 After 1805 , the exploits of 40 @,@ 000 French , Russian , and Austrian soldiers excited the European imagination . General Schmitt 's grave has never been found , but in 1811 a monument for him was erected at the Stein Tor , the gate leading from the old village of Krems to the hamlet of Stein . The house in which Captain von Stiebar lived was marked with a bronze plate commemorating his contribution to the battle . In 1840 , a Spanish lithographer created an image of the battle , which was later expanded by English lithographer John Outhwaite . The image depicts the evacuation of French troops via the Danube flotilla ( see Infobox image ) on a moonlit night . In fact , the moon was in its last quarter phase 48 hours later , and on 11 November probably did not provide as much light as depicted in the image . 
 In 1836 , Jean Antoine Siméon Fort ( French , 1793 – 1861 ) , a historical painter , created a watercolor of the battle , Combat de Dürnstein le 11 novembre 1805 ( ( English ) Battle of Dürenstein of 11 November 1805 ) , which is in the Trianon collection at Versailles . 
 In the Russian novel War and Peace , Leo Tolstoy devoted several pages to the battle , its prelude , and its aftermath , and the delivery of its news to the Tsar by Prince Andrew . Between Dürenstein and Rossatz , at the edge of the Loiben plain , stands the " Little Frenchman " memorial ( see image ) erected in 1905 to commemorate the battle ; it bears the names of Mortier , Gazan , Kutuzov , Schmitt , and others on a copper @-@ engraved plate . 

 = = Orders of battle = = 


 = = = French VIII . Corps ( Corps Mortier ) = = = 

 On 6 November , Édouard Adolphe Mortier commanded the following forces : 
 1st Division under command of Pierre Dupont de l 'Étang ( formerly 1st Division of VI . Corps ) , six battalions , three squadrons , and three guns , most of which were involved in the fighting after mid @-@ day . 
 2nd Division under command of Honoré Théodore Maxime Gazan de la Peyrière ( formerly 2nd Division of the V. Corps ) , nine battalions , three squadrons , three guns . 
 3rd Division under command of Jean @-@ Baptiste Dumonceau ( Batavian Division , formerly 3rd Division of the II . Corps ) . The 3rd Division was not involved in the fighting . 
 Dragoon Division under command of Louis Klein . Klein 's division included the 1st , 2nd , 4th , and 14th Regiments of Dragoons . They were not involved in the fighting . 
 Danube fleet of fifty boats , under the command of Frigate Captain Lostange . 
 Total : fifteen battalions , six squadrons , six guns , approximately 12 @,@ 000 men , not all of which were involved in the fighting . 

 = = = Coalition columns = = = 

 First Column , commanded by General of Brigade Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration , included three battalions of infantry , three grenadier battalions , and three Jäger battalions , ten squadrons of Hussars . 
 Second Column , Lieutenant General Essen , included six battalions of infantry , three battalions of grenadiers , and five squadrons of Hussars . 
 Third Column , commanded by Lieutenant General Dokhturov , including six battalions of infantry , one battalion from the 8th Jäger regiment , and ten squadrons of the Hussar Regiment Mariupol . 
 Fourth Column , commanded by Lieutenant General Schepelev , nine battalions of infantry . 
 Fifth Column , Lieutenant General Freiherr von Maltitz , nine battalions of infantry . 
 Sixth Column , Lieutenant General Freiherr von Rosen , with six battalions of Infantry and ten squadrons of cavalry . The Sixth Column did not take part in the fighting . 
 Austrian Infantry Brigade , Major General Johann Nepomuk von Nostitz @-@ Rieneck , four battalions of Border Infantry , including the highly decorated 9th Regiment Peterwardeiner . 
 Austrian Cavalry Division , Lieutenant Field Marshal Friedrich Karl Wilhelm , Fürst zu Hohenlohe , twenty @-@ two squadrons of cavalry . 
 Total : fifty @-@ eight battalions , sixty @-@ two squadrons , fourteen artillery batteries , approximately 24 @,@ 000 men and 168 guns . 


 = Brock Lesnar = 

 Brock Edward Lesnar / ˈlɛznər / ( born July 12 , 1977 ) is an American Canadian professional wrestler , mixed martial artist , and former amateur wrestler and professional American football player . He is currently signed to WWE on the Raw brand . He is a four @-@ time WWE ( World Heavyweight ) Champion , a former UFC Heavyweight Champion , and an NCAA Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion . He is also a one @-@ time IWGP Heavyweight Champion , making him a five @-@ time world champion in professional wrestling . As of July 14 , 2016 , he is # 8 in official UFC heavyweight rankings . 
 After his successful amateur wrestling career at Bismarck State College and the University of Minnesota ( 106 wins and 5 losses ) , Lesnar signed with WWE ( then the World Wrestling Federation ) in 2000 . He was assigned to its developmental promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) , where he was a three @-@ time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion with Shelton Benjamin . After debuting on WWE 's main roster in 2002 , he won the WWE Championship on three separate occasions with victories over The Rock and Kurt Angle ( twice ) . Lesnar won his first WWE Undisputed Championship five months after his main roster debut at the age of 25 , becoming the youngest champion in the title 's history . He was also the 2002 King of the Ring and the 2003 Royal Rumble winner , making him the youngest King of the Ring and Royal Rumble winner as well . Following his match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX , Lesnar left the WWE and pursued a career in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was named a defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings but was cut prior to the start of the 2004 – 05 season . In 2005 , Lesnar returned to professional wrestling and signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling ( NJPW ) , where he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in his first match . After a contractual dispute with NJPW , he also wrestled as IWGP Heavyweight Champion in the Inoki Genome Federation ( IGF ) . 
 In 2006 , Lesnar pursued a career in mixed martial arts . He signed with Hero 's and won his first fight , against Min @-@ Soo Kim , in June 2007 . He then signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( UFC ) the following October . Lesnar lost in his UFC debut against Frank Mir and then won his second fight against Heath Herring . In November 2008 , Lesnar defeated Randy Couture to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion . Shortly after a successful title defense in a rematch with Mir , Lesnar was sidelined due to diverticulitis . He would return at UFC 116 to defeat Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin and unify the heavyweight championships , becoming the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion . Lesnar then lost the championship to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 . In 2011 , he was once again sidelined due to diverticulitis and underwent surgery . Lesnar returned at UFC 141 in December , losing to Alistair Overeem and promptly retiring from MMA . Lesnar was a box office sensation in UFC . He took part in a few of the best selling pay @-@ per @-@ views in UFC history , including UFC 100 and UFC 200 . 
 In April 2012 , Lesnar once again returned to professional wrestling , rejoining WWE after an eight @-@ year hiatus . Two years later , at WrestleMania XXX , Lesnar defeated The Undertaker to end his undefeated streak at the premier annual event . Lesnar has been managed by Paul Heyman throughout the majority of his professional wrestling career . He has headlined numerous pay @-@ per @-@ view events for both the WWE and UFC , including WrestleMania XIX , WrestleMania 31 , UFC 100 , and UFC 116 . In 2015 , an ESPN.com article referred to Lesnar as " the most accomplished athlete in pro wrestling history " . 

 = = Early life = = 

 Lesnar was born in Webster , South Dakota , on July 12 , 1977 . He was raised on a Webster dairy farm owned by his parents , Stephanie and Richard Lesnar . He is of German descent . He has two older brothers named Troy and Chad , and a younger sister named Brandi . At age 17 , he joined the National Guard , where he was assigned to an office job after his red @-@ green colorblindness was deemed hazardous to his desire to work with explosives . He lost this job after failing a computer typing test , and later worked for a construction company . 
 Lesnar attended Webster High School , where he played football and competed in amateur wrestling , placing third in the state championships his senior year . He then attended Bismarck State College , where he won the National Junior College Athletic Association ( NJCAA ) heavyweight wrestling championship in his sophomore year . He transferred to the University of Minnesota on a wrestling scholarship for his junior and senior college years . There , he was roommates with future WWE colleague Shelton Benjamin , who was also his assistant coach . 
 Lesnar won the 2000 National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I heavyweight wrestling championship his senior year after being the runner @-@ up to Stephen Neal the year prior . He finished his amateur career as a two @-@ time NJCAA All @-@ American , the 1998 NJCAA Heavyweight Champion , two @-@ time NCAA All @-@ American , two @-@ time Big Ten Conference Champion , and the 2000 NCAA Heavyweight Champion , with a record of 106 – 5 overall in four years of college . 

 = = Professional wrestling career = = 


 = = = World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment = = = 


 = = = = Training and debut ( 2000 – 2002 ) = = = = 

 In 2000 , Lesnar signed with the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) . He was sent to its developmental territory , Ohio Valley Wrestling . There , Lesnar first met future friend and manager Paul Heyman . He formed a tag team known as " The Minnesota Stretching Crew " with his former college roommate , Shelton Benjamin . Lesnar and Benjamin won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship on three separate occasions . Lesnar wrestled several dark matches in 2001 and 2002 before being called up to the main roster . 
 Lesnar debuted on WWF television on the March 18 , 2002 , episode of Raw , coming through the crowd and attacking Al Snow , Maven and Spike Dudley during their match . He was accompanied by Paul Heyman , who was seen giving instructions to Lesnar . When the brand extension was introduced in the WWF , Lesnar was drafted to the Raw brand . Later , Heyman was confirmed to be Lesnar 's agent and gave Lesnar the nickname " The Next Big Thing " . Lesnar 's first feud was with the Hardy Boyz . Lesnar and Jeff Hardy squared off at Backlash in Lesnar 's first official televised match . He won the match by knockout after Hardy was unable to respond to referee Theodore Long . The next night on Raw , Lesnar faced off against Jeff Hardy 's brother , Matt Hardy , and defeated him in the same fashion . 

 = = = = WWE Championship reigns ( 2002 – 2004 ) = = = = 

 In June 2002 , Lesnar won the King of the Ring tournament , defeating Bubba Ray Dudley in the first round , Booker T in the quarter @-@ finals , Test in the semi @-@ finals , and Rob Van Dam in the finals , earning him a shot at the WWE Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam . On July 22 , Lesnar joined the SmackDown ! brand . After a quick feud with Hollywood Hulk Hogan in August 2002 , Lesnar defeated WWE Undisputed Champion , The Rock at SummerSlam to become the WWE Undisputed Champion and youngest WWE Champion at age 25 , a record previously held by The Rock . He also became the second fastest wrestler to win the WWE Championship since his debut ( 126 days ) behind only Ric Flair ( 113 days ) . At the time , the Undisputed WWE Championship was being defended on both brands , so Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff expected Lesnar to return to Raw the following night . However , SmackDown ! General Manager Stephanie McMahon announced that Lesnar was only required to defend the title on SmackDown ! , forcing Bischoff to institute a new championship for Raw ( the World Heavyweight Championship ) . The WWE Undisputed Championship was then renamed the WWE Championship . 
 Lesnar 's rapid rise to the top of WWE in 2002 led to a feud with The Undertaker , which involved a match at Unforgiven . The match ended in a double disqualification resulting in Lesnar retaining the title . Lesnar faced The Undertaker again , at No Mercy , this time in a Hell in a Cell match . Leading up to the match , in the storyline , Lesnar broke the Undertaker 's hand with a propane tank . Despite Heyman begging McMahon not to let The Undertaker use his cast as a weapon , the request was denied and the match went on as planned . In a match that saw both wrestlers and even Heyman covered in blood , it ended when Lesnar reversed an attempted Tombstone Piledriver into his finishing F @-@ 5 maneuver for the win . Six days after his Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker , Lesnar successfully retained his WWE title in a handicap match with Heyman at the Rebellion pay @-@ per @-@ view against Edge . 
 Lesnar 's next opponent was Big Show . Heyman was convinced more than anyone that Lesnar could not win , trying to talk him out of defending the title . Lesnar refused and faced Big Show in Madison Square Garden at the Survivor Series pay @-@ per @-@ view . Towards the end of the match , Lesnar delivered an F @-@ 5 to Big Show , but when he went for the pin , Heyman pulled the referee out of the ring . This allowed Big Show to capitalize and proceeded to chokeslam Lesnar on a steel chair . Show went on to pin Lesnar and win the title . This loss was Lesnar 's first pinfall loss in WWE and led Lesnar to turn for the first time in his career into a fan favorite . Following Survivor Series , Heyman made it clear that Lesnar would not get a rematch , and had snuck a special clause saying so into his contract . In order to gain his revenge on Big Show and Heyman , Lesnar interfered in his first title defense , which came against Kurt Angle the next month at Armageddon . Lesnar hit the F @-@ 5 on the champion , which enabled Angle to pin him and win the title . On the following episode of SmackDown ! , however , Angle introduced Heyman as his manager and , despite promising Lesnar a title shot earlier in the evening , declared that Lesnar still would not get it . Lesnar was beaten down by Big Show and Angle after the main event , but would get his revenge after the show went off the air . He eventually knocked the Big Show out with a steel chair , leaving Angle alone with Lesnar . Lesnar then chased the champion out of the ring and resumed his assault that culminated when Lesnar used the F @-@ 5 to propel Angle 's right knee into the steel ringpost . As paramedics tended to a screaming Angle , Lesnar finished off the assault with a kneebreaker on the ringside barricade , breaking the champion 's leg in storyline . 
 With Angle temporarily put out of action , Lesnar 's rivalry with Heyman and the Big Show resumed , which culminated in a match at the Royal Rumble in January 2003 with the winner being placed into the Royal Rumble later in the evening . Lesnar would defeat Big Show and entered the Royal Rumble as the # 29 entry , the second to last competitor to enter the match . He eliminated Matt Hardy and The World 's Greatest Tag Team , which was composed of Charlie Haas and his former OVW teammate , Shelton Benjamin , who were mentored by Angle . Lesnar would then eliminate The Undertaker last and win the Royal Rumble , which guaranteed him a title match at WrestleMania XIX . 
 After the Royal Rumble , Lesnar and Chris Benoit faced off against Angle , Haas , and Benjamin at No Way Out the following month and Lesnar 's team won the match . During the match at WrestleMania , Lesnar botched a shooting star press , a move he 'd done numerous times in developmental matches , and jammed his head and neck . This stunned Lesnar and forced Angle and Lesnar to improvise the finish of the match . Lesnar would defeat Angle , after delivering an F @-@ 5 , to win his second WWE Championship . Lesnar was diagnosed with a legitimate concussion from the botched shooting star press . 
 After WrestleMania , Lesnar turned his attention to John Cena , who had returned from injury in February 2003 and who had been F @-@ 5'd into a ringpost in the same manner Angle had been . Cena claimed Lesnar nearly ended his career and even named his new finishing move the " F.U. " as a jab at the new champion . The feud ended in a match at Backlash when Lesnar defeated Cena . On the following episode of SmackDown ! , Lesnar returned to his rivalry with Big Show after he injured Rey Mysterio badly during their match at Backlash . Show 's attack resulted in Mysterio being carried out on a stretcher and back board and Big Show took Mysterio off the stretcher and swung the back board into the ringpost , compounding the injury . Lesnar called out the Big Show , who demanded that Lesnar put his title on the line against him . This led to a stretcher match at Judgment Day for the title . Lesnar successfully retained his title with help from Rey Mysterio and a forklift . During the scripted rivalry , on SmackDown , Lesnar lifted Big Show off the top @-@ rope in a superplex which caused the ring to collapse on impact . 
 As Lesnar and Big Show continued their rivalry , Kurt Angle returned from his neck surgery and he and Lesnar began to form a more friendly rivalry , as the two were allies yet contenders for the title . At the first ever SmackDown brand @-@ exclusive pay @-@ per @-@ view in July , Vengeance , Lesnar took on Angle and Big Show in a No Disqualification triple threat match for his title , which ended after Angle hit the Angle Slam on both Big Show and Lesnar , pinning the champion to become WWE Champion for a fourth time . 
 Lesnar continued to aggressively pursue the WWE title despite his friendship with Angle . Mr. McMahon found his way into the angle , at first berating Lesnar , who had involved himself in McMahon 's rivalry with Zach Gowen , for losing to Angle . This all turned out to be a swerve that came into focus on the August 7 , 2003 SmackDown ! in Kelowna , British Columbia . That night , Lesnar and McMahon were to face each other in a steel cage match with Angle as the special guest referee as per McMahon 's orders on the previous week 's program . During the match , Lesnar had passed out due to a staged backstage incident and McMahon was set to pin him , but Angle refused to allow McMahon to win that way . As the two men began to argue , Lesnar rose to his feet , revealing the ruse to the crowd , and F @-@ 5'd Angle . He then brutally beat Angle while McMahon watched , and celebrated with him afterwards , turning heel in the process . At SummerSlam , Lesnar lost to Angle when Angle made Lesnar tap out to the ankle lock . After that , Lesnar would cement his heel turn by brutalizing smaller wrestlers and attacking his rivals on a more consistent basis . He returned to using the F @-@ 5 to propel his opponents ' legs into the ringpost , as he did to Spanky and Gowen , and interfered in Angle 's matches on two separate occasions . On the September 18 , 2003 episode of SmackDown ! , Lesnar received his third shot at Angle in as many months when he faced the champion in a sixty @-@ minute Iron Man match for the title . Lesnar won the match and his third WWE Championship by a final count of five to four . 
 Lesnar successfully defended his newly won title against the debuting Paul London on October 9 edition of SmackDown ! . He returned to feuding with The Undertaker . Lesnar had previously cost Undertaker the title in a match against then @-@ champion Kurt Angle , which granted him a shot at Lesnar 's title . At No Mercy , Lesnar defeated Undertaker in a Biker Chain match . The rivalry then came to an end after The Undertaker chose to focus on Mr. McMahon . 
 After Paul Heyman returned to WWE as general manager of SmackDown ! , Lesnar aligned himself with his former manager . With Survivor Series coming up , Lesnar decided to challenge Angle to a traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match . Lesnar chose Big Show as his first teammate , with Heyman adding a returning Nathan Jones and a debuting Matt Morgan to bring the team number to four . Angle chose Chris Benoit and The APA to join his team . However , Faarooq was injured during a match with Lesnar and Angle 's team was forced to find a replacement for him . Lesnar 's team picked A @-@ Train to fill the fifth and final spot for them after he attacked John Cena , who refused to accept an invitation to join Lesnar 's team . Cena instead joined Angle 's team , and Angle added Hardcore Holly as the fifth member ; Lesnar had injured Holly the year before and he hadn 't wrestled since . In the climax of the match , Chris Benoit became the only second wrestler to make Lesnar tap out . Lesnar faced Benoit in a singles bout two weeks later for the WWE Championship on SmackDown ! , where Lesnar won after Benoit passed out to Lesnar 's debuting Brock Lock submission hold . 
 The Survivor Series event marked the first time Lesnar met Goldberg from the Raw brand . After Lesnar claimed in a backstage interview that he could beat anybody in the world , Goldberg interrupted the interview and introduced himself to Lesnar , shaking hands with him before leaving with a staredown . Lesnar followed this rivalry with a feud involving Hardcore Holly . In the storyline , Holly wanted revenge on Lesnar for legitimately injuring his neck during a previous match between the two in 2002 which left Holly in need of neck surgery and out of action for a year . At the Royal Rumble in 2004 , Lesnar defeated Holly to retain the WWE Championship . Later in the Royal Rumble match , Lesnar attacked Goldberg and delivered an F @-@ 5 , enabling Kurt Angle to eliminate him . 

