10 Myths About Coca-Cola (Which Just Happen To Be True)

If any company exists long enough, they’re inevitably going to inspire rumors and innuendo that they may not be proud of. However, some companies, like Coca-Cola, seem to attract those stories more than others. If corporations were truly people, as Mitt Romney insisted they were, they would all gather round in a bar, and listen to Mr. Coke regale all the wild, yet shockingly true, tales told about him. Such as …

10. The Cola Wars Went To Space

In 1985, NASA approached Coca-Cola about taking their signature project into space. When Pepsi-Co learned about this, they quickly approached NASA about having their product on the same trip. NASA acquiesced, and the experiment was officially dubbed the Carbonated Beverage Dispenser Evaluation Payload.
Unfortunately, the experiment ended up being dubbed a failure by the Challenger crew. The primary reason was, that the drinks appeared to be improperly refrigerated, and did not react well to the pressures of microgravity. At the very least, the astronauts were safe from what Marvin the Martian would have dubbed “an Earth-shattering ka-boom.”

9. Food Network Has A Coke-Based Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Steve Raichlen, author The Barbecue Bible and the Barbecue Bible Sauces, has included a barbecue sauce recipe on the Food Network website that includes just a pinch of Coca Cola. Interestingly, there is no other substitute for Coke listed on the recipe. It is also not recommended to use Diet Coke, Coke Zero, or any other lighter Coke variants. So the next time you get an inspiration, a pig and a poke could easily turn into a pig and a coke.

8. Coke And Beer Helps Give Color Back To Your Lawn

There is a curious “lawn tonic” recipe, designed to make your grass turn from brown to green. At the very least, there are people in western New York that swear by it. Again, the anti-Diet-Coke bigots have reared their ugly heads, and only advise using the real stuff.
The “tonic” is a mixture of common lawn ingredients, as well as beer and soda. It almost makes you wonder how someone came up with this particular recipe. On pure speculation, we’re assuming someone forgot to clean up hangover vomit, and the grass just happened to grow greener on that spot. We can’t back up that theory at all; any of you wild college kids want to give it a test run, be our guest.

7. Coke Deepens Your Tan

Can you imagine our simplistic silliness? All of this time we have been using Coke for the frivolous purpose of drinking it. Apparently, if you are going to spend some time on the Jersey Shore, there exists a more substantive purpose for your beverage of choice. Namely, mix Coca-Cola (again, avoid the diet) with baby oil, and spray liberally-yet-evenly over your body, for a deeper tan. At the very least, you can give mosquitoes a sugary buzz as they drink off of you. After all, aren’t we truly here to help out nature’s creatures?

6. The Coke / Mentos Geyser

Making a Coke geyser might actually be one of the few times you would willingly choose Diet Coke over Coca-Cola Classic. A 2006 episode of Mythbusters showed that Diet Coke would effectively release the carbon dioxide in the Mentos tablets. The resulting chemical reaction gives off a geyser-type effect of Coke out of the bottle. Maybe the reason for using Diet Coke, is because the Classic stuff might just be too precious. It is not determined who exactly came up with this one, but it’s likely the same guy that gave the world “whippets,” and was convinced that Poprocks and Coke killed Mikey.

5. Coke On The Dance Floor

In order to avoid sliding around while filming dance scenes, crews will mop the floor with Coca-Cola. The dried Coke causes the floor to get sticky, and the dancers don’t slide. Apparently, this is done on stage, as well as screen. Honestly, this is kinda like finding out cereal commercials use glue instead of milk, and the actors eat off a top layer.
There are few confirmed sources on whether someone was specifically assigned to clean off all the sticky, disgusting shoes later, so we’re just going to assume that of course there was.

4. Coca-Cola Started Out With Cocaine As An Ingredient

The exact amount is unknown, however Coca-Cola contained at least trace amounts of cocaine until 1903. They weren’t necessarily being evil; cocaine wasn’t banned until 1914. Coca-Cola still uses coca leaves actually, just ones with the cocaine already extracted.
After the cocaine was removed, Coca-Cola stopped being advertised as a curative drug, and began to be marketed as a refreshing beverage. Of course, the exact formula to Coca-Cola is a highly-guarded secret, unknown outside of the company. For all we know, it contains the same secret ingredient found in Krabby Patties. Although, considering the way all of Bikini Bottom lusts over those things, they’re probably laced with cocaine themselves.

3. The 1936 Nazi Olympics, Sponsored By Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola: the official soft drink of Santa, cocaine, and … Nazis? Yes, if you were at the 1936 Olympics, and hoping to have a nice refreshing drink while visualizing a thousand years of blonde-haired, blue-eyed Aryan dominance, then Coke was your official sponsor. Large corporations are often sponsors of athletic events, though the general feeling is that it’s best to do it in countries that actually win wars. However, not everyone can predict such things.

