The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at the Spectrum Center in Uptown Charlotte.

Overview
The Charlotte Hornets franchise was established in 1988 as an expansion team owned by George Shinn. In 2002, Shinn moved the Hornets to New Orleans as an expansion team. They continued to play as the Hornets until 2013, when they changed their name to the New Orleans Pelicans.

As part of an agreement with the NBA, Charlotte returned for the 2004–05 NBA season, known as the Charlotte Bobcats.
In 2013, the Bobcats announced they would rebrand to the Charlotte Hornets beginning with the 2014–15 season. On the day the name change became official, the franchise reclaimed the history and records of the original Charlotte Hornets spanning from 1988 to 2002. As a result, the league considers the Hornets retrospectively having suspended operations from 2002 to 2004.

In August 2023, it was announced that a group of investors led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall had purchased a majority stake in the Hornets. Until then, the team was controlled by Michael Jordan, a former NBA player and member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Franchise history

1988–2002: Original Charlotte Hornets

1985–1988: Birth of the Hornets
In 1985, the NBA was planning to expand by three teams by the 1988–89 season, later modified to include a total of four expansion teams. George Shinn, an entrepreneur from Kannapolis, wanted to bring an NBA team to the Charlotte area, and he assembled a group of prominent local businessmen to head the prospective franchise. The Charlotte area had long been a hotbed for college basketball. Charlotte was also one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, and was previously one of the three in-state regional homes to the American Basketball Association's (ABA) Carolina Cougars from 1969 to 1974.

Despite doubt from critics, Shinn's ace in the hole was the Charlotte Coliseum, a state-of-the-art arena that would seat almost 24,000 spectators, the largest basketball-specific arena ever to serve as a full-time home for an NBA team. On April 5, 1987, then-NBA Commissioner David Stern called Shinn to tell him his group had been awarded the 24th NBA franchise, to begin play in 1988. Franchises were also granted to Miami, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and Orlando.

Originally, the new team was going to be called the Charlotte Spirit, but a name-the-team contest yielded "Hornets" as the winning choice. The name originates from British General Cornwallis, who allegedly described the city as "a hornet's nest of rebellion" following the Battle of Charlotte in 1780, though it was first attested in 1819. The team received further attention when it chose teal as its primary color, setting off a sports fashion craze in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The team's uniforms, designed by international designer and North Carolina native Alexander Julian, featured a first for NBA uniforms—pin stripes. Similar designs by other teams followed, as they became a hit.

Shinn hired Carl Scheer as the team's first President and General Manager. Scheer preferred a roster of veteran players, hoping to put together a competitive team as soon as possible. Former college coach and veteran NBA assistant Dick Harter was hired as the team's first head coach. In 1988, the Hornets and the Miami Heat were part of the 1988 NBA Expansion Draft. Unlike many expansion franchises that invest in the future with a team composed entirely of young players, Charlotte stocked its inaugural roster with several veterans in hopes of putting a competitive lineup on the court right away. The team also had three draft picks at the 1988 NBA draft.

1988–1992: Early seasons
The Hornets' first NBA game took place on November 4, 1988, at the Charlotte Coliseum, losing 133–93 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Four days later, the team notched its first-ever victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, 117–105. On December 23, 1988, the Hornets beat Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls 103–101 in Jordan's first return to North Carolina as a professional. The Hornets finished their inaugural season with a record of 20–62. Scheer left prior to the 1989–90 season.

Despite initial concerns that the Coliseum was too big, the Hornets were a runaway hit, leading the NBA in attendance, a feat they would achieve seven more times in Charlotte. Eventually, the Hornets would sell out 364 consecutive games.

The Hornets' second season was a struggle from start to finish. Members of the team rebelled against Dick Harter's defense-oriented style, and he was replaced mid-season by assistant Gene Littles following an 8–32 start. Despite the change, the team continued to struggle, finishing the season with a disappointing 19–63 record.

The team showed improvement during the following season. They won eight of their first fifteen games, including a 120–105 victory over the Washington Bullets. However, the team went cold, losing their next eleven games. The Hornets, who hosted the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, finished with a 26–56 record. Despite the team's seven-game improvement over the previous season, Gene Littles was fired at the end of the season and replaced by general manager Allan Bristow.

With the first pick in the 1991 NBA draft, the Hornets drafted power forward Larry Johnson from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Johnson had an impact season, finishing among the league leaders in points and rebounds, and winning the 1992 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Additionally, Guard Kendall Gill led the club in scoring, averaging over 20 points per game. The team stayed in contention for a playoff spot until March, but finished the year with a 31–51 record.

1992–1995: Johnson/Mourning era

The Hornets were in the lottery again in 1992 and won the second overall pick in the draft, using it to select Georgetown center Alonzo Mourning. Charlotte now had two 20–10 threats in Johnson and Mourning, who with Kendall Gill, formed perhaps the league's top young trio. The team finished their fifth season at 44–38, their first-ever winning record and good enough for the first playoff berth in franchise history. Finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference, the Hornets upset the Boston Celtics in the first round, with Mourning winning the series with a 20-footer in game four. However, the Hornets lacked the experience and depth to defeat the New York Knicks, falling in five games in the second round.

The Hornets finished the 1993–94 season with a 41–41 record, narrowly missing the playoffs. Despite injuries to both Johnson and Mourning, the two led the team in points-per-game.

In the 1994–95 season, the Hornets finished with a 50–32 record, returning to the playoffs. Johnson and Mourning again led the team in points-per-game, while also leading the club in rebounding. However, Charlotte was bounced from the playoffs in the first round, falling to the Chicago Bulls in four games. Following the season, the Hornets traded Mourning to the Miami Heat for forward Glen Rice, center Matt Geiger, and guard Khalid Reeves.

1995–1998: Glen Rice era
Glen Rice would make an immediate impact after joining the Hornets, leading the team in scoring and points-per-game during the 1995–96 season. While Rice and Johnson provided high-powered scoring, Geiger tied with Johnson for the team lead in rebounds, and All-Star guard Kenny Anderson ran the point for the injured Muggsy Bogues. The Hornets were competitive but failed to qualify for the playoffs, again finishing with a 41–41 record. Allan Bristow resigned at the end of the season, and was replaced by Dave Cowens.

The 1996 off-season was again marked by vast changes: Anderson declined to re-sign, Johnson was shipped to the Knicks for power forward Anthony Mason, and the team made a trade on draft day 1996, acquiring center Vlade Divac from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for the rights to rookie and future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, whom the Hornets picked 13th overall. The new-look Hornets were successful, with Divac and Geiger providing the center combination, Mason averaging a double-double, Bogues back at the point, and Rice having the finest season of his career. The team achieved the best season in its history at the time, finishing 54–28, and making it back to the playoffs. Despite the success during the regular season, the Hornets went down rather meekly to the Knicks in three games.

The 1997–98 season was also successful. Muggsy Bogues was traded two games into the season, and the team picked up point guard David Wesley and shooting guard Bobby Phills. With Wesley, Phills, Rice, Mason, and Divac, the Hornets romped through the regular season, finishing with a 51–31 record. The Hornets made it to back-to-back playoffs for the first time in franchise history, advancing to the second round, only to be stopped by the Bulls.

1998–2002: Final years of original personnel
The 1998–99 season was shortened. The season did not start until February, as the lockout shortened the regular season to only 50 games. Additionally, Glen Rice was traded to the Lakers for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell, and Dave Cowens resigned midway through the season. He was replaced by former Celtics teammate Paul Silas, who became the team's fifth head coach. The team finished with a 26–24 record, but failed to qualify for the playoffs.

The next three seasons (1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02) saw the Hornets in the playoffs each year, reaching the conference semifinals twice. Before the Hornets were eliminated from the 2002 playoffs, the NBA approved a deal for the team to move to New Orleans following the 2002–03 season. The move came mainly because attendance tailed off dramatically, reportedly due to Shinn's declining popularity in the city.

2004–2014: Charlotte Bobcats

Shortly after the relocation of the team to New Orleans, as well as to avoid a Browns-like lawsuit, the NBA opened itself to the possibility of adding a replacement team in Charlotte for the 2004–05 season, provided that an arena deal could be reached. Several ownership groups, including one led by former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, made bids for the franchise. On December 18, 2002, a group led by BET founder Robert L. Johnson was awarded the franchise, allowing him to become the first African American majority owner in U.S. major professional sports since the Negro leagues. The franchise with Johnson as its owner was approved by the NBA Board of Governors on January 10, 2003. Hip-hop artist Nelly became a notable co-owner. The owners paid a $300 million expansion fee to enter the league.

