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Busted: 5 Myths About The Constitution

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In terms of historical documents, there are few that are as valuable as the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution laid the groundwork for the laws of the new country when it was drafted in 1787 and ratified the following summer. All these years later and the Constitution remains the supreme law throughout the nation. While most people have read at least part of the Constitution, not many have gotten through the entire thing.

Because of this, there are a lot of popular beliefs that are actually myths when it comes to the Constitution. Let’s take a look at one of America’s most valued documents and dispel some of the myths that are often believed to be true.

5. There Is No ‘God’

Many people believe that the Constitution makes direct reference to God for a couple of reasons. The first is that the Declaration of Independence does use the word in the form of “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” Also, many of the state’s individual Constitutions mention the word “God” in their texts.

The Constitution of the United States, however, makes no mention of God. The Constitution was written up to be as religiously neutral as possible for its time and allow Freedom of Religion. In ratifications, “The Year of Our Lord” is mentioned, but the original Constitution doesn’t mention God specifically. The phrase was slipped in at a later time following the original draft’s approval.

4. The Hemp Hoax

Hemp paper was one of the more popular formats to be used back in the early days of the United States. For that reason, there are a lot of people who assume that the Constitution was written on hemp paper. Many that started this myth have used it as a point of emphasis on hypocrisy as hemp and marijuana had become illegal in the country.

It turns out, though, that the Constitution was never written on hemp paper. The document was written on parchment, which is a paper that’s used from the skin of animals like sheep and goats. It’s also been found that the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights were also on parchment.

3. The President Can Start A War

When there’s a President that gets elected into the White House that we don’t like, we often breathe a sigh of relief thinking that they can’t go to war without Congressional approval. However, the President only needs Congress’s sign-off to declare war, but can engage in military movements if they see fit.

After all, the Constitution gives the President the title of Commander in Chief and can send troops to wherever he pleases. Think of the Iraq War that lasted from 2003 to 2011 as an example of this. George W. Bush sent troops to Iraq, and many recognized it as a war, but Congress never declared it as one.

2. Some Founding Fathers Are Missing

Thinking about the founding fathers of the United States, there are some instrumental names that include John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Their names are on the Declaration of Independence, and many assume that they’re also on the Constitution. That’s not the case, though, as both men were out of the country at the time.

Jefferson was in Paris while Adams was in London. Several other men were not at the final signing, even though there were 55 delegates as part of the Constitutional Convention. However, only 39 of them made the final sign-off including Benjamin Franklin, who was 81 years old at the time.

1. The First Amendment Was The Third

People really value the First Amendment of the Constitution, which allows for freedom of religion, press, assembly, and the right to petition. However, that was not actually the first amendment when the Constitution was written up. Instead, the original said that there should be one US Representative for every 30,000 people.

There was a minimum of 100 Representatives and a maximum of 200, which could be revisited as the country grew. However, the amendment wasn’t ratified and the one that we know as the first today was bumped up to second. Then, the original second amendment regarding Congressional pay wasn’t ratified and revisited many years later, meaning that the third amendment became our first amendment.

Life On Mars: The Logistics of Settling The Red Planet

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For many, many years, people on Earth have talked about what it would be like to not just put a person on Mars but to have an entire human colony. This has been a massive part of science fiction work for decades and many who have worked in the aerospace industry have made plans to start human civilization on Mars.

So why hasn’t it happened yet? After all, for decades we’ve been hearing about how we’re “just a few years away” from Mars. It turns out that the logistics of settling on the Red Planet are a bit more complicated than even the wealthiest or smartest people realize when putting their plans into place. Here’s a look at what it would take to put humans on Mars for good.

Getting To Mars

First and foremost, to put people on Mars, we have to be able to even get people there in the first place. There have been a lot of manned missions into space, but none have reached 250,000 miles from Earth. In other words, we haven’t made it further than the “other” side of the moon. Just to put it in perspective, Mars is another 58 million miles after passing the moon.

