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5 Times Britney Spears Broke the Internet

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Ever since the beginning of her music career, Britney Spears has been a lightning rod for public attention, whether it be for better or worse. Spears came onto the scene during the 1990s and instantly became one of the biggest names in pop music. Since then, she has achieved legendary status and to this day is one of the most talked-about people. This doesn’t apply just to music but in general.

Spears has had moments that have cemented her status as an icon, as well as moments that became the headlines for tabloids around the world. Let’s take a look at Spears’s career and remember some of the times when Spears broke the internet, causing a massive reaction (either good or bad).

The Head Shave

2007 was an extremely tough year for Britney Spears, and on February 16, she reached a boiling point. With the paparazzi looking on, Spears shaved her head almost completely bald while sitting inside a hair salon. For Spears, it came at a time when she wasn’t able to see her two sons following her split with Kevin Federline. Years later, we found out the reason why Spears shaved her head.

Tattoo artist Emily Wynee-Hughes was the first one to speak with Spears immediately after it happened. When she asked Spears why, Wynee-Hughes said “It was, you know, ‘I just don’t want anybody touching my head. I don’t want anyone touching my hair. I’m sick of people touching my hair.’” 

Umbrella Attack

Shortly after Spears shaved her head, she continued to be a target for the paparazzi, with members of the press trying to catch her on film during her downward spiral. Spears grabbed an umbrella and started swinging it at a car owned by a paparazzo. The attack was caught on camera, and Spears was silent on the topic for months.

It wasn’t until the summer of 2007 that Spears addressed the situation. “I apologize to the pap for a stunt that was done four months ago regarding an umbrella,” she said. “I was preparing my character for a role in a movie where the husband never plays his part so they switch places accidentally. I take all my roles very seriously and got a little carried away. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the part.”

Britney’s Freed

For much of her career, Spears had been in conservatorship with her father having control over her estate. Once this was revealed to the public, there was an outcry that led to a trending hashtag, #FreeBritney. This sparked interest in revisiting the conservatorship, especially following the release of the documentary “Framing Britney Spears”.

2021 saw the big push to have this conservatorship removed  It took several months and a lot of court appearances, but on November 21, Spears’s conservatorship came to an end. Shortly thereafter, Spears went back to releasing music, even teaming up with Elton John to record what would end up being a top-10 hit. While the conservatorship has been debated since then, it was a big moment for Spears.

VMA Appearances

It was hard to pick just one of her performances from the MTV Video Music Awards, so we’ll just include the back-to-back performances from 2000 and 2001. The first of the two featured Spears in her sparkling nude-colored outfit. During the performance, Spears belted out “Oops!…I Did It Again” followed by a cover of the Rolling Stones hit “Satisfaction”.

The next year, Spears was somehow able to kick it up a notch when she performed “I’m A Slave 4 U”. This time around, Spears brought out a live Burmese python. Spears said that she received a pep talk from Justin Timberlake prior to the performance when the two were dating, helping to relieve some of the nerves she was feeling prior to taking the stage. 

Chaotic

In 2004, Spears had a whirlwind year when it came to her love life. Early in the year, she married Jason Alexander (not the one from “Seinfeld”), but the marriage lasted for just 55 hours. Just a few months later, Spears got married to Kevin Federline, and it was the start of people really starting to wonder about Spears’s personal life.

Things really got interesting in 2005 with the release of the reality television show “Britney and Kevin: Chaotic”, which premiered on May 17, 2005. Spears seemed to be erratic throughout the show and left people with a lot of questions. Several years after it happened, Spears looked back at it in a bad light. “I would never do something like that again,” she said. “Actually, that was really bad. That was probably the worst thing I’ve done in my career.”

5 States That Create The Best College Football Recruits

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When we think of high school football, there are certain states that come to mind right away. There have even been movies made about the sport, including “Friday Night Lights”, “Remember the Titans”, “Varsity Blues”, and “The Blind Side”. These movies are all based in states where high school football is taken a bit more seriously, and they’re home to the top talent that winds up playing college ball.

Which states have produced the most five-star recruits throughout the history of recruits receiving rankings? Here are the five that dominate the high school landscape, who the top recruits were, and how their football careers ended up.

Alabama

There have been dynasties throughout college football history that have been because of the college’s destination. Notre Dame was once seen as the Catholica Mecca for football players while Miami and USC offered sunshine and fun to be had year-round. Then there are those schools that have been able to build dynasties because they can build a base of top local talent, and Alabama fits in that category.

