the MLB while towering over most of their teammates and fans.

Some players round up and say that they’re seven feet tall, but when using official heights, there hasn’t been any seven-footer in baseball history. There are a few that were awfully close, however. Here are the tallest players to make the MLB and how they fared on the field.

6’10”:  Andy Sisco

Andy Sisco was a second-round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2001 and made his debut four years later with the Kansas City Royals. Sisco appeared in 151 Major League games with both the Royals and Chicago White Sox but never got back into the league after 2007. In that season, he had an 8.36 earned run average in 19 games.

6’10”:  Aaron Slegers

Born in Long Beach, California, the 6’10” Aaron Slegers made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Minnesota Twins as a relief pitcher and bounced around the league quite a bit over the next few years. Used as a call-up guy with multiple teams, Slegers has appeared in over 45 Major League games with an ERA of over five.

6’10”:  Andrew Brackman

While most of the players on the list saw significant playing time in the MLB, the same can not be said for Andrew Brackman. Brackman was a first-round selection in 2007 by the New York Yankees, but spent much of his career in the minors. Brackman finally made his debut in 2011, but played in just three Major League games (all with the Yankees), pitching a total of 2.1 innings.

6’10”:  Randy Johnson

Without a doubt, the best player on the list is Randy Johnson, who was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. Johnson was a near-unanimous selection thanks to his dominant career. Known as “The Big Unit,” Johnson was a 10-time All-Star and had the best earned run average in the league on four different occasions. He finished his career after the 2009 season, and over 22 years with six different teams, had 303 wins with 4,875 strikeouts. Johnson also won the 2001 World Series MVP to cement his legacy.

6’10”:  Eric Hillman

Eastern Illinois University hasn’t produced a lot of big leaguers, but it did so in 1987 when Eric Hillman was drafted by the New York Mets. Hillman waited in the Minor Leagues for several years to get his opportunity but finally made his Mets debut in 1992. Hillman didn’t last on the big league roster very frequently, though, as he played in just 49 games with the last coming in 1994. Hillman finished with a record of 4-14 and a 4.85 earned run average.

6’10”:  Chris Young

Not to be confused with the centerfielder, this Chris Young was a solid pitcher throughout his Major League career. After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, he made his Major League debut in 2004 as a member of the Texas Rangers. Young would play in the MLB for 13 seasons and spent time with five teams. During that time, he made one All Star Game appearance (2007) and won the 2015 World Series as a member of the Kansas City Royals.

6’11”:  Jon Rauch

The first of the two 6’11” men to make their way into Major League Baseball is Jon Rauch, who made his debut in 2002 at 23 years old. Rauch ended up having a longer career than some might remember, as he lasted for 11 seasons and played for seven different franchises. Rauch finished his career with a record of 43-40 and actually had a solid earned run average of 3.90.

6’11”:  Sean Hjelle

Sean Hjelle made history in 2022 when he was called up to the San Francisco Giants roster to appear in eight games during the season. The call-up made him the first man since Rauch to join the 6’11” club. Hjelle made his way through the minors after getting to all levels of it, meaning that it was a long time coming.

5 Best Moments in Atlanta Sports History

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Atlanta, while starving for a championship for an extended period of time before the 2020s broke the curse, has had a ton of great sports moments throughout the city’s history. It’s hard to narrow it down to just five great moments, but we’ve done our best to sum up the ones that made the entire city stand and cheer until their hands were sore. Here are our top five:

5. Primetime Shines

A lot of athletes end up playing multiple sports while they’re in high school or maybe even college, but it just doesn’t happen in the pros very often. Deion Sanders was a one-of-a-kind athlete who excelled in both baseball and football, and in 1992 he found himself on both the Atlanta Falcons as the team’s top cornerback and the Atlanta Braves as a part-time centerfielder for several seasons.

The man known as Primetime would split his duties between the Falcons and Braves, and in 1992, he became the only person to pull off the feat of playing an MLB game and an NFL game on the same day. Sanders suited up for the Falcons early in the day as the team played the Dolphins, and was able to make it to the National League Championship Series in time for the Braves. Though he didn’t see the field in the NLCS, what made it all the more impressive was that neither game was played in Atlanta.

4. Falcons Upset Vikings

Coming into the 1998 NFC Championship Game, all anybody could talk about was the top-seeded Minnesota Vikings. They had just capped off one of the greatest NFL regular seasons of all time with a historic offense and a 15-1 record. They were heavy favorites at home against the Falcons, but many people forget just how good Atlanta was that year.