With that said, we’d have to create a craft that’s capable of making it that distance with people onboard. With current capabilities, it would take nearly nine months for a craft to get all the way to Mars. Thankfully, there are no rest stops or fast food restaurants on the way that would delay the trip.

Shelter

Let’s say that we were capable of getting to Mars without much of a problem. Sure, we had to sit in our spaceship for months on end, but we finally made it. Now, there’s just the matter of where we stay. Presumably, there would have to be many, many missions with robots to build a shelter on Mars before humans can even think of colonization.

These robots would also have to be incredibly accurate and make sure that the shelter is sealed so that oxygen can flow throughout. The shelter would also have to be able to withstand temperatures that drop to below -200 degrees Fahrenheit, fierce wings, and harmful UV rays since the atmosphere of Mars is almost nonexistent compared to Earth.

Food

Now that the shelter is in place, people have to be able to eat and drink water while on Mars. There are plenty of foods that grow on Earth that we can just pick up and eat without thinking twice, but that’s not the case on Mars. There’s no known life on the planet, so we’ll have to bring our own. Bringing animals for meat would prove to be very difficult, though.

Bringing animals like chickens and cows on a nine-month journey would take a lot of care to make sure that they made it and that there’s enough for the new colony. It would be much easier for vegetarians as the climate-controlled shelter would still be able to allow for fruits and vegetables to grow indoors.

Water

The good news is that there is water on Mars. The bad news is that we don’t know its long-term health effects and how much of it we can actually use. For now, the plan on Mars is to extract water from minerals, but that’s a long and tedious process for not a whole lot of water. 

Water would have to be reused and recycled to the point where the water you drink in the evening may be the same water that you flushed down the toilet that morning.

Summing It Up

It sounds like the most difficult and expensive project in human history to colonize Mars, so why are we even talking about it? Is it because of resources? General curiosity? Whatever the reason, life on Mars would be no easy task and an overall logistical nightmare that would take several decades to even become feasible.

People in the 1960s said that it would probably happen not in their lifetimes, but in the lifetime of those that are alive now. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case, either, as we’re still very far away from planting a flag on the Red Planet.

What Will SpaceX Achieve By 2030?

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Since it was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, SpaceX has been one of the most talked about companies in the world. Not only has it drawn attention for privatizing space travel, but it has also helped to make the internet more accessible around the world with the Starlink satellites. SpaceX accomplished a lot in its first 20 years after a rough start, and people are curious to see where the future will take SpaceX.

The Road So Far

During the first few years of SpaceX, the company unsuccessfully attempted to launch the first privately funded rocket into orbit a couple of times before finally getting it right on the fourth attempt in September 2008. This paved the way for SpaceX to start several new missions, and in the late 2010s, the company was reaching new milestones on a near-monthly basis.

SpaceX has had the first reuse and re-flight of a crewed space capsule, the first orbital launch of a crew fully comprised of civilians, and even set the record for most launches of a single rocket in one year with the Falcon 9. Needless to say, the start of SpaceX has been a huge success for Elon Musk.

What Lies Ahead

After setting that record for most launches in a year, Elon Musk said that he wanted to reset the record each and every year that follows. Not only will this help to put more Starlink satellites into orbit, but it will also increase the use of commercial space travel. The load capacity should be increased for each launch as SpaceX finds a path for its biggest missions.

This includes a return to manned missions to the moon. There have only been 12 people to ever walk on the moon, but none of those have come since Commander Eugene Cernan did so in 1972. Musk has said that getting people to walk on the moon was one of the more immediate goals to hit by 2030 for the SpaceX program. “It may literally be easier to just land Starship on the moon than try to convince NASA that we can,” Musk said.

The Big Red Plan

Of course, you can’t mention SpaceX without talking about the plans that it has for Mars. Musk has said that he not only wants to make it possible for humans to travel to the fourth planet from the sun but also establish a colony on Mars. To do this, SpaceX is attempting to develop the Starship so that it’s capable of traveling all the way to Mars.