Alabama has produced more five-star talent than all but four other states, with most of the players committing to Alabama or Auburn. If you take only their high school evaluations into consideration, the top-rated players in Alabama history include Andre Smith, Kerry Murphy, Brodie Croyle, and Julio Jones, all of whom stayed in-state to attend Alabama.

California

You could probably guess that California would be on the list because it has the largest population for any state by far. However, you’d probably think that the Golden State would be a little higher on the list than fourth. So why is it that the state who has 10 million more people than any other does not produce the most football talent?

It’s simple, really, Californians don’t really get into football as much as states in the American southeast. Children are often getting more into baseball, basketball, or soccer, leaving football slightly lagging behind. That doesn’t mean that California doesn’t produce some top talent, though. Some of the best recruits ever from California include Roland Powell, Korey Foreman, Matt Barkley, and Bryce Young.

Georgia

We mentioned how football in the southeast just means a little more, and that’s the case in the state of Georgia. The state has a higher population than you might think, sitting in the eighth place spot in the country. The University of Georgia has always had a good football program, and a lot of that comes from having the in-state talent to keep them going.

Georgia has produced some of the best Bulldogs to ever play, but they’ve also created some nationally-recognized talent along the way. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is from Georgia and made his way to Clemson, Robert Nkemdiche went to Ole Miss, Justin Fields wound up at Ohio State, and Eric Berry attended Tennessee.

Texas

After seeing that California wasn’t in the number one position, you probably thought that Texas would be far and away the top blue chip factory. However, Texas comes in at number two on the list, and it’s not really as close as you think. The state that’s most synonymous with high school football has still produced dozens of five-star recruits, and it includes some players that would go on to become some of the greatest in college football history.

The top two recruits of all-time from Texas are legendary, with running back Adrian Peterson coming in at number two while the top spot goes to quarterback Vince Young. Other top Texas recruits include Myles Garrett (Texas A&M – number one pick in the NFL Draft), Matthew Stafford (Georgie – also a number one pick), and Jeff Okudah (Ohio State).

Florida

The third-largest state in the country by population is the most dominant when it comes to producing five-star recruits. While Florida would already be a top three state at worst for producing talent because of this, they’re boosted up to number one thanks to academies that focus on sports above all else. This attracts five-star talent from other states, especially at the IMG Academy.

Ernie Sims is the highest-rated recruit to ever come from Florida, and he would attend Florida State before heading to the NFL. Other recruits toward the top of the list from the Sunshine State include Vernon Hargreaves III, Laremy Tunsil, Derwin James, and Patrick Peterson, all of whom comfortably made it to the NFL as first-round selections.

5 Strange Brain Injuries That Illustrate How Weird All Of Our Brains Are

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The human brain is one of the most fascinating things in the world. Sometimes we do things that seem downright stupid and then just minutes later figure out a mathematical formula that has been confusing professionals for years. We use our brains to think, feel, calculate, imagine, and so much more.

Our brains are also capable of handling an intense amount of trauma. Many have suffered a concussion, only to end up being just fine as long as the concussions aren’t repeated. Then, there are those that have suffered a brain injury only to end up better than ever. It’s something that has stumped scientists for ages, but a traumatic brain injury (TBI) has bettered the lives of a handful of people, with these five being the most shocking cases.

Orlando Serrell

When we think of dangerous sports, we probably think of football and hockey first and foremost. In the case of Orlando Serrell, though, the sport was baseball. As a child, Serrell was hit on the left side of his head and was knocked to the ground. Since this was in 1979, far before we took concussions more seriously, Serrell popped back into the game.

Serrell had a headache that eventually subsided, but what didn’t subside was a newfound knowledge of mathematics and photographic memory. Serrell immediately improved in math so much that he was outpacing the other students in his class and could remember almost every detail of his life. Serrell still loves doing mathematical work while also drawing large murals.

Jason Padgett

Alaska native Jason Padgett grew up with a penchant for extreme sports but didn’t care much for academia. In fact, he made it to community college but quickly dropped out to be a furniture salesman. Things would change for Padgett in September 2002, however, as he went out for a few drinks with his friends in Tacoma, Washington. When leaving, Padgett was hit from behind, suffering a brain injury while being robbed.

The severe concussion left Padgett feeling much different, and he instantly developed both Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. However, the injury also allowed him to become a savant as he started to see the world in geometric shapes. Padgett would end up getting into mathematics and instantly understanding everything he didn’t know before.

