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5 Successful People Who Had a Low GPA

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When we’re growing up, we’re told that our grades are pretty much the most important aspect of our lives. Getting good grades in high school can lead to getting into a prestigious college, and getting good grades in college can lead to a high-paying job. Just because someone is smart and dedicated, though, doesn’t always mean they’ll get good grades.

There have been plenty of people who have found massive success in their lives without a top-level grade point average. Before you stress too much about your own grades, here are five people who struggled with their GPA but went on to become some of the top people in their field of work.

Al Gore

Al Gore served as the Vice President of the United States throughout the presidency of Bill Clinton and nearly became the president himself during the 2000 election. These days, Gore is a businessman and environmentalist who spreads awareness for climate change.

Gore may have gotten into Harvard, but he struggled on certain tests and received low grades in many of his classes. In fact, Gore got a ‘D’ grade in one class (Natural Sciences) and got just a 488 out of 800 on a physics exam (and 519 in chemistry). Gore was able to do well in other classes, however, and his combination of SAT scores and IQ test scores showed that he was smart and just didn’t apply himself in some classes.

George W. Bush

Al Gore would end up losing the 2000 election to George W. Bush, who became just the second president in history to follow in his father’s footsteps to the White House. Bush, like Gore, also went to an Ivy League school but struggled throughout much of his academic career. 

Bush’s SAT scores were much lower than Gore’s, and he received low 70s marks in his PS14a and PS13b tests. Bush has talked about his grades, saying to the 2015 class at SMU that “To those of you who are graduating this afternoon with high honors, awards, and distinctions, I say, ‘Well done.’ And as I like to tell the C students; You too can be president.”

Steven Spielberg

Perhaps the most famous director to ever live, Steven Spielberg has been behind the camera for some of Hollywood’s greatest films. This includes the “Indiana Jones” series, “Jurassic Park”, and many more.

Spielberg’s attention didn’t go toward school while he was growing up as he was fully locked into movie-making. One of the main reasons why Spielberg struggled in school was because he suffers from dyslexia. “It is something that I have had since I was a child,” Spielberg dais. “It was not fun to go to elementary school and have other students and teachers not understand my reading problems…When you are a child you have to achieve a different balance when you find yourself to be dyslexic.”

Jon Stewart

During the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, Jon Stewart found his footing as an actor and comedian, but his career really took off in 1999 when he was tabbed to take over hosting duties for “The Daily Show”. Stewart hosted the series for 16 years, and started his own show “The Problem with Jon Stewart” in 2021.

Stewart said that he was more focused on the inner workings of the real world while growing up, but was still able to get into the College of William & Mary where he starred as a soccer player. Stewart’s extracurriculars were more important to him, and he admitted that his college career mainly consisted of waking up late and taking other people’s notes before soccer practice. He spoke to the W&M graduation class 20 years after his graduation, saying “College is something you complete. Life is something you experience. So don’t worry about your grade, or the results, or success. Love what you do. Get good at it.”

Jeremy Clarkson

“Top Gear” is one of the most beloved television shows in British history, and it wouldn’t have been as successful as it was without the hosting abilities of Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson has been a part of several other shows including “Robot Wars” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

Each year, Clarkson likes to remind those who take the A-Level in the United Kingdom that he didn’t do so well on his either (or school in general). In an annual post on Twitter, Clarkson notes that he received a ‘C’ grade on the A-Level but has still been able to obtain success. “Don’t worry if your A level results are disappointing,” he says each year. “I got a C and 2 Us and I’m currently holidaying on this boat.” That’s just one of the many examples of Clarkson showing off that grades aren’t everything. 

5 States With the Highest-Paid Governor

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There are a lot of details that go into how much the governor state earns each year. Some states have massive populations which require governors to be very hands-on and work nearly around the clock. In these states, governors are paid extremely well to the point where they find themselves in the upper class of the United States.

Out of all of the states that have the highest-paid governors, many of them are probably what you’d expect. Then, there are a couple that come as pretty big surprises. Let’s take a look at the five states who pay their governors the most and how they came to be such high-paying jobs (even higher than a United States Representative).

Washington

The fifth-highest-paid state is the first surprise entry onto the list. While Washington is by no means small, it’s a bit of a shock to see them pay their governor so much. Washington is the 13th-most populated state in the country at over 7.7 million, which puts it in the same neighborhood as the likes of Arizona and Virginia. However, Arizona has one of the lowest salaries for a governor in the entire country.