This means that there has to be enough fuel to make the trip, which can be tricky as the ship also needs to be able to hold a lot of weight. Once the logistics of getting to Mars are taken care of, then establishing life on the planet can begin. Musk believes that a refueling can happen while on the planet using its resources, allowing it to return to Earth and that humans can be on Mars before 2030.

Outward Expansion

The journey of establishing humans on other planets doesn’t just end on Mars, though. In the distant future, SpaceX hopes that Mars becomes a hub for travel to planets even further away. Also, many wonder what life would be like once Mars is established as a place for humans. Obviously, there isn’t food or enough water for people there currently, and the atmosphere isn’t fit for humans.

This means that humans would have to live entirely indoors while on Mars in a structure that’s able to withstand temperatures as low as 200 degrees Fahrenheit while also blocking out UV rays from the sun. It’s no easy task, but it’s something that Musk feels is entirely possible within his lifetime.

“We don’t want to be one of those single-planet species, we want to be a multi-planet species,” Musk said. “We need to get back there and have a permanent base on the moon…and then build a city on Mars to become a spacefaring civilization, a multi-planet species.”

A Brief History of Spacex

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SpaceX is one of those names that didn’t even exist as late as the 1990s, but has now become one of the most prominent names in the world. The company has privatized space travel and has plans of putting people on Mars, achieving a lot in its brief history. How did SpaceX get its start, though, and how did it become such a massive company in such a short amount of time? Let’s take a look at the brief history of SpaceX.

New Millennium, New Company

Some of the most prominent people on Earth have constantly talked about putting life on Mars, but those talks mainly involved officials from the United States and Russia. When the two countries couldn’t agree on how to get things done and had a falling-out from the end of the ABM Treaty, it looked like the project might be dead.

Elon Musk was on the board of directors for the Mars Society at the time and wanted to keep the dream alive. Once the countries could no longer agree on ways to get to Mars on a join effort, Musk decided he would play both sides by privatizing space travel with affordable rockets.

Musk convinced Michael Griffin of the CIA to use investment money from In-Q-Tel to the tune of nearly $400 million so that Musk could start his new company. The name didn’t take long to come up with, and Musk was ready to get SpaceX off the ground both literally and figuratively.

First Flight

With hundreds of millions to spend, Musk needed a staff for his new company. He hired all of the first employees himself, with over 150 of them making up the first staff in SpaceX history. Now, Musk had to prove that his rocket company was going to be much cheaper than NASA’s launches have been. With that, the Falcon 1 rocket was born in the mid 2000s and was ready for its first launch in 2006.

Unfortunately, the first Falcon 1 launch proved to be a failure. Things didn’t get better, either, as the next two launches were also unsuccessful, and SpaceX had spent a ton of money over four years just to have zero successful launches. Musk was on the brink of having to shut down his company before it really got started, but things turned around quickly.

On September 28, 2008, SpaceX attempted the launch of the Falcon 1 for a fourth time. This time, the flight was a success and proved to be cost-efficient so long as it worked. The fifth flight also went well, and SpaceX was on its way.

Expanding the Business

Over the next few years, SpaceX did a lot of experimenting. This included the cost-saving method of reusing rockets, as well as low-altitude landings and commercial flights. SpaceX raised a lot of money during this time, especially after the announcement of Starlink. The new internet service saw SpaceX taking satellites into orbit so that people around the world could access the web.

SpaceX as a whole would increased its valuation to over $50 billion by the second half of 2020, and the number continued to increase after more Starlink satellites were being put into space. The following year, SpaceX tried to do the unthinkable when it launched the Inspiration4 mission. This would be the first-ever mission using only civilians to go into orbit and come back safely.

The mission ended up being a huge success for Musk’s company, and helped set the new standard for what can be achieved with space travel. This also opened the door for future human colonization of Mars and potentially other planets down the road.