2. The Coca-Cola Curves Poster

In the mid-1980s, Coke was trying to launch an ad campaign for the return of its original glass bottle. The campaign was called “Feel the Curves.” In South Australia, they had to have a total recall of the posters involved, due to a joke done by the graphic artist hired to do the poster. One of the ice cubes features a coke silhouette of a woman performing an *ahem* graphic sexual act. The image was only caught after the posters were released. It cost Coca-Cola $200,000 to recall and reprint the posters, the offending artist lost his job, and the Internet had an instant legend ready to go, for the day it was eventually created.

1. Coke’s Cola War With Israel

Until 1966, Coca-Cola was not sold in Israel. Coke stated that they had tried to open a bottling plant in Israel in 1949, but that the country was too small of a market to open a franchise. However, Cyprus was a tenth the size of Israel, and supported a franchise. When it was discovered that Coca-Cola seemed to be boycotting Israel, Coke did a prompt about-face.
Problem: there was an existing Arab boycott of Israel. Coke’s decision meant that Coke was no longer served in Arab countries, essentially giving Pepsi the market. Pepsi then claimed that Coke was dominating the soft drink marker in Israel, which meant that Pepsi was not sold in Israel until the 1990s. However, Pepsi was never cited in the United States for participating in a boycott.
In essence, for certain parts of the world, the Cola Wars were a Holy War as well. Today, Coke and Pepsi are both sold throughout the Middle East, including Arabian countries and Israel, marking syrupy carbonated sugar water as literally the only thing that region can agree on.

10 Reasons America Should Eat More Like Spain

America is always in a hurry to kill itself. Just observe its eating habits, alienating social practices, and unrelenting facilitators of stress. This doesn’t exist anywhere else, at least not in such seam-bursting concentrations.

Just look at Spain — not perfect, but better. It’s a culture that we should strive to be like in many ways. One way in particular is how Spain eats, where food is less a means to an end as it is a way of life. Here are ten reasons the U.S should eat more like Spain.

10. You Aren’t Expected To Tip the Waiter

Stingy foodies would rejoice over this fact. No more quick mental math, or undue end-of-meal pressure to express to your server, via money, how much you appreciate his existence.
In Spain, unlike America, being a waiter is a skilled profession, and a well-compensated one. Only in America do businesses opportune on loopholes so as to back out of paying legally-provided minimum wages, which aren’t very fantastic by themselves. A survey taken by Payscale.com found the hourly wages of an average server to range as low as $2.73 an hour–which renders most servers’ paychecks obsolete.
In Spain, however, you have to go to proper school to be trained as a server, and it’s regarded as respectably as any other trade. With this in mind, most Spaniards don’t even consider the possibility of tipping, unless they are trying to make a sort of statement (they have cash to flaunt, the food and service was dramatically outstanding, etc.) The only sort of quasi-custom, with regards to tipping, is to leave any left-over change, if the difference is close enough.

9. Groceries Are Cheaper

While many things about Spain are much richer than America (as well as more expensive), the groceries run about 25% less on average there, compared to America. While meats and cheeses tend to cost more than those bought in the US (as do most things appearing on a restaurant menu,) produce and other essentials can be almost half the price of what they’d be in the US. Simply put, it’s easier to be poor in Spain.

8. At Least 5 Meals A Day

The closest thing to a Hobbit’s diet is that of a Spaniard. And you thought America was where all the over-eating took place. Truth is, Spain is a heavy eating culture, and just as much of a snacking one. The typical meal pattern is as follows: first up is breakfast, or “el desayuno,” which is the smallest meal of the day, consisting of coffee and perhaps some (often sweet) bakery goods. Then come “tapas,” or little plates of assorted foods, sort of like hors d’oeuvres, which are eaten in succession until fullness is achieved. Then comes lunch, or “la comida.” This is the largest meal of the day, and sort of an event unto itself.
Before dinner (“cena”,) which is eaten particularly between 9 PM and midnight, is a snack, or “la merienda,” which often involves bread and chocolate, or a type of meat. Dinner is particularly lighter than lunch (which provides the fuel for the day … or inspiration for a good nap.) After dinner is perhaps even more food, usually in the way of a churro and hot chocolate, as a sort of late-night treat. As Spaniards have a knack for staying up late, dinner usually isn’t enough to hold then over until bedtime.