Malcolm Myatt

There are a lot of us that would like to go the rest of our lives without having to feel sad again. For Malcolm Myatt, that became a reality. The late Myatt had retired from his truck driving job when he suffered a stroke in his late 60s, spending nearly five full months in a hospital recovering. When he suffered the stroke, doctors said that the frontal lobe of his brain was the source.

This is the part of the brain that regulates emotions, and Myatt no longer had the ability to feel sadness. He spent the rest of his days smiling and in a generally good mood because of his stroke. “I am never depressed,” Myatt said. “Being sad wouldn’t help anything, anyway. I would definitely rather be happy all the time than the other way round. It’s an advantage really.”

Jon Sarkin

Growing up in New Jersey, Jon Sarkin had almost no aspirations of doing anything with art. He received a degree in environmental science and became a chiropractor during the 1980s. Toward the end of the decade, though, he suffered from tinnitus and underwent an unsuccessful surgery that caused a stroke.

Sarkin was seeing things much differently when he finally recovered, and his brain was almost completely rewired. He instantly became obsessed with art and started drawing some of the dark images that his brain was now showing him. Eventually, Sarkin became a professional and was featured in galleries for his work. He said his life following the stroke was akin to “Alice in Wonderland” where “everything is cool, but everything is weird, too.”

Derek Amato

Most of us have dived into a pool that was probably too shallow but thankful came out unscathed. That wasn’t what happened to Derek Amato, though. The Colorado native was visiting his parents in South Dakota when he jumped into a pool while attempting to catch a football. He ended up hitting his head on the pool floor and was immediately bleeding from his ears and suffering from a TBI.

It took Amato several days to recover, and he was still experiencing headaches and partial deafness when he found a new skill. Amato was able to play the piano, which was something he hadn’t done before. He even showcased his skills on television to millions of viewers.

5 Emojis That Mean Totally Different Things To Different People

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Emojis have become an effective form of communication, and you even see them used routinely in the business world. While some of us try to reel in our emoji use throughout the day, well over 90 percent of the world’s population uses them on a daily basis. 

Just because you use a particular emoji for your own personal meaning doesn’t mean that’s how others see it, though. Here are five emojis that you might want to think twice about using because they mean totally different things to different people.

Thumbs Up

For a lot of people, the thumbs up is the ultimate sign of approval. Instead of saying “got it” or “understood,” many will send the thumbs-up emoji as a sign that they understand what the person is saying and is on board. However, it turns out that this emoji is a harmless one for older generations while younger ones might see it as a backhanded way of communicating.

Apparently, members of Generation Z have deemed the thumbs-up emoji as one with passive-aggressive connotations. At least, that’s according to one major poll conducted by Emojipedia. Some members of Gen-Z also said that the emoji was seen as “low effort” while some even called it “hostile.” Older emoji users probably have no idea since the thumbs-up has always been a harmless gesture of support in their lives.

Eggplant

While the generation barrier for the thumbs-up emoji really only applies to the very young, it’s typically only the very elderly that aren’t quite sure about the second meaning of the eggplant emoji. When it was introduced in 2007, the eggplant emoji seemed rather harmless and was used very seldom. Maybe there were times when people talked about recipes, but there really weren’t many conversations where it was necessary.

Then, in the early 2010s, more people started to take notice of the emoji. Many felt that it had a much more ‘suggestive’ appearance and was introduced into more ‘adult’ conversations. Since then, the eggplant has been used almost exclusively in that capacity while some of the oldest emoji users innocently still use it to talk about food preparation.

Peace Sign

The peace sign has changed meaning a lot in recent years to the point where it doesn’t even mean peace anymore. Sure, there was a time when those who wanted nothing but love and tranquility in the world could comfortably use the peace sign without any other connotations, at least in the United States. Outside of the country, this symbol could be perceived as obscene, with places like Australia and Ireland essentially using it as the middle finger.

These days, most people use it to sarcastically say goodbye, and it’s even transferred into real life. When you get into a confrontation and want to be snarky when leaving, you throw up “the deuces” and walk away. This has been seen repeatedly in sports, and even made its way into the Super Bowl when wide receiver Tyreek Hill (who had it as a signature celebration when scoring) had it used against him.