The Future of SpaceX

It’s hard to say where SpaceX will be in 5, 10, or 20 years. Some think that SpaceX will essentially be the Greyhound bus line equivalent of space travel to and from Mars. Between commercial and cargo flights, though, the possibilities are endless for what SpaceX can achieve in the future.

“You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great,” Elon Musk said. “And I can’t think of anything more exciting than going out there and being among the stars.”

10 Awesome Apps You Only Need for the Free Trial Period

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There are a lot of apps to choose from when looking to kill some time on your mobile phone, but nothing is quite as annoying as playing a game and then having to find out that you have to pay monthly just to use it. However, a lot of these apps offer up a free trial period that allows you to get the entire scope of the app without paying.

Many of these apps you only need for the free trial and then you can finish using them for good. If you’re looking for a great time waster for the next month, try one of these 10 awesome apps you only need for the free trial period.

Akinator

Akinator is an AI-based guessing game released in 2007, still just as popular as ever in 2022. The AI asks the users questions to determine what person, fictional or real, or animal they’re thinking of. It’s a quick and fun app really only needed for the free trial. 

Smule

Karaoke apps like Smule provide users with karaoke versions of their favorite songs and cool voice functions within the recordings you make. It’s a cool app, but you’ll most likely try out all the features and songs before the free trial ends. 

GameFly

GameFly offers you an entire month for their free trial, giving you plenty of time to rent and beat games you’ve been dying to play or just don’t want to spend the $50+ on for your console, or PC. 

PNP-Portable North Pole 

PNP-Portable North Pole is great for the holidays. What’s even better is you can take advantage of the free trial during that specific time of year. It allows you to receive and gift personalized videos from the jolly Father Christmas himself. Kids will love this little free treat. 

AI Art

AI art apps are all the rage right now. It’s a terrifyingly accurate and impressive method of turning your pictures into interesting works of art without needing to pay for an entire commissioned painting. The free trial is all you’ll need to test out the app and get your awesome AI-generated works of art to show off to all of your friends. 

Monsterfy

Monsterfy is absolutely perfect for the spooky season crowd. Since it’s a seasonal thing, there isn’t really a need to keep the app around longer than the free trial duration. It’s a fun app that kids will love that lets them swap faces with spooky monsters, turning them into ghastly ghouls for the Halloween season. 

100’s of Buttons and Prank Sounds 

If you’re the goofy prankster type, this app and its free trial is perfect for you. It’s full of silly buttons and prank sounds that you, or those around you, will probably tire of after the free trial ends. 

Reverse Movie FX

Reverse Movie FX is a fun little app you can use to play around with all of your recorded videos. It allows users to reverse fragments of their videos where someone is performing a normal action. Though a cool concept, the hype of the reverse feature usually dies off after the free trial. 

MadLipz

MadLipz allows users to take popular short clips and dub over the video, or songs featured in them. It’s a really fun activity that could keep you and others entertained for a good while, but the free trial gives you enough of a taste to see if the app is worth purchasing 

Dragon Ball Super Card Game Tutorial

An app focusing on a tutorial is pretty much perfect for free trials. Learning to play the DBZ card game is an important strategy for anime and card game lovers to learn. The free trial gives you enough time to do so without having to pay for the product. 

10 Best K-Pop Songs of All Time

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K-Pop has taken the world by storm and is now so cemented into pop culture that it has its own genre on the charts on a global scale. Throughout the years, there have been some certified K-Pop classics, but which ones would people consider to be the best of the best? Here are our picks for the 10 best K-Pop songs of all time.

Gangnam Style by Psy

Serving as the South Korean musician’s worldwide breakout hit, “Gangnam Style” took off and became the party tune of the year in 2012. The highly catchy song and fun music video, showcasing Psy’s interesting dance, made the song as memorable as ever even ten years after its release. 