7. Extra Sweet Breakfasts

For those who fancy a good jelly donut in the morning, or other such sugar-loaded, insulin-intensive pastries, Spanish breakfasts will look pretty attractive. For one, hot chocolate is a breakfast standard, but hot chocolate in Spain isn’t of the powdered persuasion as it is here. It is much thicker and richer, akin to a melted chocolate bar in a mug. Actually, it pretty much is just that, with the addition of some milk, sugar, and cornstarch.
They also eat “magdalenas,” which are essentially lemon cupcakes. Another favorite is “torrijas,” a bread pudding topped with sugar and cinnamon or honey. Just the thought incites a thousand toothaches.

6. Shops Close For Long Lunches (And Afternoon Naps)

In America, after-meal naps are usually only socially acceptable in the company of a successfully ravaged Thanksgiving turkey. In Spain, however, this behavior is a daily expectation. In fact, most shops close for several hours in the afternoon, during what’s called “siesta,” where everyone essentially takes a huge time-out. The benefits would be countless if America adopted this system: less crabby, sleep-deprived employees, less car accidents and road rage incidents, more patience, and an overall higher appreciation of life.

5. Free Food With Drinks

Free? Good enough for us! In Spain, it’s a big tradition to bar hop, sampling each patron’s specialty plate, and repeating until indigestion kicks in. Many bars will offer these plates as a complimentary accompaniment to drink orders. Patrons benefit twofold: the food helps absorb the alcohol, and beer/food money merge into one. College kids would lose all inhibition, even moreso than they do already.
Meanwhile, US bars counter by putting out a bowl of community nuts, doing its part to spread illness, one pair of unwashed hands at a time.

4. Variety

Variety is best realized in the concept of “tapas.” Tapas aren’t just one thing; they can be anything. The crux of tapas, which are always served with drinks (and are always plural,) is the miniature-ness of the portions. This just means you can eat any combination of dishes and call it a meal. Sick of the same old chicken and potatoes? Tapas make a veritable adventure out of dining.
Tapas, by the by, are not to be confused with “tablas,” which is where a whole bunch of these little dishes are served all at once, as a sort of sampler platter.

3. Food Brings Spaniards Together

Food is not just food in Spain; it’s a social lubricant. When you go out for tapas and drinks, you are only doing so as an accompaniment to some social activity. Food is made available in the late hours, for those out on the town trying to keep their torches lit. The tradition of siesta is strongly grounded by the fact that such a bountiful lunch is being shared with an even more bountiful family. The food is used just as much as a source of energy, as it is an excuse to slow down and be with the ones you love. As opposed to US culture, which takes pride in the invention of the drive-thru.

2. Home To The Literal Best Chef in the World

Okay, so quality is purely a matter of taste and opinion. There’s something to be said, however, about receiving top billing from several highly-reputed publications, namely the New York Times and Restaurant Magazine. They identified elBulli restaurant, and its head chef Ferran Adria, as the best restaurant and chef in the world respectively. El Bulli (now closed, sadly) was apparently such a big deal that it was only open for half the year (the other half was devoted to Adria perfecting new recipes,) required booking a season in advance, and could only accommodate 8,000 of the 2 million willful diners in any given season.
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the world, some guy is eating Big Mac #50,000,000,000 over a grease-stained white paper bag, completely oblivious to the potential for nuance that his taste buds possess.

1. Incredibly Healthy

Spain is one country in a region, including Greece, Turkey, and Italy, which eats in accordance with a so-called “Mediterranean diet” — which is rich in green vegetables, olive oil, cheese, wine, and seafood. This diet defies processed and packaged foods, disproportionate staples to the American diet.
The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, in stark contrast, have proven tremendous in the way of increasing life expectancy and reducing the risks of diseases like cancer, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes. Surely the American lifestyle, in and of itself, is an inherent contributor to all the aforementioned. After all, your internal organs can only handle so much Cheezy Squeeze and Octuple Baconators, before they inevitably go boom and completely ruin your day.

10 Voice Actors Who Show Up In Everything

Voice acting doesn’t usually bring the level of fame and recognition as the other kind of acting (otherwise known as, well, acting.) Voice actors operate behind the scenes, and the characters they portray are remembered for the character in and of itself, rather than the man or woman who voiced it.

Here are ten voice actors who consistently show up in everything from Saturday morning cartoons to live-action blockbusters, bringing a world of talent and versatility that often goes completely unnoticed.

