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Two English Girls

Two English Girls (original French title: Les Deux Anglaises et le Continent, UK Title: Anne and Muriel), is a 1971 French romantic drama film directed by François Truffaut and adapted from a 1956 novel of the same name by Henri-Pierre Roché. It stars Jean-Pierre Léaud as Claude, Kika Markham as Anne, and Stacey Tendeter as Muriel. Truffaut restored 20 minutes of footage, which fills out the characters, before his death in 1984.

The novel was first published in English in 2004, translated by Walter Bruno and published by Cambridge Book Review Press, Cambridge, Wisconsin.

Plot
The film begins in Paris around the year 1902. The narrator (Truffaut himself) explains that Claude Roc and his widowed mother are visited by Anne Brown, daughter of an old friend. Anne invites Claude to spend the summer on the coast of Wales with her widowed mother and sister, Muriel. While she enjoys Claude's company, her hope is that he may be a husband for her introverted sister, who has problems with her eyesight. In the event, Claude and Muriel do start to fall in love and Claude overcomes her initial resistance and persuades her to agree to marriage. Madame Roc, supposedly concerned about their poor health and with the agreement of Mrs Brown, says they must live apart for a year without any communication before getting married.

Returning to France, Claude moves in artistic circles and has affairs with a number of women while Muriel in Wales keeps a diary and becomes increasingly despondent. Claude, with his mother's encouragement, writes to Muriel, breaking off the engagement, as he wishes to be free to focus on his business pursuits. Muriel is devastated. Anne leaves home to study sculpture in Paris, where she loses her virginity to Claude. She agrees to have a non-exclusive affair with Claude, enabling him to continue to have affairs with other women, and eventually has a concurrent relationship with Diurka, a dashing publisher who then takes her off to Persia with Claude's encouragement. Muriel sends her diary, which includes details of her experience of a childhood lesbian event and her consequent prolonged struggle against an urge for masturbation, to Claude, who publishes it against her wishes.

Muriel comes to Paris and she and Claude rekindle their love. However, when Muriel is told by Anne of Claude's affair with her, at Claude's insistence, she collapses into deep depression and returns to Wales. Anne has become engaged to a Frenchman called Nicholas but falls ill and also returns to Wales, dying among her family with Diurka at her side.

Diurka tells Claude that Muriel is leaving home to take a job in Belgium. Claude meets her ship at Calais and they spend that night together in a hotel, during which Muriel also loses her virginity. In the morning, she says they must now part for ever as Claude is unsuited for matrimony, despite his renewed offer of marriage. Later, she writes to say she is pregnant, raising Claude's hopes of marriage, but a second letter says she was mistaken and their relationship is truly at an end. He later hears that Muriel has married and is a schoolteacher with a daughter. Claude turns the whole saga of his relationship with the sisters into a novel, which is published by Diurka.

In an epilogue set in the 1920s, the narrator explains that Claude, who is now a successful author, but unmarried, and whose mother has died, still dreams of the artistic gifts of Anne and the children he and Muriel might have had.

Cast

 * Jean-Pierre Léaud as Claude Roc
 * Kika Markham as Anne Brown
 * Stacey Tendeter as Muriel Brown
 * Sylvia Marriott as Mrs. Brown
 * Marie Mansart as Madame Roc
 * Philippe Léotard as Diurka
 * Irène Tunc as Ruta
 * Mark Peterson as Mr. Flint
 * David Markham as the palmist
 * Georges Delerue as Claude's business agent
 * Marcel Berbert as the art dealer
 * Annie Miler as Monique de Montferrand
 * Christine Pellé as Claude's secretary
 * Jeanne Lobre as Jeanne
 * Marie Iracane as Madame Roc's maidservant
 * Jean-Claude Dolbert as the English policeman
 * Anne Levaslot as Muriel as a child
 * Sophie Jeanne as Clarisse
 * René Gaillard as a taxi driver
 * Sophie Baker as a friend in the café
 * Laura Truffaut as a child
 * Eva Truffaut as a child
 * Mathieu Schiffman as a child
 * Guillaume Schiffman as a child
 * François Truffaut as The Narrator

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 87% based on reviews from 15 critics.

Albert Johnson wrote about the film for its local premiere at the San Francisco Film Festival in 1972: "The film is a gorgeously colorful, poignant romance, as delicately ornate and rare as an enamel brooch by Lalique. Truffaut is a genius at this sort of haunting love story, and Two English Girls is cinema-perfection."

The film was a box office flop in France, Truffaut's first unsuccessful film domestically since The Soft Skin.

Disappointed with its reception in France, Truffaut decided to restore over 20 minutes of footage to the film, a project he completed just before he died in 1984. This version, titled Les Deux anglaises, was released after his death in 1985. Critics such as Tom Wiener believe it improved the film.

title: Two English Girls


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Ed Anderson

This page is an archive of the discussion surrounding the proposed deletion of the pages entitled Ed andersen and Ed Andersen.

This page is kept as an historic record.

The result of the debate was deletion.

Sorry, but this whole procedure is ridiculously complicated. The two pages listed above are products of the Haywards Heath crowd again.  12:35, 2 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete -- Cyrius|&#9998 15:11, May 2, 2004 (UTC)
 * Speedy delete. TB 15:58, 2 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Borderline vandalism. Alcarillo 15:53, 3 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete it, restore it and delete it again to make doubly sure it stays dead. Seriously though, delete. - Lucky 6.9 18:18, 3 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Ed Andersen does not live in Haywards Heath.
 * Delete. Cribcage 02:43, 8 May 2004 (UTC)

This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate up to the point of deletion and is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion or on the new method of assessing voting, should be placed on other relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Gun, with Occasional Music

Gun, with Occasional Music is a 1994 novel by American writer Jonathan Lethem that blends science fiction and hardboiled detective fiction. The novel won Lethem the Locus Award for Best First Novel in 1995. It was also nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1994 and the cover art, illustrated by pulp artist Michael Koelsch, was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Original Art Work in 1995.

Plot
The novel follows the adventures of Conrad Metcalf, a tough, smart-alecky private detective, through a futuristic version of San Francisco and Oakland, California. Metcalf is hired by a man who claims that he's being framed for the murder of a prominent urologist. Metcalf quickly discovers that nobody wants the case solved: not the victim's ex-wife, not the police, and certainly not the gun-toting kangaroo who works for the local mafia boss.

Characters

 * Conrad Metcalf – Hardboiled private "inquisitor".
 * Maynard Stanhunt – Doctor who is murdered before the novel begins.
 * Orton Angwine – Man accused of murdering Maynard Stanhunt.
 * Delia Limetree – Woman who switched sexual nerve endings with Metcalf; mentioned only once.
 * Theodore Twostrand – Scientist who invented evolution therapy.
 * Celeste Stanhunt – Dr. Stanhunt's widow
 * Sasha – Kitten whose brain has been accelerated by evolution therapy, known as an "evolved" kitten
 * Grover Testafer – Doctor who shared a practice with Maynard Stanhunt
 * Morgenlander – An inquisitor for "The Office"
 * Kornfeld – An inquisitor for The Office
 * Shand – Human clerk at the Vistamont Hotel
 * Danny Phoneblum – A local gangster
 * Joey Castle – an evolved kangaroo (and thug) employed by Phoneblum
 * Pansy Greenleaf – Blanketrol-addicted woman with whom Celeste Stanhunt lives
 * Dulcie – An evolved ewe employed by Testafer.
 * Barry Greenleaf – An evolved child, otherwise known as a "babyhead"
 * Catherine Teleprompter – An inquisitor for "The Office"
 * Maker – Not a name, but a job title; scientist who makes "blends" of make at a makery
 * Cole Bayzwaite – Architect
 * Walter Surface – Private "inquisitor" and evolved ape.
 * Nancy – Surface's companion
 * Woofer – A baby-head
 * Tweeter – A baby-head
 * Overholt – Works for Phoneblum out of a bar called the Fickle Muse

Major themes
In the novel, thanks to technology, children can become smarter and more cynical than adults; such children are known as baby-heads. "Baby-heads" have their own subculture and bars, and can drink alcohol. Animals, too, can be given the intelligence of a human being through bioscientific techniques, a concept explored previously by David Brin in his Uplift novels, Roger Zelazny in The Dream Master, and in Olaf Stapledon's Sirius. Lethem's animals stand midway between these two; like Brin's, they have clearly delineated and delimited rights; like Zelazny's, however, they are part of a darker symbolism. It is not considered bestiality when one has a sexual relationship with an evolved animal in this world, and humans may also adopt younger evolved animals.

Lethem also envisions nerve-swapping technology. Couples trade erogenous zones for the purpose of sexual experimentation. Metcalf previously underwent such a procedure, and is now trapped with a woman's neuro-sexual apparatus because his girlfriend skipped town with his male one.

There are other incidental touches. For an unexplained reason, psychology is no longer viewed as a science, and psychologists behave like Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other itinerant proselytizing religions. One such couple asks Metcalf if he'd like to listen to selections from Sigmund Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents. In this future, television is now an abstract art form, and has abandoned linear narrative sequence genres.