Dynamite by BTS

One of the most popular hits by one of the most popular K-pop sensations to grace the earth is “Dynamite” by BTS. The song, released in 2020, started off extremely strong, making its way straight to #1 on the Billboard Top 100 and becoming an instant hit in America and South Korea as well. 

DDU-DU-DDU-DU by BLACKPINK

“DDU-DU-DDU-DU” by the popular South Korean pop group BLACKPINK was released in 2018 and quickly shot up in the charts, topping the Billboard K-pop Top 100. The video for the song became the most viewed K-pop music video on YouTube at the time, with over 1 billion views. 

Gentleman by Psy 

Another banger from our South Korean wonder Psy, “Gentleman” was the next of his hits to make its way to America in 2013. Up until recently, the music video for the song became the fastest and most viewed, with over 1.4 billion views on YouTube. 

DNA by BTS

“DNA” was the first major hit BTS graced the US n 2017. The song made it to #67 on the Billboard Top 100 as well as #1 on the Billboard K-pop Top 100. The song put BTS on the map in the United States and started the intense fandom surrounding the group. 

Fire by BTS

Another BTS song to make the list, “Fire” was released as part of the album “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever”. “Fire” was actually about as popular in the United States as it was in Korea despite BTS not yet being a household name. “Fire” reached number seven on the Korean charts while reaching the top spot in US World Digital Song Sales.

Boombayah by BLACKPINK

BLACKPINK made their debut in a big way back in 2016 when they released their first single “Square One”, which was followed up on the same record with “Boombayah”. The song was an instant hit, and in fact became the first K-Pop debut music video to reach over 1 billion views worldwide on YouTube.

As If It’s Your Last by BLACKPINK

While most popular songs are part of a full album, “As If It’s Your Last” was released on its own in 2017 and was written by a trio of artists for Blackpink. The song streamed more than 100 million times in the first year of its release and even won Best Digital Song of the Year at the Golden Disc Awards.

Growl by EXO

Serving as the South Korean-Chinese boy band’s breakout hit, the R&B tune “Growl” by EXO was released in 2013 and became the 5th best-selling K-pop song in the US that year. “Growl” would end up winning the Best Song at the Seoul Music Awards and even the World’s Best Song at the World Music Awards in 2014. 

Peek-a-Boo by Red Velvet

Red Velvet is an all-girl band that formed in 2014 and quickly became one of the most popular groups in Korea thanks to their debut album “The Red” in 2015. Two years later, they released “Perfect Velvet” which contained the massive hit “Peek-a-Boo” that took the world by storm. “Peek-a-Boo” reached number two on both the US World Digital Song charts and the K-Pop Hot 100 in Korea.

5 Special Ingredients to Add To Your Bread Recipe

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By itself, bread is certainly a food that you can enjoy and will fill you up, but it doesn’t have a whole lot of taste. It isn’t until we start mixing in some special ingredients that we really bring out the easy-to-eat texture of bread that we all know and love. If you’re planning on making bread or are already a seasoned veteran when it comes to the kitchen, why not try some new ways to make bread interesting?

Feel free to use any ingredients that you want to make your bread really stand out. For our personal preference, there are five special ingredients that we use, which you can also add to your bread recipes to put a new spin on an old favorite.

Garlic

One special ingredient you can add to most savory bread dough recipes is the basis for most successful dishes, garlic. Some bread dough recipes already include garlic, like some pizza doughs, focaccias, and naan bread. Giving breads a stronger flavor, without being too overpowering.  

Try adding minced raw garlic, fried garlic, roasted garlic, or even whole garlic cloves inside and as a spread, or topping for any savory bread dough recipes you have in mind. Mixing garlic with seasonings, herbs, and delicious fatty butter, or olive oil will enhance the garlic even more. It’ll build more flavor and another dimension to your salty and savory baked treats. 

Honey

Honey is a fantastic addition to bread dough recipes, sweet and savory. Try incorporating sweet, or hot honey into the wet ingredients when making your bread dough. Or come up with a delicious honey-focused topping, or spread for your perfectly baked loaves, or rolls. Honey adds a distinct sweetness with more depth than regular sugar. 