 = = = = Final storylines and departure ( 2004 ) = = = = 

 In February , Lesnar faced Eddie Guerrero for the WWE title at No Way Out . Late in the match , Goldberg delivered a spear to Lesnar while the ref was unconscious . Afterwards , Guerrero went to pin Lesnar but Lesnar kicked out at two . Lesnar then attempted to F @-@ 5 Guerrero but Guerrero reversed it into a DDT . Guerrero then hit a frog splash ; pinning Lesnar to win the WWE Championship . An angry Lesnar then began feuding with Goldberg , blaming him for losing his title , and a match was set up between the two at WrestleMania XX . During the feud with Goldberg , Lesnar was also at odds with Stone Cold Steve Austin , who was shown suggesting to Goldberg that he attack Lesnar at No Way Out . After Lesnar attacked Austin on Raw and stole his four @-@ wheeler , Austin was inserted as the special guest referee for the WrestleMania match . On the March 4 episode of SmackDown , Lesnar defeated Hardcore Holly in his last match on a weekly WWE televised show . Behind the scenes , it was widely known that the match was Goldberg 's last in WWE . Only a week before WrestleMania , rumors surfaced that Lesnar , too , was leaving to pursue a career in the National Football League ( NFL ) . As a result , Lesnar 's match with Goldberg became a fiasco as the fans at Madison Square Garden jeered and heckled both wrestlers vociferously . Goldberg gained victory after delivering a Jackhammer to Lesnar and both men subsequently received Stone Cold Stunners from Austin . 

 = = = New Japan Pro Wrestling ( 2005 – 2007 ) = = = 

 On October 8 , 2005 , Lesnar won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on his debut match in a three @-@ way match with Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono at a New Japan Pro Wrestling ( NJPW ) show in the Tokyo Dome . Lesnar is one of the few American wrestlers to have held this title . He won the match by pinning Masahiro Chono after an F @-@ 5 , which he had renamed the Verdict since WWE owns the trademark on the F @-@ 5 name . After the match , Lesnar stated that this name was referring to his lawsuit against WWE . 
 On December 6 , WWE filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent Lesnar from continuing to work with NJPW , but the court did not grant it . Following that , he had two non @-@ title victories against Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata . Lesnar successfully defended his championship on January 4 , 2006 , against former champion Shinsuke Nakamura . On January 13 , WWE once again filed an injunction against Lesnar to stop him from defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship which was also not enforced as he went on to retain his championship against former Sumo Wrestling Grand Champion Akebono on March 19 , at the Sumo Hall . Lesnar had another successful title defense against Giant Bernard on May 3 , 2006 . This was the first American vs. American title match in NJPW since Vader vs. Stan Hansen in 1990 . 
 On July 15 , 2006 , New Japan Pro Wrestling announced Lesnar would not return to defend the IWGP Heavyweight Championship due to " visa issues " and had been stripped of the title . A tournament was held on July 16 to determine the new champion which was won by Hiroshi Tanahashi . Lesnar continued to possess the physical IWGP Championship belt until late June 2007 . 
 Approximately one year later on June 29 , 2007 , Lesnar defended his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle in a champion versus champion match . Inoki Genome Federation promoter Antonio Inoki had stated Lesnar was the " proper " IWGP Heavyweight Champion as he was not defeated for the title . Angle would defeat Lesnar by forcing him to tap out to the Angle lock to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as recognized by IGF and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) . This was Lesnar 's last match as a professional wrestler until 2012 , when he re @-@ signed with WWE . 

 = = = = Lawsuit = = = = 

 Lesnar had previously signed a non @-@ compete clause in order to be released from his contract with WWE , which prohibited him from working for any other professional wrestling companies before June 2010 . However , he decided to challenge this ruling in court . WWE responded with a counterclaim after Lesnar breached the agreement by appearing at a New Japan Pro Wrestling show in 2004 . In July 2005 , the two sides dropped their claims and entered negotiations to renew their relationship . WWE had offered Lesnar a contract , but on August 2 , 2005 , WWE 's official website reported that Lesnar had withdrawn from any involvement with the company . The lawsuit began to enter settlement talks on September 21 , but did not get solved . 
 On January 14 , 2006 , Judge Christopher Droney stated that unless WWE gave him a good argument between then and the 25th , he would rule in favor of Lesnar , giving him a summary judgment . This would have enabled Lesnar to work anywhere , immediately . WWE was later granted a deadline postponement . On April 24 , WWE announced on WWE.com that both parties had reached a settlement . On June 12 , a federal judge dismissed the case at the request of both legal parties . 

 = = = Return to WWE = = = 


 = = = = Feud with Triple H and ending the Streak ( 2012 – 2014 ) = = = = 

 Lesnar returned to the WWE on April 2 , 2012 , on Raw , as a heel by confronting and delivering an F @-@ 5 to John Cena . The following week on Raw , general manager John Laurinaitis revealed that he signed Lesnar to bring " legitimacy " back to the WWE and become the " new face of the WWE " . Laurinaitis also announced that Lesnar would face Cena at Extreme Rules with the Extreme Rules stipulation later added to the match . Lesnar was dominant throughout the match until Cena punched Lesnar in the face with a steel chain wrapped around his fist . Cena then delivered the Attitude Adjustment to Lesnar onto steel steps and Lesnar lost the match . 
 The following night on Raw , WWE 's Chief Operating Officer Triple H refused to give in to Lesnar 's unreasonable contract demands ( which included being given his own personal jet and having Raw renamed to Monday Night Raw Starring Brock Lesnar ) , resulting in Lesnar attacking him and breaking his arm with a Kimura lock in storyline . The next week on Raw , Paul Heyman made his return as Lesnar 's legal representative and claimed that Lesnar was quitting WWE . He later announced a lawsuit against WWE for breach of contract . At No Way Out in June , Triple H challenged Lesnar , who was not present , to a match at SummerSlam which Lesnar refused . Stephanie McMahon would later goad Heyman into accepting the match on Lesnar 's behalf on July 23 at Raw 1000 . On August 19 , at SummerSlam , Lesnar defeated Triple H in a No Disqualification match via submission after once again breaking his arm in storyline . The following night on Raw , Lesnar declared himself the new " King of Kings " and said that he would depart from WWE after his victory over Triple H , stating that he had conquered everything in the company . 
 Lesnar returned on the January 28 , 2013 episode of Raw , confronting Vince McMahon who was about to fire Heyman , and Despite Heyman 's pleas , Lesnar hit McMahon with an F @-@ 5 , breaking McMahon 's pelvis in storyline . The following week , during The Miz 's MizTV talk show , Raw Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero revealed herself as the one who signed Lesnar to a new contract to impress McMahon . On the February 25 episode of Raw , Lesnar once again attempted to attack McMahon , only to get into a brawl with the returning Triple H , which resulted in Lesnar legitimately having his head split open and requiring eighteen stitches . The following week , Triple H issued a challenge to Lesnar , requesting a rematch with him at WrestleMania 29 , which Lesnar accepted but only after Triple signed a contract and Lesnar named the stipulation . The following week , after Triple H signed the contract and assaulted Heyman , the stipulation was revealed as No Holds Barred with Triple H 's career on the line . Lesnar ended up losing the match after Triple H hit him with a Pedigree onto the steel steps . On the April 15 episode of Raw , Lesnar attacked 3MB ( Heath Slater , Drew McIntyre , and Jinder Mahal ) before Heyman challenged Triple H to face Lesnar in a steel cage match at Extreme Rules , which Triple H accepted the following week . On May 19 at the pay @-@ per @-@ view , after interference from Heyman , he defeated Triple H and ended their feud . Lesnar returned on the June 17 episode of Raw , attacking Heyman 's fellow client CM Punk with an F @-@ 5 . Despite the accusations from Punk , Heyman claimed that he was not behind Lesnar 's attack on him . However , in July , Heyman turned on Punk , and claimed that Punk could not beat Lesnar , which led to Lesnar making his return and attacking Punk on the July 15 episode of Raw . The following week on Raw , Punk challenged Lesnar to a match at SummerSlam , where Lesnar defeated Punk in a no disqualification match . 
 On the December 30 episode of Raw , Lesnar returned with Heyman to announce his intentions to challenge the winner of the upcoming WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Randy Orton and John Cena at the Royal Rumble . Lesnar then dared any wrestler who disapproved of that notion to challenge him , which was answered by Mark Henry , and a brawl would ensue , ending with Lesnar delivering an F @-@ 5 to Henry . The following week on Raw , Henry challenged Lesnar again , only to have Lesnar dislocate his elbow with the Kimura lock in storyline , and this led Big Show to came out afterwards to confront Lesnar , thus starting a feud which was settled at Royal Rumble , where Lesnar defeated the Big Show after attacking him with a steel chair before the match began . On the February 24 , 2014 episode of Raw , after Heyman stated that Lesnar had requested a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXX , instead receiving an open contract to face anyone else of his choosing , The Undertaker then returned and chokeslammed Lesnar through a table , setting up their match at WrestleMania . Lesnar defeated Undertaker after executing three F @-@ 5s , ending his undefeated WrestleMania streak at 21 , a feat that was described by Sports Illustrated as being " the most shocking result since the Montreal Screwjob " . 