Goat

Speaking of sports, the goat emoji means something very different to them than it does to non-sports fans. To those who spend their weekends watching their favorite teams, the goat emoji is an acronym, G.O.A.T., or Greatest of All Time. This has been used for athletes such as Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and Lionel Messi. It can also be used for other professions, though sports are where you see it the most.

Then, there are plenty of people who simply love goats as animals, and who wouldn’t? Sure, they might have a unique look that some consider strange, but they’re fun animals who love to jump around, and watching them for hours can be a great way to pass time. Those who never watch sports probably don’t know its acronym status.

Information Desk Person

The Information Desk Person emoji is one of the most bizarre ones out there because people aren’t really sure what it’s supposed to mean. The emoji shows a person with their left hand extended upward with their palm facing up as if they’re serving a dish that simply isn’t there. The emoji, apparently, is supposed to be a person working at a help desk and silently inquiring “How can I help you?”

That’s not how many people have seen it, however. Instead, it has been used as a way of saying “I have no idea” or in a sarcastic way when you’re tired of someone’s actions. Ask anyone in the world who has used this emoji if they’ve ever done so with its intended meaning, and they’re likely going to say no.

5 NFL Players Drafted Much Later Than Experts Thought They Would Be

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Even before a football player hits their final year of college eligibility, many of us football fans and experts try to figure out where that player will be selected in the NFL Draft (when they become available). There are some players who are anointed as first-round talents before even becoming full-time college starters, while others quickly rise from obscurity (a la Joe Burrow) to become a number one overall pick.

Today, we’ll take a look at the players that fall in the former category. The types who were thought to be potential #1 picks at one point had experts believing that they were top-five talents all the way up to draft day. However, these five players slid down the board, with some even dropping out of the first round or the entire draft altogether. 

Randy Moss

Randy Moss had a bit of a checkered past when it came to his college career, as he originally intended on attending the University of Notre Dame but got into a fight where he was initially charged with a felony. With that, he instead went to Florida State to play for Bobby Bowden, but never saw the field as he had violated his work-release program and was placed in jail for two months.

Moss found a home at Marshall University in his home state of Wisconsin and ushered in the era of the Thundering Herd joining the NCAA’s Division I-A. Moss was seen as an absolute freak with a skill level that perhaps made him the best player in the 1998 NFL Draft and experts felt he could be a top-three pick. However, his off-the-field concerns in his college career caused him to slip all the way to the 21st spot, making the Minnesota Vikings very happy.

Aaron Rodgers

Heading into the 2005 NFL Draft, there was a big debate as to who the number one overall pick would be. While some accurately predicted that the San Francisco 49ers would select quarterback Alex Smith from Utah, there were plenty more who thought they would take Aaron Rodgers from Cal. Not only did the 49ers pass on Rodgers, but so did many other teams that day.

Rodgers would indeed end up being the second quarterback taken in the 2005 NFL Draft, but he had to wait until the 24th overall selection to hear his name called. Even then, it was a surprise as Rodgers landed with the Green Bay Packers, who already had Brett Favre on the roster. For Rodgers and Green Bay, though, it all worked out just fine in the long run.

Thurman Thomas

Thurman Thomas was the Most Valuable Player in the NFL in 1991 and a five-time All-Pro. In fact, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame in back-to-back years. That sounds like a resume for a first-round running back, doesn’t it? Well, that wasn’t the case in 1988 as the Oklahoma State product had a knee injury heading into the draft that caused him to slip.

Experts felt that despite the injury, Thomas would end up being a star, and they were proven right. The Bills used their second-round selection (40th) overall to take Thomas, and he would go on to put up over 12,000 career rushing yards and 88 touchdowns total, helping the Bills win four AFC titles.

Brady Quinn

Notre Dame has produced a lot of NFL talent over the years, but not so much at the quarterback position. Experts felt that things would finally change for the Irish when Brady Quinn became eligible for the 2007 NFL Draft after throwing for 11,762 yards and 95 touchdowns in college. Many felt that he would be the first overall pick, and no later than the top five.

NFL scouts didn’t see the same thing that many television analysts did. Quinn waited until the 22nd overall selection to hear his name called by the Cleveland Browns, but he would end up having a lackluster NFL career. He retired in 2014 and went into broadcasting where he’s found much more success.

Vontaze Burfict

Vontaze Burfict had a lengthy NFL career as a linebacker for the Bengals before ending with the Raiders in 2019. The former All-Pro was the top-rated linebacker coming out of high school and originally committed to USC before he became ineligible.