Different types of honey will have different notes of flavor, from fruity to floral. Honey will bring something exciting and comforting to the table in sweet, or savory applications seamlessly. Using it as a simple drizzle is just as delicious too. 

Spices

Spices are the foundation of flavor. There are a crazy amount of spices available from all around the world, coming from all different kinds of cultures. Whether you use your favorite go-to seasoning or mix up your own spice blend to add to the dough, or as a finishing seasoning before, or after baking, it’s all bound to be a tasty addition to any bread dough. 

You can add sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, or any other warm spices to sweeter breads. Add savory spices like dried rosemary, parsley, garlic salt, hot spices, or any exotic savory spices from around the world that pique your fancy. 

Chocolate

Adding chocolate to anything is usually a pretty fantastic idea. Adding chocolate to your bread dough is bound to end up being a success. You can add cocoa powder, chocolate chunks or chips of varying sweetness. You can whip up a delicious chocolate spread to top off your fresh bread with, or maybe add a sweet chocolate spread center to your baked treats.  

Chocolate boosts your mood, has surprising health benefits, and makes everything taste so scrumptious and sweet. Kids will love the playful ingredient as well. It’s a fun addition to any dessert bread. 

Herbs

Just like spice blends, herbs add so much more flavor to your bread dough than your standard and sometimes straight-up bland dough recipe. Try adding an herb butter blend, or dried herbs to pizza dough crust, focaccia, rolls, Italian bread, and whatever else your heart desires. 

Rosemary is a beautifully fragrant herb commonly used in bread recipes. Parsley makes a great addition to herb butter used on naan bread, pizza crusts, breadsticks, and garlic bread. It’s sure to add a mouth watering, fresh, and savory flavor to your favorite breads. 

5 Exotic Breads That Are Easy to Bake At Home

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There are dozens of bread types around the world, but not all of them are easy to bake. Some require a lot of nuances and can be difficult for most people to get just right. Thankfully, there are also many breads that most people can bake them at home rather easily. If you’re trying to mix things up in the kitchen and add some new breads to your overall diet, here are five exotic ones to try that are easy to bake at home.

Portuguese Sweet Bread

Portuguese sweet bread is a downright delicious bread that will add the perfect amount of sweetness to your day.  After activating the yeast, add ingredients like sugar, milk, and butter. 

Then add the dry ingredients, knead, let rise, then either cut it up into smaller rolls, bake it as a round loaf, or braid it to add a little pizzazz to the dessert bread. Just make sure that you’re eating this bread as quickly as you can, though, as it can go incredibly stale in just one day!

Challah

Challah is a prized bread that first originated within the Ashkenazi Jewish community. It’s enjoyed during Passover, Shabbat, and really any occasion worth celebrating. Though, anyone can enjoy this tasty and whimsical-looking bread anytime, anywhere, even in the comfort of their own home. Challah is a bread made with few ingredients but delivers an impressive look and flavor nonetheless. 

To make it, you first activate the yeast in sugar water, add in a good amount of eggs that give the bread its signature texture, add the dry ingredients, knead the dough, and let the dough rise. When risen, divide the dough into six pieces, roll them out into long strands, braid the dough to make that classic challah shape, and brush it with egg before baking. 

Focaccia 

Sometimes thought of as pizza’s boring cousin, focaccia is actually delicious and stands out on its own. Not to mention there’s so many ways you can decorate your focaccia with vibrant, colorful, and fragrant vegetables, seasonings, and herbs, before baking. The high gluten content gives the bread the best airy and chewy texture, paired with a golden brown and crunchy bottom and a beautifully seasoned top. 

It’s great to eat on its own, dipped in sauce, or oil, or loaded with toppings. It’s easy to make at home too. Like most bread, you activate the yeast, add the dry ingredients, let the dough rise, and bake off when risen properly. Some recipes require kneading, some don’t. It’s simple and so worth trying.  