Washington’s governor is paid over $187,000 per year, which is more than triple what the average American makes per year. As one of the leading states in terms of employee salary, Washington is one of those smaller states that has kept up with inflation compared to many others. For that reason, there are probably some people who weren’t shocked to see Washington ranked so high as it’s considered one of the best states to work in overall because of the wages.

Tennessee

You don’t have to go too far down the population rankings from Washington to find Tennessee. While the Pacific Northwest state is ranked 13th in population, Tennessee is just two spots behind with a population of over 7 million. Tennessee has seen a large influx in population due to the Nashville metropolitan area, with locals saying that they’ve never seen a boom like this in their lives.

Though the population increase has put Tennessee higher on the list in terms of largest states, the governor has always been a highly paid job in the Volunteer State. Tennessee was hanging around the top 10 early in the 21st century and saw a huge increase in salary when the population increased to make it a top-five paying state.

Pennsylvania

People who have never really been to Pennsylvania might think of the state mostly for its rolling landscape, mining, and steel industry, the state actually has one of the largest populations in the country. There are around 13 million people in Pennsylvania, many of which are within the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh metro areas. Pennsylvania is the fifth-largest state and the third-highest-paying for governors.

Out of all of the states, Pennsylvania perhaps has the best history of making sure that their governor is well compensated. At multiple points throughout history, Pennsylvania has had the highest-paid governor in the country, though the wage hasn’t increases as quickly during the 21st century as some of the other states to balance things out.

California

Many of those who came into this list assumed that California would be ranked either number one or number two on the list, and those suspicions are confirmed. California is far and away the most populated state in the country with nearly 40 million residents. As a result, the governorship is the second-highest paid in the country, which makes sense due to the sheer size of the area covered, as well.

California has been in the number one spot on the list multiple times throughout the state’s history, but has switched spots a handful of times. Now, California is solidly in the second position ahead of Pennsylvania, which at one point surprisingly paid more than California. Unless the state purges millions of people suddenly, that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

New York

Though it’s the fourth-most populated state in the country and not all that large in terms of area compared to others, New York has the highest-paid governor in the United States and it’s not particularly close. There’s a lot of wealth in New York, especially as it’s home to the largest city in the United States. With around 20 million people total in the state, there are plenty of folks for the governor to preside over, too.

There have been many significant increases to the governor’s salary in New York over the years, and it wasn’t too long ago that the state was behind California at the top of the list. After more than a 12 percent jump in salary, though, New York comfortably took the top position, surpassing its counterpart to the west.

5 Incredible Fortresses Over 1000 Years Old

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For those of us that live in North America, there are plenty of old buildings that date back a century or two. Very rarely do we see any buildings still standing after over a millennium of use. When you’re talking about Europe, though, there seems to be one every couple hundred feet. Many of these fortresses were built for medieval wars and homes to royalty.

These days, most of the old castles and fortresses are no longer in use outside of tourist spots, but it’s still impressive to see them standing after such a long time. If you want to see some of the oldest fortresses in the world, check out these five incredible ones that are over 1,000 years old.

Rochester Castle

Construction started at the beginning of the 11th century on Rochester Castle, which sits right off of the River Medway. Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, was tasked with establishing the stronghold so that England could stave off any potential invasion. The castle did its job over the years, with some of the original structure still standing.

The first couple of centuries saw heavy use for Rochester Castle, and it became a significant figure in the reigns of King John and Henry III. Some of the castle still stands today, reaching a height of over 110 feet, and is now open to the public. Rochester Castle is a protected building and monument by the English Heritage.

Aleppo Citadel

The oldest fortress on the list is in the city of Aleppo, Syria. The Citadel of Aleppo (or Aleppo Citadel) has a history that dates all the way back to the 3rd millennium BC. There have been a lot of people occupying the castle since then, including the Byzantines and Ottomans. It would take a long time to describe the history of the Aleppo Citadel, but it wasn’t complete until the 12th century, showing how long it has been relevant.

In the modern era, the Aleppo Citadel has been restored as an attraction but was used as a fortress once again during the Syrian Civil War. The result was significant damage that left the Aleppo Citadel partially ruined. Hopefully, in the coming years, it can be restored to its former glory.

Prague Castle

You have to go all the way back to the 9th century to find the origin of the Prague Castle, which serves as the office of the President of the Czech Republic. The first walls of the building were put up in 870, and expanded over the years. There have been times during the castle’s lifespan when it went completely uninhabited, including the Hussite Wars.