In June 2003, the team name was officially announced as the Bobcats. The Charlotte Regional Sports Commission aided the naming process with a "Help Name The Team" effort that drew over 1,250 suggestions, with 'Flight' being the winner. However, it was discarded by Johnson and the team involved in creating the team's identity, being considered abstract and reminiscent of the then-current Iraq War aerial strikes. Given Charlotte was already home to a cat-named team, the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League, designer Chris Weiller made sure to create a logo that would not be similar to the Panthers logo. It has also been speculated that Johnson chose the name "Bobcats" in reference to his own name.

The Bobcats hired Bernie Bickerstaff as the first head coach and general manager in franchise history. A new arena to host the Bobcats in uptown Charlotte began construction in July 2003. The team would play its home games at the Coliseum until the new building was ready.

2004–2010: Return to Charlotte

The Bobcats held their expansion draft on June 22, 2004, picking up youngsters such as Gerald Wallace, Primož Brezec, and Jason Kapono. Shortly after, they traded with the Los Angeles Clippers to acquire the second pick in the 2004 NBA draft, which they used to select center Emeka Okafor from Connecticut. The Bobcats' inaugural game, and the first of their 2004–05 season took place on November 4 at the Charlotte Coliseum, and was a 103–96 loss to the Washington Wizards. Two days later, they won their first game in franchise history over the Orlando Magic, 111–100. On December 14, the Bobcats beat the New Orleans Hornets in overtime in the team's first trip to Charlotte since relocating. The Bobcats finished their inaugural season 18–64. Emeka Okafor, however, won the 2004–05 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

In the 2005 NBA draft, the Bobcats drafted Raymond Felton and Sean May from North Carolina. In their second season, the Bobcats opened Charlotte Bobcats Arena with an overtime victory over the Celtics. Despite struggling for most of the year, they managed to close out the season with four straight wins to finish with a record of 26–56, an eight-game improvement from the previous season. After the season, the Bobcats announced that NBA legend and North Carolina native Michael Jordan had bought a minority stake in the team. As part of the deal, he became head of basketball operations, though Bickerstaff remained general manager.

The Bobcats showed some improvement during the 2006–07 season, posting a playoff-hopeful record of 22–33 late in February 2007. However, the team went through an eight-game losing streak and dropped their record to 22–41 by early March 2007. Following the slump, Jordan announced that Bickerstaff would not return to coach the following season, but would finish coaching the remainder of the 2006–07 season. The Bobcats won 11 of their last 19 games of Bickerstaff's tenure to finish their third season 33–49. On June 3, 2007, Charlotte Coliseum was demolished, marking a bitter end to the original Hornets era as it was the home of Charlotte's original NBA franchise. The arena was only 19 years old, owned by the city of Charlotte, but was already considered outdated because of a lack of luxury boxes and suites. The arena was designed for college basketball as part of Charlotte's push to maintain their presence in the ACC basketball tournament rotation.

Front office and coaching were key focuses for the Bobcats during the 2007 off-season. Rod Higgins was hired as general manager, and Sam Vincent was hired as the second head coach in franchise history. In the 2007 NBA draft, Brandan Wright was selected by the Bobcats with the eighth pick; he was subsequently traded to Golden State for Jason Richardson. The Bobcats were unable to capitalize on off-season moves, finishing the 2007–08 season with a 32–50 record. The team struggled amid rumors of players clashing with the coach. After a year, during which he struggled with personnel decisions, Sam Vincent was fired in April 2008.

On April 29, 2008, the Bobcats reached an agreement to hire Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Brown as the third head coach in franchise history. In the 2008 NBA draft, the Bobcats selected D. J. Augustin from Texas ninth overall. On December 10, 2008, a little over a month into the season, the Bobcats obtained Boris Diaw and Raja Bell in a trade with Phoenix. The trade turned out to be successful as the team came close to reaching the franchise's first playoff berth, but finished four games out of eighth place with a record of 35–47. Following the season, majority owner Bob Johnson announced he was putting the team up for sale.

During the off-season, the team picked Gerald Henderson from Duke 12th overall in the 2009 NBA draft. The Bobcats traded Emeka Okafor for New Orleans Hornets' center Tyson Chandler, and through more trades acquired Stephen Jackson and Acie Law from the Golden State Warriors. On February 27, 2010, it was announced that Johnson had decided to sell the team to Jordan, allowing Jordan to become the first former NBA player to become majority owner of a franchise.

On April 9, 2010, the Bobcats clinched their first playoff berth since 2002 with a 104–103 road win over the New Orleans Hornets, finishing the 2009–10 season with an overall record of 44–38, their first-ever winning season. Gerald Wallace was a huge factor in the playoff run as he became the Bobcats' first and only NBA All-Star. However, the Bobcats were swept by the Orlando Magic in four games.

2010–2014: Final years of the Bobcats
Despite the departures of Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler, the Bobcats hoped to make the playoffs for a second straight season. Following a dismal 9–19 start, Jordan announced that Larry Brown had stepped down as head coach. Paul Silas was hired as their new head coach the same day. The Bobcats sent Wallace to the Portland Trail Blazers and received two first-round draft picks, Joel Przybilla, Sean Marks, and Dante Cunningham, also acquiring D. J. White and Morris Peterson in a trade with the Thunder. Going down the stretch, injuries to both Stephen Jackson and Tyrus Thomas derailed any chances of Charlotte trying to catch the Indiana Pacers for the eighth spot in the east. In the end, the Bobcats finished the season with a 34–48 record overall, finishing 25–29 under Silas.
On June 13, 2011, the Bobcats made some changes to their front office by hiring former Trail Blazers general manager Rich Cho to the same position and promoting Rod Higgins to President of Basketball Operations. During the 2011 NBA draft the Bobcats sent Jackson, Shaun Livingston, and the 19th pick to Milwaukee and received Corey Maggette and the 7th pick in return. The Bobcats used that pick to draft Bismack Biyombo and with their 9th pick drafted Connecticut's Kemba Walker, the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player.

In the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, Charlotte lost often, including their last 23 games. During their season finale against the New York Knicks, the Bobcats recorded yet another loss as their win percentage dropped to .106, setting a new record for the worst season ever by an NBA team (as this season was shortened by the lockout, the 1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers still hold the record for most losses in a season with 73). Overall, the team's record was 7–59. On April 30, 2012, the Bobcats announced that Silas would not return as head coach. St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap was named as his successor.

Despite finishing the season with the worst record in NBA history, the Bobcats received the second overall pick. With the second pick in the 2012 NBA draft, the Bobcats selected Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and selected Jeffery Taylor with the 31st pick. They also added Ben Gordon, Ramon Sessions and Brendan Haywood in free agency. The Bobcats won their first game against the Pacers, snapping their 23-game losing streak. The team seemed to rebound with a 7–5 start to the season. However, they promptly went on an 18-game losing streak from which they never recovered, snapping the streak with a win at Chicago. Charlotte finished 21–61, the second-worst record in the league. Dunlap was fired on April 23, reportedly because the players were turned off by his heavy-handed coaching style. He would be replaced by former Los Angeles Lakers assistant head coach Steve Clifford.

During the 2013 NBA draft, the Bobcats selected power forward/center Cody Zeller 4th overall. The Bobcats would also obtain former Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson in free agency. In February 2014, the team received Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour in a trade with the Bucks. The new players and coaching staff worked as the Bobcats clinched a playoff berth for the second time in franchise history by beating Cleveland on the road. Charlotte finished the regular season 43–39. However, the Bobcats were swept in four games by defending champion Miami in the first round.

2014–present: Return of the Hornets
On May 21, 2013, Jordan officially announced the organization had submitted an application to change the name of the franchise to the Charlotte Hornets for the 2014–15 NBA season, pending a majority vote for approval by the NBA Board of Governors at a meeting in Las Vegas on July 18, 2013. The NBA announced, on July 18, 2013, that it had unanimously approved the rebranding, which would begin upon the conclusion of the 2013–14 season.

The Bobcats announced on November 22, they would adopt a modified version of the original Hornets' teal-purple-white color palette, with black, gray and Carolina blue as accents. The team officially unveiled its future logo and identity scheme during halftime of their December 21 game against the Jazz. The team also started the "Buzz City" campaign to hype up the Hornets return. On January 16, 2014, the Bobcats revealed new Hornets shirts, hats and gear.