 = = = = WWE World Heavyweight Champion ( 2014 – 2015 ) = = = = 

 On the July 21 , 2014 episode of Raw , Triple H announced that Lesnar would face John Cena at SummerSlam for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship . At SummerSlam , Lesnar defeated Cena to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion , and during the match he delivered sixteen suplexes ( most of which were German suplexes ) and two F @-@ 5s to Cena , who barely managed any offense . On the August 19 episode of Main Event , Triple H announced that Cena was invoking his championship rematch clause against Lesnar at Night of Champions , where Lesnar was disqualified due to Seth Rollins interfering , but retained his championship , which could not be lost via disqualification . Later in the year , after Rollins reunited with The Authority , he was added to Lesnar and Cena 's championship match at Royal Rumble , making it a triple threat match , which Lesnar won despite suffering a storyline broken rib during the match . 
 Lesnar 's next challenger was Roman Reigns , who won the Royal Rumble match to earn the right to face Lesnar for the title at WrestleMania 31 . During his main @-@ event match against Reigns , Lesnar delivered multiple suplexes and was heard exclaiming , " Suplex City , bitch ! " , and thereafter " Suplex City " became one of his signature catchphrases and merchandise motifs . After Lesnar and Reigns traded a few false finishes , Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract while the match was in progress , making it a triple threat ; Rollins then pinned Reigns to win the title . The following night on Raw , Lesnar tried to invoke his rematch clause and subsequently attacked commentators Booker T , John " Bradshaw " Layfield , and Michael Cole , as well as a cameraman after Rollins refused the rematch , which led to Stephanie McMahon suspending Lesnar indefinitely in storyline . 
 Lesnar returned on the June 15 episode of Raw as a fan favorite , being chosen by The Authority as the number one contender to Rollins ' WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Battleground . On July 4 , Lesnar made his first non @-@ televised wrestling appearance for WWE since his 2012 return , defeating Kofi Kingston at The Beast in the East live event in Tokyo in a quick winning effort ; he also delivered F @-@ 5s to Kingston 's New Day stablemates Big E and Xavier Woods after the match . On July 19 at Battleground , Lesnar dominated Rollins , delivering 13 suplexes ; mid @-@ pinfall , after performing an F @-@ 5 , he was attacked by The Undertaker , who incapacitated Lesnar with a chokeslam and two Tombstone Piledrivers ; this ended the match , with Lesnar winning by disqualification and Rollins retaining the championship . 

 = = = = Various feuds and storylines ( 2015 – present ) = = = = 

 The following night on Raw , Undertaker explained that he had attacked Lesnar not for ending his WrestleMania streak , but rather for Lesnar allowing Heyman to constantly taunt Undertaker about it ; this led to the two brawling throughout the arena and a WrestleMania rematch being scheduled for SummerSlam on August 23 , where Undertaker would controversially defeat Lesnar ; during the match , Undertaker tapped out to a Kimura lock by Lesnar and the timekeeper rang the bell , but the referee did not see the tapout and demanded that the match continue , which saw Undertaker then hitting Lesnar with a low blow and Lesnar passed out to Undertaker 's submission hold , Hell 's Gate . The following night on Raw , Lesnar and Heyman challenged Undertaker to an immediate rematch , only to be confronted by Bo Dallas , who mocked Lesnar about his defeat ; Lesnar then responded by delivering 3 German suplexes and an F @-@ 5 to Dallas . 
 During Night of Champions , it was announced that Lesnar would face The Undertaker at the Hell in a Cell pay @-@ per @-@ view , where Lesnar defeated The Undertaker after a low blow and F @-@ 5 onto the exposed ring floor , ending their feud . The match was later voted " Match of the Year " during the 2015 Slammy Awards . On the January 11 episode of Raw , Lesnar returned , attacking The New Day , The League of Nations ( Sheamus , King Barrett , Rusev , and Alberto Del Rio ) , and Kevin Owens , before giving an F @-@ 5 to Roman Reigns . The following week on Raw , Lesnar would brawl with Reigns until they were both attacked by The Wyatt Family . At the Royal Rumble , Lesnar was the 23rd entrant , eliminating four competitors before being eliminated by Bray Wyatt with help from the rest of The Wyatt Family . 
 On the January 25 episode of Raw , Stephanie McMahon announced that the main event of Fastlane would be a triple threat match between Lesnar , Roman Reigns , and Dean Ambrose to determine who would face Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 32 . In the following weeks , Lesnar would be continuously provoked by Ambrose , with Reigns saving him from the subsequent attacks by Lesnar . At Fastlane , Lesnar dominated most of the match before he was put through two announce tables by Ambrose and Reigns ; he would ultimately lose the match after Reigns pinned Ambrose . Because of this , Lesnar attacked Ambrose in the parking lot as he was arriving at the arena for Raw , but Ambrose would return later in the night , having hijacked an ambulance , and he challenged Lesnar to a No Holds Barred Street Fight match at WrestleMania 32 , where Lesnar defeated Ambrose . On the July 7 edition of SmackDown , it was announced that Lesnar would be facing the returning Randy Orton at SummerSlam . On July 19 , at the 2016 WWE Draft , Lesnar was drafted to Raw . 

 = = Football career = = 

 After his match at WrestleMania XX , Lesnar sidelined his career in WWE to pursue a career in the National Football League ( NFL ) despite not playing American football since high school . The WWE issued this statement on their official website , WWE.com , following his departure : 
 Brock Lesnar has made a personal decision to put his WWE career on hold to prepare to tryout for the National Football League this season . Brock has wrestled his entire professional career in the WWE and we are proud of his accomplishments and wish him the best in his new endeavor . 
 Lesnar later told a Minnesota radio show that he had " three wonderful years " in WWE , but had grown unhappy and always wanted to play pro football , adding that he did not want to be 40 years old and wondering if he could have " made it " in football . In an interview about the NFL , he stated : 
 This is no load of bull ; it 's no WWE stunt . I am dead serious about this . I ain 't afraid of anything and I ain 't afraid of anybody . I 've been an underdog in athletics since I was five . I got zero college offers for wrestling . Now people say I can 't play football , that it 's a joke . I say I can . I 'm as good an athlete as a lot of guys in the NFL , if not better . I 've always had to fight for everything . I wasn 't the best technician in amateur wrestling but I was strong , had great conditioning , and a hard head . Nobody could break me . As long as I have that , I don 't give a damn what anybody else thinks . 
 Lesnar had a great showing at the NFL Combine . On April 17 , 2004 , a minivan collided with his motorbike ; he suffered a broken jaw and left hand , a bruised pelvis , and a pulled groin . Several NFL teams expressed interest in watching Lesnar work out . The Minnesota Vikings worked out Lesnar on June 11 , 2004 but he was hampered by the groin injury suffered in the April motorcycle accident . On July 24 it was reported that he was nearly recovered from his groin injury . He signed with the Vikings on July 27 and played in several preseason games for the team . He was released by the Vikings on August 30 , 2004 . Lesnar received an invitation to play as a representative for the Vikings in NFL Europa but declined due to his desire to stay in the United States with his family . He had several football cards produced of him during his time with the Vikings . 

 = = Mixed martial arts career = = 


 = = = Hero 's ( 2007 ) = = = 

 On April 29 , 2006 , after the final match of the K @-@ 1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Las Vegas , Lesnar announced his intent to join K @-@ 1 's mixed martial arts league , Hero 's . He trained with Minnesota Martial Arts Academy under Greg Nelson and Minnesota Assistant Head wrestling coach Marty Morgan . Lesnar announced on August 12 in Las Vegas that he had signed a deal with the K @-@ 1 promotion . His first fight was scheduled against Choi Hong @-@ man of Korea on June 2 , 2007 , at the K @-@ 1 Dynamite ! ! USA show . However , prior to the match , Hong @-@ Man was replaced by Min Soo Kim . Lesnar submitted Soo Kim with strikes in 1 : 09 of the first round to win his first official MMA match . 

 = = = Ultimate Fighting Championship ( 2008 – 2011 ) = = = 

 During UFC 77 , it was announced that Lesnar had reached a deal to fight with the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( UFC ) . On February 2 , 2008 , Lesnar made his debut with the promotion in an event titled UFC 81 : Breaking Point against former UFC Heavyweight Champion , Frank Mir . Due to his large hands , Lesnar was wearing 4XL gloves for the fight , making him the second man in Nevada 's combat sports history to wear such gloves after Choi Hong @-@ man . Lesnar secured an early takedown and began landing numerous punches but was docked a point after a punch hit Mir on the back of the head . Following another takedown by Lesnar , Mir managed to secure a kneebar and force a submission at 1 : 30 of the first round and Lesnar lost in his UFC debut . At UFC 82 , former UFC Heavyweight Champion and Hall of Famer Mark Coleman was announced to fight Lesnar at UFC 87 . However , Coleman withdrew from the fight due to an injury and was replaced by Heath Herring . Lesnar defeated Herring by unanimous decision . 
 Lesnar would then face Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 91 on November 15 . Lesnar would beat Couture via a technical knockout ( TKO ) in the second round to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion . 
 On December 27 , 2008 , at UFC 92 , Frank Mir defeated Antônio Nogueira for the Interim Heavyweight Championship and was to face Lesnar for the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 98 . Immediately after winning the Interim Heavyweight title , Mir found Lesnar in the crowd and shouted , " You 've got my belt " . Due to a knee injury to Mir , the title unification match with Lesnar that was originally slated to be the UFC 98 main event was postponed . Lesnar won the postponed rematch with Mir at UFC 100 on July 11 , 2009 , via technical knockout in the second round . The win earned Lesnar Beatdown of the Year honors , with Anderson Silva , from Sherdog for 2009 . During his post @-@ match celebration , Lesnar flipped off the crowd who had been booing him . Lesnar also made a disparaging comment about the pay @-@ per @-@ view 's primary sponsor Bud Light , claiming they " won 't pay me nothin ' " and promoted Coors Light instead . Lesnar later apologized for his remarks at the post @-@ fight press conference , where he held a bottle of Bud Light and endorsed their product . 
 On July 1 , 2009 , it was reported that the winner of the Shane Carwin vs. Cain Velasquez fight at UFC 104 would face Lesnar but the match was scrapped and Lesnar was scheduled to defend his belt against Shane Carwin at UFC 106 on November 21 . On October 26 , 2009 , it was announced that Lesnar pulled out of his Carwin bout due to an illness . UFC President Dana White said Lesnar had been ill for three weeks , claiming he had never been this sick in his life and that it would take him a while to recover ; his fight with Carwin was rescheduled for UFC 108 on January 2 , 2010 . Lesnar initially sought treatment in Canada , but later told reporters that he had received " Third World treatment " at a hospital in Brandon , Manitoba , and that seeking better treatment in the U.S. saved his life . Lesnar went on to criticize Canadian health care further and stated that he shared his experience in an effort to speak " on the behalf of the doctors in the United States that don 't want health care reform to happen " . 
 On November 4 , it was confirmed that Lesnar was suffering from mononucleosis and that his bout with Carwin would have to wait a bit longer and the fight for Lesnar 's heavyweight championship was cancelled . On November 14 , at the UFC 105 post @-@ fight conference , Dana White stated , " [ Lesnar ] ' s not well and he 's not going to be getting well anytime soon " and that an interim title match might need to be set up . In addition to mononucleosis , it was revealed that he was suffering from a serious case of diverticulitis , an intestinal disorder , which required surgery . After further diagnosis , Lesnar underwent surgery on November 16 to close a perforation in his intestine that had been leaking fecal matter into his abdomen , causing pain , abscesses , and overtaxing his immune system to the point that he contracted mononucleosis . From the level of damage to Lesnar 's system , the surgeon estimated that the intestinal condition had been ongoing for around a year . 
 In January 2010 , Lesnar announced on ESPN 's SportsCenter that he was scheduled to make a return to the UFC in the summer . A match between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin took place on March 27 at UFC 111 to determine the Interim Heavyweight Champion , and Lesnar 's next opponent . Shane Carwin defeated Mir via knockout in the first round , becoming the new Interim Champion . After the fight , Lesnar came into the ring and stated , " It was a good fight but he 's wearing a belt that 's a make @-@ believe belt . I 've got the real championship belt " . Lesnar faced Carwin at UFC 116 to unify the heavyweight titles . Early in the first round , Carwin knocked Lesnar down with punch , gave him a cut above his left eye , and used a ground and pound attack the rest of the round . In the next round , Lesnar was able to take Carwin down , attain a full mount , then move into side @-@ control and finish the fight with an arm triangle choke . With the victory , Lesnar became the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion , earning his first Submission of the Night and giving Carwin his first loss . The win also tied a UFC record for most consecutive successful Heavyweight Championship defenses . 
 Lesnar 's next defense was against undefeated top contender Cain Velasquez on October 23 , at the Honda Center in Anaheim , California at UFC 121 . Dana White announced via SportsNation that the UFC would bring back UFC Primetime to hype the fight . He was defeated by Velasquez for the title by TKO in the first round . 
 On January 11 , 2011 , Lesnar was announced as a coach of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 , opposite Junior dos Santos , with the two expected to fight on June 11 at UFC 131 , however , he was struck with another bout of diverticulitis and had to withdraw from the fight on May 12 . He was replaced by Shane Carwin , who ended up losing against dos Santos . Lesnar underwent surgery on May 27 to help battle his problems with diverticulitis . Dana White said that he had a 12 @-@ inch piece of his colon removed . 
 In its May 2011 issue , ESPN 's magazine published a story listing the highest paid athlete based on base salary and earnings for the most recent calendar year or most recent season in 30 sports . Lesnar topped the list for MMA at $ 5 @.@ 3 million , which included his reported bout salaries and estimated pay @-@ per @-@ view bonuses . 
 In the summer of 2011 , Lesnar announced that he was returning to action , stating , " I feel like a new man . Healthy . Strong . I feel like I used to feel " . His return match was scheduled to be at UFC 141 on December 30 in Las Vegas against former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem . Overeem won the fight by way of technical knockout in the first round . The result of the fight remains controversial , as Overeem tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone prior to his next fight . Lesnar then announced his retirement from MMA , mentioning his struggles with diverticulitis and saying " tonight was the last time you 'll see me in the octagon " . 
 Speculation about a return to MMA lasted until March 24 , 2015 , when Lesnar announced in an interview on SportsCenter that he had re @-@ signed with WWE and officially closed the door on a return to MMA , even though he was offered a deal " ten times more " than what he had made previously in his MMA career . He further elaborated that , while he was training for months for a return to the UFC , he felt " physically great but something was lacking mentally " . Lesnar added that " [ he 's ] an older caveman now , so [ he ] makes smarter caveman decisions " and that he chose to sign with WWE instead of returning to MMA because he could " work part @-@ time with full @-@ time pay " . 

 = = = UFC 200 ( 2016 ) = = = 

 Though Lesnar said he was " closing the door on MMA " in March 2015 , UFC announced on June 4 , 2016 , that he would return at UFC 200 on July 9 . WWE confirmed it had granted Lesnar " a one @-@ off opportunity " to compete at UFC 200 before he would return to the company for SummerSlam on August 21 . 
 Lesnar , representing Canada for the first time in his career , defeated Mark Hunt by unanimous decision ( 29 @-@ 27 ) , avoiding 19 of Hunt 's 30 attempted standing strikes , and taking him down four times to land 43 significant ground strikes , 32 in the final round . He also won a UFC @-@ record $ 2 @.@ 5 million purse . 
 On July 15 , Lesnar was notified of a potential anti @-@ doping policy violation by the United States Anti @-@ Doping Agency ( USADA ) stemming from an undisclosed banned substance in an out @-@ of @-@ competition sample collected on June 28 . Shortly after this was announced , WWE said Lesnar 's match with Randy Orton at SummerSlam would still take place . Hunt told UFC to either pay him half of Lesnar 's purse or let him out of his contract . He later changed his mind on Twitter , and asked for the whole purse . UFC has not yet publicly responded to Hunt . Lesnar told the Associated Press , " We will get to the bottom of this . " On July 19 , the UFC announced that a second sample taken in @-@ competition on July 9 tested positive for the same banned substance discovered in the previous out @-@ of @-@ competition sample . 