There has been a lot of rebuilding over the years due to damage from various conflicts, with World War II and the 1948 Czechoslovakian coup being the most recent ones. The castle, as it stands, has several churches, palaces, towers, and gardens (among other structures). It would be hard to even picture Prague without the castle, and nearly 2 million people visit it each year.

Warwick Castle

William the Conqueror needed a strong wooden fort to keep himself safe, and the original foundation of Warwick Castle was born in the early 11th century. After seeing a lot of battles over the following years, the castle was almost completely rebuilt as all of the wood was replaced by stone. It underwent another fortifying during the Hundred Years War, becoming what we know today.

Warwick Castle was in full-time use until the 1600s when it was given to Sir Fulke Greville, and went widely unused for centuries. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the castle was purchased and turned into a tourist attraction. Now, Warwick Castle is open to the public and operated by Merlin Entertainments, a company that specializes in attractions.

Edinburgh Castle

Located in the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle has some mysterious origins. Though history says that it dates back to the 11th century, there are plenty of people who think that the castle was in use long before then. Edinburgh Castle’s documented history starts during the reign of David I and was the home to Scotland’s royalty until the 17th century.

Edinburgh Castle is an absolute stronghold and was in full use during multiple wars, including the Jacobite rising. Over time, Scotland moved away from housing royalty within the castle and used Edinburgh as a home for military operations. Eventually, the castle started to see bad signs of aging but has since been restored as a historical monument. Now, there are more than 2.2 million people who visit Edinburgh Castle each year, and it became a designated monument in 1993.

5 Positions With Most #1 Overall Picks in the NFL Draft

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At the very start of the NFL Draft, the team that’s selecting first overall is looking for a player that can turn their franchise around and get them into Super Bowl contention. After all, the first pick is reserved for the worst team in the league unless they trade out of the spot. With that in mind, there are certain positions that have more value at the number one spot in the draft, while others are taken much later in the first round.

Let’s take a look at the history of the NFL Draft and see which positions are taken the most frequently with the number one overall selection. While the most frequent might not surprise you, the rest of the list is quite a surprise.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Despite the fact that the NFL has evolved into a passing-first league, wide receivers and tight ends are being taken later in the draft. Many NFL teams feel that they can get a franchise-altering wide receiver later in the draft, with some of the best at the position being taken well outside of the top 10. 

For example, DaVantae Adams was a second-round pick, Terry McLaurin was a third-rounder, while Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs were selected in the fifth round. The last time that an NFL team used the top pick on a receiver or tight end came in 1996 when Keyshawn Johnson was drafted by the New York Jets. That ended a cold spell of more than a decade, with Irving Fryar in 1984 coming before him (New England Patriots).

Offensive Lineman

There are some rare instances in which a team is already set at other positions but still holds the number one overall selection. When this happens, teams can turn their attention to the offensive line in search of help. Sometimes, an offensive lineman is also considered a “safe” pick in drafts where evaluators feel that the talent pool isn’t that great.

Over the course of NFL Draft history, several offensive linemen have been drafted first overall, with all of them being left tackles since 1950. Before then, there were two offensive linemen, both of whom played center(Ki Aldrich and Chuck Bednarik). Recent left tackles include Eric Fischer (Central Michigan), Jake Long (Michigan), and Hall of Famer Orlando Pace (Ohio State).

Defensive Lineman

We mentioned that the NFL has become a passing-first league, and to offset this, many teams have used a first overall selection to shore up their defensive line with a solid pass rusher. The result is an influx of defensive linemen being taken first overall, especially as more elite talent is being developed at the high school and college levels for defensive ends.

Since the 21st century started, some of the defensive linemen to go number one overall include Mario Williams, Myles Garrett, and Travon Walker. Of these teams, only the Jaguars (Walker) were really set at quarterback as they had the first overall pick the previous year and used it on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Running Back

It might be hard to believe, but running back was the most drafted position at the number one spot up until the mid-2000s. The NFL of yesteryear had a heavy focus on running the ball, and having a running back with elite talent was an absolute necessity. These days, running backs are lucky if they’re even taken in the first round altogether. It’s a much different game, but running backs are still firmly number two on this list.

No running back has gone number one overall since 1995 when Ki-Jana Carter was selected by the Bengals out of Penn State, and he ended up not making an impact. Other notable number-one overall running backs include Earl Campbell, Bo Jackson, and even O.J. Simpson. It’s likely, however, that a running back won’t go number one again unless he’s also capable of playing quarterback.