The Falcons came in just one game behind Minnesota at 14-2 but were still 11-point underdogs. After three quarters, the Falcons trailed by three and were down by seven when Vikings kicker Gary Anderson missed for the only time in the 1998 season. The Falcons stormed back and won in overtime, stamping their ticket to the Super Bowl for the first time.

3. Braves Win 1995 World Series

The 2021 World Series was special for the Atlanta Braves, but it came as more of a surprise for a team that was ahead of schedule in a rebuild. The 1995 Braves, however, felt like the culmination of years of being oh-so-close and a massive sigh of relief. The Braves took on the Cleveland Indians, who were looking to break an extremely long World Series drought of their own, too.

The Braves took the first two games in Atlanta while Cleveland took two out of three at Jacobs Field. In game six, pitchers Tom Glavine and Jim Poole were in an absolute duel, and the game ended in a 1-0 win for the Braves for their first title in Atlanta. That one run came off the bat of David Justice, who bombed a solo shot in the sixth inning that would ultimately decide the Series.

2. The 1996 Olympics

Between 1905 and 1995, the only United States city to host the Summer Olympics was Los Angeles. That would change in 1996 when the city of Atlanta held the opening ceremonies to the Summer Games, and it ended up being one of the most-watched and successful Olympics in history. Atlanta was chosen to showcase a more modern version of the US south, while also serving as a great hub for travelers.

There were plenty of highlights for the 1996 Summer Olympics, as well. From Muhammad Ali holding the torch during the opening ceremonies to Michael Johnson and Kerri Strug becoming Olympic stars, the 1996 games had a lot to talk about.

1. The Home Run King

One of the most sacred records in all of sports is baseball’s career home run record. There were a lot of people who thought that Babe Ruth would never be topped when he hit home run number 714, but that would change when Hank Aaron started to get on that pace that would put him ahead.

On April 8, 1974, Hammerin’ Hank topped the ‘unbeatable’ record and rounded the bases in Atlanta in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans. Along the way, there’s a memorable shot of Aaron being greeted by two fans, which is something that seems unfathomable these days.

5 Best Atlanta Rappers

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When it comes to cities that are known for rap music, it’s hard to top Atlanta, Georgia. Though it wasn’t until the late 1990s that the city was known on a national level, it quickly became one of the go-to’s in the genre. As a result, there have been a lot of legendary rappers from the ATL, but which ones are the best? Here’s our ranking of the top five.

5. Future

Born in Atlanta as Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, he adopted the name Future early on in his rap career and signed with A1 Recordings in the city during the late 2000s, and started performing with The Dungeon Family. He started writing more heartfelt lyrics and saw his mixtapes start to pick up steam, leading him to a contract with Epic Records thanks to his songs being featured at a local gentleman’s club.

Future was a big hit right from his debut album “Pluto”, which reached the top 10 and was certified platinum. Since then, Future has released more than a half-dozen number one albums including “DS2” and “Evol” and hit songs like “Mask Off” and “Life Is Good”.

4. T.I.

Clifford Harris was raised by his grandparents in Atlanta and started rapping in the ATL while he was still in elementary school. Though his nickname was ‘Tip’ as a child, he shortened it to T.I. and started making waves in the late 1990s when he signed with Arista Records, part of LaFace. His name ultimately came about because his first label didn’t want to market him as Tip or T.I.P.

After his first album “I’m Serious” was met with mild success, his sophomore album “Trap Muzik” put T.I. on the map. Over the years, he has released a long list of hit singles including “Whatever You Like”, “Bring ‘Em Out” and “Live Your Life”, just to name a few.

3. Ludacris

Though he wasn’t born in Atlanta since he was born in Champaign, Illinois, Christopher Bridges moved to Atlanta toward the end of his high school years and stayed in the city throughout college. Throughout the entire time, Bridges began rapping as Chris Lova Lova while working in radio but changed the name to Ludacris when he hooked up with Timbaland and recorded his first album.

After his first two albums found regional success, Luda hit it big in 2001 with the release of “Word of Mouf”. With songs like “Rollout”, “Move B****”, and “Stand Up”, Ludacris became Atlanta rap royalty. Though he started getting away from rap in the 2010s, he’s still regarded as one of the kings.