10. Andy Serkis

The Role You Know: Gollum/Smeagol (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit)
Before Lord of the Rings, Andy Serkis was a relatively unknown stage and television actor working in England. Upon hearing that an upcoming fantasy film was looking for a voice actor, he sent an audition tape to Peter Jackson, and the rest is history. What makes Andy Serkis unique, is that he goes above and beyond simply voicing his characters. From Gollum, to King Kong, to Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the character’s entire style ends up based on him.
He uses motion capture to act out these incredibly difficult parts (like Gollum flopping through a river after a fish in The Two Towers – Andy Serkis actually did that, in freezing waters a few feet from a waterfall.) Everything, down to his facial expressions and eye movements, are used in the final CGI character. Even when the majority of his dialogue is ape grunts and roars, it all comes straight from him.
Fun Fact: Andy Serkis based Gollum’s voice on the way his cats sounded when they hacked up furballs.

9. Tim Curry

The Role You Know: Nigel Thornberry (The Wild Thornberries)
You might recognize the name and, if not, you probably recognize Tim Curry’s face from his roles as the hotel concierge in Home Alone 2 or Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show. But what you might not know is that Tim Curry made his real career in voice acting. His inflective British voice made him the go-to actor for any accent even vaguely un-American.
Maybe you remember Nigel Thornberry in The Wild Thornberries? Or Dr. Sevarius in Gargoyles? MAL in Captain Planet? They were all voiced by none other than the sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania himself, Tim Curry. In addition to those major roles, Curry has also appeared as background characters in dozens of animated shows and films, such as Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Rugrats, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Scooby Doo, Darkwing Duck, Samurai Jack, and Ben 10: Alien Force.
Fun Fact: Tim Curry was the original voice for the Joker in the 1992 Batman Animated Series, but the producers thought his voice was “too scary for kids,” so the role was given to Mark Hamill.

8. Rob Paulsen

The Role You Know: Pinky (Pinky and the Brain)
As you dig down into the grimy underbelly of animated children’s shows, one thing really stands out: All the “actioney” shows recycle the same voice actors over and over again, like a bizarre, family-friendly series of Monty Python sketches. Between The Batman, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Ben 10, practically the only thing that really changes is the character design. And at the center of it all is Rob Paulsen.
Rob Paulsen has been around the block, you might say. He got started with a series of random roles in The Smurfs in 1981, which led to the voicing of Snow Job in every incarnation of G.I. Joe. He then lent his voice talents to such varying shows as Duck Tales, Fraggle Rock, and Animaniacs, where he voiced both Pinky and Yakko.
Some of his more famous voice roles include Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (and Donatello in the 2012 series) and Carl Wheezer from Jimmy Neutron; all said and done, Rob Paulsen has nearly 400 voice acting credits to his name.
Fun Fact: Whenever Jim Carrey isn’t available to re-dub his films for TV, Rob Paulsen takes care of it.

7. Patrick Warburton

The Role You Know: Joe Swanson (Family Guy)
Once you notice Patrick Warburton’s voice, you’ll be able to recognize it almost everywhere. His distinctive manly-and-sort-of-dumb style makes his characters more memorable than some of the shows and films they’re in. Among other roles, he’s probably most famous for Joe Swanson in Family Guy, as well as Kronk in The Emperor’s New Groove and Brock Samson in The Venture Brothers.
Outside of voice acting, he also had recurring roles in Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond, and the currently-running Rules of Engagement.
Fun Fact: Patrick is one out of three people to have voiced Buzz Lightyear.

6. Peter Cullen

The Role You Know: Optimus Prime (Transformers)
First things first, with very few exceptions, Peter Cullen has been the voice – the only voice – of Optimus Prime, from the 1986 animated movie up to the recent Michael Bay films. He’s pretty much inseparable from the character and, although there are some editing effects applied in post-production, it’s mostly his deep, commanding voice you hear booming out of that robot.
Peter Cullen is also the voice of Eeyore, the lovably depressing donkey from Winnie the Pooh, as well as K.A.R.R., from Knight Rider. Basically, and this has been researched, if you were a child in the 80′s, Peter Cullen had more of a direct influence on you than your parents.
Fun Fact: Peter Cullen also voiced the Mogwai in Gremlins. So now it’s official; his larynx owned the ’80s.

5. Clancy Brown

The Role You Know: Mr. Krabs (Spongebob Squarepants)
Quick: name one thing Mr. Krabs from Spongebob has in common with the evil immortal guy from Highlander who kills Sean Connery. If you’ve been reading this list it shouldn’t be that hard: They hate spaghetti. And also, unexpectedly, they’re the same person.
Clancy Brown shows up all over the place, but in those roles where you never really notice him unless you’ve noticed him in the first place. Live-action roles notwithstanding, he has voiced characters in Godzilla, The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack, Teen Titans, and Ben 10, as well as Lex Luthor in no less than four unconnected Batman and Superman series, three animated films, and three video games. His voice is distinctive, but not so distinctive that you could quickly pick it out, which is one of the reasons he’s picked to work on so many shows that run at the same time.
Fun Fact: In The Batman (2004,) Clancy Brown provided the voices for three of the major villains: Mr. Freeze, Lex Luthor, and Bane.