Quarterback

It should be no surprise that after the quarterback position overtook the running back position on the list it would never look back. Out of the first 20 number-one picks in the 21st century, 14 of them were quarterbacks, and the list continues to grow. 2001 to 2005 marked the longest streak of quarterbacks being the first selected with Michael Vick, David Carr, Carson Palmer, Eli Manning, and Alex Smith being part of it.

You can probably name a big chunk of the quarterbacks who have gone first overall off the top of your head. Names like Kyler Murray, Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Luck, and Cam Newton all come to mind, but the list is a long one that only gets longer as the position (somehow) continues to become more important.

5 Best Kits in World Cup History

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Every four years, the countries with the top soccer programs in the world meet up to determine who has the best squad at the World Cup. This isn’t just a showcase for athletics, but also for fashion. Each country has a unique kit that they wear, with some of them quickly becoming fan favorites worldwide. Because of this, countries do their best to stand out and have their kit recognized globally.

When teams don’t play it “safe” it can sometimes look gaudy and have people making fun of them either in the moment or years down the road. Then, there are those kits that end up being timeless classics. Let’s take a look at the history of the World Cup and discover the five best country kits that have been worn (in no particular order).

Argentina (Multiple Kits)

There’s one country that hasn’t really made major changes to its World Cup kits over the years, and it’s Argentina. The Argentines have won the World Cup three times, with the first coming in 1978 when the country hosted. They took home the title again eight years later in Mexico, then had Lionel Messi establish himself as the greatest soccer star in the world when they won in Qatar in 2022.

When you think of Argentina at the World Cup, you think of the white and blue vertical stripes that make up their jersey. Made to look like the nation’s flag, Argentina’s kits have been largely untouched for more than a century. While the ‘away’ kits have had some changes for each World Cup, the ‘home’ uniforms are a classic that the country can (and frankly shouldn’t) change.

United States (1994)

The United States hosted the World Cup for the first time in 1994 just four years after qualifying for its first World Cup since 1950. The United States had been known more for football, basketball, and baseball, but the 1990s saw an emergence in the soccer program. When the country hosted in 1994, it decided to have a unique kit to really stand out.

The blue tops were adorned with large white stars with “USA” emblazoned on the left breast. When combined with the red shorts, it was truly a star-spangled kit for the Americans. While it was considered “tacky” years later, it has now come around to being fashionable again. The kit turned out to be a good luck charm for the US, too, as the nation had its best World Cup finish in 44 years.

Nigeria (2018)

When you’re using a color like neon green, you have to make sure that you get the kit right, otherwise, it’s just going to be an eyesore. One of the greatest examples of neon green done well came in 2018 when Nigeria wore the color for the World Cup in Russia. For Nigeria, it was just their fifth World Cup appearance, but the kits made an impression.

Nike designed the uniforms and had a lot of inspiration from Nigerian culture. “We wanted to tap into the attitude of the nation,” designer Dan Farron said. “We built this kit and collection based on the players’ full identities…We started to see trends in attitude and energy connecting the athletes to music, fashion, and more. They are part of a resoundingly cool culture.” Sadly, the team didn’t make it past the group stage, winning just one game.

Mexico (1998)

Mexico is one of those countries that some people might be surprised to learn haven’t been beyond the quarter-finals of a World Cup. It’s true, though, as they’ve reached the final eight just twice (1970 and 1986). It hasn’t been for a lack of appearances, though, as Mexico has made the World Cup in all but just a handful of years.

The country has been dressed for success, however, and that includes their top kits from 1998 in France. The kit featured a Mayan-inspired design and the country’s signature green, white, and red colors from the national flag. Mexico reached the round of 16 at the World Cup but got knocked out by Germany.

Australia (2006)

Up until 2006, Australia had almost no history at the World Cup. They weren’t a member of FIFA until 1966, and even then, they had just one appearance (1974) until 2006. Australia has fared much better since then, making each World Cup and advancing past the group stage twice. The first of those two occasions was indeed 2006 when they unveiled their amazing kits.

The design was simple with mostly solid yellow tops and green shorts, but something about it just went together very well. The Socceroos still wear the colors that all of the nation’s sports teams wear, with green representing the forests while yellow (gold) represents the beaches and minerals.

5 Best Movies About War

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There are all types of movie genres out there, but one of the hardest to get right is war. Set pieces are often intricate and expensive, which is why Hollywood tends not to make too many of them compared to earlier years when boots-on-the-ground warfare was much more common. That doesn’t mean that there haven’t been some fantastic war films recently, though. Let’s take a look through Hollywood history to find the five best movies about war, some of which came out more recently than you may have expected. 