2. Big Boi

One-half of the legendary Atlanta rap duo Outkast (you knew they had to be on the list), Big Boi made his way to the ATL in high school by way of Savannah, Georgia. It was while at Tri-Cities High School that he started to take his music more seriously, though he was less into hip-hop than he was into art pop. Still, he was able to make up one-half of Outkast in 1992 and take over the rap world.

Big Boi had a ton of hits with Outkast including “The Way You Move” and “Hey Ya”, and went into a solo career shortly after Outkast split. He released his debut solo album “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” in 2010 and has released two more since then. His biggest solo hit came in 2017 with the release of “All Night”.

1. Andre 3000

Of course, the other half of Outkast is Andre Benjamin, also known as Andre 3000. Benjamin was born and raised in Atlanta where he attended multiple high schools before landing at the same one as Big Boi. It wasn’t much longer after the two joined forces that they were able to receive their first record deal with LaFace and released their debut album in 1994.

After taking some time away from rap following the split of Outkast, Andre 3000 returned in 2007 and mainly worked on joint creations with other rappers. It wasn’t until 2021 that he released his first single as a lead artist titled “Life of the Party” with Kanye West. In 2018, he released his first EP titled “Look Ma No Hands”.

10 Very Tough Spelling Bee Words – And To Remember the Correct Spellings!

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Whether you’re in a local spelling bee or competing at the national level, there are going to be some tough words that get in your way. While you might think that you know how to spell them just from how they sound, that’s not always the case. Let’s take a look at some of the toughest spelling bee words that we’ve seen from competitions, what they mean, and how you can remember to nail the correct spelling when it comes up.

Iridocyclitis

Meaning: The acute inflammation of the iris and ciliary body.

Pronunciation: Ee-ruh-dow-sai-klai-tuhs

Language of Origin: English

How to Remember: When knowing that it has to do with the iris, should help with the first part of the word. Cyclitis is pertaining to the ciliary body, too, so it’s important to remember that word when preparing for a spelling bee, as well.

Neutercane

Meaning: A subtropical cyclone that is usually less than 100 miles in diameter and that draws energy from sources common to both the hurricane and the frontal cyclone.

Pronunciation: no̅o̅′tər kān′

Language of Origin: Latin and English

How to Remember: The first part of neutercane might throw you off because it doesn’t have anything to do with your housepets. Once you remember that, simply remember that it’s the common ‘c’ instead of the ‘k’ and you’ll be set.

Asceticism

Meaning: A severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.

Pronunciation: a-sed-iss-is-um

Language of Origin: Greek

How to Remember: Because it’s Greek, you can count on the first syllable being asc, which is where he get words such as ascend. The tricky part is remembering that it’s ‘eti’ in the middle instead of ‘ete’ while the -ism at the end speaks for itself.

Idiosyncrasy

Meaning: A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group, or a physiological or temperamental peculiarity.

Pronunciation: id-ee-o-syn-cra-see

Language of Origin: Greek

How to Remember: The idio prefix is one that comes naturally for a lot of spellers, but the syncrasy part is where many get tripped up. Remember your ‘y’ instead of the ‘i’ and that the Greek causes the ending to be spelled with an -asy instead of -isy.

Playwright

Meaning: A person who writes plays.

Pronunciation: plā-rīt

Language of Origin: English

How to Remember: This one throws a lot of people off because we spell the word copyright without the ‘w’ in the middle, while also spelling copywriting and copyright. Think of the fact that it’s a writer, and it should help you realize how to spell the word with the w and without the -ite ending.

Odontalgia

Meaning: A pain in or about the tooth.

Pronunciation: ō-ˌdän-ˈtal-j-ē-ə

Language of Origin: New Latin and Greek

How to Remember: 

Smaragdine

Meaning: Of or pertaining to emeralds. Having the color of emeralds.

Pronunciation: Sm-uh-rag-deen

Language of Origin: New Latin and Greek

How to Remember: While the beginning and end of the word are pretty straightforward when it comes to spelling, the part where most spellers get tripped up is in the middle. Many think that it’s a ‘u’ or ‘e’ based on how they hear it in their heads, but don’t overthink it and spell it with the ‘a.’

Xanthosis

Meaning: The yellow discoloration of the skin from abnormal causes.