On May 20, 2014, the Bobcats officially became the second incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets. At a press conference regarding the change, team officials also announced that as part of a deal with the NBA and the renamed New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte acquired the history and records of the 1988–2002 Hornets (in a move similar to that of the National Football League's Cleveland Browns return to the league in 1999), while all of the Hornets' records during their time in New Orleans from 2002 to 2013 remained with the Pelicans. The Hornets are now retconned as having suspended operations from 2002 to 2004, while the Pelicans are considered a 2002 expansion team. Charlotte had already been using past footage of the original Hornets as part of the "Buzz City" campaign.

2014–2020: Playoffs and struggles
In the 2014 NBA draft, the Hornets had the 9th overall pick from an earlier trade with the Detroit Pistons, which they used to select Noah Vonleh from Indiana. In the same draft they acquired UConn Husky Shabazz Napier, Dwight Powell from Stanford, and Semaj Christon from Xavier in the second round. They later traded Napier to the Heat for P. J. Hairston (formerly from UNC), the rights to the 55th pick, Miami's 2019 second-round pick and cash considerations. The team also picked up Scotty Hopson (whom they would trade to New Orleans) and cash considerations in free agency.

During their first year of free agency as the Hornets, the team signed former Pacers shooting guard Lance Stephenson. The Hornets also signed former Jazz and Atlanta Hawks forward Marvin Williams to a two-year deal. A mostly difficult year led to a 33–49 record overall and a 4th-place finish in the division. Stephenson was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes who was later traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Courtney Lee.

The following year, the team improved to 48–34 overall, following the acquisition of players such as Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lamb, and Jeremy Lin. It was the best season in franchise history since the original Hornets era. Charlotte returned to the playoffs, where they lost to the Heat in seven games in the first round. Along the way, they defeated the Heat twice at Time Warner Cable Arena, the franchise's first playoff wins since the original Hornets era.

In the off-season, Jeremy Lin would go to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, Al Jefferson to the Indiana Pacers, and Courtney Lee to the New York Knicks, but the Hornets were able to re-sign Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams, as well as bring in former All-star Roy Hibbert, Marco Belinelli and Ramon Sessions for a second stint. Hibbert would be traded mid-season to the Milwaukee Bucks with Spencer Hawes for center Miles Plumlee. Kemba Walker was named an Eastern Conference All-star as a reserve, the first all-star game of his career. The Hornets would finish the season with a 36–46 record, missing out on the playoffs.

The Hornets had a successful 2017 off-season. They shipped Plumlee and Belinelli and the 41st pick in the 2017 NBA draft to the Atlanta Hawks for former All-star Dwight Howard and the 31st pick in the 2017 draft. The trade reunited Howard with head coach Steve Clifford, both of whom worked together during Howard's time in Orlando and Los Angeles. In the draft, Charlotte selected Malik Monk with the 11th overall pick, as well as Frank Jackson with the 31st pick. They then sent Jackson to New Orleans for cash considerations and swing-man Dwayne Bacon who was drafted 40th overall. Sessions signed with the New York Knicks, and, to replace the backup guard, they brought in former rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams from the Chicago Bulls.

In the 2017–18 season Kemba Walker was selected for his second NBA All-Star appearance and passed Dell Curry for most three-pointers and the all-time leading scorer. At the end of the 2017–18 season, the Hornets did not renew the contract of general manager Rich Cho. In April 2018, Mitch Kupchak was named as the new president of basketball operations and general manager. On April 13, 2018, the Hornets fired head coach Steve Clifford after five seasons, who coached the team to a 196–214 record total, and named James Borrego as his replacement on May 10.

On July 23, 2018, Tony Parker, who spent the previous 17 years of his career with the San Antonio Spurs, signed with the Hornets. In January 2019 Kemba Walker was named an All-Star Game starter for the Eastern Conference, his first starting role in an All-Star Game, and matched only Glen Rice for his third All-Star Game appearance in his Hornets career. During the 2018–19 season, Charlotte finished the season with a 39–43 record finishing 2nd in the division and 9th in the Eastern Conference.

On June 20, 2019, the Hornets selected P. J. Washington with the twelfth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

On July 6, 2019, Kemba Walker joined the Boston Celtics through a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets.

On November 18, 2020, the Hornets selected LaMelo Ball with the third overall pick. The Hornets also drafted Vernon Carey Jr. and Grant Riller in the second round of the 2020 NBA draft. On November 29, 2020, the Hornets would acquire Gordon Hayward in a sign-and-trade deal with the Boston Celtics. The Hornets finished the 2020–21 season 10th in the East with a 33–39 overall record. On June 16, 2021, Ball was named 2020–21 NBA Rookie of the Year, becoming the third player in franchise history to win the award.

On February 7, 2022, Ball was named to his first NBA All-Star Game as an injury replacement for Kevin Durant. The Hornets would clinch a spot in the play-in tournament for the second consecutive time although losing to fellow Southeast division foe the Atlanta Hawks 132–103. On April 22, 2022, the Hornets fired head coach James Borrego after four seasons with the team. The team finished the 2021–2022 season with a 43–39 overall record.

On June 24, 2022, the Hornets named Steve Clifford as new head coach marking his second stint as the team's head coach. During the off-season, notable additions included drafting Duke center Mark Williams with the 15th pick of the 2022 NBA draft and the free agent signing of point guard and North Carolina native Dennis Smith Jr.

During the 2022–23 NBA season, the Hornets endured injuries to a majority of the roster, leading to a poor season which ended with a 27–55 record, the fourth worst in the league. However, Mark Williams proved his immense potential.

Courtesy of their poor finish, the Hornets won the second overall pick which they used to select Brandon Miller in the 2023 NBA draft.

On June 16, 2023, Jordan announced he was selling his majority stake in the team to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall. The transaction, sold at $3 billion, was approved by the NBA on July 23, 2023.

Logos and uniforms

Logos
The Hornets' first logo was a teal and purple anthropomorphic hornet wearing white shoes and gloves dribbling an orange basketball. The words 'Charlotte Hornets' were in teal and curved across the top and bottom of the logo. An alternate logo, used only for the 1988–89 season, featured a large teal letter 'C', with 'Charlotte' in black letters curved upwards underneath. Inside the 'C' was a smaller white letter 'H' outlined in teal, with a black-colored hornet holding a basketball from birds-eye view placed in the center. The 'H' portion of the logo remained on the warm-ups and waistband of the jerseys until the 1991–92 season.

The Bobcats' primary logo from 2004 to 2012 consisted of a snarling orange bobcat facing to the right with the indented name 'Bobcats' above in silver on a blue background, with 'Charlotte' (also indented) appearing above it in the same blue color. A change to a less vibrant orange and blue, while retaining the same look, was made in 2007. Further color changes in 2012 made the bobcat gray, extended the blue background up to the 'Charlotte' name, which changed from blue to orange. A Carolina blue outline around the entire logo was also added. In 2007 the Bobcats unveiled a secondary logo, consisting of a snarling bobcat head facing forward with one side shaded orange, and the other blue. A silver basketball was placed behind the right of the head, all encased in an orange-blue-gray circle. During the 2012 rebranding, the colors were changed, with gray and Carolina blue replacing orange on the head and circle outline, respectively, and the basketball changing to orange. This logo would become prominent in the team's marketing and be featured at center court from 2007–08 until 2013–14.

Charlotte's second Hornets logo features a teal and purple forward-facing hornet with the words 'Charlotte Hornets' on its torso. Wings sprout up above the head on both left and right, with teal and purple details. The hornet's stinger is prominently featured; a basketball pattern is above the stinger. Gray fully outlines the logo.
Among the team's different secondary logos includes a hornet facing to the side, its teal and purple body arched in a 'C' shape representing the city of Charlotte, and a modified version of the Hornets original logo (sans the basketball) as the official mascot logo.

Uniforms

Original Hornets
The original Hornets uniforms were designed by international designer and North Carolina native Alexander Julian. The team chose teal and purple as its primary colors and featured a first for NBA uniforms—pinstripes. While most teams feature team names on home jerseys and their home city on away jerseys, the Hornets' uniforms had "Charlotte" on both home and away jerseys. Home uniforms were white with pinstripes in teal, green, blue and purple, while the away jerseys were teal with pinstripes in white, green, blue and purple. The 'Hugo' logo was prominently featured on the shorts' beltline, beginning in early 1992.

In 1994, the Hornets unveiled a purple alternate uniform, with pinstripes in white, green, blue and teal. Likewise, Hugo was featured in the beltline.