Naan

Naan is the beloved pairing to many Indian dishes, like curries, masala, butter chicken, and so much more. The toasty, sometimes garlicky, buttery flatbread is often used as a vessel to scoop rice, meat, and veggies and soak up fragrant sauces used in Indian fare. Naan is surprisingly easy to make at home as well. After activating the yeast and mixing in the wet ingredients, you’ll knead the dough on a floured surface, also using this process to incorporate any fresh garlic or herbs desired in the dough. 

After that, you’ll let the dough rest, then divide and roll out smaller pieces of dough that you can cook on a very hot cast iron pan to achieve the proper char naan is known for. Finally, brush with salted butter and add herbs to the fresh naan and enjoy. 

Tortillas 

Tortillas are versatile and incredibly easy to make fresh at home. Flour tortillas are simply made by combining flour, salt, baking powder, water, and oil. It requires very little kneading and resting time after mixing, as well as no need to proof. 

Divide the dough into small pieces, roll it out, or use a special tortilla press to flatten the dough, and cook on a flat stove top pan for a short period of time. 

5 Most Successful NCAA Hockey Teams

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In professional hockey, it can be hard to put together a dynasty thanks to the salary cap and free agency, but that’s not the case in the college ranks. Typically, teams that are toward the top tend to stay there, while the lower programs are only just a few players away from joining them.

Over the years, a handful of college hockey teams have had the sustained success that puts them above the rest. Between trips to the Frozen Four, national championships, and eventual NHLers that made it into the Hall of Fame, these are the five most successful NCAA hockey programs.

Before we get to the list, here are some of the teams that just missed the cut but have had tremendous program success: Boston University, Wisconsin, Minnesota-Duluth, Michigan State, Wisconsin.

5. Boston College

The Boston College Eagles come to mind for a lot of hockey fans in terms of teams that have had sustained success without piling up too many championships. Outside of their dynasty run from 2001 to 2012, the Eagles have just one NCAA Tournament championship which came in 1949.

The Eagles have still made the NCAA Tournament more often than not, though, so they are always near the top of the title contention scene. There have been a lot of great NHL players to come from Boston College, including Hall of Famers like Brian Leetch and Joe Mullen, as well as star players Johnny Gaudreau, Bill Guerin, and Brian Boyle.

4. Denver

The University of Denver was an absolute dynasty during its early years as they started play in 1949 and were the NCAA champions within a decade. Denver dominated in the 1960s and reached the Frozen Four regularly in the early 1970s. Throughout the rest of the decade and into the early 2000s, though, Denver was a sleeping giant.

Thankfully for the Pioneers, they were able to right the ship and have since become one of the top hockey programs in the NCAA once again. They won the NCAA Tournament twice during the 2000s, then again in 2017 and 2022. Among the notable NHL players to attend Denver are Paul Stastny and Tyler Bozak and Hall of Famers Craig Patrick and Glenn Anderson.

3. North Dakota

While ND might translate to Notre Dame for college football fans, it certainly means North Dakota when it comes to college hockey. The Fighting Hawks have been among the best teams in the NCAA since starting play in the mid-1940s and have reached the Frozen Four more than 20 times.

Along the way, North Dakota has won several championships and routinely makes the NCAA Tournament. The top NHL players who make their way through the North Dakota hockey program include Dave Christian, Jason Blake, and Hockey Hall of Famer Ed Belfour. More recent players include Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, and T.J. Oshie.

2. Michigan

Known by casual fans perhaps more for its football program, the University of Michigan has also had a rich tradition in hockey. Also, like the football team, Michigan hockey last won a national championship in the late 1990s despite routinely being one of the top teams in the nation.

Overall, Michigan has nine national titles between 1948 and 1998, and more than two dozen trips to the Frozen Four. Some of Michigan’s top players to reach the NHL include Andrew Cogliano, Mike Knuble, and former number-one overall draft pick Jack Johnson. Michigan was also home to the Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin.