People are more easily disconcerted in Lethem's future. Asking questions is considered astonishingly rude, making detectives (or "inquisitors", as they are known), whose job involves prying, social pariahs. Rather than broadcast bad news to squeamish listeners, the radio plays ominous music instead. (Handguns also come with threatening violin soundtracks.) And everyone is "on the make"--make being a snortable drug available in a dozen different blends (Acceptol, Avoidol, Forgettol) in stores called makeries. But substance abuse still exists in this future- there is a lucrative black market in blanketrol, an earlier version of forgettol and addictol, but highly addictive nevertheless. Pansy Greenleaf is initially addicted to it.

Karma is also subject to transactions through portable debit cards. Once someone's karma reaches zero, they are sentenced to specific periods of cryogenic respite until they "work off" their karmic "debt". Lethem went on to further explore this idea in his later novel Amnesia Moon, in which "luck ratings" served a similar role to Gun's karma. However, unscrupulous criminal elements in this society have developed "slaveboxes", neural implants which activate the inert central nervous systems of the sleepers, using their bodies for prostitution or slave labour while unconscious.

Metcalf himself is frozen late in the book. After six years, he is thawed out, only to find that memory retention has become a social taboo, and people now have prompters installed to provide retrospective commentary about past events in their lives. As a result, "makeries" only supply one standardized blend, with forgettol paramount. Private investigation is also illegal.

Adaptations
As of January, 2020, Legendary Entertainment was developing a series based on the novel.

Release details

 * 1994, U.S., Harcourt, ISBN 0-15-136458-3, Pub date 1 March 1994, Hardcover
 * 1995, U.S., Tor, ISBN 0-312-85878-7, Pub date 1 March 1995, Paperback
 * 2003, U.S., Harvest, ISBN 0-15-602897-2, Pub date 1 September 2003, Paperback

Sources, references, external links, quotations

 * Review of the novel by Steven Silver
 * Drug References in Science Fiction

Specific

title: Gun, with Occasional Music


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Speeder bike

Speeder bikes (also known as "jumpspeeders" or "hover bikes") and swoop bikes (or just "swoops") are small, fast transports that use repulsorlift engines in the fictional Star Wars universe. Return of the Jedi includes a prominent speeder bike chase; speeders and swoops also appear in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (added in the 1997 Special Edition, but absent on every earlier print), the animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, and the Star Wars expanded universe's books, comics, and games.

Origin and design
Various concept sketches came from producer George Lucas' call for a "rocket-powered scooter" in Return of the Jedi. While Industrial Light & Magic's (ILM) Nilo Rodis-Jamero designed a blocky vehicle with a large engine, Ralph McQuarrie's designs were more fanciful but with less of a sense of the vehicle's power source. The final designs resulted in full-scale Imperial speeder bikes used by the actors for film against a bluescreen, along with miniatures mounted by articulated puppets. ILM used a steadicam recording at 1 frame per second to record the speeder bikes' path through the forest moon of Endor—in reality, a California forest. Playing the footage at the standard rate of 24 frames per second caused a blurring effect, which ILM used to simulate the vehicles' high speed; what was shot at 5 mph looked like 100 mph.

The BARC speeder in Revenge of the Sith was designed to appear like a predecessor to the speeder bikes in Return of the Jedi. ILM's Doug Chiang designed Darth Maul's (Ray Park) speeder in The Phantom Menace to resemble a scythe, and Chiang's initial designs for the droid army's STAP vehicle resembled the speeder bikes from Return of the Jedi. An all-CGI swoop appearing in A New Hope stems from a design created for Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, and the swoop also appears briefly in The Phantom Menace.

Depiction
In the Star Wars universe, speeder bikes are a type of "repulsorcraft," vehicles which use anti-gravity devices called repulsorlifts to hover above the surface of a planet. Compared to other repulsorcraft, speeder bikes sacrifice unnecessary systems in order to achieve greater speed or agility. Swoop bikes, being little more than an engine with seats, are similar but better suited for operating at higher altitudes. In the Legends video game Knights of the Old Republic, swoop racing is a main part of the story with the player having to work for The Hidden Beks, a swoop gang, by infiltrating rival swoop gang, The Black Vulkars, and competing against them in a swoop race in order to rescue Bastila. "Swoop racing" is described as a dangerous, fast-paced competition between skilled pilots.

Types of speeder bikes

 * 74-Z Speeder Bike: The 74-Z speeder bike makes its first appearance in Return of the Jedi as Imperial scout troopers patrol the forest surrounding the shield generator on Endor; during the movie's speeder bike chase Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) pilot a pair of speeders to chase down scout troopers who might reveal the Rebel Alliance's presence on Endor. Background material on the bike explains how the 74-Z, built by the Aratech Repulsor Company, was originally used by the Republic during the Clone Wars before being adopted by the Empire.  The bike measures 3.3 m long, can carry one or two passengers, and achieves a maximum speed of 500 kph.  In addition to a self-charging battery system, sensors and communication equipment, the 74-Z is armed with a Ax-20 blaster cannon, though being stripped of all excess weight the bike offers no protection for the rider.
 * Sith Speeder: Darth Maul is seen using a speeder bike to chase down Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) in The Phantom Menace, identified in Star Wars material as a Razalon FC-20 speeder bike. It is described as being a popular model with assassins and other criminals because of its ability to perform sharp turns and a compactness that makes it harder to track, though the small size also requires it be more frequently recharged.  Darth Maul's bike, the Bloodfin, has been stripped of all weaponry and sensors to make his lighter and faster, achieving a top speed of 650 kph.
 * Flitknot Speeder: The Flitknot speeder bike is first seen in Attack of the Clones, when Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) uses one to escape the battle of Geonosis to return to his solar sailer. These bikes are of simple design, with more bulk at the back in the engines than anywhere else, as well as two handholds and two footholds. They are fast and maneuverable, able to outrun Republic gunships.
 * BARC Speeder: The BARC speeder first appears in Revenge of the Sith as Jedi Master Stass Allie is turned upon by her clone trooper escorts when Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) initiates Order 66. Manufactured by the Aratech Repulsor Company, the speeder bike's name is explained as being derived from the specialist clone troopers (Biker Advanced Recon Commandos) who typically pilot these craft.  Armed with a pair of blaster cannons, the BARC speeder is 4.6 m long and can reach a top speed of 520 kph.  It normally seats only one passenger but can be modified with mission-specific sidecars.
 * C-PH Patrol Speeder Bike: Also known as Imperial patrol speeders, these bikes are used by Imperial patrol troopers to police shipyards and industrial facilities of value to the Empire. Manufactured by the Aratech Repulsor Company, they use a bank of forward-facing repulsorfield vector guides. They first appear in Solo: A Star Wars Story, in which a patrol trooper piloting one such speeder pursues Han Solo and Qi'ra.
 * Zephyr-J: The Zephyr-J is a model of speeder bike used in the Outer Rim territories and manufactured by Mobquet Swoops and Speeders. It makes its debut in "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger" of The Mandalorian; the titular character uses this type of speeder.

Cultural impact
The speeder bike, specifically the 74-Z as seen in Return of the Jedi, has been ranked as one of the top vehicles of the Star Wars universe, described as the "ultimate superbike" and "cooler than Boba Fett." The speeder bike scene in Return of the Jedi has also been described as one of the top ten most thrilling chase sequences in the Star Wars saga.

Many fans of the Star Wars series have also been inspired to build life-size "working" replicas. In 2016, a group of fans used Jetovator water-propelled jet packs to create several 74-Z replicas to film a recreation of the speeder bike chase scene. Vintage Works of Green Bay, Wisconsin built a replica 74-Z speeder bike in 2017 using a Zero electric motorcycle. Also in 2017, a team from Lithium Cycles worked with YouTube prankster Jesse to build a pair of 74-Z bikes using their Super 73 electric street motorcycles which they showed off on the streets of New York City. In order to give the appearance the vehicles "hovered", the team placed mirrors underneath the bikes to shroud the wheels.

Although lacking the anti-gravity technology ascribed to speeder bikes, real-life hoverbikes utilize different principles of levitation with the goal of achieving a similar effect. Mark DeRoche of Aero-X maker Aerofex said it was "a tribute to George Lucas' team" that their prototype hoverbike – a low-altitude tandem duct aerial vehicle – resembled Star Wars speeders. The HoverSurf HoverBike has also been compared to Star Wars speeder bikes, though it achieves flight by the same methods as a traditional quadcopter.

Since their inception, speeder bikes have been included in several Star Wars product lines, including Lego models and Hasbro miniatures.