4. John Ratzenberger

The Role You Know: Hamm (Toy Story)
You might also know him everything else Pixar has ever made. John Ratzenberger has at least a small role in all of the feature films made by Pixar. Think of his voice as Hamm in the Toy Story films. Now try to picture that coming out of the circus flea in A Bug’s Life, or Underminder in The Incredibles, or John in WALL-E, or the construction worker at the beginning of Up that apologizes for the need to tear the old man’s house down. Once you know about Ratzenberger, you’re almost waiting for him each time Pixar makes a new movie.
In an interview, the director of Toy Story, Andrew Stanton, said that they had only planned to use John Ratzenberger in the one film, but the voice cast was out drinking one night and, “he was so much fun, I remember saying, ‘Let’s have him be in a film again.’” And so a legend began that’s equal parts in-joke and running tribute. Including their most recent film, Brave, John Ratzenberger has been a voice actor in all 13 of Pixar’s movies.
Fun Fact: Played Major Derlin in Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back.

3. Dee Bradley Baker

The Role You Know: Klaus (American Dad!)
Dee Bradley Baker is currently one of the most versatile voice actors in television. He’s been involved in over 100 episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, 122 episodes of Spongebob Squarepants, almost 60 episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and chances are you’ve never even paid attention to anything he’s said. That’s because the majority of his roles aren’t even human characters: Dee Bradley Baker is responsible for the majority of animal and alien sounds in animated shows today. And it’s not like he has a zoo in his backyard – he makes all the sounds himself. His website has some bizarre clips of his sample work, where you can hear him roar like a bear, whine like a dog, or grunt and snort like two monsters fighting.
Fun Fact: His other work includes such versatile roles as Klaus the German fish in American Dad! and the Gravemind in the Halo 3 video game.

2. Mel Blanc

The Role You Know: Bugs Bunny
The period between roughly 1930 and the late 1960′s is often referred to as the “Golden Age of American Animation.” It was during these years that we were introduced to Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, and Marvin the Martian, and later shows like The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Harvey Birdman (before he became an attorney,) and all the other stuff your parents watched when they were children.
What you didn’t know is that, like, all of them were voiced by the same person, a man named Mel Blanc. For starters, he WAS Looney Tunes: Speedy Gonzales, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester and Tweety, Porky Pig, Daffy, Bugs Bunny, Pepe le Pew, and Marvin the Martian. Episodes basically consisted of Mel Blanc talking to himself for eight minutes straight.
Later he voiced another now-famous role as Barney Rubble in The Flintstones, and he continued working until his death in 1989.
Fun Fact: It’s estimated that, at the time of his death, 20 million people were hearing Mel Blanc’s voice every single day.

1. Frank Welker

The Role You Know: Megatron (Transformers)
The undisputed heavyweight champion of voiceovers, Frank Welker has 682 voice acting credits under his name. Frank Welker started voicing Megatron in the 1986 Transformers film, and has even voiced Megatron in some Robot Chicken episodes. In the most recent Transformers films he voiced the role of Shockwave, because Michael Bay felt he didn’t have the right voice for Megatron.
Like Dee Bradley Baker, Frank Welker is also well known for his animal sounds. In another mind-blowing connection, he voiced both Abu in Aladdin (he also voiced the Cave of Wonders) and Nibbler in Futurama. Overall, Welker has been involved in more than 90 films, collectively grossing over $12 billion, which makes him the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood. That’s right, even more than those actors who actually, you know, act.

10 Royal Saints

Many Christians are familiar with such famous martyred saints as Joan of Arc, but a number of other influential saints are not known for being martyred. These saints’ claim to fame comes largely from their positions as king or queens. This list covers the ten most historically significant monarchs canonized by a Christian church. These men and women accomplished a great deal for Christianity and the well-fare of their people and, even today, appear on everything from coins, to being the namesakes of churches, cities, and schools around the world.

10. St. Balthild of Ascania (626 – January 30, 680)

Bathild, whose name means “bold sword” or “bold spear,” was canonized by Pope Nicholas I, around 880. This wife of King Clovis II is known for many praiseworthy attributes, from her physical beauty to her humble and modest nature. According to the hagiographic accounts of her life, she was concerned for others to such an extent, that she contributed to charity and offered donations that helped establish a number of abbeys in her kingdom.
What makes her story especially remarkable is that, earlier in her life, she was sold into slavery prior. King Clovis, however, became smitten with this household servant and married her, despite her lower place in society. Balthild is admired for not forgetting her earlier plight, and for doing what she could to help the downtrodden when she was in a position to do so. She worked to abolish selling Christians as slaves, and to free children sold into slavery. Given how long it took even modern Enlightened societies to abolish slavery (Britain in 1833, France in 1848, and the United States of America in 1865,) her anti-slavery practices nearly 1,500 years ago are all the more remarkable and commendable.