Saving Private Ryan

By the time the late 1990s came around, many thought that the “war epic” genre was dead in the water. At that point, it had been over a decade since a very successful one had been released, but Steven Spielberg made sure that when he entered into a film about combat that he was going to do it right. The end result was a $70 million epic starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and many other A-list stars called “Saving Private Ryan”.

The movie was intense right from the very beginning, which showed the invasion of Normandy on D-Day. Critics and audiences could feel the horrors of war while watching “Saving Private Ryan” and it ended up being one of the most successful films of the 1990s, pulling in close to a half-billion in ticket sales. “Saving Private Ryan” won five Oscars, including Best Directing and Best Cinematography.

Dunkirk

Many consider Steven Spielberg to be the greatest director of his generation, and many feel the same way about Christopher Nolan in the newer era of cinema. Nolan has directed incredible films which include “Interstellar”, “The Dark Knight”, and “Inception”, while his first entry into the war genre was phenomenal with “Dunkirk” in 2017. The film was shot beautifully and put people into the action of World War I.

As a result, “Dunkirk” won Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. “Dunkirk” has a massive cast that includes familiar names such as Harry Styles, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hardy. Making well over a half-billion at the box office, “Dunkirk” proved to be yet another success for Nolan’s prestigious career, and it has been hailed as the “Saving Private Ryan” of the new millennium.

Apocalypse Now

In 1899, a novella named “Heart of Darkness” was created by Joseph Conrad, which is what “Apocalypse Now” was based on. This time around, though, the film revolved around the Vietnam War. 1979’s “Apocalypse Now” was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who at that point had been known for his work on the first two “Godfather” films.

“Apocalypse Now” was chock-full of memorable lines and scenes to go along with a long list of A-list stars. This included Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Dennis Hopper, and even Harrison Ford. It cost just over $30 million to make “Apocalypse Now”, and it would gross well into the six-figures, making it a hit. Surprisingly, the only Academy Awards won by “Apocalypse Now” were for Best Sound and Best Cinematography.

The Hurt Locker

While it wasn’t as big of a hit at the box office as some of the films before it on the list, “The Hurt Locker” was a critic’s favorite when released in 2008, showing the more modern intensity of combat as we know it. Kathryn Bigelow would win Best Director at the Academy Awards thanks to “The Hurt Locker”, and the film went on later that night to win Best Picture.

“The Hurt Locker” is jam-packed with familiar names, especially if you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Anthony Mackie (Falcon), Evangeline Lilly (Wasp), and Guy Pearce (Killian) all make appearances in the MCU and “The Hurt Locker”. Other notable stars from the film include David Morse, Brian Geraghty, and Ralph Fiennes.

Das Boot

Out of the films on the list, some might think that “Das Boot” would be the oldest, but it actually came out two years after “Apocalypse Now”. “Das Boot” was directed by Wolfgang Petersen, who went on to direct films including “The NeverEnding Story”, “Air Force One”, and “The Perfect Storm”. Some feel this was still Petersen’s best work, though, as it really tapped into the psyche of those in a submarine during the war.

“Das Boot” follows the story of the German submarine U-96 and its crew, with an ending that we don’t want to ruin, so simply watch for yourself and admire the great storytelling. “Das Boot” was a big success at the box office and received several Academy Award nominations including Best Director and Best Cinematography. 

5 Largest Concerts in Florida History

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Florida can be a tough place for outdoor venues since the weather is so unpredictable. However, there have been many musical acts who are willing to brave the elements in hopes that the Sunshine State lives up to its name. As a result, there are some concerts that have set attendance records in the state of Florida, with these five concerts and festivals pulling in the most concertgoers over the years.

Ultra Music Festival

In the late 1990s, Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes had an idea to start a music festival in the Miami area that would focus on the EDM genre. Back then, EDM was a very niche genre compared to what it is today. In 1999, the first ever Ultra Music Festival was held on Miami Beach but has changed venues several times since then. It was a small crowd at the time, with just 10,000 people showing up.

Things would change over the years, however, as the festival moved venues and EDM became more popular. For five years, the UMF was held at Bayfront Park and nearly quintupled in attendance. When the venue changed to Bicentennial Park, it reached 100,000 for the first time in 2011. After moving back to Bayfront Park, the Ultra Music Festival set new records with 170,000 in attendance.

Led Zeppelin

Before the Buccaneers of the NFL called Raymond James Stadium their home (and built an awesome pirate ship in the stadium), they played their home games at Tampa Stadium. Locals started calling it the Big Sombrero thanks to its unique shape, and the venue had a lot of character before it was demolished in 1999.