In real life a one-person, or unmanned cargo, flying vehicle with four jet motors at the corners using artificial intelligence to maintain stability that has been described as a "flying motorbike" and named "Speeder" was under development in 2022, an idea that emerged from work with the US Navy. several full-size prototypes had been built. Top speed was 200 mph, and flight endurance was 60 minutes.

title: Speeder bike


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User:Morwen/parish

List of lists of parishes

 * Bedfordshire
 * Buckinghamshire
 * Cambridgeshire
 * Cheshire
 * Cornwall
 * Cumbria
 * Derbyshire
 * Devon
 * Dorset
 * County Durham
 * East Sussex
 * Essex
 * Gloucestershire
 * Hampshire
 * Hertfordshire
 * Kent
 * Lancashire
 * Leicestershire
 * Lincolnshire
 * Norfolk
 * Northamptonshire
 * Northumberland
 * North Yorkshire
 * Nottinghamshire
 * Oxfordshire
 * Shropshire
 * Somerset
 * Staffordshire
 * Suffolk
 * Surrey
 * Warwickshire
 * West Sussex
 * Wiltshire
 * Worcestershire

 * Bath and North East Somerset
 * Blackburn with Darwen
 * Blackpool
 * Bournemouth
 * Brighton and Hove
 * Bristol - unparished
 * Derby
 * East Riding of Yorkshire
 * Halton
 * Hartlepool
 * Herfordshire
 * Isle of Wight
 * Hull
 * Leicester - unparished
 * Luton
 * Medway
 * Middlesbrough
 * Milton Keynes
 * North East Lincolnshire
 * North Lincolnshire
 * North Somerset
 * Nottingham
 * Peterborough
 * Plymouth
 * Poole
 * Portsmouth
 * Redcar and Cleveland
 * Rutland
 * Southampton
 * Southend-on-Sea
 * South Gloucestershire
 * Stockton-on-Tees
 * Stoke-on-Trent
 * Swindon
 * Telford and Wrekin
 * Thurrock
 * Torbay
 * Warrington
 * York

 * Barnsley
 * Birmingham
 * Bolton
 * Bradford
 * Bury
 * Calderdale
 * Coventry
 * Doncaster
 * Dudley
 * Gateshead
 * Kirklees
 * Knowsley
 * Leeds
 * Liverpool
 * Manchester
 * Newcastle
 * North Tyneside
 * Oldham
 * Rochdale
 * Rotherham
 * Salford
 * Sandwell
 * Sefton
 * Sheffield
 * Solihull
 * South Tyneside
 * St Helens
 * Stockport
 * Sunderland
 * Tameside
 * Trafford
 * Wakefield
 * Walsall
 * Wigan
 * Wirral
 * Wolverhampton

 * Bracknell Forest
 * Reading
 * Slough
 * West Berkshire
 * Windsor and Maidenhead
 * Wokingham

 * Greater London
 * entirely unparished (I presume)

title: User:Morwen/parish


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Pole position

In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the race, although penalties may award it to the second fastest driver, as the pole position is statistically awarded to the driver starting in first position. The number-one qualifying driver is also referred to as the pole-sitter. The pole position starts the race "at the front of the starting grid. This provides the driver in the pole position the privilege of starting ahead of all the other drivers".

Grid position is typically determined by a qualifying session before the race, where race participants compete to ascend to the number 1 grid slot, the driver, pilot, or rider having recorded fastest qualification time awarded the advantage of the number 1 grid slot (i.e., the pole-position) ahead of all other vehicles for the start of the race. Historically, the fastest qualifier was not necessarily the designated pole-sitter. Different sanctioning bodies in motor sport employ different qualifying formats in designating who starts from pole position. Often, a starting grid is derived either by current rank in the championship, or based on finishing position of a previous race. In particularly important events where multiple qualification attempts spanned several days, the qualification result was segmented or staggered, by which session a driver qualified, or by which particular day a driver set his qualification time, only drivers having qualified on the initial day were eligible for pole position. Some race promoters or sanctioning bodies invert their starting grid for the purpose of entertainment value (e.g., pack racing; to artificially stimulate passing), the slowest qualifier would be designated as pole-sitter.

In contrast to contemporary motorsport, where only a race participant is designated pole-sitter, before World War II, the pace car was designated as the official pole-sitter for the Indianapolis 500.

Origin
The term has its origins in horse racing, in which the fastest qualifying horse would be placed on the inside part of the course, next to the pole marking the start line for the race.

Formula One
Originally in Grand Prix racing, grid positions, including pole, were determined by lottery among the drivers. Before the inception of the Formula One World Championship, the first instance of grid positions being determined by qualifying times was at the 1933 Monaco Grand Prix. Since then, the FIA have introduced many different qualifying systems to Formula One. From the long-standing system of one session on each of Friday and Saturday, to the current knockout-style qualifying leaving 10 out of 20 drivers to battle for pole, there have been many changes to qualifying systems. Between 1996 and 2006, the FIA made 6 significant changes to the qualifying procedure, each with the intention of making the battle for pole more interesting to viewers at home.

Traditionally, pole was always occupied by the fastest driver due to low-fuel qualifying. The race-fuel qualifying era between 2003 and 2009 briefly changed this. Despite the changing formats, drivers attempting pole were required between 2003 and 2009 to do qualifying laps with the fuel they would use to start the race the next day. An underfuelled slower car and driver would therefore be able to take pole ahead of a better but heavier-fueled car. In this situation, pole was not always advantageous to have in the race as the under-fueled driver would have to pit for more fuel before their rivals. With the race refueling ban introduced, low-fuel qualifying returned and these strategy decisions are no longer in play.

Also, when Formula One enforced the 107% rule between 1996 and 2002, a driver's pole time might affect slower cars also posting times for qualifying, as cars that could not get within 107% of the pole time were not allowed start the race unless the stewards decided otherwise. Since the reintroduction of the rule in 2011, this only applies to the quickest time in the first session of qualifying (Q1) and not the pole time.

Top ten most Formula One pole positions

 * As of the

Pole position trophy
From 2014, the FIA awarded a trophy to the driver who won the most pole positions in a season. In 2018, the FIA Pole Trophy was discontinued and replaced with the Pirelli Pole Position Award, where the polesitter at each race as awarded a Pirelli wind tunnel tyre with the name of the polesitter and their time.

(WC) indicates that the driver won the World Championship in the same season.

IndyCar
IndyCar uses four formats for qualifying: one for most oval tracks, one for Iowa Speedway, one for the Indianapolis 500, and another for road and street circuits. Oval qualifying is almost like the Indianapolis 500, with two laps, instead of four, averaged together with one attempt, although with just one session.

At Iowa, each car takes one qualifying lap, and the top six cars advance to the feature race for the pole position. Positions from 7th onward are assigned to their races, based on time, with cars in the odd-numbered finishing order starting in one race, and cars in the even-numbered finishing order starting in the second race. The finishing order for the odd-numbered race starts on the inside, starting in Row 6 (11th), and even-numbered race on the outside based on finishing position, again from Row 6 (12th), except for the top two in each race, which start in the inside and outside, respectively (Row 4 and 5) of the race for the pole position. The result of the feature race determines positions 1–10. All three races are 50 laps.

On road and street courses, cars are drawn randomly into two qualifying groups. After each group has one twenty-minute session, the top six cars from each group qualify for a second session. The cars that finished seventh or worse are lined up by their times, with the best of these times starting 13th. The twelve remaining cars run a 15-minute session, after which the top six cars move on to a final 10-minute session to determine positions one through six on the grid.

The Iowa format was instituted in 2012 with major modifications (times set based on open qualifying session in second practice, positions 11th and back in odd positions raced in the inside heat, positions 12th and back in even positions raced in the outside heat, and positions 1–10 raced for the pole, each heat 30 laps), and non-Iowa oval format in August 2010, while the Indianapolis format was in 2010. The road course format was installed for 2008. In prior seasons, oval qualifying ran for four laps, Indianapolis-style, from 2008, and previously two laps with the best lap used for qualification. Street and road circuits used a two-phase format similar to oval qualifying except that cars took one qualifying lap, then the top six advanced to the ten-minute session for the pole.

Indianapolis 500
The pole position for the Indianapolis 500 is determined on the first day (or first full round) of time trials. Cars run four consecutive laps (10 miles), and the total elapsed time on the four laps determines the positioning. The fastest car on the first day of time trials wins the pole position. Times recorded in earlier days (rounds) start ahead of subsequent days (rounds). A driver could record a time faster than that of the pole winner on a subsequent day; however, he will be required to line up behind the previous day(s)' qualifiers.

Starting in 2010, the first day is split into Q1 and Q2. At the end of Q1, positions 10–24 are set. The top nine cars will then have their times wiped out and advance to Q2 where cars will have 90 minutes to run for pole. If inclement weather causes officials to cancel Q2, positions 1–24 are set. If inclement weather in Q1 is early where Q2 is late (past 6 PM usually), drivers will have only one attempt in Q2.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Since, there has been one hour-long session on Saturday where the riders have an unlimited number of laps to record a fast lap time. Simply, the rider with the fastest lap gains pole position for the race.

In a new format was introduced whereby qualifying is conducted over two 15-minute sessions labelled Q1 and Q2. The fastest 10 riders over combined practice times advance automatically to Q2, while the rest of the field competes in Q1. At the conclusion of Q1 the fastest 2 riders progress to Q2 with a chance to further improve their grid position.

In a new format was introduced where the results of qualifying set the grid for a Saturday Sprint Race as well as the Sunday Grand Prix Race.

NASCAR
Before 2001, NASCAR used a two-day qualifying format in its national series. Before 2002 only one lap was run on oval tracks except short tracks and restrictor plate tracks. Until 2014, the pole position has been determined by a two-lap time trial (one lap on road courses) with the faster lap time used as the driver's qualifying speed. In 2014, NASCAR used a knockout qualifying format for all races except the Daytona 500, non-points races, and the Camping World Truck Series' Eldora Dirt Derby: after a 25-minute session (on tracks longer than 1.25 mi; tracks shorter than 1.25 miles have a 30-minute session), the 24 fastest cars advance to a ten-minute session, with the top 12 advancing to a final five-minute session. Starting in 2003, if a driver's team changed their car's engine after the qualifying segment was over, the car would be relegated to the rear of the 43-car field. In the case of multiple teams changing engines on the same weekend after a qualifying segment (although this is a rare occurrence), qualifying times from that segment are used to determine the starting order for those cars.