Burfict had a laundry list of issues attached to his name despite his undeniable talent and went undrafted after spending his college career at Arizona State. The Bengals would pick him up following the 2012 NFL Draft, which draft experts felt was the ultimate get, as they had him listed as the most talented linebacker in the class.

5 Artists Who Were Caught Lip Syncing

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Lip-syncing isn’t the worst thing in the world since there are a lot of artists who need to move around the stage, and the acoustics of certain venues make live performances sound flat-out bad. Then, there are times when the venue is just fine and the artist isn’t doing anything spectacular on stage, but they cop out of performing live and let the recorded track do the work for them.

There have been several instances where an artist was caught lip-syncing during a performance when they had no real reason to. For some, it has pretty much been a career-ender, while others were able to bounce back because they had a decent excuse. Here are five artists who were caught lip-syncing during live performances. For the sake of the list, we’re excluding any Super Bowl performances where lip-syncing is expected.

Milli Vanilli

There is perhaps no greater example of lip-syncing ending careers than Milli Vanilli. The duo was comprised of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, and they churned out a slew of hits in the late 1980s which included “Blame It On the Rain” and “Girl You Know It’s True”. This led to the duo earning the 1990 Grammy Award for Best New Artist, but it was one they’d have to give back.

During a live performance that aired on MTV in July 1989, Milli Vanilli was performing “Girl You Know It’s True,” but the track skipped and Pilatus ran off stage. Many brushed it off, but it was revealed not too long afterward that Morvan and Pilatus weren’t the actual singers. They were lip-syncing the vocals of three other men including Charles Shaw and Brad Howell. With that, Milli Vanilli disbanded and gave back their Grammy.

Ashlee Simpson

Ashlee Simpson came to prominence after her older sister Jessica became a hit singer and reality television star. As for her own career, Ashlee got off to a good start thanks to her debut album “Autobiography” which included hits like “La La” and “Pieces of Me”. Shortly after the album’s release, Simpson performed the latter song on “Saturday Night Live”.

When she came out for her second song, “Autobiography”, “Pieces of Me” started playing again. It proved that Simpson had lip-synced her first performance, and it became an awkward scene as she did a little jig and walked off the stage. Simpson blamed it on acid reflux and said she made a fool of herself. It was essentially the end of her music career which had just gotten started.

Mariah Carey

You can be one of the best singers of all time and still get caught lip-syncing every now and then. Carey, who is known for an endless list of hits which include “We Belong Together” and “Fantasy”, has had a few instances of obvious lip-syncing during her time. When welcoming in 2017 during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, though, she had a pretty egregious example of lip-syncing.

Social media was ablaze with jokes about Carey’s performance, and she came out of it feeling bitter. Carey said it was her in-ear audio that was throwing her off. “It’s not going to stop me from doing a live event in the future,” she said. “But it will make me less trusting of using anyone outside of my own team.”

Britney Spears

The Princess of Pop has had her fair share of controversies throughout her career, and lip-syncing feels like just a footnote for Britney Spears. Spears, who has released hits including “…Baby One More Time”, “Toxic” and “Womanizer” has had a few incidents, but perhaps none more famous than during her residency in Las Vegas.

During one performance in 2014, Spears was set to lip-sync alongside her song “Perfume”. However, the cover version by Sia started playing. Spears’s team tried to get the audio wiped from YouTube uploads, but it was too late. Still, Spears didn’t suffer too badly from the incident.

Beyonce

One of the most influential figures in music history, Beyonce has a following that is beyond loyal and no amount of lip-syncing could ever ruin her reputation. Still, that didn’t stop some people from criticizing Beyonce for lip-syncing during one of the more important events in the United States: the Presidential Inauguration.

The inauguration was for Barack Obama, who had won his re-election and beginning his second term as the United States President. Beyonce was tabbed to sing the national anthem and lip-synced her way through. Beyonce admitted that the performance was pre-recorded because she didn’t have time to rehearse. Instead, she had been warming up for her Super Bowl halftime performance which came just days later.

5 Best Kits in English Premier League History

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When a new kit is introduced in the English Premier League, it has to look good so that more fans will want to buy the tops to match their favorite players. Even the most hardcore fans of teams around the league could end up not buying a kit just because it doesn’t look good, though. Thankfully, most of the English Premier League kits have been great designs by athletic apparel companies with some really standing out.