The Big Sombrero was home to a lot of memorable concerts, but the one that really stood out was when Led Zeppelin came to town. At the time (1973), no other band was able to pull in that many people to one venue with 57,000 in attendance. When they returned four years later, there were 70,000 people, but the concert was cut short due to inclement weather. A riot ensued when the show was canceled, causing a black eye on the stadium’s history.

Garth Brooks (Multiple Times)

Garth Brooks has been a huge draw for pretty much his entire career, and since the 1990s has been selling out football stadiums across the United States, showing that he’s at a different level than most performers. There have been a couple of times in which Brooks has set attendance records in Florida, with one concert coming in Orlando while the other was in Gainesville.

When Brooks played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, more than 70,000 people turned out to sing along with him while he played his greatest hits. After the show, Brooks tweeted out “Orlando, I’ll say it again – YOU (expletive) ROCK!” As for his concert in Gainesville, Brooks set a new record with a crowd of 75,500 at the sold out Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, home of the Florida Gators football team.

Bad Bunny

Garth Brooks isn’t the only one to have a massive crowd show up at Camping World Stadium. When he kicked off his “World’s Hottest Tour” in 2022, Bad Bunny picked Orlando to be the place where he’d start it all. The venue didn’t have quite as many seats as Brooks’s concert due to the setup differences between the concerts, but Bad Bunny was still able to fill all 65,000 available seats.

Interestingly enough, one of the reasons that Bad Bunny chose Orlando is because he had spent a lot of time there while training for his match at WrestleMania. The WWE has a performance center in Orlando, and WrestleMania 37 was held in Tampa, allowing Bad Bunny to call the state his home for several months.

Miami Pop Festival

Psychedelic music was all the rage toward the end of the 1960s, and 1968 saw two massive festivals take place in Florida. The first Miami Pop Festival was held on May 18th and 19th at Gulfstream Park and brought out 25,000 people thanks to performers including the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Chuck Berry. The second iteration of the festival, though, drew in massive numbers compared to the original.

The other Miami Pop Festival took place during the final days of 1968, and this time brought in more than 100,000 people. Also held at Gulfstream Park, the second festival saw the return of Chuck Berry while also adding around two dozen more bands. This included Fleetwood Mac, Marvin Gaye, the Grateful Dead, and Three Dog Night.

5 Most Viral Instagram Posts Ever

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Instagram allows us to simply share a photo with a caption and it can be seen by millions of people around the world. It’s an extremely useful app for those that don’t want to read too much into backstories and simply enjoy photos for what they are. Over the history of Instagram, there have been several posts to garner tens of millions of likes, with these five going more viral than any other.

For this list, we wanted to make sure that we only got one Instagram post per user. The 2022 World Cup saw the top of the list get filled up by many posts from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, so we’re taking just the top one from each player.

Ariana Grande Gets Married

Singer Ariana Grande has had a ton of hits throughout her illustrious career including “7 Rings”, “Thank U, Next” and “Bang Bang”. The amount of success she was able to achieve before turning 30 was remarkable, though perhaps her best day came on May 15, 2021. It was on that day that Grande married real estate agent Dalton Gomez.

For Grande, it was the first time that she was in a relationship with someone who wasn’t a celebrity, so many people didn’t even know that she was getting married. Donning a Vera Wang dress, Grande posted an album of her wedding on Instagram and it became one of the most-liked posts in Instagram’s history.

The Last XXXTentacion Post

XXXTentacion got his music career off the ground in his early teenage years when he was releasing his tracks on Soundcloud. By the time he was in his late teens, he had developed a large following thanks to his song “Look at Me” from his debut album “17”. Born Jahseh Onfoy, XXXTentacion had a lot of personal problems, and sadly only lived to be 20 years old.

On May 19, 2018, XXXTentacion posted what would end up being his final photo on Instagram. The photo was simply of him shirtless and upside down with the caption “LOVE IS WAR”. Almost exactly one month later, XXXTentacion was murdered in broad daylight in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Many went back to his last post to like it as it became a piece of history.

Ronaldo’s Advertised Chess Match

We now get to the soccer portion of the list as Cristiano Ronaldo has dominated a good portion of the list of most-liked Instagram posts ever. Ronaldo’s most popular post of all time, though, is simply an advertisement that he posted in November 2022. The photo shows Ronaldo playing a game of chess on top of a Louis Vuitton case that resembles a chess board.