From 1997 to 2002, the Hornets made slight changes to their uniforms. Hugo was moved from the beltline to the left leg, while side stripes with pinstripes were added, in purple (away) and teal (home) colors. A tricolor featuring teal, purple and blue was featured on the beltline and the piping.

Bobcats

The Bobcats' first home jerseys were white, reading "Bobcats" in orange with blue and black trimming. The primary away jersey was orange reading "Charlotte" in white with blue and black trimming. In the 2006 off-season, the Bobcats announced a new alternate away jersey which debuted during the 2006–07 season. The alternate jersey is blue, with the name "Bobcats" in white with black, orange and white trimming. Racing Day blue alternates (with an arched 'Charlotte', checkered flag side stripes, and centered numbers) were used to honor Charlotte's NASCAR fanbase.

For the 2009–10 season, the Bobcats sported redesigned uniforms, having a mixture of characteristics from both Hornets and Bobcats uniforms. The home uniforms were white and featured an arched "Bobcats" in blue with orange and white trim. Road uniforms were blue and featured an arched "Charlotte" in white with blue and orange trim. Both designs featured silver pinstripes, similar to what the Hornets wore. The NASCAR uniform was also updated to include the pinstripes. For the 2011–12 season, however, the Bobcats wore their home uniforms on NASCAR night, complete with a racing flag patch.

The Bobcats unveiled Hardwood Classics uniforms honoring the American Basketball Association (ABA)'s Carolina Cougars, which the team wore for select games in 2012.

The Bobcats unveiled new uniforms on June 19, 2012, their second and final change in five years. Overall, they featured less emphasis on orange. The white home uniforms sported the shorter nickname 'Cats' in navy and Carolina blue trim, while the numbers were in Carolina blue and navy trim, with navy side stripes. The navy away uniforms featured 'Charlotte' in white and Carolina blue trim, with the numbers featured the same trim as the city name, with Carolina blue side stripes. In both uniforms, the pinstripes were relegated to the sides. The uniforms bore a close resemblance to the Dallas Mavericks uniforms. The addition of Carolina blue was seen as way to connect owner Michael Jordan's collegiate roots, while the formal adoption of 'Cats' for marketing purposes reflected a popular nickname.

Revived Hornets
The newly renamed Hornets unveiled the team's uniforms on June 19, 2014, consisting of white home and purple road uniforms with the "Hornets" wordmark across the chest. The team also unveiled a teal alternate uniform with the "Charlotte" wordmark across the chest. The teal uniform is planned to be used as an alternate uniform for either home or road games and worn a total of 16–20 times per season.

On June 25, 2015, the Hornets unveiled a black sleeved alternate uniform, featuring their "Buzz City" nickname in front. The team wore the uniform for as many as six games during the 2015–16 NBA season. It was also worn during select games of the 2016 NBA playoffs.

For the 2017–18 season and beyond, the Hornets have been outfitted by Nike's Air Jordan brand endorsed by franchise owner Michael Jordan. The white "Association" uniform and the teal "Icon" uniform feature the "Hornets" wordmark in front and the silhouetted hornet on the waistband. The purple "Statement" uniform is similar to the "Icon" and "Association" uniforms, but feature the "Charlotte" wordmark in front.

The Hornets revamped their purple "Statement" uniforms prior to the 2019–20 season. The front of the uniform featured the "CHA" acronym in bold white letters with teal trim, while teal "stinger" stripes accentuate the sides. The silhouetted Hornets logo was moved to the sides of the shorts while the partial logo was placed on the beltline.

On August 31, 2020, the Hornets unveiled new uniforms that include double pinstriped jerseys that pay homage to the jerseys worn from 1997 until 2002. These are the first Hornets regular jerseys to include pinstripes since they wore them as the Bobcats from 2009 to 2012.

Before the 2022–23 season, the Hornets again made slight changes to the purple "Statement" uniform. The uniform brought back the "Hornets" wordmark in front along with white numbers and teal cell accents on each side. The "C" alternate logo was added on the beltline and the alternate "curled hornet" logo was placed below the teal cells on the shorts.

The Hornets' "City" uniforms were slight updates of Adidas' sleeved "Buzz City" uniforms. The 2017–18 version featured black letters with white trim on a black base and the sides featured a wing pattern of a hornet. The 2018–19 version was slightly tweaked to feature teal lettering and a new logo reminiscent of the original Air Jordan "Wings" logo.

The "City" uniform for the 2019–20 season moved away from the "Buzz City" concept and went with a cool grey base, purple, teal and black piping, "CHA" acronym in purple and white numbers with purple trim. A cell pattern adorned the sides.

Charlotte's "City" uniform for the 2020–21 season paid homage to the city's history as the first to house a U.S. Branch Mint and the Carolina Gold Rush. The base color is mint and letters and numbers are in granite black with metallic gold trim. Pinstripes are in gold. It also brought back the "Buzz City" crest in front. This theme was then revisited in their 2022–23 "City" uniform, this in granite black with "CLT" (Charlotte's main abbreviation) in gold with mint trim. Pinstripes alternate between gold and mint.

For the 2021–22 season, the Hornets' "City" uniform visually mixed various elements from previous identities. The cursive "Charlotte" wordmark was inspired by the banners displayed during the franchise's 1988 uniform unveiling. The number placement on the left chest was reminiscent of the Bobcats' original uniforms. The purple cells recalled the court design used at the Charlotte Coliseum, and the teal gradient contained pinstripes, reminiscent of the uniforms worn from 1988 to 1997. The original "Hugo" logo was placed on the left leg, and the script "Hornets" wordmark was added to the right leg. Along the jock tag the Hornets added the "EST. 1988" sign acknowledging the team's inaugural year.

The "Classic" edition featured a revival of the original Hornets pinstriped uniforms in the current Nike template. The teal version was used in the 2017–18 season, followed by a white version in 2018–19, complete with an alternate court marking the 30th anniversary of NBA basketball in Charlotte. For 2019–20, the Hornets wore purple versions of the pinstriped uniforms to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the uniform's unveiling. For the 35th anniversary season in 2023–24, the Hornets wore the throwback double pinstriped teal uniforms with purple side stripes, which they wore from 1997 to 2002.

Season-by-season record
List of the last five seasons completed by the Hornets. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Charlotte Hornets seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

Arenas
 Charlotte Coliseum (1988–2002, 2004–2005)
 Spectrum Center (2005–present) (known as Charlotte Bobcats Arena from 2005 to 2008 and Time Warner Cable Arena from 2008 to 2016)

The Hornets played their first 15 seasons at the Charlotte Coliseum, which was called "The Hive" by fans. With over 23,000 seats, it was (and still remains) the largest basketball-specific venue in the league by seating capacity. The Coliseum hosted 371 consecutive NBA sell-outs (including seven playoff games) from December 1988 to November 1997. The Hornets would go on to lead the NBA in attendance in eight of its first nine seasons. When Charlotte returned to the NBA as the Bobcats, they temporarily played in the Coliseum in the 2004–05 season while their new arena (the Charlotte Bobcats Arena) was being built. After its completion, the city closed the old Coliseum in the 2005 off-season and opened the new arena with a Rolling Stones concert.
In April 2008, the Bobcats reached a naming rights deal with Time Warner Cable, North Carolina's largest cable television provider. In exchange for the naming rights, Time Warner agreed to tear up the cable television deal that had limited the Bobcats' exposure over the team's first four years (see below). When the Hornets returned to Charlotte, "The Hive" nickname also returned to the arena. In August 2016, the arena was renamed the Spectrum Center after Time Warner's merger with Charter Communications and its Spectrum consumer/business branding.

The Hornets practice at the Novant Health Training Center, located within the Spectrum Center. Previously the team practiced at the Grady Cole Center in the Elizabeth neighborhood before moving to a purpose-built facility in Fort Mill, South Carolina located beside Knights Castle; this facility is now known as The Pointe Arts and Recreation Center.

Players

Current roster

Retained draft rights
The Hornets hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player is ostensibly either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends. This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.

Head coaches

Franchise records, awards and honors

Franchise leaders
Bold denotes still active with team. Italic denotes still active but not with team.