In the Eldora Dirt Derby, practice runs are held, which determine the starting grids for five heat races of eight laps each. The top five fastest qualifiers started on pole for each heat, and the winner of the first heat is awarded the pole for the feature race.

Superbike
Superpole for Superbike is a timed event to establish starting positions for motorcycle racers in World Superbike races.

For 2023 a World Superbike weekend typically consists of:
 * Friday – Two Free Practice sessions.
 * Saturday – Free Practice, Superpole, WorldSBK Race 1, WorldSSP300 Last Chance Race.
 * Sunday – Warm-up, WorldSBK Superpole Race, World SSP Race, WorldSBK Race 2, WorldSSP300 Race
 * 1. The final results of the Superpole decide the grid for WorldSBK Race One and Sunday's (sprint) Superpole Race.
 * 2. The top six finishers of the "last chance race" take the final six spots of the WorldSSP300 race starting grid.
 * 3. The grid for WorldSBK Race 2 will be determined from the first nine positions in the Superpole Race, and the grid from 10th onwards will be the positions from Saturday's Superpole.

The format of Superpole depends on weather conditions:
 * Dry Superpole: The race director declares a 'dry' Superpole (referring to the weather conditions) then Superpole will consist of 3 laps of the circuit. Riders start one by one in reverse qualifying order. Grid position for the races will be determined by each rider's fastest single lap time.
 * Wet Superpole: If Superpole is declared 'wet', Superpole will consist of 50 minutes of timed laps, for all 15 riders together, during which a rider may complete up to 12 laps (including in and out laps). Grid position for the races will be determined by each rider's fastest single lap time. For each lap over 12 laps completed, the rider's best lap time will be cancelled.

To qualify for the race, riders must record a lap time no longer than 107% of the time recorded by the pole-position rider. Qualifying tires may be used.

Radio-controlled racing
In radio-controlled car racing, the term Top Qualifier (TQ) is used to determine the fastest qualifying driver, usually over a two-day, five/six rounds qualifying sessions, depending on the overall duration of the event. The result is determined by the best half of the driver's performance. As the event bring in over 100 entrants, the fastest driver is guaranteed directly a place in front of the A-main final, the group that carries a chance of being the overall winner. The slower drivers are allocated a spot to compete in their groups to determine the overall positions.

title: Pole position


text:
HP-41C

The HP-41C series are programmable, expandable, continuous memory handheld RPN calculators made by Hewlett-Packard from 1979 to 1990. The original model, HP-41C, was the first of its kind to offer alphanumeric display capabilities. Later came the HP-41CV and HP-41CX, offering more memory and functionality.

The alphanumeric "revolution"
The alphanumeric LCD screen of the HP-41C revolutionized the way a pocket calculator could be used, providing user friendliness (for its time) and expandability (keyboard-unassigned functions could be spelled out alphabetically). By using an alphanumeric display, the calculator could tell the user what was going on: it could display error messages, such as showing (" ") upon attempting to divide by zero instead of simply displaying a blinking zero; it could also specifically prompt the user for arguments (" ") instead of just displaying a question mark.

Earlier calculators needed a key, or key combination, for every available function. The HP-67 had three shift keys (gold "f", blue "g" and black "h" prefix keys); the competing Texas Instruments calculators had two ( 2nd and INV ) and close to 50 keys (the TI-59 had 45). Hewlett-Packard were constrained by their one byte only instruction format. The more flexible storage format for programs in the TI-59 allowed combining more keys into one instruction. The longest instruction required eleven keypresses, re-using the shift keys four times. The TI-59 also made use of the Op key followed by two digits to access another 40 different functions, but the user had to remember the codes for them. Clearly, a more convenient and flexible method of executing the calculator's instructions was needed. The HP-41C had a relatively small keyboard, and only one shift key, but provided hundreds of functions. Every function that was not assigned to a key could be invoked through the XEQ key (pronounced EXEQTE — "execute") and spelled out in full, e.g. XEQ FACT for the factorial function.

The calculator had a special user mode where the user could assign any function to any key if the default assignments provided by HP were not suited to a specific application. For this mode, the HP-41C came with blank keyboard templates; i.e. plastic covers with holes for the keys, so the user could annotate customized keys. Hewlett-Packard even sold a version of the calculator where hardly any keys had function names printed on them, meant for users who would be using the HP-41C for custom calculations only (thus not needing the standard key layout at all); this version of the calculator was colloquially known, within HP's Corvallis calculator team, as a "Blanknut" (because the development code name for the HP-41C's processor was known as the "coconut").

Alphanumeric display also greatly eased editing programs, as functions were spelled out in full. Numeric-only calculators displayed programming steps as a list of numbers, each number generally mapped to a key on the keyboard, often via row and column coordinates. Encoding functions to the corresponding numeric codes, and vice versa, was left to the user, having to look up the function–code combinations in a reference guide. The busy programmer quickly learned most of the codes, but having to learn the codes intimidated the beginners. In addition to this, the user had to mentally keep function codes separate from numeric constants in the program listing.

The HP-41C displayed each character in a block consisting of 14 segments that could be turned on or off; a so-called fourteen segment display (similar to the much more common seven segment displays, which can be used to display digits only). The HP-41C used a liquid-crystal display instead of the ubiquitous LED displays of the era, to reduce power consumption.

While this allowed the display of uppercase letters, digits, and a few punctuation characters (the FOCAL character set), some designs needed to be twisted arbitrarily (e.g. to distinguish S from 5) and lowercase letters were unreadable (HP only provided display of lowercase letters a through e). HP's competitor Sharp, when introducing the PC-1211, used a dot matrix of 5×7 dots and displayed the characters in principle as we see them today on computer screens (and, in fact, many LCD screens on various embedded systems); this was later used by HP with the HP-71B handheld computer.

The HP-41CV and CX
Many users had used all four ports for memory expansion, leaving no room for other modules. HP designed the Quad Memory Module with four times the amount of memory, providing the maximum available memory and leaving three empty ports available. The HP-41CV (V being the Roman numeral for 5) included this memory module on the main board, thus providing five times the memory of the HP-41C, and four available slots.

The internal architecture prohibited the addition of more memory, so HP designed an extended memory module that could be seen as secondary storage. The data could not be access directly, but it was possible to transfer data to and from main memory. To the calculator (and the user), data located in the extended memory looked like files on a modern hard disk do for a PC (user).

The final HP-41 model, the HP-41CX, included extended memory, a built-in time module, and extended functions. It was introduced in 1983 and discontinued in 1990.

Programming
The HP-41C is keystroke programmable meaning that it can remember and later execute sequences of keystrokes to solve particular problems of interest to the user. These keystroke programs, in addition to performing any operation normally available on the keyboard, can also make use of conditional and unconditional branching and looping instructions, allowing programs to perform repetitive operations and make decisions.

The HP-41C also supports indirect addressing (computed goto) with which it is possible to implement a Universal Turing machine and therefore the programming model of the HP-41C can be considered Turing complete. The combination of indirect addressing and gotos easily led to spaghetti code.

Program steps are numbered starting from 1, but this numbering has no intrinsic meaning and changes as new instructions are added or removed in the middle of a program. A special LBL instruction is used to create a label that is then referenced by the user to invoke the program, or by the program itself as target of a GTO (unconditional goto) or XEQ (execute) instruction.

Programming example
Here is a sample program that computes the factorial of an integer between 1 and 69 (70! needing an exponent greater than 99, the calculator's maximum). The integer is entered in the X register and passed as an input parameter when the program is run. The program takes up two registers, which is ≈14 bytes.

Step Op-code      Comment 01   LBL'Fac      ALPHA global label makes program callable by 'XEQ Fac' 02   STO 00       Store X=input parameter in register 00 03   1            Enter 1 in X, "lifting", or "pushing", the stack: Y=input parameter (no longer used) X=1 04   LBL 00       Local label for goto 05   RCL 00       Recall register 00 into X, lifting the stack: Z=input parameter (no longer used) Y=1 or interim or final factorial X=input parameter (N) minus effect of DSE command (-0, -1, ..., -(N-1)) 06   *            Multiply X and Y, "dropping", or "popping", the stack: Y=input parameter (no longer used) X=interim or final factorial 07   DSE 00       Decrement register 00 and Skip next command when register value is Equal to 0 08   GTO 00       Go to local label 00 09   END          End program - result displayed in X

FOCAL
Though the programming language used on the 41 series is a version of the keystroke programming languages used in all preceding programmable HP calculators, the range of technologies, and programming-related usability and extensibility features available in 41 series models (notably keyboard overlays, a fully remappable keyboard, I/O capabilities for storing and sharing programs, and alphanumeric support), led some users to propose a new name for the language, resulting in a competition that was won by "FOCAL" for "Forty One Calculator Language". As the name FOCAL was already in use by the Digital Equipment Corporation, the name was never formally adopted by HP.