Which EPL kits are among the best, though? Out of the many that have been created by the likes of Nike, Adidas, Puma, and more, these five stand out as the best. There’s a nice blend of old and new on the list, too, showing off each era of the EPL.

Manchester City 1992-93

For the 1992-93 English Premier League season, Man City went with a light blue uniform that had a unique pattern that has aged very well. The Brother advertisement on the front of the jersey didn’t look out of touch compared to some of the kit advertisements we see today, and it all blended together well. In fact, Man City fans still purchase these kits to wear to matches since it’s a timeless look.

While times in the future would be great for Manchester City, they were only mediocre during the early 1990s. Man City finished the EPL season with 57 points, good enough for ninth in the standings. The club reached the sixth round of the FA Cup that season, as well, and the season ended on a cold streak. However, they looked good doing it.

Manchester United 1995-96

On the front of the Man U jerseys was the word “Sharp” for the company that was advertising on the kits, but it could also be used to describe the look that the Red Devils were rocking. While the alternate kits at the time were lacking in good design, the home reds were amazing to look at. Throwback kits from this year now sell online for more than $120 because of their popularity.

Part of what made the kits so memorable is the success that Manchester United had when wearing them in 1995-96. The club won the Premier League with 82 points, finishing four points ahead of Newcastle United. They also won the FA Cup under manager Alex Ferguson.

Chelsea 2012-13

Chelsea has had a great history with their kits, and it was hard to pick just one from the club’s collection. The best one, though, has to be their home kits from the 2012-13 season when they adorned the familiar jerseys with gold trim instead of white. The familiar Samsung logo was on the front, as well as the Adidas logo and club crest, but there was something about seeing it all in gold that stood out.

When wearing these kits, Chelsea was able to make it to the Champions League group stage thanks to their third-place finish in the EPL. They wrapped up with 75 points, just three points out of second place. Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and won the UEFA Europa League.

West Ham 2021-22

West Ham might not have the most storied EPL history, but they’ve had some great kits throughout the years. Instead of simply picking either home or away for West Ham’s get-up in 2021-22, it’s easier to just say that both belong on the list. The home kits show that unique blend of dark red with light blue while the road kits show the white and light blue stripes with the red trim. Either way, it’s a win.

The season ended up being a solid one for West Ham as they finished seventh in the EPL and qualified for the Europa Conference League playoff round. In the Europa League, West Ham reached the semi-finals in one of the club’s better campaigns.

Newcastle United 1996-97

There are some sponsorships that are so good that fans don’t even consider them to be “selling out.” One of those occasions came during the 1990s when Newcastle Brown Ale was the primary sponsor of Newcastle United. The logo was on the Newcastle United uniforms throughout this time, with the top kit coming in the 1996-97 season. The star logo was a perfect fit for the blue uniform in the best case of a corporate logo blending it with athletics.

The uniforms were on full display as Newcastle United had one of their best seasons. With 68 points, the club finished second behind Manchester United in the English Premier League table and advanced to the Champions League second qualifying round. They also reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup.

5 Best Second Round Picks in NFL History

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Naturally, the first round of the NFL Draft is when the highest amount of people are going to be watching because you have the casual fans who want to see where the biggest names will end up going. There are still plenty of people who make sure they watch the second round of the draft, though, as there are still plenty of big-time college players who get drafted a little later than some may have thought.

A lot of these second-round players end up being instant contributors to their new professional teams, with many of them ending up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s hard to narrow it down to just a few players, but here are our picks for the five best second-round picks in NFL Draft history. Before we start the list, some honorable mentions include Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Howie Long, LeSean McCoy, DaVante Adams, and Larry Allen.

Michael Strahan

While he might be known these days more for his media career thanks to hosting game shows and talk shows, Michael Strahan was once among the greatest defensive players in the NFL. Strahan was a relative unknown coming out of college since he attended the small school Texas Southern. In 1993, the second round was filled with picks from much larger schools like Miami, Notre Dame, and Michigan.

Strahan ended up being the 40th overall selection, with the New York Giants taking him after forfeiting their first-round pick. Strahan became a six-time All-Pro with the Giants and was the 2001 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He became a Hall of Famer in 2014 and is tied for the single-season sack record with 22.5.

Mike Singletary

The Chicago Bears were building a defensive powerhouse during the early 1980s that would help form the Monsters of the Midway. To do that, they needed help at linebacker. In the 1981 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected offensive tackle Keith Van Horne in the first round, and he ended up being an underwhelming selection.