 = = = UFC pay @-@ per @-@ views = = = 


 = = Personal life = = 

 Lesnar married Rena Greek , better known as Sable , on May 6 , 2006 . They reside on a farm in Maryfield , Saskatchewan , having previously lived in Maple Plain , Minnesota . They have two sons : Turk ( born June 3 , 2009 ) and Duke ( born July 21 , 2010 ) . Lesnar also has twins with his former fiancée , Nicole McClain , the first being a son named Luke ( born Brock Jr . ) and the second a daughter named Mya Lynn ( born April 10 , 2002 ) . Mya is 10 minutes older than Luke . Lesnar has full custody of the twins , and is the stepfather of Mariah , Greek 's daughter with her late husband . 
 Lesnar is a conservative and a supporter of the Republican Party . He is a member of the National Rifle Association , and made an appearance at their annual meeting in May 2011 to discuss his passion for hunting and his role as a spokesman for Fusion Ammunition . 
 During his first run in WWE , Lesnar developed addictions to both alcohol and painkillers , allegedly drinking a bottle of vodka per day and taking hundreds of Vicodin pills per month to manage the pain caused by wear and tear on his body ; he named his accident at WrestleMania XIX as a particular source of pain . Lesnar claims that , as a result of his addiction and mental exhaustion , he does not remember " an entire two years " of his WWE career . 
 In January 2001 , Lesnar was arrested by police in Louisville , Kentucky for suspicion of possessing large amounts of anabolic steroids . The charges were dropped when it was discovered that the substances were a legal growth hormone . His lawyer described it as a " vitamin type of thing " . 
 On December 15 , 2011 , Lesnar was charged with hunting infractions on a trip to Alberta on November 19 , 2010 . Two charges were dropped , but Lesnar pleaded guilty to the charge of improper tagging of an animal . He was fined $ 1 @,@ 725 and given a six @-@ month hunting suspension . 
 As of July 2016 , Lesnar 's eldest son , Brock Jr. is ranked # 1 in Saskatchewan and # 4 in all of Canada in amateur wrestling . 

 = = Other media = = 

 Lesnar appears in the video games WWE SmackDown ! Shut Your Mouth , WWE SmackDown ! Here Comes the Pain , Madden NFL 06 , UFC 2009 Undisputed , UFC Undisputed 2010 , WWE ' 12 , WWE ' 13 , WWE 2K14 , WWE 2K15 , WWE 2K16 , and WWE 2K17 . 
 In 2003 , WWE Home Video released a DVD chronicling Lesnar 's career entitled Brock Lesnar : Here Comes the Pain . It was re @-@ released in 2012 as a three @-@ disc DVD and two @-@ disc Blu @-@ ray collector 's edition to tie in with Lesnar 's WWE return . It was also expanded to include new matches and interviews . 
 Lesnar was featured on the covers of Flex and Muscle & Fitness magazine in 2004 , and Minneapolis ' City Pages in 2008 . 
 In 2009 , Lesnar signed an endorsement deal with Dymatize Nutrition . A CD containing footage of Lesnar training was included with Dymatize 's " Xpand " product . 
 In 2011 , Lesnar published an autobiography titled Death Clutch : My Story of Determination , Domination , and Survival ( ISBN 978 @-@ 0062023117 ) . It was co @-@ written with Paul Heyman . 
 In a 2013 post on his blog , Attack on Titan author Hajime Isayama revealed that he drew inspiration from Lesnar for the character of the Armored Titan . 
 Lesnar has also appeared in multiple comedic Instagram and Vine videos by actor Eric Stonestreet . 

 = = Filmography = = 


 = = = Television = = = 


 = = = Video games = = = 


 = = In wrestling = = 

 Finishing moves 
 Brock Lock ( Over @-@ the @-@ shoulder single leg Boston crab ) – 2002 – 2004 
 F @-@ 5 ( WWE ) / Verdict ( NJPW / IGF ) ( Fireman 's carry facebuster ) – 2002 – 2006 ; 2012 – present 
 Kimura lock – 2012 – present 
 Shooting star press – OVW ; only used once in WWE 
 Signature moves 
 Backbreaker 
 Fallaway slam 
 Gorilla press slam 
 Knee lifts to the opponent 's midsection 
 Multiple suplex variations 
 Belly @-@ to @-@ back , sometimes to two opponents at once 
 Fisherman 's , sometimes while delaying 
 Overhead belly @-@ to @-@ belly , sometimes into or out of the ring 
 Release / Rolling German 
 Snap 
 Vertical 
 Multiple turnbuckle thrusts 
 Powerslam 
 Rear naked choke 
 Running powerbomb 
 Standing double leg takedown followed by mounted punches 
 Triple non @-@ release powerbomb 
 Managers 
 Mr. McMahon 
 Sable 
 Paul Heyman 
 Nicknames 
 " The Anomaly " 
 " The Beast ( Incarnate ) " 
 " The Conqueror " 
 " The Freak " 
 " The Next Big Thing " 
 " The One in 21 – 1 / 22 @-@ 1 " 
 " The Nightmare of Suplex City " 
 Entrance themes 
 Ultimate Fighting Championship 
 " Enter Sandman " by Metallica 
 " Nickel Size Hail ( And the Damaging Winds ) " by Sunny Ledfurd 
 World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE 
 " Enforcer " by Jim Johnston ( April 8 , 2002 – June 3 , 2002 ) 
 " Next Big Thing " by Jim Johnston ( June 10 , 2002 – March 14 , 2004 ; April 2 , 2012 – August 20 , 2012 ) 
 " Next Big Thing ( Remix ) " by Jim Johnston ( January 28 , 2013 – present ) 

 = = Mixed martial arts record = = 


 = = Championships , awards , and honors = = 


 = = = Collegiate wrestling = = = 

 National Collegiate Athletic Association 
 NCAA Division I All @-@ American ( 1999 , 2000 ) 
 NCAA Division I Heavyweight Champion ( 2000 ) 
 Big Ten Conference Champion ( 1999 , 2000 ) 
 National Junior College Athletic Association 
 NJCAA All @-@ American ( 1997 , 1998 ) 
 NJCAA Heavyweight Champion ( 1998 ) 
 North Dakota State University Bison Tournament Champion ( 1997 – 1999 ) 

 = = = Mixed martial arts = = = 

 Inside Fights 
 Biggest Draw ( 2008 ) 
 Rookie of the Year ( 2008 ) 
 Sherdog Awards 
 Beatdown of the Year ( 2009 ) 
 Sports Illustrated 
 Top Newcomer of the Year ( 2008 ) 
 Ultimate Fighting Championship 
 UFC Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time ) 
 Submission of the Night ( 1 time ) 
 World MMA Awards 
 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year ( 2009 ) 
 Wrestling Observer Newsletter 
 Best Box Office Draw ( 2008 – 2010 ) 
 MMA Most Valuable Fighter ( 2008 – 2010 ) 

 = = = Professional wrestling = = = 

 Guinness World Records 
 World record : Youngest person to win the WWE Championship ( aged 25 years , 44 days ) 
 Inoki Genome Federation 
 IWGP Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time ) 1 
 New Japan Pro Wrestling 
 IWGP Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time ) 1 
 Ohio Valley Wrestling 
 OVW Southern Tag Team Championship ( 3 times ) – with Shelton Benjamin 
 Pro Wrestling Illustrated 
 Feud of the Year ( 2003 ) vs. Kurt Angle 
 Feud of the Year ( 2015 ) vs. The Undertaker 
 Match of the Year ( 2003 ) vs. Kurt Angle in an Iron Man match on SmackDown ! on September 16 
 Most Improved Wrestler of the Year ( 2002 ) 
 Wrestler of the Year ( 2002 , 2014 ) 
 Ranked # 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2003 
 Wrestling Observer Newsletter 
 Best Brawler ( 2003 ) 
 Best Wrestling Maneuver ( 2002 ) F @-@ 5 
 Feud of the Year ( 2003 ) vs. Kurt Angle 
 Most Improved Wrestler ( 2002 , 2003 ) 
 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame ( Class of 2015 ) 
 World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE 
 WWE Championship ( 4 times ) 2 
 King of the Ring ( 2002 ) 
 Royal Rumble ( 2003 ) 
 Slammy Awards ( 5 times ) 
 Hashtag of the Year ( 2015 ) – # SuplexCity 
 Match of the Year ( 2015 ) – vs The Undertaker at Hell in a Cell 
 Rivalry of the Year ( 2015 ) – vs The Undertaker 
 " Tell Me You Didn 't Just Say That " Moment of the Year ( 2015 ) – Coining " Suplex City " at WrestleMania 31 
 The OMG Shocking Moment of the Year ( 2014 ) – Ending The Undertaker 's WrestleMania streak at WrestleMania XXX 
 1 ^ Lesnar 's IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign at IGF is considered a continuation of his reign from NJPW . 
 2 ^ When Lesnar won the title for the first time it was known as the WWE Undisputed Championship . His next two reigns were as simply WWE Champion , while his final one was as WWE World Heavyweight Champion . 


 = Constant k filter = 

 Constant k filters , also k @-@ type filters , are a type of electronic filter designed using the image method . They are the original and simplest filters produced by this methodology and consist of a ladder network of identical sections of passive components . Historically , they are the first filters that could approach the ideal filter frequency response to within any prescribed limit with the addition of a sufficient number of sections . However , they are rarely considered for a modern design , the principles behind them having been superseded by other methodologies which are more accurate in their prediction of filter response . 

 = = History = = 

 Constant k filters were invented by George Campbell . He published his work in 1922 , but had clearly invented the filters some time before , as his colleague at AT & T Co , Otto Zobel , was already making improvements to the design at this time . Campbell 's filters were far superior to the simpler single element circuits that had been used previously . Campbell called his filters electric wave filters , but this term later came to mean any filter that passes waves of some frequencies but not others . Many new forms of wave filter were subsequently invented ; an early ( and important ) variation was the m @-@ derived filter by Zobel who coined the term constant k for the Campbell filter in order to distinguish them . 
 The great advantage Campbell 's filters had over the RL circuit and other simple filters of the time was that they could be designed for any desired degree of stop band rejection or steepness of transition between pass band and stop band . It was only necessary to add more filter sections until the desired response was obtained . 
 The filters were designed by Campbell for the purpose of separating multiplexed telephone channels on transmission lines , but their subsequent use has been much more widespread than that . The design techniques used by Campbell have largely been superseded . However , the ladder topology used by Campbell with the constant k is still in use today with implementations of modern filter designs such as the Tchebyscheff filter . Campbell gave constant k designs for low @-@ pass , high @-@ pass and band @-@ pass filters . Band @-@ stop and multiple band filters are also possible . 

 = = Terminology = = 

 Some of the impedance terms and section terms used in this article are pictured in the diagram below . Image theory defines quantities in terms of an infinite cascade of two @-@ port sections , and in the case of the filters being discussed , an infinite ladder network of L @-@ sections . Here " L " should not be confused with the inductance L – in electronic filter topology , " L " refers to the specific filter shape which resembles inverted letter " L " . 
 The sections of the hypothetical infinite filter are made of series elements having impedance 2Z and shunt elements with admittance 2Y . The factor of two is introduced for mathematical convenience , since it is usual to work in terms of half @-@ sections where it disappears . The image impedance of the input and output port of a section will generally not be the same . However , for a mid @-@ series section ( that is , a section from halfway through a series element to halfway through the next series element ) will have the same image impedance on both ports due to symmetry . This image impedance is designated ZiT due to the " T " topology of a mid @-@ series section . Likewise , the image impedance of a mid @-@ shunt section is designated ZiΠ due to the " Π " topology . Half of such a " T " or " Π " section is called a half @-@ section , which is also an L @-@ section but with half the element values of the full L @-@ section . The image impedance of the half @-@ section is dissimilar on the input and output ports : on the side presenting the series element it is equal to the mid @-@ series ZiT , but on the side presenting the shunt element it is equal to the mid @-@ shunt ZiΠ . There are thus two variant ways of using a half @-@ section . 
 Parts of this article or section rely on the reader 's knowledge of the complex impedance representation of capacitors and inductors and on knowledge of the frequency domain representation of signals . 

 = = Derivation = = 

 The building block of constant k filters is the half @-@ section " L " network , composed of a series impedance Z , and a shunt admittance Y. The " k " in " constant k " is the value given by , 
 <formula> 
 Thus , k will have units of impedance , that is , ohms . It is readily apparent that in order for k to be constant , Y must be the dual impedance of Z. A physical interpretation of k can be given by observing that k is the limiting value of Zi as the size of the section ( in terms of values of its components , such as inductances , capacitances , etc . ) approaches zero , while keeping k at its initial value . Thus , k is the characteristic impedance , Z0 , of the transmission line that would be formed by these infinitesimally small sections . It is also the image impedance of the section at resonance , in the case of band @-@ pass filters , or at ω = 0 in the case of low @-@ pass filters . For example , the pictured low @-@ pass half @-@ section has 
 <formula> . 
 Elements L and C can be made arbitrarily small while retaining the same value of k . Z and Y however , are both approaching zero , and from the formulae ( below ) for image impedances , 
 <formula> . 

 = = = Image impedance = = = 

 See also Image impedance # Derivation 
 The image impedances of the section are given by 
 <formula> 
 and 
 <formula> 
 Given that the filter does not contain any resistive elements , the image impedance in the pass band of the filter is purely real and in the stop band it is purely imaginary . For example , for the pictured low @-@ pass half @-@ section , 
 <formula> 
 The transition occurs at a cut @-@ off frequency given by 
 <formula> 
 Below this frequency , the image impedance is real , 
 <formula> 
 Above the cut @-@ off frequency the image impedance is imaginary , 
 <formula> 

 = = = Transmission parameters = = = 

 The transmission parameters for a general constant k half @-@ section are given by 
 <formula> 
 and for a chain of n half @-@ sections 
 <formula> 
 For the low @-@ pass L @-@ shape section , below the cut @-@ off frequency , the transmission parameters are given by 
 <formula> 
 That is , the transmission is lossless in the pass @-@ band with only the phase of the signal changing . Above the cut @-@ off frequency , the transmission parameters are : 
 <formula> 

 = = = Prototype transformations = = = 

 The presented plots of image impedance , attenuation and phase change correspond to a low @-@ pass prototype filter section . The prototype has a cut @-@ off frequency of ωc 
 = 1 rad / s and a nominal impedance k = 
 1 Ω . This is produced by a filter half @-@ section with inductance L 
 = 1 henry and capacitance C = 
 1 farad . This prototype can be impedance scaled and frequency scaled to the desired values . The low @-@ pass prototype can also be transformed into high @-@ pass , band @-@ pass or band @-@ stop types by application of suitable frequency transformations . 