Pronunciation: zanˈthōsə̇s

Language of Origin: Greek

How to Remember: The first thought that a lot of people will have with xanthosis is that it starts with a ‘z’ instead of an ‘x.’ The Greek language of origin should be a dead giveaway, though, as very few words in ancient Greek start with z. 

Crustaceology

Meaning: The branch of zoology dealing with crustaceans.

Pronunciation: Krus-tay-see-all-oh-gee

Language of Origin: English and Latin

How to Remember: Just like with any ‘ology’ it’s all about realizing where the prefix word ends. For crustaceans, it cuts off the -ans suffix, much like virology, which cuts off the -us plural from virus. It’s all about making it into a singularity in your head.

Heiau

Meaning: An ancient Hawaiian temple or sacred site.

Pronunciation: hāou

Language of Origin: Hawaiian

How to Remember: When it comes to Hawaiian, you pretty much have to be an expert as the vowels can be tricky. The phonology is different in Hawaii, so figuring out the ‘ei’ and ‘au’ sounds are paramount for spellers.

5 Famous People From North Carolina

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When you think of states that have produced famous celebrities, you tend to think of places like California or New York. North Carolina isn’t very high on that list, at all, but there has still been some A-list talent to come from the Tar Heel State. Here are five people who called North Carolina their home throughout their childhood before becoming big-time stars.

Ava Gardner

One of the biggest stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood, Ava Gardner appeared in films throughout the 1940s, 50s, and 60s including “The Killers”, “The Barefoot Contessa” and “Seven Days in May”. The beautiful award-winning star took an incredibly winding path to Hollywood, and it all started in Grabtown, North Carolina where she was born on Christmas Eve in 1922.

When she was born, Gardner’s parents were tobacco sharecroppers, though they would end up losing the farm while she was a child. She remained in the state for several years while her parents worked odd jobs until she moved to Virginia briefly, then headed back to North Carolina. It was in Rock Ridge where she finished high school before leaving for New York City and beginning her film career.

Jaime Pressly

Jaime Pressly is one of those rare people in Hollywood that has a southern accent and wasn’t really asked to change it. Instead, she has used it to her advantage thanks to roles in films including “Joe Dirt” and “Not Another Teen Movie” while also starring in memorable TV roles in “My Name is Earl” and “Mom”.

Pressly’s accent comes from her time in North Carolina, as she was born in Kinston on July 30, 1977. Pressly’s mother was a dance instructor while her father sold cars in North Carolina, and she remained there for the first 15 years of her life. She made her way to California with her family where she became a model in high school, starting her career. Over the years, Pressly has made her way back to North Carolina multiple times, remembering the state fondly.

Zach Galifianakis

Though his name might suggest that he’s from Greece, Zach Galifianakis was born and raised in North Carolina. Galifianakis was born on October 1, 1969 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina where his mother operated a community arts center while his father worked in oil. Galifianakis attended Wilkes Central High School and then North Carolina State University where he got into acting and honed his comedy skills.

It was clear that Galifianakis was a bright star in the comedy, and he started landing gigs as a writer, including a brief stint with “Saturday Night Live”. Eventually, he made his way in front of the camera as a star, landing memorable roles in hit films “The Hangover” and “Due Date” while also starring in the television series “Baskets”.

Evan Rachel Wood

Evan Rachel Wood started out her acting career at a very young age, appearing in TV shows as a child including “American Gothic” and “Once and Again”. When she got into adulthood, Wood transitioned into more serious roles and made her way to the big screen, starring in movies including “The Wrestler” and “The Ides of March”, while more recently appearing in “Frozen II” and “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”.

Wood’s parents Sara Lynn Moore and David Wood III are actors, as well, and were based out of Raleigh, North Carolina where Evan Rachel was born on September 7, 1987. Wood got involved in acting with her parents locally at a young age, and when her television career took off, the family moved to California where she became homeschooled and graduated at just 15 years old.

Michael C. Hall

One of the most critically acclaimed shows of the 20th century was “Dexter”, and its success was due in large part to leading man Michael C. Hall. Outside of “Dexter”, Hall has had appearances in “Six Feet Under”, “Game Night” and “Paycheck”, just to name a few. It’s been a solid career for Hall, and he did it after starting in North Carolina.

Hall was born in Raleigh on February 1, 1971 to parents that were not part of the acting scene. He was raised in the city and attended high school and part of college in North Carolina before eventually making his way to New York City to begin acting.