9. St. Charles I (November 19, 1600 – January 30, 1649)

Charles, the controversial King of England and Ireland, as well as King of the Scots from March 27, 1625 to January 30, 1649, is noteworthy as the only saint canonized by the Church of England after the Reformation. He is also the only martyr to appear in this article, due to his less positive claim to fame: being the only king of England publicly beheaded. Charles is known for reigning in such a way that he alienated Puritans in his country. He tried to rule without Parliament, raised taxes through loopholes, attempted to impose a common prayer book on Scotland, and married a French Catholic.
After Scotland invaded England, a civil war erupted against him, led by the ultimately victorious Oliver Cromwell. Yet, Cromwell’s reign was arguably even more brutal than Charles’s. Cromwell, who once said of his opponents, “You have no other way to deal with these men but to break them in pieces,” abolished the monarchy and Parliament, banned critical newspapers, re-conquered Scotland, subdued Ireland, suppressed Catholicism, and made himself Lord Protector. After his death, his son became the new Lord Protector of something that was allegedly not a monarchy. So, the former members of Parliament invited Charles’s son to come to England as its king in 1660. Cromwell’s body was exhumed, and his head was cut off and put on public display. Charles I, meanwhile, became regarded as a martyr, and England has remained a monarchy to this day.

8. St. Edward the Confessor (1003–05 to January 5, 1066)

St. Edward, who reigned from June 8, 1042 to January 5, 1066, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England from the house of Wessex. The year of his death should be recognizable to most people as the year of the Norman invasion. The pious Edward was the son of Emma of Normandy, great-aunt of William the Conqueror. His significance for Christian history is that he was the first Anglo-Saxon, and the only English king to be officially canonized by the Catholic Church, in 1161. His feast day is October 13, and he is venerated as a patron saint of difficult marriages.

7. St. Emma Kalanikaumakaamano Kaleleonalani Na’ea Rooke (January 2, 1836 – April 25, 1885)

St. Emma easily wins the contest for most bodacious saint name of all time, part of which means “flight of the heavenly one.” Well before Hawaii became a U.S. state, it was an independent monarchy, and Emma served as Queen Consort of Hawaii from June 19, 1856, to November 30, 1863. During her lifetime, she met with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, who had become godmother to Emma’s son. Emma founded Saint Andrew’s School for Girls and also The Queen’s Hospital, where she personally visited patients on a regular basis. She played a major role in helping to establish the Church of England in her island kingdom, was baptized in 1862, and is now honored with a feast day on November 28 by the Episcopal Church.

6. St. Jadwiga (1373/4 – July 17, 1399)

Jadwiga, although a woman, reigned as King, rather than Queen, of Poland from October 16, 1384 to July 17, 1399. the reason for this is because she was not merely the wife of a reigning king, but rather royalty in her own right. She is one of Poland’s most important monarchs. She learned at least six languages (Latin, Bosnian, Hungarian, Serbian, Polish and German,) and was known for her charity. Appropriately enough, Polish-born Pope John Paul II canonized her in 1997. She is now venerated as the patron saint of queens, and a united Europe.

5. St. Louis IX (April 25, 1214 – August 25, 1270)

Louis IX reigned as King of France from November 8, 1226 to August 25, 1270. A patron of the arts, Louis is unfortunately best known for his participation in the Crusades. The two Crusades he participated in (the Seventh in 1248, and the Eighth in 1270) were disasters. During the Seventh Crusade, Muslim forces captured Louis. During the Eighth Crusade, he died. Yet, despite these failures, back in his kingdom of France, his country enjoyed the “Golden Century of Saint Louis,” due to its artistic and architectural achievements as well, as the size of its military. Pope Boniface VIII canonized Louis in 1297, and Louis became the patron saint of the Third Order of St. Francis, France, the French monarchy, hairdressers, and lacemakers (that’s quite the mouthful!)