Regular season (as of the end of the 2020–21 season)

Individual awards

All-Rookie First Team
 Kendall Gill – 1991
 Larry Johnson – 1992
 Alonzo Mourning – 1993
 Emeka Okafor – 2005
 LaMelo Ball – 2021

All-Rookie Second Team
 Rex Chapman – 1989
 J. R. Reid – 1990
 Raymond Felton – 2006
 Adam Morrison – 2007
 Walter Herrmann – 2007
 D. J. Augustin – 2009
 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – 2013
 Cody Zeller – 2014
 P. J. Washington – 2020

All-NBA Second Team
 Larry Johnson – 1993
 Glen Rice – 1997

All-NBA Third Team
 Anthony Mason – 1997
 Glen Rice – 1998
 Eddie Jones – 2000
 Al Jefferson – 2014
 Kemba Walker – 2019

All-Defensive First Team
 Gerald Wallace – 2010

All-Defensive Second Team
 Anthony Mason – 1997
 Eddie Jones – 1999, 2000
 P. J. Brown – 2001

Rookie of the Year
 Larry Johnson – 1992
 Emeka Okafor – 2005
 LaMelo Ball – 2021

Sixth Man of the Year
 Dell Curry – 1994

Executive of the Year
 Bob Bass – 1997

NBA All-Star Weekend

All-Star Selections
 Larry Johnson – 1993, 1995
 Alonzo Mourning – 1994, 1995
 Glen Rice – 1996, 1997, 1998
 Eddie Jones – 2000
 Baron Davis – 2002
 Gerald Wallace – 2010
 Kemba Walker – 2017, 2018, 2019
 LaMelo Ball – 2022

All-Star Most Valuable Player
 Glen Rice – 1997

Retired numbers

 The Charlotte Hornets retired Phills' number on February 9, 2000, after his death in an automobile accident in Charlotte. His jersey hung from the rafters of the Charlotte Coliseum until the franchise relocated in May 2002; it was then displayed in the New Orleans Arena until 2013. On November 1, 2014, Phills' jersey was returned to Charlotte, where it was re-honored and currently hangs in the Spectrum Center.
 The NBA retired Bill Russell's No. 6 for all its member teams on August 11, 2022.

Basketball Hall of Famers

FIBA Hall of Famers

Mascot and cheerleaders
Hugo The Hornet is the current mascot of the franchise. Shortly after the news that Charlotte would get the Hornets name back, at halftime of a December 21, 2013, game between Charlotte and the Utah Jazz, Hugo was announced to return as the Charlotte Hornets' new mascot for the 2014–15 NBA season.

From 2004 to 2014, Rufus D. Lynx was the mascot of the Bobcats. He first appeared on November 1, 2003, according to his official bio on the Bobcats' website. The name comes from the scientific name of the bobcat, which is Lynx rufus. During the 2012 NBA All-Star Jam Session, Rufus D. Lynx broke a world record along with Coyote, Grizz, Hooper, and Sly the Silver Fox for most "between the legs" basketball dunks. Bleacher Report ranked Rufus as the 8th best mascot in the NBA. Rufus D. Lynx is featured in NBA Jam 2010. Rufus D. Lynx was officially retired following the conclusion of the 2013–14 NBA season, and the Hornets made him a farewell video in May 2014. The updated Hugo was unveiled on an around the city tour on June 5, 2014.

The Hornets have an official cheerleading squad known as the Charlotte Honey Bees. The Honey Bees perform sideline dances as well as center-court dances during games. They also represent the Hornets brand as ambassadors to the community and are involved in community service activities and charity functions. When the team was known as the Bobcats, the cheerleaders were called the Lady Cats.

Media coverage

From 1988 to 1992, the Hornets aired most road games, and occasional home games, on a network of stations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia fronted by WCCB in Charlotte. WCCB's longtime owner, Cy Bahakel, was a minority partner in the Hornets' original ownership group. Starting with the 1990–91 season, several games also aired on the original SportSouth, forerunner of Bally Sports South, for customers in North and South Carolina. WJZY became the Hornets' over-the-air flagship in 1992, and remained as such until 1998. From 1995 to 1998, some games aired on WJZY's sister station, WFVT-TV (now WMYT-TV). WAXN-TV became the flagship for the 1998–99 season, and remained as such until the original team departed in 2002. Generally, most home games slated for telecast aired on SportSouth/Fox Sports South.

When the team returned as the Bobcats in 2004, Johnson partnered with Time Warner to create Carolinas Sports Entertainment Television (C-SET), a regional sports network. It aired 60 Bobcats games that also aired on Comporium Cable in the South Carolina portion of the Charlotte market. However, Time Warner placed C-SET on its digital package as an incentive to try to get customers to switch to its digital service, leaving analog customers in the dark. It also refused to allow DirecTV or Dish Network to pick up C-SET on their local feeds. As a result, Time Warner customers without digital cable, as well as western North Carolina and most of South Carolina, were left to rely on radio coverage.

C-SET folded on the day of the 2005 NBA draft, and most games then moved to News 14 Carolina, a cable news channel available on Time Warner Cable's systems in Charlotte, the Triad and the Triangle. However, this still left viewers in most of South Carolina (except for the South Carolina side of the Charlotte area, which saw games on Comporium) as well as eastern and western North Carolina, out in the cold. News 14 was also not available on satellite.

As part of the Time Warner Cable Arena deal, the Bobcats signed over broadcasting rights to Fox Sports South. Starting with the last five games of the 2007–08 season, about 70 games per season were shown on Fox Sports Carolinas (Fox Sports South's new regional feed, now reintegrated to Bally Sports South) and sister network Sportsouth (renamed Fox Sports Southeast in 2015 and later Bally Sports Southeast in 2021) in North and South Carolina. The deal is believed to be the first simultaneous naming rights and broadcast rights deal in the history of North American professional sports. As of the 2020–21 season, Hornets games are carried by Bally Sports Southeast with Eric Collins and Dell Curry, along with in-game reporter and Hornets Live host Ashley ShahAhmadi. Former personnel include: Stephanie Ready, who worked as a sideline reporter and in-game analyst for the Hornets for a decade before moving to Turner Sports in 2018, and long time Hornets broadcaster Steve Martin, who retired after the 2017–18 season.

For the team's first four seasons after their return to the league, select games also aired on a network of over-the-air stations across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, fronted by WJZY from 2004 to 2006 and WMYT from 2006 to 2008.

The team's radio flagship is all-sports station WFNZ-FM. Before 2010, games had aired on WOLS. WOLS switched its non-sports programming from oldies to Spanish language on January 1, 2009, making Bobcats and Duke basketball the station's only non-Spanish language programming. WBT was the Hornets' radio flagship during the original franchise's entire run.

References

External links

National Basketball Association teams
Basketball teams established in 1988
1988 establishments in North Carolina
2023 mergers and acquisitions

Charlotte Hornets


Emilio Villari (25 September 1836 – 20 August 1904) was an Italian experimental physicist and a professor at the University of Bologna and later Naples who contributed to studies on electromagnetism after whom is named the Villari Effect which is used in devices used to measure mechanical stress and strain. He also developed a quadrant electrometer.

Early life

Villari came from a wealthy family, his father was a lawyer and a younger sibling was Pasquale Villari. Suffering from epileptic seizures from an early age he was privately educated in Naples including in literature under Leopoldo Rodino, math under Achille Sannia and physics from Luigi Palmieri. He then went to the University of Pisa where his brother Pasquale taught. He studied medicine initially but was influenced by Riccardo Felici to shift to physics.

Career
Villari spent some time in Germany in the laboratory of Gustav Magnus before joining the University of Bologna in 1871 as professor of physics. In 1900 he moved to Naples to succeed Gilberto Govi. In 1873 he examined why alternating current causes greater heat generation in metals than direct current. Villari suggested that this was due to the existence of molecular magnets and their resistance to induced electromagnetism and differed in his theory from that of Maxwell and Kelvin. He examined the expansion of ferromagnetic materials under electromagnetism and discovered the reverse effect as well which is sometimes known as the Villari Effect. The Villari effect is put into application in strain sensors in a wide range of engineering situations. In 1901 he published on the effect of X-rays on the ionizability of air. He constructed electroscopes and observed the effect of (radiation from) pitchblende on discharges. Other experiments were on electrical capacitance, the elasticity of rubber, and the flow of liquids like mercury through tubes. Most of his experimental work was published in the journal Il Nuovo Cimento (1877-1894). Adolfo Bartoli worked on radiation thermodynamics with Villari in Bologna for some time. Augusto Righi worked as an assistant to Villari while Mario Pieri was a student. He was a foreign member of the Royal Society. Villari received the Matteucci Medal for 1884.