5 Things To Know Before Getting a Car Loan

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There are three massive loans that most people take out in a lifetime. First, you have the home loan, and then the student loan (if you’re in the United States). Then, there’s the car loan, which you’ll end up going through multiple of in most cases throughout your life. Whether you’re heading into your first car loan or your seventh, here are five things you need to know before getting that loan.

1. Trading In

With each passing year, there are more and more people that are trading in their cars due to the ease of convenience. That’s because online companies that manage purchases, trade-ins, and sales have made the car-buying process hassle-free. If you currently have a car, no matter what type of condition it’s in, you’ll be able to trade it in.

Many people have switched to trading in their cars online, while there are still plenty that take their cars directly to the dealer. Of course, there are going to be varying prices for how much that you can get for your trade-in, but a good rule of thumb is to use the Kelly Blue Book to see what your car’s value is. From there, you can use your trade-in to make a big dent in your new car’s purchase price.

2. Down Payment

Trading in your car is the most common and convenient way to make a down payment on your new car instead of coming up with a large sum of cash. Naturally, the larger the down payment the better. It’s important to know how much you can afford for a down payment, and never spend more than you’re able to afford just to bring down your monthly payments by a dollar or two per month.

That’s one of the biggest mistakes that people make when entering into a car loan, as down payments don’t really make a big difference on the loan rates until you start talking increments that are several hundred dollars in most cases. Also, don’t take out another loan just to make a down payment on a car, because then you’re burying two holes.

3. Interest Rate

The absolute biggest thing that’s going to affect how much you pay for your new car is the interest rate. See what you’re approved for before you even start shopping, that way you know how much you can spend. If you’re receiving an offer for an incredibly low-interest rate, you may be able to get a better and newer car than you first expected.

To bring in new customers that clearly have good credit, a lot of dealerships will offer 0% APR or even a cash rebate. You’ll be able to shop around and see what kind of rebate you can get, and the higher rebates equal lower monthly payments. People with poor credit may still be able to afford monthly payments on high-interest rates, but the type of car they’ll be able to get will be much older or have higher mileage.

4. Loan Length

There are plenty of potential car owners that are able to afford a brand-new car every two or three years and can take on those shorter-term car loans while being able to keep up with the high monthly payments. If you’re one of those people that’s willing to commit to a vehicle for several years, though, you might want to take a longer loan.

This is especially true for lower-interest loans as the monthly payments overall will be incredibly low on a new vehicle. That will allow you to save your income for other expenditures rather than worrying about whether or not you can even afford the car in the first place. The typical car loan lasts for 60 months (five years).

5. Type of Car

Now that you have your interest rate, know how much you can trade-in and put down for a down payment, and figured out your monthly payments, it’s time to decide what type of car you want. Each person has different needs, and a lot depends on the climate, commute to work, and size of the family.

Take all of these into consideration, as you don’t want to buy a two-seater if you have several young children while a larger SUV is sitting there at the same price and mileage. Typically, people will know what they’re looking for before the process even begins.

5 Most Catastropic Crashes From Airplane Faults

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When it comes to airplane crashes, a large chunk of them is the result of pilot error or severe weather. Around 20 to 25 percent of the time, though, there’s a mechanical error due to a fault on an airplane. While these crashes aren’t always deadly, they can be catastrophic in the rare event that it does happen. Here are five incidents where airplane faults led to tragic crashes.

Death of Roberto Clemente

On New Year’s Eve 1972, baseball legend Roberto Clemente and four more people were onboard a Douglas DC-7CF en route from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Managua, Nicaragua after an earthquake had devastated the city. Clemente had been spending time in Managua due to coaching the Puerto Rico baseball team and was making a personal effort to provide aid to those affected.

Proper maintenance wasn’t performed on the aircraft, though, and the number two engine failed upon takeoff. The pilot attempted to return to Puerto Rico, and when the plane began descending too quickly tried to take it down into the ocean. Unfortunately, the landing would end up fatal and all five people onboard lost their lives. The pilot was made unaware that earlier in the month, improper maintenance had caused a minor crash for the plane.

American Airlines Flight 1

In what is now John F. Kennedy International Airport, American Airlines Flight 1 took off en route to Los Angeles International Airport on March 1, 1962. The aircraft was one of the newest on the American Airlines lines of Boeing 707s, and it seemed that everything passed the preflight check. After taking off, though, the pilot attempted to make a turn to begin heading west before the plane banked and inverted, initiating a nosedive into the Pumpkin Patch Channel of Jamaica Bay.