1. Minnesota

The Minnesota Golden Gophers began play in 1921 and have been one of the top teams on an almost annual basis ever since. No team has won the Big Ten title more than Minnesota, and they’ve made the NCAA Tournament regularly since the early 1970s. Minnesota has more wins than any other NCAA program, as well.

Interestingly enough, Minnesota only has five national championship wins, but they’ve reached the Frozen Four well over 20 times, including every year between 1986 and 1989. Some of the most successful NHL players to come from Minnesota include Phil Kessel, Neal Broten, and Alex Goligoski.

5 Best NFL Careers by Former Wisconsin Badgers

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The University of Wisconsin has a rich football tradition as one of the oldest teams in the Big Ten, and along the way has produced some terrific NFL talent. A handful of players have gone on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and set records at the top level of football. Let’s take a look at the Badgers that put together the finest NFL careers.

Before we get into the list, let’s take a look at some of the Badgers that just missed the cut as part of our honorable mentions: Troy Vincent, Tim Krumrie, Chris Chambers, Travis Frederick, and Paul Gruber.

5. T.J. Watt

As you can probably guess, there is more than one Watt on the list, and it begins with outside linebacker T.J. Watt. T.J. spent four seasons in Wisconsin, and in his senior season, was named to both the All-Big Ten and All-American teams. Considered by some to be undersized, Watt was selected late in the first round, with the Steelers taking a chance on him at 30th overall in 2017.

Watt almost instantly became a perennial All-Pro, and even tied the single-season record for most sacks with 22.5. Watt was also named the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and continues to rack up the accolades. By the time his career is over, there’s a chance that Watt could end up having the more impressive resume in the family.

4. Mike Webster

Hailing from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, Mike Webster spent the early 1970s in Madison and played center for the Badgers until 1974. After being named to two All-Big Ten teams, Webster was selected in the fifth round of the 1974 NFL Draft (125th overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Webster spent most of his 17-year career with the Steelers and was named to the All-Pro Team in nine of those seasons. Webster was also a four-time Super Bowl winner and was named to Pittsburgh’s All-Time Team, as well as two different NFL All-Decade Teams.

3. Joe Thomas

Joe Thomas is the highest-rated player on the list that spent their entire college career with the Badgers, and he was named a two-time First-Team All-American. During his senior season, Thomas was also an All-American and was given the Outland Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the nation. At the 2007 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns made Thomas the third overall pick.

Thomas would end up becoming one of the best left tackles in NFL history and certainly the most durable. Thomas set the record for most consecutive snaps played in league history and was a 10-time Pro Bowler, as well as an eight-time All-Pro. Unfortunately for Thomas, the only downside of his career was never reaching the postseason.

2. Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson may have only spent one season with Wisconsin, but it was quite the season as he was named to the first-team All-Big Ten squad and was the Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year. Wilson wasn’t expected to do much in the NFL when he entered in 2012, however, as the Seahawks used their third-round pick (75th) overall to have him back up Matt Flynn.

Wilson assumed the starting role right away with the Seahawks and spent 10 seasons with the team. During that time, he compiled an impressive 104-53-1 record, throwing for 37,059 yards, 292 touchdowns, and 87 interceptions. Wilson also added 4,689 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns en route to nine Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl title.

1. J.J. Watt

J.J. Watt had initially gone to Central Michigan University, but the Chippewas wanted the walk-on from Pewaukee to become a tight end. After spending just one year in Mt. Pleasant, Watt made his way to Wisconsin to become a defensive end. As a Badger, Watt became a first-team All-American and won the Lott Trophy, leading him to be selected 11th overall in 2011 by the Houston Texans.

Watt spent 10 seasons with the Texans and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year on three occasions. Watt finished his Texans career with 101 sacks before signing with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, and Watt has also been named an All-Pro six times and was the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year.