Right after wide receiver (and now commentator) Cris Collinsworth was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bears picked up linebacker Mike Singletary from Baylor. Singletary wound up being one of the franchise’s best linebackers, which is saying something when Brian Urlacher and Dick Butkus are in the fray. Singletary was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Pro in his 12 NFL seasons (all with Chicago).

Brett Favre

Surprisingly, not many teams were clamoring for Brett Favre when he was coming out of Southern Miss back in 1991. Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville was adamant that the team shouldn’t draft him, and they had already used first-round selections on cornerback Bruce Pickens and wide receiver Mike Pritchard. The team’s best pick, though, was their second-round (33rd overall) selection of Favre.

Favre would play for just one season as a backup in Atlanta, but that was enough for the Green Bay Packers to take notice and trade a first-round selection for Favre. Green Bay had wanted him initially, but the Falcons were one spot ahead of them. It ended up working out just fine for the Packers as they received a Hall of Famer and three-time MVP.

Rob Gronkowski

It’s wild to think that Rob Gronkowski wasn’t even the first tight end taken in the 2010 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to Jermaine Gresham, the only tight end taken in the first round that year. It wasn’t until the 42nd overall spot that Gronk heard his name called, and the draft spot changed hands several times.

The Raiders initially held the pick and sent it to Tampa Bay, which then ended up with Chicago before Bill Belichick acquired it to select Gronkowski. Gronk, when healthy, was the best tight end in NFL history. He was a four-time All-Pro and even led the league in touchdowns during his second season en route to four Super Bowl titles.

Drew Brees

Many felt that Drew Brees had the arm to be a great NFL quarterback but not the size. That’s why he had to wait until the first pick of the second round in 2001 to be selected by the San Diego Chargers in a loaded draft. Brees spent five seasons in San Diego before hitting free agency and became a legend with the New Orleans Saints.

Brees brought the franchise its first Super Bowl while setting season and career records left and right. With more than a dozen Pro Bowls, five All-Pro selections, and two Offensive Player of the Year honors, Brees was the best second-round pick in NFL history.

5 Most Impressive Memory Feats Ever Performed

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Memory is something that varies by person more than just about anything else. Some of us can’t remember what we ate for breakfast, while others can remember a lot of details about their lives dating back to when they were just a couple of years old. It’s quite remarkable to see how much some people can remember, and having a photographic memory helps these people remember important details.

This can help them in both their professional and personal lives, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are some people that can remember things that are so detailed that you would think they had it written down in front of them. Here are five of the most impressive memory feats ever performed by human beings.

Rajveer Meena

Most of us are familiar with Pi, but can usually only name a couple of numbers. Most people can only get to 3.14 and then tail off from there. That’s not the case for Indian native Rajveer Meena. On March 21, 2015, he collected witnesses from the Guinness Book of World Records and sat himself down in a chair, completely blindfolded.

He then started to rattle off the numbers of Pi to those who were marking down his progress and making sure he was correct. Meena didn’t just get 100 places or even 1,000. He went all the way to 70,000 places of Pi, giving him the new record. It wasn’t a short display of his memory, either, as Meena spent nearly 10 hours accomplishing this feat.

Bartholomew Bidder

These days, almost all records are stored digitally and backed up into some sort of cloud storage. That wasn’t always the case, though, as many records and files were kept in physical paper form, even for large businesses. The Royal Exchange Assurance Company was one of these businesses that relied on physical files in 1838, and the company, unfortunately, suffered a fire in which all of the files were lost.

On the fortunate side, though, they were employing Bartholomew Parker Bidder at the time. Bidder was able to remember everything that was in the company’s files. It took him half a year to get everything from his memory banks, but he was able to pull it off. There hasn’t been a company of that size to have their files pulled straight from memory ever since.

Kim Peek

At the Academy Awards in 1989, Dustin Hoffman won the award for Best Actor thanks to his role in the film “Rain Man”. In the movie, he plays a character named Raymond Babbitt. However, Raymond Babbitt is not a real person. Kim Peek is a real person, though, and and writer Barry Morrow came up with the script for “Rain Man” after meeting him.

The late Kim Peek was what was known as a “megasavant” and was thought to have FG syndrome. He had a memory that was nearly unmatched by anyone in his time, and he was able to memorize books, magazines, and any other visual media as soon as he saw it just once. While he lacked physical skills due to his condition, Peek memorized over 12,000 books and was able to recite just about the entirety of the Salt Lake City Public Library.