It wasn’t the pilot’s fault that the plane was unable to make the turn, however. An investigation into the crash showed that the autopilot system was faulty and it resulted in the rudder system being unable to function properly. All 95 people onboard lost their lives as a result of the improper maintenance, including Olympic gold medalist Emelyn Whiton and a pair of multi-millionaires.

Aeroflot Flight 8641

With more than 120 passengers onboard, Aeroflot Flight 8641 was scheduled to leave Leningrad, Russia, and arrive in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 28, 1982. There were no issues with the flight’s precheck as it only departed one minute late (due to a passenger coming on board late) and the flight was a smooth one to Kyiv. As it began its landing, though, that’s when the trouble started.

The autopilot system began making the descent angle too sharp and ultimately shut off after the plane started going into a sharp drop. The pilots attempted to pull up, but it was too late as the aircraft crashed at nearly 500 miles per hour, resulting in the death of all 132 onboard. The investigation determined the cause of the crash was the jackscrew mechanism not functioning because of improper maintenance that led to metal fatigue.

Finnish Air Force DC-3

Carrying many businesspeople and politicians on their way to a meeting formed by the Finnish Defence Forces, The Finnish Air Force took a DC-3 out of Utti Airport on October 3, 1978. It successfully made it to its stopover at Kuopio Airport, but trouble began when it was headed for its ultimate destination of Helsinki. Just seconds after taking off, one of the engines lost power.

The pilot attempted to make a quick return to the airport, but without the engine, couldn’t make the turn. Winds also played a factor as the aircraft quickly lost altitude and crashed, claiming the lives of all 15 onboard. The report found that the exhaust valve had cracked due to fatigue, resulting in the total engine failure that played a factor into the crash.

USAir Flight 427

On September 8, 1994, USAir Flight 427 was scheduled to take off from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, and make a stopover in Pittsburgh before then heading to Palm Beach, Florida. There were 132 people aboard the Boeing 737-3B7 that day, many of whom were hoping to take a nice vacation in Florida.

Things seemed fine until the flight was arriving in Pittsburgh and started experiencing turbulence. The pilot, Captain Peter Germano, attempted to go against the wind but the rudder malfunctioned and went in the opposite direction. This caused the airplane to stall and the pilots could not recover. There were no survivors as the craft crashed hard at 300 miles per hour.

5 Myths About Missing Persons

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Nothing can be more frightening than when someone that you love and care about goes missing. Going that extended period of time without hearing anything can incite panic and make you think the worst has happened. Before you start to put the worst thoughts into your head about that person and their whereabouts, there are some myths that you should dispel first. Here are the five most common myths about missing persons.

1. The Waiting Period

There’s a popular myth that you have to wait a certain time period before you report somebody missing. For most people, they think that the rule is 24 hours, while some wait for up to 72 hours until they file a report. However, the moment that you think a person is missing, you should alert the local authorities. The sooner that you call them, the better the chances are at finding that person.

There are also plenty that think it’s illegal to not wait a certain time period, while others feel that being a missing person is a crime in itself. Neither of these is true, and police aren’t going to shame you or hassle you for reporting someone missing. They’ve experienced missing person cases where they wish that someone had filed the report sooner because it would have increased the likelihood of finding them.

2. Telling Your Whereabouts

Those that have gone missing typically fear telling people the truth about where they were when they were reported missing. However, it’s only in the case of a missing child that the parents will be informed where they were and when. If you’re an adult that has gone missing and has been located by authorities, however, you don’t have to disclose your location to the reporting party.

Of course, you can give your consent to the police to let them know that you were somewhere safe and had just lost your phone or something innocent along those lines. If you worry about that person and were trying to get away from them, you can let the authorities know, and further action can be taken from there.

3. The Success Rate

In the news, we hear about missing persons who vanish into thin air and are never heard from again, either live or dead. These are sensationalized and turned into news pieces, documentaries, and even fictionalized films. However, it should be known that these cases aren’t just rare, but you nearly have a better chance of being born with 11 fingers or toes than a missing person does of not being found.

The success rate of finding a missing person is over 99.2 percent in the United States, and it’s a similar number for other developed countries around the world including France, Australia, and the United Kingdom. We fear the worst, but it’s usually the best that occurs in these missing persons cases.