References

1836 births
1904 deaths
Italian physicists
Experimental physicists

Emilio Villari


A Is for Acid is a 2002 British television film based on the life of the serial killer John Haigh, known as the Acid Bath Murderer, because he dissolved the bodies of six people in sulphuric acid. Haigh, hanged in 1949 for his crimes, had wrongly believed that murder could not be proven without the presence of a body. Starring Martin Clunes in the lead role, the film was shot in Scarborough, chosen because its appearance was believed similar to that of London when Haigh lived there during the 1940s and also Saltaire to represent his early life. The film was produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network and aired on 9 September 2002. Directed by Harry Bradbeer and written by Glenn Chandler, A Is for Acid also featured among its cast Keeley Hawes and Richard Hope.

Plot

John George Haigh is raised in a Yorkshire village by sheltering parents who fellowship with the strict Plymouth Brethren. His father teaches him that their family is different from others, being among "God's elect"; but as an adult John turns to petty crime. He marries Beatrice 'Betty' Hamer, who becomes pregnant with his child. While serving a prison sentence for fraud, Haigh reads about the term corpus delicti, wrongly assuming it means murder cannot be proven without the presence of a body. He subsequently dreams up what he believes to be the perfect murder and experiments by dissolving mice in sulphuric acid. After learning that Betty gave birth to a daughter and moved away, Haigh travels to London upon his release, where he finds employment as an engineer.

After being sacked from his job because of a relationship with his boss's daughter, Gillian Rogers, Haigh sets himself up as an inventor. He bumps into a former employer, Donald McSwan, who has a successful property business. Befriending McSwan and his elderly parents, William and Amy, Haigh offers to help them when Donald is conscripted to fight in the Second World War. Donald agrees to Haigh's suggestion that he run the business and take care of his parents while Donald hides out in Scotland for the duration of the war. Haigh then invites Donald to his workshop where he bludgeons his friend to death and places his body in a vat of acid to dissolve, then forges Donald's signature to take control of his affairs. He keeps up the pretense that Donald is on the run through the rest of the war, but as Britain celebrates V.E. Day, Haigh tells William and Amy that Donald has returned to London and is waiting for them at his workshop. He then kills them both after individually driving them there. With the McSwans' money, Haigh sets himself up at the Onslow Court Hotel in Kensington.

Haigh's next victims are Archie and Rose Henderson, a doctor and his wife, whom he befriends after visiting a shop they have recently purchased. Dr. Henderson discloses to Haigh that he and Rose are quite wealthy, but their marriage is in difficulty. The couple embark on a make-or-break holiday which is interrupted by Haigh, who invites Archie to his workshop and kills him there. He later lures Rose to the same premises under the pretense that her husband is ill. Rose's brother Arnold Burton is suspicious when Haigh tells them the Hendersons had to leave the country because Archie performed an illegal abortion, and signed over their affairs to Haigh, someone they have only known for a few months. Finally, Haigh kills Olive Durand-Deacon, a fellow Onslow Court resident, when his funds begin to run low. Her friend, Constance Lane, becomes concerned about Olive's disappearance and persuades Haigh to accompany her to the police to report Olive missing.

Burton also goes to the police after seeing Haigh's picture in a newspaper article about the missing woman, prompting detectives to launch an investigation. Haigh confesses to killing Olive, saying he dissolved her in acid and therefore cannot be prosecuted for her murder, there being no body. He goes on to confess to the other five murders, and claims another three killings. A Home Office pathologist is called in to examine Haigh's workshop where gallstones and a pelvic bone are recovered. After being convicted of murder, Haigh awaits a death sentence. He is visited by Gillian Rogers, and asks her to visit his parents after he has been hanged. The film ends with Gillian honouring that promise.

Cast
 Martin Clunes as John Haigh
 Keeley Hawes as Gillian Rogers
 Richard Hope as Dr. Archie Henderson
 Celia Imrie as Rose Henderson
 Rowena Cooper as Olive Durand-Deacon
John Flanagan as Arnold Burtin
 Terence Beesley as Detective Sergeant Heslin
 Matyelok Gibbs as Constance Lane
 Geoff Holman as John Haigh Sr.
 Barbara Marten as Emily Haigh
 Sally Carman as Betty Haigh (née Hamer)
 Neil McKinven as Donald McSwan
 Claire Nielson as Amy McSwan
 Donald Douglas as William McSwan
 Christopher Ettridge as Steven Rogers
 Christopher Town as John Haigh (as a boy)
 Charlotte Webb as Dead Woman's legs

Background

The Scarborough News reported in November 2001 Yorkshire Television was working on a production titled A Is for Acid that would portray the life of the serial killer John George Haigh, and that Martin Clunes had been cast in the starring role. Scenes for the forthcoming production would be filmed in locations around Scarborough, particularly the town's South Cliff area, which was believed to resemble Kensington as it had looked during the time Haigh lived there in the 1940s. The article also reported that Yorkshire Television had asked the Scarborough Council for permission to close some roads and the town's Esplanade for filming purposes, but that permission had been refused, so residents were being asked to avoid the area on a voluntary basis.  Additional scenes were filmed in Wetherby, Saltaire and outside Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds.

The Manchester Evening News carried an interview with Clunes on 9 September 2002, the day the film was aired, in which the actor spoke about the role: "I've never been asked to play someone who actually existed before. Haigh was a real challenge. Although he was real he's almost forgotten and my generation didn't really know about him. My mum, on the other hand, can remember the case as a truly horrific event of the last century. When I told an older friend of mine who I was playing, he said he was often told as a child: 'You eat that up or John Haigh will get you.' He was the stock bogeyman of the day."

Reception
The film was heavily promoted by ITV before its first broadcast at 9:00pm on 9 September 2002, but attracted a relatively small audience for a peak time programme. Overnight figures suggested 6 million viewers had tuned in to watch A Is for Acid, a figure beaten by an episode of Waking the Dead which appeared in the same time slot on BBC One. A review in the Manchester Evening News the day after the film was shown was generally favourable: "Clunes might seem an unlikely choice for this sinister and demanding role ... but he acquitted tremendously in his portrayal of the beaming, oily trickster with a murderous heart ... Clunes made the killer plausible, disarming and businesslike as he went about murdering for profit." However, the reviewer was critical of the film's lack of tension and its failure to analyse Haigh's psyche.

Location
The opening scene depicting Haigh's childhood was filmed in Saltaire, West Yorkshire.  Later where John is shown courting Betty, the Hyde Park Picture House in Hyde Park, Leeds. The police station to which John takes Constance Lane to report her friend missing, was filmed at Wetherby Council Offices.

References

External links

A Is for Acid Amazon DVD

2002 crime drama films
2002 films
2002 television films
2000s British films
2000s English-language films
British crime drama films
British drama television films
Films directed by Harry Bradbeer
Films shot in Yorkshire
ITV television dramas
Television series by ITV Studios
Television series by Yorkshire Television

A Is for Acid


Ingeniøren (full name: Nyhedsmagasinet Ingeniøren, literally The News Magazine "The Engineer") is a Danish weekly newspaper specialising in engineering topics.

History and profile
The paper has covered science and technology issues as well as political topics and debate related to engineering since 1892, and maintains an online archive of these. The online version began 2 December 1994, as the first Danish internet media.

Corresponding publications are Ny Teknik in Sweden, Teknisk Ukeblad in Norway and Technisch Weekblad in the Netherlands.

References

External links

Danish-language newspapers
Newspapers published in Copenhagen
Newspapers established in 1892
Weekly newspapers published in Denmark

Ingeniøren


The Deutscher Eisenbahn-Verein (German Railway Society) or DEV was founded in November 1964 as the Deutscher Kleinbahn-Verein ("German Kleinbahn Society"). Its purpose was the preservation of a working branch line with all its installations as a living open-air museum. The term Kleinbahn was primarily a Prussian concept that referred to light branch lines with lower traffic demands and of more lightweight construction than main lines or normal branch lines, hence the Kleinbahnen were mainly found in northern Germany.

History

On 2 July 1966, museum railway services began on the narrow gauge section of line from  Bruchhausen-Vilsen to Heiligenberg operated by the Verkehrsbetriebe Grafschaft Hoya, about 35 km south of Bremen, using the steam locomotive Bruchhausen and one coach. Setting aside a number of short-lived trials, this was the first museum railway in Germany.