 = = Cascading sections = = 

 Several L @-@ shape half @-@ sections may be cascaded to form a composite filter . Like impedance must always face like in these combinations . There are therefore two circuits that can be formed with two identical L @-@ shaped half @-@ sections . Where a port of image impedance ZiT faces another ZiT , the section is called a Π section . Where ZiΠ faces ZiΠ the section so formed is a T section . Further additions of half @-@ sections to either of these section forms a ladder network which may start and end with series or shunt elements . 
 It should be borne in mind that the characteristics of the filter predicted by the image method are only accurate if the section is terminated with its image impedance . This is usually not true of the sections at either end , which are usually terminated with a fixed resistance . The further the section is from the end of the filter , the more accurate the prediction will become , since the effects of the terminating impedances are masked by the intervening sections . 


 = The Snowmen = 

 " The Snowmen " is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who , first broadcast on Christmas Day 2012 on BBC One . It is the eighth Christmas special since the show 's 2005 revival and the first to be within a series . It was written by head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat and directed by Saul Metzstein . 
 The episode is set in the Victorian era and sees the Doctor ( Matt Smith ) brooding with the assistance of Silurian Madame Vastra ( Neve McIntosh ) , her wife Jenny Flint ( Catrin Stewart ) and Sontaran Strax ( Dan Starkey ) , after the loss of companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams in the previous episode , " The Angels Take Manhattan " . He is forced out of hiding to investigate mysterious , sentient snowmen that are building themselves and meets Clara Oswald ( Jenna @-@ Louise Coleman ) , a governess also investigating the snowmen . They discover that the snowmen are being animated by the Great Intelligence ( voice of Ian McKellen ) with the help of a man named Dr Simeon ( Richard E. Grant ) . 
 Building upon the character 's surprise introduction in " Asylum of the Daleks " , " The Snowmen " introduces Clara as the Doctor 's new companion , though ultimately it would be a third version of her character that would travel with the Doctor starting with " The Bells of Saint John " . In addition to Clara , " The Snowmen " also introduces a redesigned TARDIS , revised title sequence and theme music , and sees changes to the Doctor 's costume . The special was produced in August 2012 , with location filming in Newport , Wales and Bristol . It received final ratings of 9 @.@ 87 million viewers in the UK , becoming the fourth most @-@ watched programme of Christmas Day . " The Snowmen " was met with mostly positive reviews from critics , most of whom received the introduction and character of Clara well . However , some felt that Grant and McKellen were underused as villains or the plot was slight because of the focus on characterisation . 

 = = Plot = = 


 = = = Prequels = = = 

 To promote the special , three prequels were released . The first was broadcast during the 2012 Children in Need telethon on 16 November 2012 , titled " The Great Detective " . The Silurian Madame Vastra , her human wife Jenny Flint , and the Sontaran Strax ( all returning from " A Good Man Goes to War " ) describe a number of strange phenomena to a shadowed fourth detective . The fourth detective reveals himself to be the Doctor , and tells the group that he has retired . 
 A second prequel , titled " Vastra Investigates " , was released online on 17 December 2012 . At the end of a case , Vastra and Jenny converse with an officer from Scotland Yard and apologise for Strax 's violent wishes for the culprit 's punishment . Vastra explains Strax 's alien origin as well as her own to the officer , much to his astonishment . Vastra reveals that she was awoken by an extension to the London Underground and initially disliked humans , though that changed when she fell in love with Jenny . On the carriage ride home , Jenny notices it is beginning to snow and Vastra notes that the snow should be impossible because there are no clouds in the sky . 
 A third prequel , titled " The Battle of Demon 's Run — Two Days Later " was released on the United States iTunes and Amazon Video stores on 25 March 2013 . Two days after the events of " A Good Man Goes to War " , Vastra and Jenny convince Strax that he is not mortally wounded and invite him to accompany them back to 1800s London . The scene had been filmed as an extra due to the anticipation that fans would ask how Strax was resurrected and came to be in Vastra 's employ . 

 = = = Synopsis = = = 

 In 1842 England , a young boy builds a snowman , but refuses to play with the other children . The snowman starts speaking to the boy , repeating his assertions that the other children are silly . Fifty years later , the boy has grown up to be Dr. Walter Simeon , proprietor of the Great Intelligence Institute . He hires men to collect samples of snow , which he places in a large snow @-@ filled globe in his laboratory before feeding the men to a group of animated snowmen . The Doctor , still despondent after losing his former companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams , has parked his TARDIS above Victorian London among the clouds . He uses his allies Vastra , Jenny , and Strax to keep people away from him . They also fill their time investigating mysteries throughout the city . 
 Elsewhere , barmaid Clara Oswin Oswald investigates a disturbance outside the tavern she works at and finds the Doctor walking by . He attempts to leave discreetly , but Clara follows him to a coach . Not wishing to become involved in matters , the Doctor instructs Strax to bring him a memory worm that will erase the last hour of Clara 's memories with just a touch . Before they can do so , they are surrounded by snowmen created from snow with psychic properties who attack the group . The Doctor realises that Clara 's thoughts are creating the snowmen and ends the threat by instructing her to think of them melting . Clara cautions the Doctor that if he wipes her memory , she will forget how to deal with the snowmen . The Doctor reluctantly allows her to go and ascends a staircase to the sky to return to the TARDIS . Clara follows him and knocks on the door , but she hides and flees down the staircase when the Doctor answers . Clara returns to her other job as governess for the children of Captain Latimer . She learns that Latimer 's daughter has been having horrible dreams about their previous governess returning from the dead . Clara realises that the pond that contains the old governess ' body is the only thing still frozen around them . She attempts to track down the Doctor but instead attracts the attention of Jenny , who takes her to see Vastra . Vastra tells Clara she gets only one word to impress the Doctor with if she wants his help . Clara chooses the word " Pond " , which shocks the Doctor and arouses his interest . 
 Acting on a tip from Strax , the Doctor visits the Great Intelligence Institute posing as Sherlock Holmes . He confronts Dr. Simeon and find a large glass globe in Simeon 's office that contains psychic snow . The Doctor speaks to the Great Intelligence , the entity that has been speaking to Dr. Simeon since he was a boy . He learns that the Great Intelligence has been controlling the snowmen and has taken interest in Latimer 's pond . The Doctor visits the pond and deduces that the Great Intelligence is using the old governess ' body as a DNA blueprint to form an ice creature that will retain its form and not melt . While Clara is putting the children to bed , the frozen body of the governess breaks into the house . The Doctor fights her off and is joined by Vastra , Jenny and Strax . Dr. Simeon arrives with more snowmen and tells them he wants the governess ' ice body . The Doctor flees with Clara to the roof of the mansion and then to the TARDIS hovering overhead . They are pursued by the ice governess , whom the Doctor traps under a layer of frozen ice crystals . Inside the TARDIS the Doctor gives Clara a TARDIS key , but the ice governess arrives and pulls Clara down off the cloud . 
 The Doctor picks up Clara and takes her back to Latimer 's mansion , placing her under medical care of Strax . He collects the ice fragments from the governess and places them in a souvenir London Underground biscuit tin . He and Vastra travel to Simeon 's lab , where the Doctor notes the Intelligence 's plan to replace humanity with ice creatures and holds up the tin with the necessary DNA . Dr Simeon grabs the tin and opens it only to find the memory worm , which latches on to him . The Doctor states that the Great Intelligence , which has been existing as a mirror of Dr Simeon 's thoughts , will vanish with the erasure of Simeon 's memories . Instead , the Intelligence reveals that it existed long enough that it can now control Simeon 's body , which it uses to attack Vastra and the Doctor . The influence of the Great Intelligence quickly wanes , and Simeon falls dead . Outside , a salt @-@ water rain has started , and the Doctor sees that another psychic ability has taken control of the snow from the Great Intelligence : the Latimer family , crying for Clara . Strax informs the Doctor upon his return to the Latimer mansion that Clara only has moments left , and she passes away as the Doctor returns the TARDIS key to her . At her funeral , the Doctor reads Clara 's full name on her tombstone and realises she is the woman he met in " Asylum of the Daleks " who became a Dalek , whom he refers to as " Soufflé Girl " . He gleefully announces that a person dying twice is an impossibility and , bidding farewell to his allies for now , the Doctor departs in the TARDIS to investigate and find Clara . The episode concludes in contemporary times , where a young woman resembling Clara walks through the same graveyard , pausing by Clara 's tombstone . 

 = = = Continuity = = = 

 The Second Doctor previously encountered the Great Intelligence in the serials The Abominable Snowmen ( 1967 ) , set in the 1930s , and The Web of Fear ( 1968 ) , set in the 1960s . In these stories , the Great Intelligence uses robot Yeti as its physical presence . The events of The Web of Fear are alluded to by the Doctor in " The Snowmen " when he presents the London Underground biscuit tin to the Great Intelligence in Dr Simeon 's laboratory ; the Intelligence states , " I do not understand these markings " , in reference to the 1967 London Underground map design on the tin . The Doctor remarks that the Underground is a " key strategic weakness in metropolitan living " , referring to ( and possibly setting in motion ) the future Yeti attack on London via the Underground . 
 Coleman previously played Oswin Oswald in " Asylum of the Daleks " , though the connection between the two characters is not clarified until Clara reveals she has an interest in soufflés , a trait that Oswin 's character also had . The Doctor , after meeting Clara , wistfully replies " those were the days " when she asks why he isn 't staying to get acquainted with her , which are the same words he tells Craig Owens ( " Closing Time " ) when Craig comments that the Doctor always wins . The final scenes at the graveyard establish that Clara shares the same name as Oswin , leading the Doctor to surmise they are the same person . As seen on her gravestone , Clara 's birthdate is 23 November , the date Doctor Who was first transmitted in 1963 . 

 = = Production = = 


 = = = Writing and design changes = = = 

 Writer Steven Moffat stated that he wanted an " epic " quality to the Christmas special . The story would also show how the Doctor had responded to losing his previous companions ; Moffat said that " I think he 's probably reached the point in his life where he 's saying , ' Friendship for me is just postponed bereavement — I want to be on my own for a while ' . " Moffat compared the withdrawn Doctor seen at the onset of the episode to the first appearances of the First Doctor ( William Hartnell ) in 1963 and the Ninth Doctor ( Christopher Eccleston ) in 2005 . He also attributed the idea of a retired Doctor to a plot proposed by Douglas Adams in the 1970s , but rejected by the production team at the time . Continuing the theme introduced with the series ' first five episodes , " The Snowmen " was promoted like a movie . A movie poster was released in the Radio Times , showing the Doctor and Clara ascending the ladder to the TARDIS . 
 The episode saw several major design changes for the series . " The Snowmen " is the debut of a redesigned TARDIS interior , as well as a new title sequence and variation of the theme tune . The new title sequence features a brief glimpse of the Doctor 's face , the first time since Survival , the final serial of the classic series in 1989 , that the Doctor 's face has been seen in the title sequence . Moffat had noticed that the TARDIS ' design was getting " progressively whimsical " and resembled more of a " magical place " rather than a machine . It was designed by series production designer Michael Pickwood , who stated that the new interior was also supposed to be " darker and moodier " and provide an easier access to the " gallery " of the ship when shooting . 
 The Doctor also wears a one @-@ off costume , Victorian @-@ themed , which Smith described as " a bit Artful Dodger meets the Doctor " . Moffat described the new outfit as a " progression " as the Doctor was in " a different phase of his life now " and felt more " grown @-@ up " and fatherlike . The costume was designed by Howard Burden for this episode . " The Snowmen " also contains several references to Sherlock Holmes , including the Doctor dressing up as him . Moffat is co @-@ creator of the BBC series Sherlock , for which Smith auditioned for the role of Doctor Watson before being cast as the Doctor . In addition , the incidental music during the scene bears a resemblance to the Sherlock theme . 

 = = = Casting = = = 

 This episode marks the return of Jenna @-@ Louise Coleman , who previously appeared in the series opener , " Asylum of the Daleks " . Coleman was cast because of her chemistry with Matt Smith , and especially because she was able to talk faster than him . She auditioned for the role of Clara , not Oswin from " Asylum " , as the concept of the two characters being the same only occurred to Moffat whilst casting for Clara . The production team requested that the press and fans who attended advanced screenings keep Coleman 's appearance a secret until " Asylum " was broadcast ; the effort was ultimately successful . Moffat stated that the introduction of a new companion made " the show feel different " and brought the story to " a new beginning " with a different person meeting the Doctor . Smith said that Clara was different from her predecessor Amy Pond ( Karen Gillan ) , which allowed the audience to see a different side of the Doctor . Coleman described her as resourceful and not intimidated , citing the reason for following the Doctor at the beginning as pursuing answers . The Clara who would become a travelling companion of the Doctor would not debut until the Spring premiere , " The Bells of Saint John " ; save for a brief cameo at the end of " The Snowmen " . Coleman stated that she played each version as individuals with " trust that there would be a payoff " to her mystery . 
 Also returning to the series are Neve McIntosh as Madame Vastra , Dan Starkey as Strax and Catrin Stewart as Jenny . All three previously appeared in " A Good Man Goes to War " and reprised their roles both in this episode and in the prequels . They returned due to the popularity of Vastra and Jenny ; Moffat considered a spin @-@ off featuring them , though he did not have the time to do it . Instead , he decided to bring them back in the main series . Richard E. Grant had previously played the Doctor on two occasions , as an alternative Tenth Doctor in the spoof charity special Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death , which was written by Moffat and as an alternative Ninth Doctor in the animated story Scream of the Shalka which had been intended to be a continuation of the series before it was revived in 2005 . Smith commented that Grant was " born to be a Who villain . He pitches it on that perfect level and tone " . Grant 's appearance in Doctor Who was teased by the BBC via Twitter , announcing his appearance at midnight 5 August 2012 . Tom Ward was drawn to his role because of the quality of the script , and also stated his young children were pleased that he appeared in the programme . The Great Intelligence was voiced by Sir Ian McKellen . The two children Clara is governess to , Digby and Francesca , were played by real @-@ life brother and sister Joseph and Ellie Darcey @-@ Alden . 