4. The Repeat Missing Person Myth

Typically the first time that someone goes off the grid for the first 24 or 48 hours, people are afraid to alert authorities because they think that they’ll be shrugged off. They feel that because the person doesn’t have a history of going missing that their case won’t be taken seriously, but authorities want to make sure that everyone is found and accounted for.

Someone that doesn’t respond to calls, texts, or even answers the door might just be sick or have a broken phone, but they might also be in danger. Don’t be afraid to let authorities know that you have concerns about a person that’s missing for the first time in their life.

5. Information Access

There’s a lot of television shows and movies that will have you believe that there’s a large wiretapping operation that gets set up in living rooms around the country whenever someone goes missing. This is far from being the case, though, as police won’t access any personal data or technology that you’d only see from political wiretappings.

Instead, authorities will try to locate the missing person on social media to see if they made any indication of their whereabouts. From there, they’ll question possible witnesses, family members, and friends, while also scanning the area where the person went missing.

5 Greatest Hip Hop Music Videos Ever

Posted on by scatty

There was once a time when hip-hop music videos were among the cheapest to produce in the music industry as many of them involved someone simply rapping in front of a camera, whether it be outside or in the studio. During the mid-to-late 1990s, however, music video production exploded in quality as the genre became more mainstream, and multi-million dollar videos were soon being pumped out weekly.

Now, there is a long list of amazing music videos from the genre that have had great direction and artistry while also being accompanied by a great song. Though it’s hard to choose from a long list of an entire genre, here are the five greatest hip-hop music videos ever in our opinion.

California Love

“California Love” is one of the greatest creations to come from the late rapper, Tupac Shakur. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman were also featured on the 1995 hit. The music video for the song was directed by Hype Williams and filmed in El Mirage, California. 

The video, inspired by Mad Max Beyond the Thundersome, features the artists and various actors such as Chris Tucker, Clifton Powell, and Tony Cox in a dystopian desert setting, dressed in ravaged clothing and body armor as seen in the movie. The song has been listed by countless publications as being one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time.

The Real Slim Shady

“The Real Slim Shady” is the lead single off of Eminem’s 2000 album, The Marshall Mather’s LP. The satirical video starts off with Eminem as a patient in a psych ward, with comedian Kathy Griffin as a nurse. 

The video cuts to different hilariously odd scenes throughout, some with Eminem surrounded by a group of lookalikes, with him pointing out there’s only one Slim Shady and others are just imitating. The video went on to win Best Video and Best Male Video at the MTV Video Music Awards. 

Sabotage    

“Sabotage” serves as the first single off of the Beastie Boys’ 1994 album, Ill Communication. The music video for “Sabotage” was directed by Spike Jonze and is inspired by 70’s crime shows such as Hawaii Five-O and Starsky and Hutch. 

The hilariously action-packed video features the members of the group being introduced as characters in a mock television show intro, fighting crime in 70’s style outfits, wigs, and mustaches. The video was nominated for various awards during the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards but failed to win in any of the categories. 

Jesus Walks

Kanye West had established himself as a producer for many years, but in the early 2000s, he finally got on the other side of the microphone and recorded his debut album “The College Dropout”, which ended up being considered one of the greatest albums in rap history. Among the singles released were “Through the Wire” and “All Falls Down”, with “Jesus Walks” being released later in the album’s life.

There were three different videos released for “Jesus Walks”, with two of them being paid for exclusively by West. The song was deeply important for West and his spirituality, which is why he felt that it was important to spend over $1 million to produce the two additional videos. The one that most people know though was the second version which started with prisoners being treated like modern-day slaves and touched on the social justice issues of the past two centuries in the United States.

Tha Crossroads     

While Bone Thugs-n-Harmony was already an up-and-coming group by the time 1996 came around, the release of “Tha Crossroads” really helped put them on the map. The group, which was then comprised of members Krayzie, Layzie, Bizzy, and Wish Bone, came out with “Tha Crossroads” as a tribute to not just family members that they had lost, but also their mentor Eazy-E after his passing in 1995 at just 30 years old.

The accompanying music video for “Tha Crossroads” was a deep and emotional look at life, death, and the afterlife which included a full choir and even a man that chaperones lost souls into the afterworld. At that point, there hadn’t been many rap music videos that had touched deep into sensitive topics like death and gang vioelnce, but “Tha Crossroads” did that beautifully and became one of the best hip-hop songs of the 1990s.