Since then the Lower Saxony Kleinbahn Museum (Niedersächsisches Kleinbahn-Museum) has emerged. At weekends from May to September and in December, regular services are run on the Bruchhausen-Vilsen–Asendorf route - predominantly with steam trains. Under the name Hoyaer Eisenbahn, a connecting service is operated on the Eystrup–Hoya–Bruchhausen-Vilsen–Syke route. In Bruchhausen-Vilsen station, standard gauge vehicles may be transferred to the narrow gauge section by means of rollbocks (Rollböcken) or transporter wagons (Rollwagen).

Vehicles

There were more than 90 vehicles in the museum's collection in 2006, both standard gauge and metre gauge, built between 1892 and 1957, the vast majority of which were operational.

Amongst them were seven steam locomotives (including the former DR 99 5633 and a Lenz-Typ i), five diesel locomotives (including the former DB Class V 29), six railbuses (including a Wismar railbus, a Wismar (Frankfurt version) and one from the Franzburger Kreisbahn, 28 passenger coaches, 6 luggage and mail vans and numerous goods wagons and works vehicles. The society even has some standard gauge vehicles.

Gallery

In the workshop attached to the museum, increasingly rare skills, such as the rivetting of steam locomotive boilers, are maintained.
The operation and maintenance of the vehicles and installations is mainly carried out by volunteers.

Literature
 "Die Museums-Eisenbahn - Zeitschrift für Kleinbahn-Geschichte", the official organ of Deutscher Eisenbahn-Verein e.V. (DEV). ISSN 0936-4609
 Claas Rehmstedt: Die Fahrzeuge der Museums-Eisenbahn Bruchhausen-Vilsen–Asendorf. Verlag Feld- und Schmalspurbahnen Karl Paskarb, Celle 2005.
 Wolfram Bäumer: Mit Tempo 20 über Land. Bildführer durch das Kleinbahn Museum Bruchhausen-Vilsen. DEV-Kleinbahn-Verlag, Bruchhausen-Vilsen 1995.

Film
 Susanne Mayer-Hagmann: Mit dem Zug durchs... Weserland. Deutschlands erste Museumsbahn wurde 1964 im niedersächsischen Bruchhausen-Vilsen gegründet.. ARTE G.E.I.E./SWR, Deutschland, 2007, 43 Min.

See also
List of railway museums

References

External links

   Official website of the DEV (German and English)
  The museum railway - a journal of Kleinbahn history (German)

Railway museums in Germany
Heritage railways in Germany
Transport in Lower Saxony
History of Lower Saxony
Museums in Lower Saxony
1964 establishments in Germany

Deutscher Eisenbahn-Verein


Steffen Ingebriktsen Toppe (12 October 1902 – 28 July 1979) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.

He was born in Hamre.

Toppe was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hordaland in 1965. He had previously served as a deputy representative in the periods 1958–1961 and 1961–, shortly into which the regular representative Hjalmar Olai Storeide died and was replaced by Toppe. He was not re-elected in 1969.

Toppe was a deputy mayor of Åsane municipality council in 1945–1947, 1947–1951, 1951–1953, 1955–1959 and 1959–1961 with a short spell as mayor in 1954–1955. He was first elected to the municipality council in 1933.

References

1902 births
1979 deaths
Labour Party (Norway) politicians
Members of the Storting
20th-century Norwegian politicians

Steffen Toppe


Eduardo Spohr (born June 1976 in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian journalist, teacher, blogger, podcaster and fantasy and historical fiction writer. He is the author of A Batalha do Apocalipse (The Battle of the Apocalypse in free translation), one of the best selling fiction books of all time in Brazil. Spohr is also widely known as a regular contributor to the popular Brazilian podcast Nerdcast, created by the entertainment website Jovem Nerd.

Biography
Spohr is the son of an airline pilot and a flight attendant and because of that, he had the chance to travel to many countries during his childhood, when he produced his first fictional writings. Although having no religion, his contact with different cultures and the imminence of conflict in the Cold War during his youth, motivated him to write about the end of the world and religion in his book A Batalha do Apocalipse, using aspects and the history of various civilizations in the book plot. Before formally starting his career as a writer, he studied Social Communication and initially dedicated himself to the Advertising industry, but later on switched to his preferred occupation as a journalist. He worked the first years of the 2000s as a reporter, content analyst and editor for the iBest and Click21 portals respectively.

As a contributor to the Joven Nerd website  he published his first book at the Nerdstore, the site's virtual web store, under the label NerdBooks, selling more than 4000 copies, yet without the support of any publisher. In June 2010 the Grupo Editorial Record published A Batalha do Apocalipse under the label Verus, selling, until December of the same year, 50 thousand copies. Soon after, in 2011, released the first book of the Filhos do Éden Series named Filhos do Éden: Herdeiros de Atlântida, later on 2013 released the second title of the series called Filhos do Éden: Anjos da Morte and in October, 2015 released the third title of the series called Filhos do Éden: Paraíso Perdido.

Influences
The list of works of fiction which influenced Eduardo goes from Highlander to The Matrix, through childhood cartoons like Saint Seiya. Regarding the writers the list encompasses Robert E. Howard, J. R. R. Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Garth Ennis, Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft.

Criticism
Eduardo is considered by the world-renowned novelist Paulo Coelho one of the stars of this generation of yet unknown writers to the general public.

Bibliography
 A Batalha do Apocalipse, Verus - 2010;
 Filhos do Éden: Herdeiros de Atlântida, Verus - 2011;
 Protocolo Bluehand: Alienígenas, NerdBooks - 2011;
 Filhos do Éden: Anjos da Morte, Verus - 2013;
 Filhos do Éden: Paraíso Perdido, Verus - 2015;
Filhos do Éden: Universo Expandido, Verus - 2016;
Roma Invicta: Santo Guerreiro, Verus - 2020;

References

1976 births
Living people
Brazilian fantasy writers
Brazilian science fiction writers

Eduardo Spohr


Moi Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Kisumu, Kenya.  It used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Kisumu All Stars F.C. The stadium holds 5,000 people. Gor Mahia has also been playing some of their home games there due to the unavailability of Nairobi's City Stadium.

Football venues in Kenya
Sport in Nyanza Province
Kisumu

Moi Stadium


Fredie Blom (8 May 1904 – 22 August 2020) was a South African supercentenarian and a longevity claimant. Blom had not been officially recognized by the Guinness World Records or the Gerontology Research Group. However he was named by the South African media as the oldest man in the world.

He spent most of his life working as a labourer in the construction sector and on a farm during the apartheid period. He initially worked as a farm worker in Cape Town before joining the construction sector. He was illiterate.

During an interview with the BBC in 2018, he revealed that there was no secret behind his longevity. He revealed that he loved smoking. He was issued a South African government identity document showing his date of birth as May 8, 1904, but the Guinness World Records never officially verified his age.

Blom died on 22 August 2020 at the alleged age of 116 and 106 days.

References

1904 births
2020 deaths
Supercentenarians
People from Cape Town

Fredie Blom


Le Sonnet 83 est l'un des 154 sonnets écrits par le dramaturge et poète William Shakespeare.

Texte original
Texte et typographie originale : INeuer ſaw that you did painting need,
And therefore to your faire no painting ſet,
I found ( or thought I found) you did exceed,
The barren tender of a Poets debt:
And therefore haue I ſlept in your report,
That you your ſelfe being extant well might ſhow,
How farre a moderne quill doth come to ſhort,
Speaking of worth,what worth in you doth grow,
This ſilence for my ſinne you did impute,
Which ſhall be moſt my glory being dombe,
For I impaire not beautie being mute,
When others would giue life,and bring a tombe.
   There liues more life in one of your faire eyes,
   Than both your Poets can in praiſe deuiſe.

Notes et références

Liens externes

Analysis
CliffsNotes

083

Sonnet 83


Ronald Alfred Pickup (7 June 1940 – 24 February 2021) was an English actor. His career began in 1964. He was born in Chester, Cheshire. His best known roles were as Hontar in The Mission (1986), Norman Cousins in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and as Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in Darkest Hour (2017).

Pickup died on 24 February 2021 from a long-illness, aged 80.

References

1940 births
2021 deaths
English movie actors
English television actors
English stage actors
Actors from Cheshire
People from Chester

Ronald Pickup


Blists Hill Victorian Town is an open-air museum built on a former industrial complex located in the Madeley area of Telford, Shropshire, England. The museum attempts to recreate the sights, sounds and smells of a Victorian Shropshire town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is one of ten museums operated by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.

Originally Blists Hill was an industrial region consisting of a brick and tile works, blast furnaces and coal, iron and fire clay mines. The museum was opened in 1973 and has been growing ever since. The museum's buildings fall into one of three categories, buildings that were already part of the industrial site, buildings that represent a generic type and original buildings that have been relocated to the museum.