 = = = Filming and effects = = = 

 " The Snowmen " was originally intended to be produced in the fourth production block of the series and be the first episode Coleman shot as her character ; however , it did not begin filming until the week of 6 August 2012 , after Coleman had worked on later episodes while Moffat was writing the Christmas special . The read @-@ through had taken place on 2 August 2012 . This was the first Christmas special to be filmed in BBC Wales ' new Roath Lock studios . Scenes featuring Coleman and several guest stars in a Victorian setting were filmed in Newport , Wales , while Coleman and Smith were also spotted filming in Bristol two weeks later on 21 August . Some scenes which used snow props were filmed in Portland Square , Bristol , where filming took place overnight on 21 – 22 August 2012 . Bristol was chosen because it had Victorian @-@ era architecture . Pickwood stated that his favourite set is the London Street with the back of the pub , which he said was based on a sixteenth @-@ century building in Oxford . The locations were blocked off and sprayed with fake snow . 
 The TARDIS on the cloud was achieved through a mix of fog on the studio floor and post @-@ production special effects . Director Saul Metzstein explained that it was difficult to achieve the desired look for the snowmen ; the first ones he likened to Zippy from Rainbow which was too " cute " of an appearance , and so the effects team created more menacing CGI faces . Clara 's introduction to the TARDIS introduced two novel effects for the show . The first was a single @-@ shot camera tracking from a few feet away from the TARDIS to its interior , with the implication of the TARDIS 's trans @-@ dimensional nature shown to the audience . In the following shot , the camera does a complete circle of the TARDIS console , an effect not seen since the early days of the show . Metzstein wanted to include this shot to further emphasize the " bigger on the inside than the outside " nature of the time machine . 
 In addition to the three prequel mini @-@ episodes , the cast also filmed an additional promotional video , " Songtaran Carols , " which the BBC uploaded during the days leading up to the broadcast . The video featured Starkey singing modified versions of several Christmas songs in character as Strax as his castmates look on , before everyone breaks character and begins laughing . 

 = = Broadcast and reception = = 

 " The Snowmen " aired on BBC One on 25 December 2012 at 5 : 15 pm , the same day on BBC America in the US and Space in Canada and the next day on ABC1 in Australia and on Prime in New Zealand . UK overnight ratings showed that the special had been watched by 7 @.@ 6 million viewers , coming in sixth for the night . Final consolidated figures ( not including BBC iPlayer viewers ) showed that the episode was watched by 9 @.@ 87 million viewers , coming in fourth for the night . It also received an Appreciation Index figure of 87 , higher than most of the Doctor Who Christmas specials . The iPlayer version had 1 @,@ 467 @,@ 220 views , making it the most popular TV show on iPlayer over Christmas . The US airing was seen by 1 @.@ 43 million viewers , with a 0 @.@ 6 rating in the demographic of adults aged 18 – 49 . 

 = = = Critical reception = = = 

 The episode received mostly positive reviews . Dan Martin of The Guardian called it " actually the best Christmas Special since ' The Christmas Invasion ' " and the first to be " actually scary " , with " everything we like " about Doctor Who and Christmas . He praised Coleman 's introduction as Clara and the gang of Vastra , Jenny , and Strax . IGN 's Matt Risley gave " The Snowmen " a score of 9 @.@ 4 out of 10 , describing it as " a rollicking , riveting masterclass in storytelling " which " refreshingly " lacked traditional Christmas references " in favour of some sparkling dialogue , gorgeous set design and fascinating characterisation " . While he felt that Grant and McKellen were underused , he was very positive towards Coleman 's " unpredictable " Clara . Radio Times reviewer Patrick Mulkern was pleased with the return of the Great Intelligence despite an inconsistency in the timeline he found , and praised the " lovely images " and direction of the special , though he felt the variation of the theme music " lacks the menace " of the original . While he was positive towards Clara , he was " unmoved by her death " as it was " plainly silly " that she did not look injured . 
 Nick Setchfield of SFX gave the special four and a half out of five stars , writing that " the power of emotion saves the day again " was appropriate in light of the festivities and many fairytales referenced in the story . Setchfield was positive towards the " terrific " comedy with Strax , Coleman and the " surprisingly underused " Grant , as well as the new title sequence and TARDIS . While he wrote that the subtle callback of the Great Intelligence was " a tad more interesting than the usual ' So , we meet again ! ' schtick " , he ultimately felt their threat " never quite comes into sharp relief " . Neela Debnath of The Independent wrote that " The Snowmen " was stronger than the previous year 's " The Doctor , the Widow , and the Wardrobe " as it was connected to the overall story of the series , but " still has a way to go if it is to live up to ' A Christmas Carol ' " . Despite feeling that it was " enjoyable " , she noted that " the story feels truncated and rushed " 
 The Mirror 's Jon Cooper also praised Coleman and the new side of the Doctor that was shown , comparing it to Rose Tyler ( Billie Piper ) challenging the Ninth Doctor ( Christopher Eccleston ) . However , he felt the character @-@ heavy story was to the detriment of the plot , which was " a classic Who set @-@ up that ultimately suffers from a lack of explanation [ and ] more set @-@ pieces than a coherent whole " . He felt that the episode may not have been accessible for casual viewers , but offered much for fans in time for the programme 's fiftieth anniversary . Dominic Cavendish of The Daily Telegraph gave " The Snowmen " three out of five stars , disappointed that it was not as scary as it had been hyped to be . While he was positive towards Smith and the TARDIS on the cloud , he criticised Strax and the " Sudoku @-@ like complexity " of the script . 
 The episode was nominated for the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation ( Short Form ) , alongside " Asylum of the Daleks " and " The Angels Take Manhattan " , but lost to the Game of Thrones episode " Blackwater " . 

 = = DVD release = = 

 " The Snowmen " was initially released as a standalone on DVD and Blu @-@ ray in the UK and North America . It was later included as part of the DVD / Blu @-@ ray box set Doctor Who : The Complete Seventh Series in September 2013 . 
 It has subsequently been reissued in several box set compilations , most recently alongside the Christmas specials between " The Christmas Invasion " and " Last Christmas " inclusive in a boxset titled Doctor Who – The 10 Christmas Specials on 19 October 2015 . 

 = = Soundtrack = = 

 Selected pieces of score from " The Snowmen " and the preceding Christmas special , as composed by Murray Gold , were included on a soundtrack released on 21 October 2013 by Silva Screen Records . 


 = No. 20 Squadron RAAF = 

 No. 20 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) support squadron . Coming under the control of No. 96 Wing , it is responsible for the management of the airfield at RAAF Base Woomera , South Australia . The squadron originated as a maritime patrol unit during World War II . Raised in August 1941 , it operated PBY Catalina and Short Empire flying boats from bases in New Guinea , Queensland and the Northern Territory , conducting search @-@ and @-@ rescue , mine @-@ laying , anti @-@ submarine and bombing missions against Japanese targets in the Pacific theatre . Following the conclusion of hostilities , the squadron was disbanded in March 1946 . It was reactivated as an airfield support squadron in April 2015 . 

 = = History = = 


 = = = World War II = = = 

 No. 20 Squadron was formed at Port Moresby , New Guinea , on 1 August 1941 for a general reconnaissance role , under the command of Squadron Leader W.N. Gibson . Its establishment was six PBY Catalina flying boats and 133 personnel , but only five aircraft ( all transferred from No. 11 Squadron ) and 55 personnel were available initially . The squadron conducted long @-@ range patrols between bases scattered around the islands to Australia 's north in conjunction with No. 11 Squadron . On 18 November , No. 20 Squadron 's Catalinas were augmented by two Short Empire flying boats transferred from No. 11 Squadron . 
 On 25 November 1941 , following the loss of HMAS Sydney , one of No. 20 Squadron 's Catalinas was despatched to Western Australia to join a No. 11 Squadron Catalina in search @-@ and @-@ rescue missions , but they found only oil slicks . By the outbreak of war in the Pacific , No. 20 Squadron had a strength of six Catalinas and two Empire flying boats . Its personnel at the beginning of December numbered 14 officers and 118 men . The squadron undertook its first sortie of the Pacific War on 8 December ; a Catalina located three Japanese luggers in the vicinity of Thursday Island , Queensland . Later in the month it commenced anti @-@ submarine patrols and , in January 1942 , bombing raids against Japanese bases . As the Japanese advanced into the South West Pacific , No. 20 Squadron was also responsible for evacuating white civilians from areas threatened by invasion . On 21 January , one of its Catalinas located the Japanese fleet steaming for Rabaul and signalled a warning to the town 's Australian defenders before being shot down by anti @-@ aircraft fire ; it was the squadron 's first combat loss . 
 In the wake of the fall of Rabaul , the Catalinas of Nos. 11 and 20 Squadrons became the RAAF 's only offensive weapon against the Japanese . Their raids on Rabaul did little to stem the Japanese advance , and in the following months Port Moresby itself was subjected to increasingly frequent attacks , which destroyed aircraft , facilities , and squadron records . In February 1942 , the Short Empires operated by Nos. 11 and 20 Squadrons were transferred to the newly formed No. 33 ( Transport ) Squadron . No. 20 Squadron lost two Catalinas during patrols on 4 and 6 May ; the nine crewmen of the first were later found to have been captured and beheaded ; the crew of the second were also captured and subsequently disappeared without trace . 
 In response to the threat of invasion at Port Moresby , Nos. 11 and 20 Squadrons moved to Bowen , Queensland , on 7 May 1942 . They were soon attacking Japanese targets in Lae , Salamaua and Rabaul . On 27 June , each squadron contributed an aircraft to a four @-@ hour raid over Lae and Salamaua during which , as well as bombs , the RAAF crews dropped beer bottles to disrupt the enemy soldiers ' sleep — the sound they made falling through the air was , according to the official history , " something between a shrill whistle and a scream " . By 1 July , No. 20 Squadron 's strength was six Catalinas and 175 personnel , out of a planned establishment of nine aircraft and 415 personnel . Its prime responsibility in early 1942 was maritime reconnaissance as far as New Guinea , the Solomon Islands , and New Caledonia ; the latter half of the year saw a greater focus on night bombing . Now comprising 252 officers and men , the squadron relocated to Cairns on 11 November 1942 . From Cairns it continued to conduct reconnaissance , anti @-@ submarine and occasional bombing operations over the waters around New Guinea . Between December 1942 and March 1943 , No. 20 Squadron 's aircraft flew a total of 9 @,@ 629 hours and dropped 227 tons of bombs . The squadron 's role changed in June 1943 when it commenced mine @-@ laying operations over the Netherlands East Indies and the Philippines , though it continued to make some bombing raids and supply drops . 
 In September 1944 , No. 20 Squadron became part of No. 76 Wing RAAF , along with Nos. 42 and 43 Squadrons , and moved to Darwin , Northern Territory . All three squadrons operated Catalinas , their primary purpose being mine @-@ laying . On the night of 30 September , a Catalina of No. 20 Squadron was shot down while attacking a ship at Pomelaa in the Dutch East Indies ; the loss was compounded by the fact that one of the coordinators of the mining campaign , Lieutenant Commander P.E. Carr of the Royal Australian Navy , was aboard the plane and was captured by the Japanese . Another of the squadron 's Catalinas went down on the night of 27 / 28 January 1945 , possibly in a cyclone over the Timor Sea , during the campaign to mine Surabaya . In March , a detachment of four No. 20 Squadron aircraft , along with four from No. 43 Squadron , laid mines off the coast of southern China and Formossa as part of a No. 76 Wing offensive in this area ; these operations were conducted from Leyte Gulf in the Philippines . One of No. 20 Squadron 's Catalinas was lost on the night of 7 / 8 March , most likely owing to bad weather rather than enemy action . Three of the squadron 's aircraft mined the entrance to Hong Kong harbour on 8 April and , on 26 May , four of its Catalinas mined Wenchow harbour in China , the furthest north that any Australian aircraft infiltrated during the war in the Pacific . Three of its aircraft flew the RAAF 's last mine @-@ laying mission on 30 July . 
 No. 20 Squadron 's final wartime sortie was a patrol on 14 August 1945 . Following the end of the war , the squadron operated in the transport role and ferried Australian prisoners of war home from various locations in South East Asia . It relocated to RAAF Station Rathmines , New South Wales , on 21 November . No. 20 Squadron flew its last mission , a transport flight to Balikpapan , on 21 January 1946 , and disbanded at Rathmines on 27 March . 

 = = = Post @-@ war re @-@ establishment = = = 

 No. 20 Squadron was reactivated on 1 April 2015 to support airfield operations at RAAF Base Woomera , South Australia . Consisting of nine uniformed personnel and one Australian Public Service member under the command of Squadron Leader Simon Bartlett , the squadron formed part of No. 96 Wing , a component of Combat Support Group ( CSG ) . The airfield had previously been managed under the auspices of Aerospace Operational Support Group , but a command @-@ and @-@ control review commissioned by the Chief of Air Force recommended that , in common with other RAAF airfields , it should be administered by CSG . RAAF Base Woomera , incorporating Woomera Village , was one of two Air Force units formally established on 12 January 2015 as part of a reorganisation of the Woomera Range Complex , the other unit being RAAF Woomera Test Range . 
 The design of the reactivated squadron 's crest includes a wedge @-@ tailed eagle to denote courage and nobility , a woomera spear thrower to symbolise the town and its indigenous heritage , Sturt 's Desert Pea to represent South Australia , and the Pleiades star cluster , which features in the folklore of the local Kokatha people . 


 = Light Tank Mk VII Tetrarch = 

 The Light Tank Mk VII ( A17 ) , also known as the Tetrarch , was a British light tank produced by Vickers @-@ Armstrongs in the late 1930s and deployed during the World War II . The Tetrarch was originally designed as the latest in the line of light tanks built by the company for the British Army . It improved upon its predecessor , the Mk VIB Light Tank , by introducing the extra firepower of a 2 @-@ pounder gun . The War Office ordered 70 tanks , an order that eventually increased to 220 . Production was delayed by several factors , and as a consequence , only 100 to 177 of the tanks were produced . 
 The tank 's design flaws , combined with the decision by the War Office not to use light tanks in British armoured divisions , ruled out the use of Tetrarchs in the North African Campaign . As a result , the majority of the tanks remained in Britain , although 20 were sent to the USSR as part of the Lend @-@ Lease program . In early 1941 , the Royal Armoured Corps formed three squadrons for use in overseas amphibious operations , one of which was equipped with Tetrarchs . In May 1942 , a small number of Tetrarchs formed part of the British force which participated in the invasion of Madagascar , and , in June 1942 , Tetrarchs were attached to the 1st Airborne Division after it was decided that the design allowed its use as an air @-@ portable light tank to support British airborne forces . The Tetrarchs were transported and landed in specially designed General Aircraft Hamilcar gliders . A lack of gliders prevented their participation in the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943 ; instead they were attached to the new 6th Airborne Division and became part of the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment . 
 The division used approximately 20 Tetrarchs during the British airborne landings in Normandy in June 1944 . The tanks were successfully landed by glider , but they did not perform well . Several were lost in accidents , and those that did see action proved to be inferior in firepower and armour to the armoured fighting vehicles of the German forces . A few days after the beginning of the operation , the tanks were removed from direct engagement with German armour and used only to provide fire support . By August 1944 , most of the Tetrarchs in action were replaced with Cromwell cruiser tanks , and the remainder were replaced by the M22 Locust in December 1944 . 
 Tetrarchs did not see any further combat and were deemed obsolete by 1946 ; the last was retired in 1950 . There were several variations on the Tetrarch design , including the Alecto self @-@ propelled gun and the Light Tank Mk VIII , but none of these were ever used in active service with the British Army . 