4. St. Clotilde (475–545)

Clotilde, in her role as wife of Frankish king Clovis I, held the title of Queen of All the Franks. It is perhaps fitting then, that both the wives of Clovis I and Clovis II would become saints. Clotilde is unquestionably one of the most significant women of the Dark Ages, due in large part to her influence on her more-famous husband. For one thing, she played a critical role in her husband’s conversion to Christianity. Her husband had prayed that, if his wife’s God helped him in battle against the Alamanni, he would be baptized. He did indeed win the decisive Battle of Tolbiac in 496, and kept his half of the bargain. This conversion had considerable significance, given France’s long history as a Catholic country for the next 1,500+ years!  She is the patron saint of queens, widows, brides adopted children, parents, the lame, and even those in exile.

3. St. Alfred the Great (849 – October 26, 899)

Alfred reigned as King of Wessex, the most important kingdom in Dark Ages Britain, from April 23, 871 to October 26, 899. During his reign, Alfred was made Roman consul by Pope Leo IV around 853, made London a metropolis and, according to legend, founded Oxford University in 882. He also defeated the Great Heathen Army, a Viking army from Denmark, at the battle of Edington in 878. Alfred ultimately became the first king in Great Britain to style himself as “King of the Anglo-Saxons.”
Some Catholics regard him as a saint, despite never officially being recognized as such by the Roman Catholic Church. He is, however, venerated by The Anglican Communion. His feast day is October 26.

2. St. Stephen I (967 /969/975 – August 15, 1038)

Stephen I reigned as the first King of Hungary from 1001 to 1038. If being the first king of a country is not significant enough in its own right, he also played a major role in spreading Christianity in the region over which he ruled. Not long after his death, King Stephen became Saint Stephen, canonized by Pope Gregory VII on August 20, 1083. As such, to Hungarians the world over, he is one of their most popular saints, with his feast day celebrated as a national holiday. In 1811, renowned composer Ludwig van Beethoven even composed a commemorative work honoring the great king.

1. St. Charlemagne (c. 742 – January 28, 814)

Charlemagne reigned as King of the Franks from October 9, 768, until his death on January 28, 814. He was also King of the Lombards from July 10, 774 until his death. During his long reign, Charlemagne accomplished so many significant achievements that he is known as the “Father of Europe.” He restored the Roman Empire in the West when he became the first “Holy Roman Emperor,” by being crowned by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day of 800. This title lasted for over a thousand years, until 1806.
He also ushered in the Carolingian Renaissance, which included the building of his palace in Aachen, and the support of such intellectual writers as Einhard and Alcuin. He won numerous military victories, and even nearly married the East Roman Empress Irene. As such, Charlemagne is by far the most influential king or queen ever canonized as a saint.
Yet, in his case, the canonization is not officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Why not? Well, because the man who canonized Charlemagne in 1165 was Antipope Paschal III, who reigned in opposition to the legitimate pope, Alexander III.

10 Most Important Hip-Hop Collaborations Of All Time

As hip-hop continues to evolve, and change the way we view urban life, there are a few things that will never change. Collaborations in hip-hop are still found around almost every corner, but very few influence a generation. The following collaborations did just that; they inspired people, both creators and listeners, and helped shape the genre of hip-hop for years after their release.

10. The What (Notorious BIG & Method Man)

“The What” was a track on Biggie’s first major studio album, Ready to Die. At the time of the release, Bad Boy Records was known for its R&B artists, and the West Coast was known for a more hardcore rap scene. In the midst of all of this, there was a precocious Christopher Wallace, who decided he would not have a single collaboration on his LP … with the exception of Def Jam’s newest artist, Method Man. Biggie approached Meth in a club, and history was made. This influenced the many fans of Biggie to learn more about Method Man, and vice-versa. The two artists demonstrated completely different styles, and the combined production and lyrical flow was way ahead of its time.

9. Notorious Thugz (Bone Thugz-n-Harmony & Notorious BIG)

Grammy-winning group Bone Thugz-n-Harmony will forever be remembered as the first group to mix rap with harmony. This particular collaboration not only set records on the charts, it actually made a mark in history that will never be done again. After the release of “Notorious Thugz,” Bone Thugz became the first (and last) hip-hop group to collaborate with both the Biggie & Tupac Shakur, while they were still alive. “Thug Luv” is the name of the Tupac & Bone collaboration. However, the success of that song did not outdo the success of Notorious Thugz.

8. Black Republican (Nas & Jay-Z)

After the death of Tupac and Biggie, collaborations in the hip-hop community were scarce. They became restricted, if you will, to artists of the same label, same area, and same family. However, rap beef began to escalate between many artists. In 1998, Jay-Z dropped his first platinum album Volume 2: Hard Knock Life. Nas was looked upon as a hip-hop icon, and master lyricist. As both artists were from New York, the race began to crown the king of the state. Since Hard Knock Life, each of Jay-Z’s album have gone platinum, while Nas’s have dwindled in sales. The duo went back and forth with their rivalry until Stillmatic was released in 2001, which included the Jay-Z dis track “Ether.” Jay-Z would never respond with a track hard enough to proclaim the “Takeover,” like he said he would prior to the release of “Ether.”
In 2006, Nas signed with Roc-A-Fella Records, and recorded the track “Black Republican,” with his now friend and co-worker, Jay-Z. In Jay’s verse, he speaks slightly on the two’s relationship over the years, and gives respect to the MC he once rivaled.