The caption makes it so that people are fooled and states that it’s an advertisement from a photoshoot. “Victory is a State of Mind,” Ronaldo said. “A long tradition of crafting trunks photographed by (Annie Leibovitz) for (Louis Vuitton).” What made it so popular is that it took two legends of the sport and put them together, with celebrities instantly calling it one of the most iconic pictures in sports history. 

The Egg

On January 4, 2019, a man named Chris Godfrey set out to have the most-liked post on Instagram and wanted things to be very simple. He posted a photo of an egg with a white background and nothing more. Godfrey named the account world_record_egg and it would be the account’s only post.

Godfrey succeeded in his mission as the egg became the most-liked post within weeks, destroying the previous record of 18 million. The caption said “Let’s set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram. Beating the current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million)! We got this.” Naturally, everyone wanted to be part of history and started liking the egg photo tens of millions of times over.

Messi Becomes the GOAT

We had already mentioned soccer legends and Lionel Messi, and now we get to both his top post and the top post in Instagram history. There had been one accomplishment that Messi was searching for in his illustrious career, and that was winning the World Cup for his native Argentina. Messi did just that with a huge game in the finals of the 2022 event.

Shortly after winning the title, Messi took to Instagram, posting an album of his team celebrating while he holds the prestigious trophy. When translated to English, the post reads “Champions of the world! So many times I dreamed it, so much I wanted it that I still don’t fall, I can’t believe it…Thank you so much to my family, to all who support me and also to all who believed in us.”

5 Forgotten Classic Car Manufacturers

Posted on by scatty

When most people think of classic cars, they tend to think of manufacturers that are still around to this day including Ford, Chevrolet, and even luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari., A lot of these classic cars are incredibly common and can be purchased by even a novice collector who’s trying to build a foundation before getting into the rarer classic cars that are floating around.

The familiar names aren’t the only ones that have made a lot of classic cars, though. There are some brands that are no longer with us that made some of the most popular classic cars of all time. Let’s take a look at those manufacturers, some of the models that they made, and how much those cars are selling for today.

Plymouth

Plymouth was once a brand under the Chrysler umbrella that started in 1928 and were a luxury brand compared to the standard Chrysler car. The original models were just called Plymouths until it became its own brand, producing models which included the Acclaim, Grand Voyager, and Satellite, just to name a few. At one point, Plymouth was making nearly 1 million cars per year in the early 1970s.

However, things would change quickly in the 1980s, and by the end of the 1990s, Plymouth’s luck had run out with the remaining models rebranded to either Dodge or Chrysler vehicles. Plymouth shut its doors in 2001, but there are plenty of popular classic cars out there including the Road Runner, Prowler, Belvedere, and Savoy, which can typically range from $30,000 to $75,000.

Studebaker

If you visit South Bend, Indiana, and make your way to the Minor League Baseball stadium downtown, you might notice that there’s a massive building that looks like it hasn’t been used in quite some time. That building was once part of the massive Studebaker Corporation plant, which was founded all the way back in 1852 before going out of business in 1967.

The company made the switch from horse-drawn vehicles to automobiles in the 21st century and got off to a strong start when it made the move in the 1920s from Detroit to South Bend. However, Studebaker felt a massive impact from Ford’s increase in production, and the move to Indiana ultimately proved to be its demise as it couldn’t keep up with Detroit manufacturers. Some of the more popular Studebakers include the Avanti, Lark, and Champion, which can be as cheap as $15,000.

Packard

The list is solely made from cars that were made in Detroit, Michigan and South Bend, Indiana, and Packard is one of those that were built in both cities. Packard Motor Car Company started in 1899 in Detroit and was much more cutting edge than it gets credit for in terms of adding features that are still used today like the steering wheel and air conditioning.

Packard had a strong few decades and then merged with Studebaker during the final years for both companies. Packard models include the Caribbean, 120, and Patrician. At the cheapest, you can pick up a Packard for around 8,000, while more expensive ones can get nearly six figures.

Edsel

The Ford Motor Company wanted there to be a “Big 4” in Detroit with two of those four being under the Ford umbrella. Thus, in 1956, the Edsel division was founded and named after Henry Ford’s son. However, the Edsel company would only last for three years, becoming defunct on its anniversary in 1959.

The release of the Edsel was a response to Ford becoming publicly traded, making Edsel a family-owned operation. Edsels were a bit more expensive than the standard Ford but cheaper than Lincolns. In fact, they were right on pace with Mercury and had models including the Corsair, Pacer, Ranger, and Citation. Classic Edsels aren’t too expensive, typically costing as low as $10,000 and as high as $70,000.