 = = Development history = = 


 = = = Initial development = = = 

 The prototype of the Light Tank Mk VII ( A17 ) , nicknamed ' Purdah ' , was first developed in 1937 by Vickers @-@ Armstrongs as a private venture , and was intended to be sold either to the British Army or to foreign militaries . It was to be the latest in a series of light tanks produced by the company . The tank was designed to overcome the shortcomings of insufficient armament in earlier light tanks that were fitted only with machine guns . Vickers @-@ Armstrong installed on the Mk VIIs a 2 @-@ pounder 40 @-@ millimetre ( 1 @.@ 6 in ) main gun paired with a 7 @.@ 92 @-@ millimetre ( 0 @.@ 312 in ) Besa machine gun , and mounted the two guns in a two @-@ man turret . The tank possessed a maximum of 14 millimetres ( 0 @.@ 55 in ) of armour . The prototype weighed approximately 16 @,@ 800 pounds ( 7 @,@ 600 kg ) and was powered by a 165 @-@ horsepower ( 123 kW ) Meadows engine . Suspension was on eight road wheels , four per side , with no separate driver or idler wheels and it was capable of a 40 miles per hour ( 64 km / h ) top speed . The Mk VII design relied on an unusual steering method and a mechanical system incorporated into earlier Vickers models . The front wheels could be steered to allow for gentle turns by bending the tracks . For sharper turns , the system returned to the conventional method of braking one track to turn the tank ; the dual system of turning was designed to lessen mechanical strain on the MkVII and reduce its power wastage . The suspension system was also a new design that relied on struts with pockets of air for springing and cushions of oil for damping , and each of the wheels was independently sprung . 
 The War Office examined the design and put the prototype through a series of trials during May and June 1938 ; the model was tested as a possible " light cruiser " since War Office light tank needs were already met by its predecessor , the Mark VI . The War Office then took the view that the tank was not acceptable as a light cruiser because the Nuffield A13 offered better speed and obstacle crossing performance . Despite this , it was decided that it was essential for some Tetrarchs to be produced , and it was suggested that they be brought in at the end of the light tank program . Accordingly , the War Office gave the Tetrarch the official General Staff specification number A17 , and , in November 1938 , accepted it for limited production after requesting a few minor changes which included the fitting of an external fuel tank to increase the tank 's range . 

 = = = Production = = = 

 The number to be produced was subject to fluctuation as the War Office vacillated in their demand ; in July 1938 , it requested that 70 of the tanks be produced , then increased the request to 120 after a three @-@ day conference in November . Production was to begin in July 1940 , but meanwhile the War Office temporarily returned to its original order of 70 before increasing the number to 100 . The number further increased to 220 after Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon , a company part owned by Vickers @-@ Armstrong that would be producing the tanks , indicated it had already ordered armour plating for that many tanks . 
 Production of the tank was delayed by a number of factors . The War Office put their order on hold in a post @-@ Battle of France decision to focus military production on infantry and cruiser tanks , due to the poor performance of British light tanks during that battle . Due to the shortage of more suitable tanks , light tanks that were not designed for use against German armour , were nevertheless deployed against them ; the resulting high casualties led the War Office to re @-@ evaluate the suitability of the light tank design . The pre @-@ war role of the light tank , that of reconnaissance , meanwhile had been found to be better suited to scout cars that used smaller crews and had better cross @-@ country abilities . Further delays were caused by the bombing raids of the Luftwaffe during May 1941 against the factories where the tanks were assembled . 
 The cumulative effect of these delays resulted in the production of only a small number of Mk VIIs ; estimates place the final total produced to be between 100 and 177 . The name ' Tetrarch ' was given to the Mk VII , on 22 September 1941 , on the orders of the War Office . The last of the tanks were built in the first quarter of 1942 and delivered at the end of the year . 

 = = = Transfer to airborne role = = = 

 The War Office and the Army were concluding , at this point , that light tanks were a liability and too vulnerable for use in further combat , and the Tetrarch was considered to be obsolete . This decision may have marked the end for the Tetrarch in active service ; several of the tanks destined to be deployed to the Eighth Army in the Middle East for the North African Campaign were left in Britain when their cooling systems were determined to be unable to cope with the intense North African heat . 
 The demise of Tetrarch was prevented by a decision made by the War Office in mid @-@ 1941 , as it was considering the equipment to be used by Britain 's fledgling airborne forces , formed in June 1940 under the orders of the Prime Minister , Winston Churchill . When selecting the equipment for the airborne forces , officials at the War Office concluded that gliders would be an integral component ; gliders would transport troops and heavy equipment , which , by 1941 , was to include artillery and some form of tank . Plans to transport a tank went through a number of revisions , but , by May 1941 , the feasibility of a 5 @.@ 5 metric tons ( 5 @.@ 4 long tons ) tank to be carried for 350 miles ( 560 km ) in a glider was accepted , although the aircraft would have to be specifically designed for the task . In a conference held on 16 January 1941 , it was decided that the General Aircraft Hamilcar , currently under development , would be used to transport a single Tetrarch tank or two Universal Carriers . The Tetrarch was chosen because it was an obsolete design , and was therefore available to be used by the airborne forces . 
 Beginning in January 1944 , training exercises were conducted carrying the Tetrarchs and their crews inside Hamilcar gliders . These exercises were successful ; during the training by ' C ' Squadron of the Glider Pilot Regiment , which specialised in flying the Hamilcars , over 2 @,@ 800 lifts were made with an average of 50 lifts per crew . Only three incidents resulted in fatalities or injuries , with seven pilots killed during the training . When the Tetrarch was re @-@ designated as an airborne tank , several changes were made to its design . A number of tanks had their 2 pounder guns replaced with a 76 @.@ 2 @-@ millimetre ( 3 @.@ 00 in ) infantry support howitzer ; these tanks were then designated as Tetrarch 1 CS ( Close Support ) . Additionally , Littlejohn adaptors were added to those Tetrarchs which still possessed their 2 pounders to increase their muzzle velocity and armour penetration . 
 The Tetrarch experienced several setbacks throughout its development and deployment with the Army and airborne forces . One of the major problems was the limited number of these tanks that existed after production ended in 1942 , which particularly affected the airborne forces . The transport of 20 of the tanks to the USSR under the Lend @-@ Lease Act depleted the number available for use by airborne forces , as did the loss of several more during Operation Ironclad , the invasion of Madagascar . A Royal Armoured Corps report issued in December 1942 stated that approximately 50 Tetrarchs were available for use . In a memorandum , dated January 1943 , by Major General George F. Hopkinson , commander of the 1st Airborne Division , Hopkinson complained that he had been informed that 70 of the tanks were available , whereas only 50 actually remained , with no reserves to replace those lost in combat . This lack of sufficient replacement reserves , combined with a War Office report that some 287 airborne tanks would be required for the 1st Airborne Division and an unnamed airborne division to be formed in India , led to the Tetrarch 's eventual replacement by the US M22 Locust . 

 = = Performance = = 

 A number of design faults of the Tetrarch were revealed through its operational use . Its size limited the possible crew to three , a driver in the hull and a gunner and commander in the turret , resulting in too few crew members to operate the Tetrarch effectively . The gunner or commander , in addition to his own duties , had to act as loader for the 2 pounder , which caused delays in combat . A report on the tank written in January 1941 stated that as the commander had to both fight and control the tank , controlling a troop of Tetrarchs during combat would be almost impossible . 
 Problems were also found with the Littlejohn adaptor fitted to the 2 @-@ pounder to increase its range and penetration power ; after they had been fitted the adapters could not be removed , and could only fire specially designed armour @-@ piercing rounds , which took time to manufacture . 
 The War Office also considered the Tetrarch 's cooling system faulty , making the tank unsuitable for service in hotter climates , such as the Middle East and North Africa . 

 = = Operational history = = 


 = = = Lend @-@ lease = = = 

 The first Tetrarchs were delivered to the Army in November 1940 , and were initially deployed with the 1st Armoured Division ( which was being refitted after losing the majority of its previous tanks during the Battle of France ) and the newly formed 6th Armoured Division . However , the faults discovered with the Tetrarch cooling system precluded them from being integrated into units that were sent to the Middle East to participate in the North African Campaign . Shortly after , all light tanks were discarded from the establishments of British armoured divisions as not suitable for further service . 
 The Tetrarchs remained in Britain , and would probably have been used as training vehicles before being retired from service , but on 22 June 1941 the German invasion of the USSR , Operation Barbarossa began , and the USSR became an ally of Britain . The Lend @-@ Lease program , begun in March 1941 by the United States of America to supply defensive materials to Britain and China , was therefore extended to the USSR . As part of the program , the British government began supplying war materials to the USSR , which in early 1942 , included a shipment of 20 Tetrarchs , as well as a number of Valentine and Matilda Mk I Infantry tanks . The Soviet military utilised a greater number of light tanks than the British , and so could use the Tetrarchs . When the tanks arrived in the USSR , however , it was apparent that the design problems with the cooling system were also present in cold conditions ; additionally , the cold weather had a deleterious effect on the tank 's suspension and tracks . Additional testing of the Tetrarchs was conducted by the Soviet military and the design was admired for its controllability , manoeuvrability , and speed , as well its ability to run on low @-@ quality fuel , unlike contemporary Soviet designs . The thinness of the Tetrarch 's armour was found to be a problem and one which could not be solved , as the weight of extra armour plating caused an unacceptable reduction in the tank 's speed . Despite these drawbacks in the Tetrarch 's design , Soviet authorities believed it to be comparable to the T @-@ 70 light tank in use at the time , and decided that it was suitable to be used in combat . A number of Tetrarchs were sent to Tank Training Schools which were subsequently sent into battle , and in September 1943 two were assigned to the 132nd Separated Tank Battalion , which was attached to the 5th Guards Tank Brigade ; both tanks were destroyed in combat , one on 30 September and the other on 2 October , the latter a casualty of artillery fire . Several were also used for propaganda purposes , appearing in photographs of Soviet troops who were fighting in the Caucasus region . 

 = = = Operation Ironclad = = = 

 In mid @-@ 1941 , the Royal Armoured Corps in Britain created three tank squadrons for special overseas operations , known as ' A ' , ' B ' and ' C ' Special Service Squadrons . Both ' A ' and ' B ' Squadrons were equipped with Valentine Infantry tanks and Mark VIc light tanks , but ' C ' Squadron was equipped with twelve Tetrarchs transferred from the 2nd Armoured Brigade , 1st Armoured Division . On 31 July 1941 , ' C ' Squadron was officially activated and immediately received orders to prepare for overseas service alongside ' A ' and ' B ' Squadrons in an unspecified tropical climate . All three squadrons were transported to Inverary in Scotland for intensive training that focused on embarkation and disembarkation from ships and landing craft to prepare them for action in potential amphibious operations . In early September , elements of ' C ' Squadron , including six Tetrarchs , formed part of a force which sailed for Freetown in West Africa ; during this period of the war there were fears that the Spanish government might enter the conflict on the side of Germany , and the force was readied to capture a number of Spanish islands off the coast of Africa if this occurred . These fears proved groundless , and in March 1942 , the unit returned to Britain to join the rest of the squadron in training . 
 The next assignment , Operation Ironclad , was the invasion of Madagascar , the third largest island in the world and then under Vichy French control . The Prime Minister and the Combined Chiefs of Staff decided that Madagascar should be occupied as rapidly as possible to deny the port of Antsirane to Japanese naval forces , which had recently advanced into the Indian Ocean . Operation Ironclad was under the command of Major General Robert G. Sturges and consisted of No. 5 Commando , 29th Independent Brigade Group , and the 17th and 13th brigade groups from 5th Infantry Division . The 29th Brigade formed the core of the invasion force due to its training in amphibious operations , and under its command was ' B ' Special Service Squadron , created by amalgamating six Valentines from ' B ' Squadron and six Tetrarchs from ' C ' Squadron into a single unit . The squadron was formed into four troops , one Headquarters troop of three Valentines and one Tetrarch , one of four Valentines , and two formed from the remaining five Tetrarchs . The invasion force assembled off the west coast of the northern tip of Madagascar on 4 May , near Antsirane and the bay of Diego Suarez . The invasion plan called for an amphibious assault landing on four beaches on the west side of the tip , which would allow the British forces to advance approximately 20 miles ( 32 km ) and approach Antsirane from the rear . Information about the landing beaches , the defences possessed by the port , and the Vichy French defending forces was limited and vague , although it was believed that the defenders had no weapons capable of penetrating the armour of a Valentine tank . 
 The landings began at 04 : 30 on 5 May , with 5 Commando landing at Courrier Bay and the three infantry brigades and ' B ' Squadron landing at Ambararata Bay . The objective of the infantry brigades and their armoured support was to take control of Antsirane and a nearby town , but although the infantry landed successfully , ' B ' Squadron had more trouble ; the area of beach designated for its landing craft was blocked for several hours after a Tetrarch came loose from a landing craft and became stuck in the sand . The infantry brigades advanced toward Antsirane without the squadron , but eventually two Valentines and a single Tetrarch were dispatched in support , catching up with the lead elements of the infantry near the town of Anamakia . Here the invasion force encountered the first French defences , consisting of camouflaged trenches and pillboxes dug in along a ridge . The tanks attempted to breach them , but the rocky ground made manoeuvring difficult and they could not close with the pillboxes and trenches ; they engaged a number of targets with 2 pounder and machine @-@ gun fire , but the line had to be cleared by an infantry assault later in the day . The tanks were ordered to outflank the defences and advance further into the island , and they were soon joined by two other Tetrarchs dispatched from the beaches ; the small force continued to advance until it encountered the Vichy French main line of defence . This had been built prior to the First World War and included camouflaged pillboxes , machine @-@ gun nests and dug @-@ in 75 mm artillery pieces ; the latter , although not specifically designed for an anti @-@ tank role , could penetrate the armour of both the Tetrarchs and the Valentines . The two Valentines advanced first but were knocked out by artillery fire , and two Tetrarchs that were moving behind them suffered the same fate ; the third Tetrarch retreated in order to report on the French resistance , machine gunning a motorcycle combination and a truck it encountered on the way back . 
 The commander of the Tetrarch made his report , and was then ordered to take command of four Valentines and two Tetrarchs which had recently arrived and once again attempt to breach the French defences . The tanks followed the road leading to the defensive line and then attempted to out @-@ flank the line by advancing from the right @-@ hand side , using several hills as cover ; the artillery pieces were able to turn and face the assault , however , and one Valentine and one Tetrarch were hit and destroyed . The remaining tanks exchanged several volleys of fire with the artillery pieces before retreating back to their original positions . The French line was eventually broken by 29th Brigade , aided by an amphibious assault by Royal Marines ; the remaining tanks of ' B ' Squadron , two Valentines and three Tetrarchs , remained in defensive positions until the afternoon of 6 May , coming under sporadic artillery fire which disabled another Valentine . The squadron played no further part in the battle , as the Vichy French authorities negotiated a formal surrender the following day , although French troops would continue to engage the British occupying force in guerrilla warfare until late November . ' C ' Squadron suffered heavy casualties during the invasion ; only one Valentine and three Tetrarchs out of twelve tanks were functional by 7 May , and the squadron had suffered seven killed and six wounded . It remained in Madagascar until early 1943 , when it was shipped to India and took part in the Burma Campaign as part of 29th Brigade . 