The museum has three districts, a town area with Victorian era shops such as a bank, bakery, bicycle shop and post office. An industrial district that provided various employment from a blast furnace and wrought iron works and a countryside district with buildings such as a squatters cottage and tin roof church. The museum has been used as a venue for various TV and film programmes including Doctor Who and Blue Peter.

History of the site

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Blists Hill was an industrial region consisting of a brick and tile works, blast furnaces and coal, iron and fire clay mines operated by the Madeley Wood Company. A short section of the Shropshire Canal ran across the site to the Hay Inclined Plane, which transported boats up and down the  tall incline from Blists Hill to Coalport.

Open-air museum

Introduction
Blists Hill Victorian Town, originally called Blists Hill Open Air Museum, was opened in 1973, and has been slowly growing ever since. The museum's buildings fall into one of three categories: buildings that were already part of the industrial site (e.g. the brickworks); buildings that simply represent a generic type (e.g. the sweet shop), some adaptively reusing existing premises on site or being replicas of those still standing elsewhere; and original buildings that have been relocated to the museum (e.g. The New Inn public house, which originally stood between Green Lane and Hospital Street in Walsall).

Each building is staffed by one or more costumed demonstrators, who have been trained in the skills and history of the profession they re-enact. For example, in the printshop, visitors can watch posters and newssheets being printed. The demonstrators normally talk in the third person, referring to the Victorians as "they" or "them" (rather than in the first person "I" or "we" which some similar museums employ): the museum management believes that this allows greater scope for comparing modern techniques with those re-enacted at the museum. Staff may also be seen performing such diverse tasks as operating stationary steam engines, iron founding and mucking out pigs.

The first building visitors see in the museum is the bank (modelled on the still-standing Lloyds Bank branch in Broseley), at which they can change modern coinage into token coinage that represents the predecimal farthings, halfpennies, pennies, threepenny bits and sixpences, at an exchange rate of 40 new pence to 1 old penny. They can then use the token coins as an alternative to modern currency for buying goods whilst visiting the museum (the gift shop at the museum entrance operates only in modern currency).

Town area
The High Street area of the Upper Town has been developed around a London and North Western Railway interchange siding with a plateway which is an original feature of the site. Shops erected on the site include a chemist (with fittings from Bournemouth), butcher (from Ironbridge), grocer (replica of a building from Oakengates), and printer (with equipment from Kington, Herefordshire). Small crafts include an iron foundry, a shoeing smith, bootmaker, locksmith, decorative plasterer (with equipment from Burton upon Trent), builder, and sawmill.

Premises in Quarry Bank include a tallow candle manufactory (from Madeley), a bakery (from Dawley), a physician's surgery (in a Sutherland Estate cottage from Donnington), and a Board School (from Stirchley).

Recent new developments have included the addition of 'Canal Street', which was a new build closely modelled on extant and historic buildings in the Telford area. This area includes a new Fish and Chip Shop, Drapers shop and Post Office, as well as an enlarged Sweet Shop.  A walkway is located at the end of Canal Street, which leads visitors to the ruins of the brick and tile works.  Adjacent to the ruins, and on select days, an operational replica of a steam locomotive designed and built by Richard Trevithick in 1802 runs on a short segment of  narrow gauge track.  The original locomotive was the world's first steam locomotive on rails and was commissioned by the Coalbrookdale Company, which was located nearby (however, no record exists of this locomotive ever being successfully run).  In 2015, the Trevithick Shed was built to house the locomotive when not in use.

Ironworks area

The original Madeley Wood Company blast furnaces produced pig iron from 1832 to 1911. Their remains have been conserved and a blowing engine from the Lilleshall Company's Priorslee Ironworks installed in one of the houses. Nearby are displayed a pair of beam engines from the same location, alongside a wrought iron works using equipment from Thomas Walmsley's Atlas Forge in Bolton in an iron-framed building designed by Rennie for Woolwich Dockyard.

Countryside area
The more remote parts of the site demonstrate natural recolonisation of an industrial landscape. Amongst buildings re-erected in this area are a corrugated iron tin tabernacle, (St Chad's Mission Church from Lodge Bank), a squatter cottage (from Dawley), and a toll house (designed by Telford for the Holyhead Road at Shelton).

New developments
In 2009 a £12 million programme of redevelopment was completed which included the previously discussed buildings on Canal Street, a new World Heritage Visitor Centre, a  narrow gauge Mine Railway, and a  Inclined Lift. The mine railway is intended to represent a 1920s clay mine, although the rolling stock is modern and the mine is formed by a concrete bunker. The inclined lift is entirely modern, and enables visitors with restricted mobility to access the lower part of the site. The project did not fund the restoration of the Scheduled Ancient Monuments and associated archaeological features on the site.

Hay inclined plane

The Hay Inclined Plane is a canal inclined plane with a height of 207 feet that is located on a short stretch of the Shropshire Canal that linked the industrial area of Blists Hill with the River Severn. The inclined plane was in operation from 1792 to 1894 and can be visited as part of the Blists Hill Victorian Town and is also a waypoint on the South Telford Heritage Trail. In operation box-shaped tub boats 20 feet long were taken up and down the plane on twin railway tracks, an empty boat would be loaded into the river at the bottom and a full boat would be loaded into the canal at the top, a rope would connect the two so that gravity would drop the loaded boat down to the river counterbalanced by an empty boat being raised to the canal. At the bottom of the incline the rails went underwater allowing the boats to float free.

Filming location
Blists Hill has been used as a filming location on several occasions. In 1979, the children's television series Blue Peter included an item shot at the museum. The director of the piece subsequently chose it to be the principal filming location for the 1985 Doctor Who serial The Mark of the Rani.  The 1995 film Feast of July was shot at Blists Hill. An episode of Antiques Roadshow was filmed at the location in September 2009. In 2010, Victorian Pharmacy, which was a historical documentary looking at life in the 19th century, used Blists Hill to recreate the scene at an everyday pharmacy.

See also
Beamish Museum
Living museum

References

External links
Blists Hill Victorian Town
Shropshire tourism information
Archaeology in the Ironbridge Gorge

Telford
Museums in Shropshire
Living museums in England
Open-air museums in England
Preserved beam engines
Preserved stationary steam engines
Ironbridge Gorge
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
Blast furnaces in England

Blists Hill Victorian Town


Adel Al Toraifi (Arabic: عادل الطريفي; born 1979) is a Saudi journalist and a specialist in Middle Eastern affairs, focusing on Saudi-Iranian relations and foreign policy decision making in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. He was the minister of culture and information of Saudi Arabia from January 2015 to April 2017.

Early life and education
Al Toraifi was born in 1979. He received a master's degree in international conflict in 2008 from Kingston University, London. He finished his PhD studies in international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2012. The title of his thesis is "Understanding the role of state identity in foreign policy decision-making: the rise of Saudi-Iranian rapprochement (1997-2009)".

Career
Al Toraifi began his journalism career at the beginning of the 2000s as an opinion writer and commentator for many Arabic and foreign newspapers. He published weekly political opinions in Al Riyadh newspaper. He also wrote for Al Watan in 2003. Then he began to write weekly for the opinion pages of Asharq Al-Awsat. In 2010, he became editor-in-chief of The Majalla. In addition to this post, he began to serve as the deputy editor-in-chief for Asharq Al-Awsat in July 2012.

Al Toraifi was named as the chief editor of Asharq Al-Awsat on 11 December 2012 with effect from 1 January 2013, replacing Tariq Alhomayed in the post. He also held his post as editor-in-chief of The Majalla.

One of his main achievements as the editor-in-chief of The Majalla was the launching of the digital version of the magazine in Arabic, English and Persian. On 1 July 2014 he left the post of editor in chief of Asharq Al-Awsat.

Al Toraifi then joined the Al Arabiya television news channel as deputy general manager. On 22 November 2014, he was appointed general manager of Al Arabiya News Channel, replacing Abdulrahman Al Rashed in the post.

On 29 January 2015 Al Toraifi was appointed minister of culture and information of Saudi Arabia. His term ended on 22 April 2017 when Awwad Alawwad was named as the minister of culture and information.

References

External links

20th-century Saudi Arabian people
21st-century Saudi Arabian politicians
1979 births
Alumni of Kingston University
Alumni of the London School of Economics
Culture ministers of Saudi Arabia
Living people
Information ministers of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian journalists

Adel Al Toraifi