Tucker

If you remember the 1988 film “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” starring Jeff Bridges, then you already know the story of Preston Tucker. The Michigan native became enthralled with automobiles and worked with Ford in his early 20s before quitting the company and starting to sell Studebaker cars. In the late 1930s, Tucker began creating combat vehicles, then focused on civilian cars including the Tucker 48.

The Big 3 in Detroit didn’t take too kindly to Tucker making his own model, and he eventually ran into legal issues that shuttered his company. Still, the Tucker 48 models that are out there (albeit rare) are incredibly valuable and downright gorgeous vehicles. Some sell for up to $3 million in great condition, with a low-end of $500,000.

The 5 Biggest Basketball Upsets In History

Posted on by scatty

Upsets happen in every sport, but it seems like they happen the most often in basketball. There are times when even a fairly unathletic shooter can get hot and knock down enough three-pointers to make a huge difference while the favored team goes ice-cold with their looks. As a result, some of the best teams from the best programs in college basketball history have been taken down by mid-majors that many have never heard of.

Whether it be early in the season or a trip to the Final Four on the line, some upsets have left neutral fans jumping out of their seats while fans of the blue-chip programs are still feeling dejected to this day. Here are our picks for the five biggest upsets in college basketball history.

Chaminade over Virginia

Prior to Chaminade hosting the Maui Invitational, they would take on some top programs early in the college basketball season for a tune-up game and a chance for those programs to get to Hawaii for the holiday season. Chaminade became a whipping boy for these teams, but that wasn’t the case in 1982 when they took on Ralph Sampson and the number-one-ranked Virginia Cavaliers.

Chaminade and Virginia entered halftime tied at 43-43, and they certainly didn’t go away in the second half. The Cavaliers took a lead midway through the half, but Chaminade fought back and grabbed the lead with just 35 seconds remaining. They held on and stretched their lead by three more points, shocking the world by winning 77-72, handing Virginia its first loss of the season.

UMBC over Virginia

Heading into the 2018 NCAA Tournament, a number one seed had never lost to a number 16 seed. Almost nobody thought that Virginia would be the team to be the first top seed to lose, but they did just that against the UMBC Retrievers in the first round of the tournament. Neither team was getting their shots to drop in the first half, and the two teams were tied at 21 apiece following the first half.

Virginia came into the game and favored to win by more than 20 points, but they came out flat in the second half, especially on defense. The Retrievers outscored the Cavaliers 53-33 in the half and went from 20-point underdogs to 20-point victors. Sadly, UMBC’s run wouldn’t last long as they lost to Kansas State 50-43 in the second round of the tournament.

Eastern Illinois over Iowa

There have been a few long shots that ended up winning despite being underdogs by around 20 points. In the history of college basketball, no team that was excepted to lose by 30 or more points had ended up winning their game. In December 2022, Eastern Illinois University put an end to that 558-game stretch by defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes.

By the time the game tipped off, the EIU Panthers were a 31.5-point underdog to Iowa, and it looked like the Hawkeyes were going to cover that spread when they jumped out to a 14-point lead within just a few minutes. However, the Panthers stormed back in a big way and wound up stunning Iowa with a 92-83 win. It’s not like EIU showed flashes of being good outside of the game, either, as they were 3-9 heading into the contest. 

Norfolk State over Missouri

The 15-seed vs 2-seed matchup in the NCAA Tournament is always a bit more interesting than the 1-16 game. There have been several occasions where the 15-seed has pulled off a major upset, and perhaps the biggest one came in 2012 when the Norfolk State Spartans upset the Missouri Tigers 86-84 in the school’s first-ever tournament appearance.

The game was overshadowed a bit because fellow 15-seed Lehigh had upset Duke in the first round as Duke has a lot more detractors, but the Norfolk State win was even more shocking. Unfortunately, Norfolk State didn’t play well at all in the following round as they lost by 34 points to Florida, who eventually made the Elite 8.

NJIT over Michigan

The University of Michigan has a storied history in basketball, whereas NJIT doesn’t have much of a history at all. In fact, it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that the Highlanders became a Division I program in basketball and at one point became the seventh team to go winless in a college basketball season in 2008.

In January 2014, though, they defeated the Wolverines, who were ranked #17 in the country at the time. The game was close throughout and the Highlanders held onto their narrow lead for the last few minutes of the game, winning 72-70. What was even more surprising was that NJIT was only 2-5 coming into the game.