Synthetic programming
A large user community was built around the HP-41C. Enthusiasts around the world found new ways of programming, created their own software (such as a codebreaking game, and a version of Hunt the Wumpus ) and expansion modules, and sped up the clock (see overclocking). Most of these activities were coordinated by the PPC club and its president, Richard J. Nelson. The PPC club published the PPC Journal and produced the PPC ROM, a collection of highly optimized low-level programs for the HP-41C.

One of the discoveries of the community was that, because some FOCAL instructions were stored in memory as more than one byte, it is possible to exploit a bug in the program editor to assign strange functions to keys. The most important function was known as the byte jumper or byte grabber, a way to step partially through programming instructions and edit them in ways that were not otherwise allowed. The use of the resulting instructions was called synthetic programming.

Through synthetic instructions, a user could access memory and special status flags reserved for the operating system, and do very strange things, including completely locking the machine. It was possible to create sounds or display characters, and create animations not officially supported by the operating system. The system flags were also accessed as low-level shortcuts to Boolean programming techniques. Hewlett-Packard did not officially support synthetic programming, but neither did it do anything to prevent it, and eventually even provided internal documentation to the user groups.

Reception
In its December 1980 issue, BYTE magazine described the HP-41C as "the most versatile machine ever". The author praised HP's documentation as "among the best in the industry", and reported that the calculator was "much easier to program and debug" than the TI-59. Stating "I found the HP-41C far more pleasurable to program and use than its predecessors" because of its alphanumeric display, the author concluded that it was "maybe not quite" a pocket computer. In the next issue, another author wrote that "The HP-41C ... is among the programmable calculators that lie closest to the computer borderline. It comes close enough for the jargon of computers to be useful in describing it", and praised the simplicity and reliability of the card reader and compatibility with HP-67 and HP-97 software. The review criticized the inaccuracies in calculations from the lack of guard digits; "There is something absurd about the world's fanciest calculator not being able to give results accurate to more than seven or eight decimal places". Hewlett-Packard responded that the alleged imprecision was inherent to arithmetic on any computer with finite precision.

Use on the Space Shuttle
An HP-41C that flew on nine early Space Shuttle missions is on display in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. HP-41Cs with some special hardware configurations (the addition of Velcro strips, pre-production time module, and louder beeper, as well as the removal of parts whose outgassing could cause contamination) were carried on early Shuttle missions for the purpose of performing mundane but necessary calculations, such as calculating the change to the center of gravity due to fuel consumption. The HP-41C was also programmed to handle calculations usually performed by the main on-board computer, such as determining ignition times for re-entry, in the case of a main computer failure.

Expandability
The functions of the calculator could be expanded by adding modules at the top of the machine. Four slots were available to add more memory, pre-programmed solution packs containing programs covering engineering, surveying, physics, math, finance, games, etc. As such, an HP-41 could in fact be tailored to the personal needs of the user. Hardware extensions included a thermal printer, a magnetic card reader (HP-67 compatible via converter software), and a barcode "wand" (reader).

Extension modules could also add new instructions to the machine. The standard set of mathematical functions of the 41-series was somewhat limited when compared to the functionality of some contemporary HP calculators (notably the HP-34C and the HP-15C). Among others, the standard function set offered no integration or root-finding capabilities and lacked support for matrices and complex numbers; these extra functions could be added by an extension module.

Another module, known as the Interface Loop allowed for connection of more peripherals: larger printers, microcassette tape recorders, 3$1/2$-inch floppy disk drives, RS-232 communication interfaces, video display interfaces, etc. The Interface Loop could also be used with the HP-71B, HP-75 and HP-110 computers.

HP-41 extension (or expansion) modules allowed the user of an HP-41 programmable calculator to extend the functionality of the machine. The HP-41 had room for up to four expansion modules at the back of calculator.

The HP-41 was not the only calculator of its generation that allowed expansion modules. The TI-58 and TI-59 also had pluggable ROM modules. The HP-41 modules were however much more versatile.

Memory modules (HP-41C only)

Memory modules added RAM main memory to the calculator, allowing more programming steps and/or more data registers.

The original HP-41C had a main memory of 63 registers of 7 bytes each. Each register could hold either a number, a 6-character string, or up to seven program steps in the FOCAL language (program steps used a variable number of bytes).

Each memory module added 64 registers, and the calculator could hold up to four of them, for a grand total of 319 registers. While this was considered huge for the time (a little more than 2 kilobytes,) all expansion slots were used. User groups found a way to merge two memory chips in a single module, thus freeing two expansion slots. HP designed a module holding all four in one slot, the so-called Quad Memory Module. The later HP-41CV had the quad module built-in.

Application pacs
The ROM-based application 'pac' modules added up to 4 kilobytes of read-only memory (some up to 8 kilobytes, but these were simply two independent 4K modules in the same box). Most modules held dozens of programs written in the HP-41C programming language, FOCAL.

Programs in the ROM modules could be called from a user program, using the ubiquitous XEQ function. In the program code, XEQ appeared as " " when it was used to call a ROM program.

82104A card reader
The card reader was a device able to read and write small rectangular plastic cards with two magnetic strips. The card reader could copy contents of memory onto magnetic cards, and later read back the data into memory.

As the HP-41C had non-volatile memory (user programs and data were not wiped out when power was off) there was no absolute need for a permanent storage device, so the card reader was optional.

Each card held two strips of 112 bytes each, that could hold 16 data registers or up to 112 program steps. This limited capacity resulted in typical programs requiring five or more magnetic cards to be saved. A full backup of the machine's 319 memory registers plus internal data required 11 magnetic cards (each card had to be inserted twice.)

The card reader could read magnetic cards from the earlier model HP-67. HP-67 programs were translated into HP-41C instructions, as the HP-67 and HP-41 share the same programming model and operation stack. Some instructions however were specific to the HP-67, and the card reader provided additional instructions to emulate the 67.

Magnetic cards could be write-protected, and programs saved as private: once loaded back, the source code for the program could not be displayed. This made magnetic cards an obvious choice for program distribution.

However, the electric motor put a heavy strain on the calculator batteries, and the price tag for blank cards put an even heavier strain on the user's wallet.

82182A time module
The time module added a real-time clock. The clock allowed use of real-world time in programs. The user could set alarms that triggered calls to user programs. The alarms were able to switch the calculator on, so it was possible to create programs that executed at some point during the day, then switch the calculator off until the next alarm. As the HP-41 was often used as a data-gathering device in labs, this allowed the calculator to read data from monitored devices at specific times every day, without having to remain fully powered up in between readings (thus saving battery capacity).

The HP-41CX had the time module built in.

82143A thermal printer/plotter
The printer used rolls of thermal paper to print lines of up to 24 characters. The thermal paper provided for a bluish printout, but was somewhat unstable, as the printout could vanish or the whole paper turn blue due to excessive heat.

The printer had some graphical capabilities, to allow the user to design character shapes, or even turn on or off individual pixels. However, the buffer memory could not hold sufficient information to print a whole line in graphic mode, and could not alter line spacing, so it was impossible to print continuous graphics in horizontal mode. The printer, nevertheless, provided some printing utilities that were able to graph a function vertically onto the narrow strip of printer paper.

82242A infrared printer interface
Instead of using the aforementioned printer, this module could be used to interface a thermal printer with an infrared interface, namely the HP 82240A and the HP 82240B. This allows for on-the-go printing without using cables - but the printer itself needs batteries as well.

82153A optical wand
The optical wand was a barcode reader shaped like a thick pen, and was designed to read lines of HP-proprietary standard barcodes into the calculator memory. The barcodes, printed in e.g. HP solutions books, could consist of programs, numeric or alphabetical constants, and even keypresses (letting the calculator be operated without using the keyboard) — useful for diagnosing calculators where the keyboard was suspected to be faulty.

82180A extended functions module

The Extended Functions module added many functions which had long been requested by users, such as the ability to programmatically assign functions to keys, repartition memory, etc.

But the most important new function was the management of extended memory: while the HP-41C could theoretically access up to 1024 registers, the early design limited main memory to 319 registers only. The Extended Functions module added instructions to manage a bank of additional memory in the available addressing space of the machine. As this memory was not directly addressable by user programs, it was seen as a set of named files containing either programs or data. Programs and data registers could be copied back and forth from the extended memory to the main memory, where they could be accessed as usual.

Extended memory could also hold ASCII files, and a rudimentary text editor was added also.

The Extended Functions module contained 124 registers of Extended memory. More could be added by ... Extended Memory modules. The HP-41CX contained the Extended Functions module as standard.

82181A extended memory module
Extended memory modules added more extended memory to the HP-41C. They required an extended functions module to be present, or the HP-41CX version of the calculator.

Each module added 238 registers of extended memory. Up to two extended memory modules could be inserted, for a grand total of 124 + 2*238 = 600 registers. Added to the 319 registers of main memory, this covered practically all of the machine's 1024 addressable registers, for a total of 919 registers, or 6433 bytes.

HP82160A HP interface loop (HP-IL) module
See the main article on HP-IL.