Stephen Wiltshire

There are certain landmarks that we try to remember so that we can figure our way out around a city. In the case of Stephen Wiltshire, though, he simply needs to look at a city just once and he can draw the entire thing from memory. Wiltshire, a London native, was diagnosed with autism when he was just three years old and had to grow up without his father.

Wiltshire showed a penchant for drawing as a young boy and began sketching buildings in his home city. After a couple of years, Wiltshire was drawing entire cities, with people putting him to the test by simply showing him a picture of a city for a short period. From there, he could draw the cityscape and it earned him membership to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Boris Konrad

Boris Konrad is one of the most modern examples of amazing memory as he gives public speeches around the world about improving memory. He’s a neuroscientist who has been able to demonstrate his ability to remember words and names in the span of just a few minutes.

In fact, Konrad holds four titles in the Guinness Book of World Records in the memory category. One of the most impressive was when he was given the names and faces of over 200 people and had just 15 minutes to memorize them. Konrad was able to do it successfully, wowing everyone in attendance.

How To Get Promoted in the Marines

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The United States Marine Corps has 27 different grades between Marines and officers, with most newcomers starting off at the rank of Private. As soon as members get into the Marines, they set out with the goal of making their way through the ranks with aspirations of one day becoming a Four-Star General. While that’s only been done a few dozen times, most Marines will end up getting promoted at least once.

If you have been thinking about enlisting with the Marines, are just getting started, or have been trying to earn a promotion, there are certain things you need to do. Each quarter, all Marines are eligible for a new ranking, and here are five ways to impress your superiors and earn that sought-after promotion.

Increase Fitness

While you don’t have to be the fittest person in the world to end up being a Four-Star General, it’s important to be in top shape throughout your first few ranks. One of the quickest ways to fast-track your way through the ranks is to finish in the top five of your company in the various physical tests. This includes running, obstacle courses, and shooting.

The PFT (physical fitness test) will be your chance to showcase how seriously you’re taking your fitness. The test will be comprised of pull-ups or push-ups, a three-mile run, and crunches or planks. If you can finish toward the maximum expected from you, then there’s a great chance that you’ll be moving up sooner rather than later.

Formal Education

There’s a misconception that members of the military are meatheads that don’t bother studying books or working toward a college education. In the Marines, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Most high-ranking Marines have at least a bachelor’s degree, with some of those at the highest level earning master’s degrees.

When you join the Marines, you can do so without a degree. The Marines will help you earn your degree, and simply showing the initiative to pursue your first degree will let superiors know that you’re bettering yourself and want a bright future. Once you finish that degree, that’s essentially a guarantee that you’re going to be promoted with your fitness also being in top form. Being able to balance both is impressive to those watching.

Military Know-How

It isn’t just formal education that you’ll need to work your way up through the Marines. Just like with any job, having knowledge of your role is going to help you advance. In the same way that you’d be promoted to manager at an office for showing a deep knowledge of your work, the Marines operate in the same way. Thankfully, there are courses a Marine can take to further their knowledge.

These are called MCIs, and the more you take, the better you’ll look. Learn from some of your superiors along the way, as well, as they’ll have a deep pool of knowledge, and picking their brain will tell you what to expect in your career with the Marines. Showing that you want to learn more in any capacity shows initiative.

Initiative in Leadership

Speaking of initiative, you have to show from day one that you stand out from the rest of your company as the leader of the pack. This doesn’t mean that you should be bullying people around, but rather show respect for everyone while taking the lead through some of the worst situations.

When your company is being punished, a Marine who offers to take the entire punishment for themselves while sparing the others is one thing that impresses superiors. You need to be tough, smart, fit, and maintain your composure in any situation to show leadership. Again, this is akin to being a manager in the corporate world. You can be great at your job but not cut out for leadership.

Stay Patient

If you have been in the Marines for a few years, don’t think that just because you aren’t climbing the ranks as fast as you once were that you won’t be getting another promotion. On average, the first promotion will come after six months to Private First Class, with Lance Corporal coming at 14 months. Then, the average timeline to become a Corporal is 26 months.

Things slow down considerably after that, as the average wait time to become Sergeant is nearly five years, with over a decade until achieving Staff Sergeant. At the top of the ladder is Master Gunnery Sergeant/Sergeant Major, which takes an average of 22 years. If you’ve been sitting in the Corporal rank for a couple of years, don’t fret about the next promotion since it becomes much more selective.