7. The Worst (Wu-Tang Clan & Onyx)

In a track that contains over six artist performances, this song, and it’s video, is very relevant in the hip hop world. In the video’s future dystopia, all forms of hip-hop have been banned. Whoever is caught doing any kind of hip-hop is either killed, or arrested on the spot. Wu-Tang Clan, representing Staten Island, and Onyx, representing South Jamaica Queens, got together on the six-minute track full of hard bars, over a classic repetitive hard beat. Running anchor on the track is Sticky Fingaz and Method Man, going back and forth while rhyming together. Method Man and Sticky Fingaz are respectively the most famous members of of each group. This track was very important to hip hop, as it was not quickly dated like many of the pop-rap collaborations of this generation.

6. Swagga Like Us (T.I., Kanye West, Jay-Z, & Lil’ Wayne)

When your career peaks in hip-hop, most artists tend to do one last act of kindness, so to speak, to let their fans know they’re still relevant to an entire generation. Before T.I. was sent to prison on gun charges, he dropped Paper Trail, an album certified Platinum. There was a chance, during his stay at Club Fed, that he would not maintain his hierarchy while many other southern hip-hop artists were on the rise. After self-proclaiming himself the Jay-Z of the South, he treated all of his fans to one of the greatest collaborations in hip hop history, even being performed on the 2009 Grammys. That song was “Swagga Like Us” featuring hip-hop’s most prominent, and dominant, artists of the time.

5. 4, 3, 2, 1 (LL Cool J, Method Man, Redman, DMX, Canibus, & Master P)

This collaboration came at a great period in hip-hop. Southern hip-hop was becoming well-known for its slow, drawling style, while the North was still dominating the charts. LL Cool J, who had long peaked, and who was starting to come down in his music career, blessed his fans by collaborating with classic rappers like Redman and Method Man, along with upcoming stars like DMX & Canibus. Also adding his own Southern flavor to the song was Master P.
This is an important event in hip-hop, as it marked the point where battle rap and hip-hop were welded together, between Canibus and LL Cool J. Canibus dropped his verse and, after hearing it, LL decided to drop a different verse that seemingly attacked the young artist. LL was offended by a bar noting his famous microphone tattoo. Despite the downfall of Cannibus in recent years, this collaboration is still one for the history books.

4. Big Pimpin’ (Jay-Z & UGK)

Being the HNIC (look it up) in your city is important when proclaiming yourself as part of the top tier of hip-hop. And when you can name yourself after God, you must have a nice cult following. However, in this collaboration, it was the Southern artists who made themselves the leaders. While this is a Jay-Z song, Bun B and Pimp-C made it work. This marks one of the initial stages of the Southern movement to the mainstream. Southern music has always been popular, but it was mainly popular in their respective states, with few shining through elsewhere until the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

3. Can’t Deny It (Fabolous & Nate Dogg)

East Coast/West Coast beef was, and still is, blamed for the death of Tupac and Biggie. However, in this track, you see Brooklyn native Fabolous colab with Long Beach native Nate Dogg, in a commercial hip-hop track that sent the New Yorker to the top of the charts. Gaining so much recognition for his punch lines, similes and metaphors, it was Nate Dogg’s unique voice, and Tupac sample, that made the track impossible to get out of your head.

2. Maybach Music Series (Rick Ross & Various Artists)

It’s an entire series of songs, but the sheer number of great artists that have appeared on the Maybach Music Series that Rick Ross has put together, is mind-blowing. Featuring the likes of Jadakiss, T.I., T-Pain, Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, Lil’ Wayne, & Ne-Yo, and using what sounds like actual instruments such as violins and pianos, Rick Ross adds real luxury to hip-hop with these tunes.

1. Where Brooklyn At (Notorious BIG & 2Pac)

This live freestyle between Biggie and Tupac, two of the all-time greats, is one that will forever be remembered by fans of either artist. Over a steady back drop beat, the two go on for about 20 bars, amplifying an already-excited crowd. It’s so electrifying, in fact, that it has shown up on many, if not all, of the “Best Of” mixtapes from Biggie and Pac over the years, despite it being “only” an impromptu freestyle.