DM41 et al.
The continued popularity of the HP-41CX among users prompted SwissMicros to produce a miniature calculator approximating the size of an ID-1 credit card (88 mm × 59 mm × 7 mm) in 2015. Named DM41, it runs the original HP-41CX firmware with extended memory and realtime clock in an emulator on an ARM Cortex-M0-based NXP LPC1115 processor. Deviating from the original, it comes in a landscape form factor (as known from Hewlett-Packard's Voyager series) with rearranged keys, it features a dot-matrix display, switchable clock speeds, and, based on a Silicon Labs CP2102 converter chip, it comes with a USB (Mini-B) serial interface to exchange data with a PC etc. for backup purposes, to possibly communicate with applications (like PC-based emulators), or to update the firmware. In December 2015, SwissMicros introduced the DM41L, a version of the calculator about the same size as the calculators of the HP Voyager series. It still comes with a USB Mini-B connector. Since September 2020, its successor, the DM41X, has also been offered with an extended range of functions and a conventional design that is very close to the classic original version.

HP41CL
In addition to clones based on emulated HP-41 hardware, there exists at least one actual hardware clone of the HP-41 series. This is the HP41CL HP-41-series CPU board upgrade created by Monte Dalrymple at Systemyde. The HP41CL is a ground up redesign of the components found on the HP-41 CPU board, including the CPU, which is implemented on an FPGA and coded in Verilog RTL. The HP41CL upgrade board is made as a drop-in replacement for the HP-41 series CPU board, assuming that one has an HP-41 that has a compatible CPU board connector and a separate CPU board as well. The upgrade comes with an over 600 register extended memory and over 320 plug-in module images. This is possible due to the fact that the HP41CL has over 1024 pages of 4K-word flash memory built in, of which over 500 pages are pre-loaded with HP-41 software, as well as the upgrade board providing 128 RAM pages, which are made available to the user via a custom MMU. In addition, a "turbo" mode is provided by the HP41CL upgrade board's "NEWT" CPU design, which allows the user to speed up their calculator by a factor of around 50 times. Also, the HP41CL maintains full compatibility with the HP-41 series bus, so that most plug-in modules can still be used in a fully backward compatible fashion. Additionally, Systemyde makes an HP-41 compatible timer module clone as well as a GPS receiver interface module. Furthermore, an optional RS-232 full-duplex serial connector (with a 2.5mm stereo jack physical interface) is available, if one has a free module slot.

Emulators
Unusually for pocket calculators, the devices still have a fan base more than 30 years after their production was discontinued in 1989. As a result, emulator programs are available for a variety of operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS, Unix variants, Pocket PC, Palm OS, Apple iOS and Android.

title: HP-41C


text:
Abiathar Crescas

Abiathar Crescas was a 15th-century physician and astrologer from the Crown of Aragon (now part of Spain). He was head astrologer to King John II of Aragon, father of King Ferdinand of Aragon.

He could remove cataracts by a surgical procedure known as couching. In 1468 he restored the eyesight of King John in two simple operations, who was completely blind before the surgeries.

Crescas was a leader of Aragon's Jewish community.

title: Abiathar Crescas


text:
Antonio Chacón

Antonio Chacón (1869–1929) was a Spanish flamenco singer [cantaor].

Chacón was born in Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz Province. He began earning a living by performing flamenco around 1884. He toured Andalucia with his two friends, the Molina brothers - dancer Antonio Molina, and guitarist Javier Molina. He was later hired by Silverio Franconetti for his café in Seville. He was noted for his skill in singing the cartagenera, malagueñas, granaína and media granaína, which earned him the popular title of "Don".

According to Fernando el de Triana, he was so accomplished that all of the most successful cantaores (singers) performing with him renounced their right of seniority and allowed Chacón to perform last, because the audience would simply leave when he finished. Had they not preceded him, they would have been performing to an empty hall.

He performed with many of the best performers of his era. The great guitarist Ramón Montoya performed as Chacón's accompanist for over a decade until the early 1920s. Another great guitarist, Sabicas, then accompanied him, early in the latter's career.

In 1922 at Granada he participated in the celebrated Concurso de Cante Jondo. Chacón was given the place of honor, presiding over the judges of this flamenco contest. For many the singer Chacón remains "el mejor de todos los tiempos" (the best of all time). He died in Madrid.

title: Antonio Chacón


text:
Boston Garden

The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (later shortened to just "Boston Garden") and outlived its original namesake by 30 years. It was above North Station, a train station which was originally a hub for the Boston and Maine Railroad and is now a hub for MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak trains.

The Garden hosted home games for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as rock concerts, amateur sports, boxing and professional wrestling matches, circuses, and ice shows. It was also used as an exposition hall for political rallies such as the speech by John F. Kennedy in November 1960. Boston Garden was demolished in 1998, three years after the completion of its successor arena, TD Garden.

Design
Rickard built the arena specifically with boxing in mind, believing every seat should be close enough to see the "sweat on the boxers' brows". Because of this design theme, fans were much closer to the players during Bruins and Celtics games than in most arenas, leading to a distinct hometown advantage. This physical proximity also created spectacular acoustic effects, much like the Chicago Stadium.

Due to the success of the Celtics in the 1980s, the Boston Garden was one of the most difficult buildings for visiting NBA teams. During the 1985–1986 season, the Celtics were 40–1 at home, setting the NBA record for home court mastery (before the San Antonio Spurs tied the record 30 years later in the 2015–2016 season). They also finished the post-season undefeated at home. Combined with the following regular season, the Celtics' Garden record was 79–3 between the 1985–86 and 1986–1987 regular seasons.

While the parquet floor was an important part of the history of the Celtics, it was not originally part of the Garden. The parquet floor was built and installed in the Boston Arena (first home of the Bruins hockey team) and moved to the Garden in 1952. It is said the Celtics knew which way the basketball would bounce off any section of the floor; this was one contributing factor to the Celtics' many NBA championships. The floor became as much a part of Boston sports lore as the Green Monster of Fenway Park. The parquet floor was used at the FleetCenter until December 22, 1999. Portions of the original floor are integrated with new parquet.

The floor was cut into small pieces and sold as souvenirs along with seats and bricks. The Naden/Day Industries overhead scoreboard (which was electro-mechanical, not electronic, as more recent arenas used) hung in the Boston Garden-themed food court of the Arsenal Mall in Watertown until 2018, when the mall began to undergo renovations. The Celtics' old championship banners and retired numbers now hang at the team's now-former practice facility in Waltham; a new set of banners were made for the move to the FleetCenter (now TD Garden). The Celtics used to raise Eastern Division championship banners at Boston Garden in the 1960s, but stopped this practice by the 1970s. Likewise, the Bruins made a new set of banners when they moved to the FleetCenter, which were again replaced after the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals with six new banners, each using the contemporary logo of the Bruins when each Cup victory occurred. The Bruins also raised numerous Adams Division, Presidents' Trophy and Wales Conference championship banners at the old Garden, but due to lack of space, they consolidated them into one single banner each upon moving to TD Garden.

Flaws
The Garden's hockey rink was undersized at 58.2 x, some nine feet shorter and two feet narrower than standard (200 x), due to the rink being built at a time when the NHL did not have a standard size for rinks. This size matched the size of the Boston Arena ice surface, the original home of the Bruins. When the Bruins moved in as tenant, the Boston Arena had had a 220 x ice surface; this was reduced so as to add more seats. The Boston Arena, later renamed the Matthews Arena, modified its ice surface in 1995 to the standard-length 200 x rink, still in use in the 21st century for college hockey. Visiting players were frequently thrown off their games by the differing setup of the players' benches being on opposing sides of the ice, as well as the non-standard penalty box locations. This also was the setup in the Boston Arena. This setup, still occasionally seen in college hockey, was done to ensure that each team could have a bench connected to their dressing room. Towards the end of the Garden's life as an arena, the NHL required all rinks to have both benches on the same side: the Garden obliged by moving the penalty boxes (formerly adjacent to the Bruins' bench) to the side vacated by the visitor's bench, and as such visiting teams were required to skate across the ice to head back to their rooms.

The Garden's earlier Bulova-crafted "Sports Timer" game clock system using the typical analog dial-type game clock design of that era, said to have been installed at the Garden early in the 1940s, and essentially identical in appearance and function to the one used in the Chicago Stadium until September 1975, was removed and replaced by an all-digital-display unit created by the Day Sign Company of Toronto in time for the 1970 Stanley Cup playoffs, and remained in use until the Garden's closure.

The Garden had no air conditioning, resulting in fog forming over the ice during some Bruins' playoff games. During Game 5 of the 1984 NBA Finals, the 97 F heat in the facility was so intense that oxygen tanks were provided to exhausted Lakers players.

The Bruins' Stanley Cup finals appearances in 1988 and 1990 were both disrupted by power outages. On May 24, 1988, a 1930s vintage 4160V switchgear failed and the emergency generator did not start during game four of the Finals between the Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers, causing the game to be suspended; game four was replayed in its entirety in Edmonton two days later. Two years later, on May 15, 1990, the lights went out during an overtime finals game between the same two teams. However, the lights were on an automatic timer and could be turned back on this time with the game ending with a 3–2 triple overtime win for the visiting Oilers.

Founding

Tex Rickard, the noted entrepreneur and boxing promoter who built and operated the third Madison Square Garden, sought to expand his empire by building seven "Madison Square Gardens" around the country. On November 15, 1927, Homer Loring, chairman of the Boston & Maine Railroad, announced that plans had been finalized for the construction of a new North Station facility, which would include a sports arena. A group led by Rickard, John S. Hammond, and William F. Carey of the Madison Square Garden Corporation, as well as Boston businessmen Charles F. Adams and Huntington Hardwick, signed a 25-year lease for the arena. Sheldon Fairbanks was chosen to be the arena's first general manager. Boston & Maine shareholder Edmund D. Codman challenged the legality of the railroad constructing a non-railroad building. The Massachusetts General Court passed legislation expanding the corporate powers of the Boston & Maine Railroad which was signed by Governor Alvan T. Fuller on March 6, 1928. Codman's Bill in equity was dismissed by Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice John Crawford Crosby in October 1928. Built at a cost of $10 million – over double the cost for New York's arena three years earlier – Boston Garden turned out to be the last of Rickard's proposed series, a decision fueled by rising costs and Rickard's untimely death in early 1929 due to a ruptured appendix, the arena was only 2 months old when Rickard died.

The Garden's first event was on November 17, 1928, a boxing card headlined by Boston Native "Honey Boy" Dick Finnegan's defeat of Andre Routis. The first team sporting event was held three days later, an ice hockey game between the Bruins and the archrival Montreal Canadiens, won by the Canadiens 1–0. The game was attended by 17,000 fans, 2,000 over capacity, as fans without tickets stormed their way in. The game started 25 minutes late. Windows and doors were broken by the fans in the action. The first non-sporting event, a conclave featuring evangelist Rodney "Gipsy" Smith, was held on March 24, 1929.

Early years
The Boston Garden was originally owned by the Boston and Maine Corporation and controlled by Rickard and the Madison Square Garden.

During the early years of the Boston Garden, the building's main draws were boxing, wrestling, and Bruins hockey. Johnny Indrisano, Lou Brouillard, Ernie Schaaf, Al Mello, and Jack Sharkey were among the boxers who fought at the Boston Garden. Wrestling became big due to the popularity of Gus Sonnenberg. Sonnenberg defeated Ed "Strangler" Lewis at the Garden in 1929 in a fight that set an attendance record for a wrestling match (19,500) and drew a record gate ($77,000). Paul Bowser promoted wrestling in Boston at this time and when the sport began to lose popularity, he brought Danno O'Mahony from Ireland to Boston. O'Mahony became a popular draw at the Garden.

In 1930, construction on the Hotel Manger, a 500-room hotel connected to the Boston Garden through an elevated skyway, was completed. The hotel (later known as the Hotel Madison) closed in 1976 and was demolished in 1983.

Under the leadership of manager Dick Dunn, the Boston Garden booked a wide variety of events, including an Aimee Semple McPherson revival, a welterweight championship bout between Young Jack Thompson and Lou Brouillard, New England's first rodeo event, and a Reinald Werrenrath concert. Dunn was able to bring the Garden from a deficit to a $200,000 profit in his first year as manager.

The Boston Garden also promoted events at Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire, including the New England States Fair, automobile races, and Grand Circuit harness racing stakes races.

The Garden suffered economically during the Great Depression. Boxing was at a low point in Boston, as fighters chose to work in other cities, wrestling attendance was down, and hockey attendance waned after Ace Bailey suffered a severe head injury at the hands of Bruin Eddie Shore in 1933. In 1934, the Madison Square Garden Corporation sold its interest in the Boston Garden to the Boston Arena Corporation, led by Henry G. Lapham. This resulted in the creation of the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation. George V. Brown served as general manager of the Garden under the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation until his death in 1937, when he was succeeded by his son, Walter A. Brown.

During the Depression, Sonja Henie's Hollywood Ice Revue and the Ice Follies were successful draws and kept the Garden afloat. In 1939, a financial dispute between Henie and her managers led Walter Brown and eight other arena managers to found the Ice Capades.

Music
Rudy Vallée and his orchestra performed at the Garden on April 21, 1932. Vallée returned to the Garden on October 23–24, 1938 for a "battle of the bands" with Benny Goodman that drew 25,000.

The first rock concert held at the Garden was on November 30, 1956, when the building hosted Alan Freed's "Biggest Show of 1956".

The Beatles played a show at the Garden during their first US/Canada tour on September 12, 1964, staying at the then-attached Hotel Madison.

James Brown played a notable show at the Garden on April 5, 1968, the night after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Only 2,000 attended the sold-out show, because the mayor, Kevin White, and community leaders had encouraged people to obtain refunds on their tickets and instead to watch a hastily arranged television broadcast of the concert on the local public station WGBH-TV. Mayor White appeared on stage, asking the Garden audience and the city to peacefully remember King, and James Brown's words and presence was credited with helping to keep the peace in Boston. WGBH rebroadcast the concert twice that night, an action which helped keep people off of the street at a time other major cities were erupting in riots. The performance was released on DVD as Live at the Boston Garden: April 5, 1968.

Elvis Presley performed in Boston only once, at the Garden on November 10, 1971, pulling a full crowd of about 16,500 and receiving high praise from Rolling Stone journalist Jon Landau for his performance.

In 1972, The Rolling Stones were scheduled to perform at the Garden when two members were detained by Rhode Island police. Fearful that angry Stones fans (already in the Garden awaiting the show) would riot, mayor Kevin H. White intervened with the Rhode Island authorities and secured the musicians' release so they could play their set in Boston. The band had also played at the venue in 1965 and 1969 and would again in 1975.

In 1973, The Who was scheduled to perform at the Garden and nearly didn't perform due to the band being detained by police after destroying a hotel room in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where they'd appeared the previous evening. The band was eventually released from jail and managed to arrive at the Garden in time for their show and took out their frustrations for being arrested the night before by delivering a blistering set and taunting the Montreal police, dedicating their performance of "Won't Get Fooled Again" to them. Who drummer Keith Moon (for the rest of the Quadrophenia tour) changed one of the lyrics to the song "Bell Boy" from "remember the gaff where the doors we smashed" to "remember Montreal at the hotel we trashed" or variations of the band being arrested. Almost three years later in March 1976, Moon collapsed at his drum kit during the second song "Substitute" after downing muscle relaxers and brandy before the show. The band had to reschedule the performance for early April and the rescheduled performance turned out to be one of The Who's best performances of the 1976 tour.

The Who's last performance at the Garden was in December 1979 on their first tour following Moon's death. That performance was almost canceled after several fans at a Who show in Cincinnati died while trying to get in early for a general admission show. The Boston City Council held a televised hearing on whether to allow the show to go forward and decided to permit it because there was no general admission seating in Boston. The show was marred by a fan throwing a firecracker on stage, causing Pete Townshend to scream obscenities in the general direction of the source before getting on with the tension-filled show.

In 1975, Led Zeppelin was banned from performing at the Boston Garden after concert fans were allowed in the lobby due to sub-freezing temperatures while waiting for tickets to go on sale for the band's show. Turning on the generosity of their hosts, some of the fans rioted, broke into the Garden and trashed the seating area, the ice, and most of the refreshment stands, leading then-mayor White to cancel the upcoming show and ban the group for five years.

In 1976, KISS was banned from performing at the Garden because the band refused to comply with the venue's no pyrotechnic policy after fire marshals had watched their flamethrowers hit the ceiling at the Orpheum.

Pink Floyd was the first band to perform at the Boston Garden with a stage set that cost over $1 million on their 1977 Animals tour (they first played there in 1975 on the band's Wish You Were Here tour). According to Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason's book Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd, Pink Floyd almost got banned from the Boston Garden after their 1977 performances because the band, unknown to the venue's owners, used pyrotechnics during their performance (the exploding pig for "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" and firework displays on "Sheep" and "Money"). However, the band's road crew outsmarted the fire marshals by removing the pyro props quickly after they used them in the shows to prevent the band from being banned and also according to Mason's book since their manager had an Irish name (Steve O'Rourke), the band escaped being arrested. The band decided not to play at the venue again, instead opting for the Providence Civic Center and Foxboro Stadium on their 1987/1988 and 1994 tours, respectively.

The Grateful Dead performed at the Boston Garden more times than any other band, with 24 performances from 1973 to 1994 (as an opener or middle of bill or headliner), and were intended to be the last band to play the Garden, with six shows scheduled for September 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, and 19, 1995, which were canceled due to the death of Jerry Garcia on August 9, 1995. The ticket for the 19th stated "let's tear this old building down" referencing the song "Samson and Delilah". The Dead did not play at the Garden for a number of years following an incident in which they were caught grilling lobsters on a fire escape before a performance. The Grateful Dead have released Dick's Picks Volume 12 and 17 culled from performances at the Garden on June 28, 1974, and September 25, 1991.

Detroit rocker Bob Seger recorded a bulk of his 1981 double live album Nine Tonight at The Boston Garden in October 1980. Five years before, The J. Geils Band recorded most of their November 1975 show at The Boston Garden for their 1976 double live album Blow Your Face Out. The Geils band returned again, and had the historical distinction of being the first band in history to sell out a three-night stand in 1982 at the Garden featuring hometown favorites Jon Butcher Axis as opening act.

Hometown band Aerosmith performed at the Boston Garden ten times from 1975 to 1995 and twice played New Year's shows there, ringing in the 1990 and 1994 New Years.

Other acts that performed at the Garden include Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra, Liberace, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Guns N' Roses, Nine Inch Nails, Tom Petty, Grace Slick with Jefferson Airplane, Jethro Tull (who had 15 headlining performances there between 1971 and 1980 which is the most for a band, their last being on 1980's A Tour before switching to the Worcester Centrum in 1982), Bob Dylan with The Band, Diana Ross & the Supremes, The Jackson 5, Queen, Rush, Styx and George Burns and Gracie Allen among others.

The opening of the Worcester Centrum and the Great Woods Amphitheater caused a massive drop in concerts at the Garden from the early 1980s until the early 1990s. The age of glam metal practically passed the Garden by completely, as most bands from that era played the Centrum in the winter and Great Woods in the summer. Poor acoustics, a busy sports schedule, expensive booking fees, and difficulty with local unions all contributed to the migration to more modern venues outside of Boston.

Under new Garden President Larry Moulter, bands started returning to the Garden in the late 1980s and early 1990s, highlighted by Pearl Jam's multi-night stand in 1994, and the Dead's lengthy residences there before the Garden finally closed. The final New Year's Eve show at the Boston Garden was performed by the Vermont band Phish on December 31, 1994. On that night, the band rode a giant hot dog float above the audience; the hot dog is now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Sports
The facility hosted games in the, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and Stanley Cup Finals where the Bruins won two of their championships at the Garden in 1939 and 1970. The 1929 Stanley Cup championship was won at New York's Madison Square Garden (III). The 1941 Stanley Cup championship was won at Detroit's Olympia Stadium. The 1972 Stanley Cup championship was won at New York's Madison Square Garden. The Montreal Canadiens claimed the Stanley Cup at the Garden in 1958, 1977 and 1978, while the Detroit Red Wings won the cup there in 1943. In 1990, the Edmonton Oilers claimed their fifth Stanley Cup at the Garden. The 1932 series did not involve the Bruins; Game 2 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers was played there due to a scheduling conflict at MSG III.

The facility has also hosted games in the, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and 1987 NBA Finals, in which the Celtics won nine of their championships on home court in 1957, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1984, and 1986. The only visitor to claim the NBA championship at the Garden were the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the 1985 Finals.

In addition to championship rounds, the Garden also hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 1951, 1952, 1957, and 1964, and the NHL All-Star Game in 1971. The NCAA Frozen Four was contested there from 1972 to 1974. Starting in 1955, the Beanpot tournament, featuring the four major college hockey programs in the Boston area, was held at the Garden annually on the first week of February.

Boston Garden was the first arena to host the Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals at the same time in 1957. It occurred again in 1958 and 1974.

The Boston Garden was a frequent host of Vince McMahon's WWF for many years throughout the 1970s and 1980s, in the form of wrestling "house shows" (non-televised matches), and superstars like Hulk Hogan, André the Giant, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Tito Santana, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and many others would regularly appear there. But despite this relationship, the Boston Garden was host to only one pro wrestling pay-per-view in its history: the 1993 Survivor Series. The WWF held their final house show in the Boston Garden on May 13, 1995.

Rallies and speeches
The Boston Garden hosted many religious conclaves. Evangelists who appeared at the Garden include Aimee McPherson (1931), Billy Graham (1950) Bishop Fulton J. Sheen (1953), and Jimmy Swaggart (July 29–31, 1983).

The Garden was also the site of a number of political rallies. 20,000 people attended a 55th birthday celebration for President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 29, 1937. FDR also drew another 20,000 for a political rally 1940. On May 2, 1943, the night after the Hollywood Victory Caravan came through town, a Jewish anti-Nazi rally was held at the Garden. The United War Fund hosted a rally headlined by Jimmy Durante, Greer Garson, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The day before the 1960 presidential election, a rally for John F. Kennedy drew 20,000 while police estimated that there were another 100,000 people in the streets outside the Garden. Other politicians to hold rallies at the Garden include presidential candidates Thomas Dewey and Dwight D. Eisenhower and former Boston mayor and Massachusetts governor James Michael Curley.

Former Irish Prime Minister and President Éamon de Valera spoke at the Garden On March 24, 1948 (Easter Sunday). British Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke there March 31, 1949 as part of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Convocation.

Final years
By the early 1970s, Boston Garden was deteriorating. The building had no air conditioning and some seats were obstructed by structural pillars. The seats were decades old and terribly cramped. With a capacity of less than 15,000, it was one of the country's smallest major league sports arenas. The Garden also lacked luxury suites, which had become an important and much-needed source of revenue for teams in professional sports. In 1972, Boston Mayor Kevin White announced plans for a new 18,000-seat arena to be built near South Station. Plans for the arena fell through when Storer Broadcasting, then-owner of the Boston Garden and the Bruins, announced they would not be able to pay the $24 to $28 million required for the new arena. Storer Broadcasting ended up selling the Bruins and the Boston Garden to Jeremy Jacobs who owned Delaware North in 1975. In 1977, the Boston Celtics negotiated with the city of Quincy to have a $30 million, 21,000-seat arena built there.

Partially due to the deteriorating conditions in the Boston Garden, the Celtics did not play a full 41-game home schedule at the arena during its final 21 seasons. Between the 1974–75 and the 1994–95 seasons, the Celtics played a few home games at the Hartford Civic Center (now XL Center) in Hartford, Connecticut.

In 1979, Boston Celtics owner Harry T. Mangurian, Jr. threatened to build a new arena unless the Boston Bruins, who owned the Garden, agreed to lower the rent. The team met with Ogden Corp., owners of Suffolk Downs, who proposed a $20 million, 18,000-seat arena to be built near the racetrack. They also met with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, who proposed $40 million, 15,000-seat arena that would be built behind the existing Garden and paid for with state bonds. The Bruins meanwhile announced plans to move to a proposed $50 million sports complex on the site of the then closed Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire. The plans for the Salem site were eventually killed by the New Hampshire General Court. Meanwhile, the track remained closed until May 26, 1984.

In response to the Bruins' plans to leave the state, U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas established a committee to put forward a plan for a new Boston arena. The committee, chaired by Tsongas, proposed a $56.8 million, 16,000-seat arena that would be paid for by tax-exempt bonds floated by an Arena Authority and by raising the commonwealth's hotel tax from 5.7% to 8%. The naming rights to the proposed arena were sold to Sheraton for $2 million. Tsongas' proposal died in the state legislature.

While a preservation study conducted by the Boston Landmarks Commission found the North Station/Boston Garden complex to be a significant example of Art Deco, the Massachusetts Historical Commission did not consider it eligible for listing in the National Register.

In 1985, Garden-owner Delaware North and developer Rosalind Gorin each submitted proposals for a new arena, hotel, and office development. Both proposals were rejected by the Boston Redevelopment Authority and Mayor Raymond Flynn. The two groups later resubmitted plans, with Delaware North's calling for a renovation of the Garden instead of having it demolished. Gorin's plan called for the city to claim the Garden by eminent domain, as Delaware North refused to sell the Bruins and the Garden to a group led by Gorin, Paul Tsongas, and former Bruins Wayne Cashman and Bobby Orr. Delaware North was awarded the rights to construct the new arena, but poor economic conditions delayed the project.

On May 8, 1992, Delaware North announced they had secured funding for a new arena in the form of $120 million worth of loans evenly split among Bank of Boston, Fleet Bank of Massachusetts, and Shawmut National Corporation. That December, a bill approving construction of the new arena was killed in the Massachusetts Senate by Senate President William M. Bulger. Legislative leaders and Delaware North attempted to reach an agreement on plans for the new arena, but in February 1993 Delaware North owner Jeremy Jacobs announced he was backing out of the project as a result of the legislature's demand his company pay $3.5 million in "linkage payments". Two weeks later, after a new series of negotiations, the two sides came to an agreement, and on February 26 the Legislature passed a bill that allowed for construction of a new sports arena. Construction began on April 29, 1993. Shawmut Bank purchased the naming rights for the new building with the intent of calling it the "Shawmut Center", but it was purchased by FleetBank before the new arena opened, and thus the "FleetCenter" opened on September 30, 1995. In 2005, the FleetCenter was renamed the "TD Banknorth Garden", as Bank of America had acquired Fleet Bank and relinquished its predecessor's naming rights, selling them to TD Banknorth. As of 2009, it is known as TD Garden.

The Grateful Dead were scheduled to play September 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 and 19, 1995, as the final event at the Garden. The ticket for the 19th featured the phrase "lets tear this old building down" referencing the song "Samson and Delilah". These shows were cancelled upon Jerry Garcia's death. The last official game played at the Garden took place on Sunday, May 14, 1995. It was game five of an NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils where the New Jersey Devils beat the Bruins, 3–2, winning the series four games to one and eliminating the Bruins from the 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs en route to that team's Stanley Cup victory. The last sporting event at the Boston Garden was a preseason game between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens on September 26, 1995. In a special post-game ceremony, which included many former Bruins greats, the banners and retired numbers were removed. The final event in the Boston Garden occurred on the evening of September 29, 1995; a farewell event was held in the old Boston Garden hosted by WBZ-TV news personality Liz Walker and CBS national news anchor Dan Rather. Attendees included Bruins legends such as Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito as well as Celtics greats Larry Bird and Red Auerbach. The ceremony concluded with the release of thousands of balloons into the rafters to the music of the Boston Pops. The Boston Globe stated that "all New England has lost a friend." The Garden sat vacant for three years before it was demolished in 1998. The site where the building once stood is currently a commercial development called The Hub on Causeway.

title: Boston Garden