 = = = Operation Tonga = = = 

 Because of a lack of equipment training facilities in mid @-@ 1940 , when the British airborne establishment was formed , the War Office was able to accept only 500 volunteers for training as airborne troops . Progress in setting up proper training facilities and acquiring suitable transport aircraft was so slow that the first British airborne operation , Operation Colossus , was conducted by a retrained Commando unit . By 1942 , there existed specifically trained airborne units , including the 1st Airborne Division , and on 19 January 1942 the War Office decided that a light tank unit would be one of the support units attached to the division . This unit , designated the Light Tank Squadron , was to be formed of nineteen light tanks and would operate to the fore of the division , using their tanks ' speed to capture objectives and then holding them until relieved by other units . The obvious unit for conversion was ' C ' Special Services Squadron , as it was trained to act as an independent tank unit and , more importantly , was the only unit that was still using Tetrarchs ; it had been re @-@ designated as an airborne tank by the War Office . ' C ' Squadron was officially transferred to the 1st Airborne Division on 24 June 1942 , bringing with it seven Tetrarchs among its other vehicles . The unit immediately began training , but was not attached to the 1st Airborne Division for long ; during mid @-@ 1943 , the division was transported to the Middle East so it could participate in the Allied invasion of Sicily . ' C ' Squadron remained in Britain , as not enough Hamilcar gliders had been built by the time the division departed to transport its Tetrarchs ; the squadron was transferred to the 6th Airborne Division , which had been raised in April 1943 , and ' C ' Squadron remained with it for the rest of the conflict . The squadron continued to train as an air @-@ portable unit , and participated in a number of exercises to prepare for its new duties , including reconnaissance of enemy positions and counter @-@ attacking enemy infantry and armour . 
 On 13 December 1943 , the War Office decided to expand the squadron into a regiment equipped with a combination of light tanks and conventional reconnaissance vehicles such as scout cars , and on 1 April 1944 , it was re @-@ designated as the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment . The regiment consisted of a Headquarters Squadron , a Light Tank Squadron and a Reconnaissance Squadron ; two Tetrarchs , the Mark 1 CS variation , were attached to the Headquarters Squadron , but the Light Tank Squadron , also known as ' A ' Squadron , received the majority of the Tetrarchs . ' A ' Squadron had approximately nineteen Tetrarchs split between six troops , two of which were of the CS variation and the rest were armed with 2 pounders fitted with Littlejohn adaptors . On 24 May 1944 , after participating in a further series of exercises and manoeuvres , ' A ' Squadron moved from their training area to a transit camp at Tarrant Rushton airfield , while the rest of the regiment moved to RAF Brize Norton airfield the next day ; from these two airfields , the regiment would be transported from to participate in the British airborne landings in Normandy . The operation began on the night of 5 June , with the deployment of 6th Airborne Division to eastern Normandy . It was tasked with protecting the eastern flank of the Allied seaborne landings , securing strategically important areas east of Caen , capturing several important bridges over the Caen Canal and River Dives , and destroying a coastal artillery battery . Insufficient transport aircraft were available to land all three of the division 's brigades simultaneously ; one would have to be landed in a second lift later in the day . Major General Richard Gale had initially intended for the 6th Airlanding Brigade , to which the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment was attached , to be landed first ; however , aerial photography revealed that anti @-@ glider poles had been erected in the landing zone selected for the brigade . Therefore , Gale decided that the 3rd Parachute Brigade and 5th Parachute Brigade ( which did not utilise gliders ) should land in the first lift to clear the landing zones , allowing the 6th Airlanding Brigade to land in the second lift . 
 The Horsa and Hamilcar gliders of the brigade landed at 21 : 00 on 6 June in a landing zone cleared of obstructions by the 5th Parachute Brigade . The primary tasks of the brigade were to bring in reinforcements and supplies , and to aid the two parachute brigades in consolidating the area held by the division ; the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron was to aid in the latter task , acting as a reconnaissance force to scout out German positions and impede the movement of German forces attempting to counter @-@ attack . The Tetrarchs of ' A ' Squadron were to play an integral part in this reconnaissance role due to their speed , but the squadron 's strength of twenty tanks was severely depleted by the time it landed in Normandy . It lost one tank before the formation landed when the Tetrarch broke loose of its shackles and crashed through the nose of the glider that was carrying it , causing both to fall into the sea mid @-@ flight . The squadron 's strength was further weakened when two gliders collided with each other in the landing zone , destroying themselves and the Tetrarchs they carried ; a third Hamilcar hit another Tetrarch as it was being unloaded and flipped the tank upside down , rendering it unusable , although the crew escaped without injury . The surviving tanks were then rendered temporarily immobile when parachute rigging lines became tangled in their suspensions , forcing their crews to cut the lines away with welding torches . 
 The squadron retrieved all of the remaining Tetrarchs and advanced to the south of the landing zone to link up with the rest of the regiment ; there , they received orders to support the 8th Parachute Battalion in the Bois de Bavent area and conduct reconnaissance duties . After linking with the battalion , the squadron began reconnoitring , and engaged German infantry and armour they encountered . By the end of 7 June , two Tetrarchs had been lost to enemy action , one destroyed by a German self @-@ propelled gun and the second by hitting a mine . The division was reinforced by British troops who were advancing from the invasion beaches and it began to push through Normandy , while the squadron continued its reconnaissance duties . At this time , Gale decided to avoid , when possible , engaging the Tetrarchs with German armour , as they proved to be completely outclassed by the German tanks and self @-@ propelled guns , such as the Panzer IV and the Sturmgeschütz III . Instead , when the division required armoured support , it summoned it from armoured units outside the division , and the Tetrarchs were used to support infantry patrols and provide fire support . By August , in the division 's preparation for the planned breakout from the Normandy bridgehead , the majority of Tetrarchs in ' A ' Squadron were replaced with Cromwell fast cruiser tanks ; only three Tetrarchs remained , assigned to the Headquarters troop of ' A ' Squadron . 

 = = = Post @-@ war = = = 

 Operation Tonga was the last that Tetrarchs saw of active combat . During the first week of October 1944 , the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment underwent an extensive reorganization , in which it was completely restructured , and all the remaining Tetrarchs were retired . They were replaced with the M22 Locust , a purpose @-@ built airborne light tank of American design ; eight Locusts were used by the regiment in March 1945 during Operation Varsity , the airborne operation to cross the river Rhine . A report issued by the Director ( Air ) of the War Office in January 1946 confirmed that the Tetrarch design was considered obsolete , and any light tanks used in post @-@ war airborne formations would be entirely new in design . A small number of Tetrarchs remained in service with the 3rd Hussars until 1949 ; a Hamilcar glider flight was stationed at RAF Fairford , and a troop of Tetrarchs was kept by the regiment for training exercises with the gliders . However , glider training by the regiment was stopped in 1950 and the Tetrarchs withdrawn from service . 

 = = Variants = = 

 There were several variants of the Tetrarch design . The first was the Light Tank Mk VIII , Vickers @-@ Armstrong 's proposed successor to the Tetrarch . The Mark VIII was also known as the Harry Hopkins , named after President Roosevelt 's chief diplomatic advisor , and was given the General Staff design number A25 by the War Office . The Mark VIII was intended to improve upon the design of the Tetrarch in a number of areas . It had thicker armour than the Tetrarch , with the front hull and turret armour increased to a thickness of 38 millimetres ( 1 @.@ 5 in ) and the side armour to 17 millimetres ( 0 @.@ 67 in ) , and the turret and hull given more sloped surfaces to help deflect shells fired at the tank . The dimensions of the Tetrarch were also changed ; the Mark VIII was longer by 6 inches ( 0 @.@ 15 m ) , wider by 1 foot 3 inches ( 0 @.@ 38 m ) and heavier . The new tank was no longer air @-@ portable , as it was too heavy to be carried by a Hamilcar . The 12 @-@ cylinder engine of the Tetrarch was fitted to the Mark VIII , although the increased weight meant that its maximum speed decreased to 30 miles per hour ( 48 km / h ) ; its armament also remained the same as that of the Tetrarch . The War Office authorised the construction of three prototype models in April 1941 . The new design was considered a success , and the Tank Board of the War Office ordered 1 @,@ 000 to be constructed in September . However , problems were encountered with further tests of the prototypes , and a report issued in December 1942 stated that production of the Mark VIII had been delayed due to developmental problems . These problems continued to persist into 1943 , when the War Office decided against using the tank in active service ; approximately 100 Mark VIIIs were produced by 1945 , when production ended . 
 A second variant on the Tetrarch design was the Tetrarch Duplex Drive ( " Tetrarch DD " ) . The Duplex Drive system was invented by Nicholas Straussler , and was designed to allow a tank to ' swim ' through water and participate in amphibious operations . The system functioned by erecting a large waterproof canvas screen around the tank above its tracks , which was supported by thirty @-@ six inflatable tubes and steel struts ; this gave the tank sufficient buoyancy to float , and was then propelled along by a small propeller powered by the tank 's engine . The screen could be collapsed by using a small explosive charge once the tank reached land . The system was fitted during June 1941 , as the Tetrarch was the lightest light tank available at the time ; the converted tank was successfully tested on a number of lakes and reservoirs , allowing the Duplex Drive system to be tested on heavier tanks , such as the Valentine . The system would be used during Operation Overlord , when M4 Sherman medium tanks would land on the invasion beaches . 


 = QuackShot = 

 QuackShot , known in Japan as I Love Donald Duck : Georgia Ou no Hihou ( Japanese : アイラブドナルドダック グルジア王の秘宝 , Hepburn : Ai Rabu Donarudo Dakku Gurujia Ō no Hihō ) , is a 1991 platforming video game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis . The game was released in Europe in 1991 , in North America on December 19 , 1991 and in Japan on December 20 , 1991 . QuackShot stars Donald Duck and his three nephews , Huey , Dewey , and Louie , as treasure @-@ hunters , and is part of a series of games published by Sega that were based on Walt Disney cartoon characters . 
 QuackShot was released to mostly positive reviews from video game journalists . The game was universally lauded for its graphics , with magazines like Sega Pro describing them as " some of the best graphics around . " The game was also praised for its music and puzzles , as well as their clever use in the game . However , QuackShot was criticized for its controls , being described by IGN as " float @-@ y " and making certain segments of the game unnecessarily difficult . The game was also criticized for its lack of difficulty overall as well as its lack of speech samples , which several other Genesis games of the time had . 

 = = Gameplay = = 

 The player , as Donald , ventures through a variety of side @-@ scrolling levels . Generally , each level is divided into an overland part and a dungeon , such as the Maharajah 's palace or the temple in which the Great Duck Treasure resides . Although the player may choose any order to play the overland sections , various obstacles prevent the player from entering the dungeons outside of a specific order . In addition to this , some levels provide the player with vital clues which solve puzzles needed to progress in later sections . Once Donald has completed the overland section of an area , he may leave by calling his nephews ' biplane , and will return to the dungeon entrance of that area if the player chooses to return . 
 Donald is armed with a special gun that can shoot plungers , popcorn or bubble gum . Donald has unlimited plungers which can only temporarily stun enemies ( though bosses can still be damaged with plungers ) , and can collect popcorn and gum along the way or get the latter from Gyro Gearloose . Later in the game , the plunger is upgraded to act as a temporary platform to climb walls with and , when stuck to a passing bird , allows Donald to traverse longer distances . In Duckburg , India and Egypt , Donald can also pick up chili peppers which increase his temper , eventually temporarily allowing him to become invincible , increase his speed and knock out enemies in his path . 

 = = Plot = = 

 While Donald is flipping through some books in Scrooge McDuck 's library , a map falls out of a book relating to the treasure of King Garuzia , ruler of the Great Duck Kingdom in ancient times . The map leads to the location of the king 's most prized possession , hidden in a secret place shortly before his death . Donald thinks this is his path to riches . Unfortunately Big Bad Pete overhears and pursues Donald throughout the game hoping to steal the treasure . 
 Teamed with his nephews Huey , Dewey , and Louie , and using the partial map from the library , Donald begins his search in Duckburg , with the trail being directed to an Aztec pyramid in Mexico . Outside the pyramid , he is directed by a " sweet seniorita " to obtain a " hero key " from an explorer back in Duckburg to open the pyramid . Inside the pyramid , Donald meets Goofy , who gives him a strange note and a plunger to help him reach higher places , and tells him that Gyro Gearloose is looking for him back in Duckburg . Travelling across the rooftops of Duckburg to meet Gyro , Donald is given Gyro 's latest invention , bubblegum ammo that can break through walls . The last location on the partial map is Count Dracula 's castle in Transylvania , where Donald encounters a ghost who tells him that the Count carries the real treasure map . 
 After defeating Dracula , Donald receives a more complete map . In India , Donald enters the palace of the Maharajah , where she challenges him to defeat the tiger in her garden in exchange for a Sphinx Tear . Donald succeeds and receives the Sphinx Tear , which is the key to open a temple in Egypt . Donald is able to solve the " Riddle of the Sphinx " using the note Goofy had given him , and obtains the Scepter of Ra before escaping in a mine cart . From there , he journeys to the South Pole , where he finds a key frozen in ice , and uses the Scepter of Ra to melt the ice and grab the key . The key unlocks the hold of a Viking ship , which contains an ancient diary with the secret to locating the treasure . The ship is haunted by ghosts , and the Viking captain sends Donald below decks to get rid of them . After defeating a skeletal Viking warrior , Donald returns to the deck , where the captain informs him that the diary is hidden in ice near the South Pole , and gives him an " ancient Viking plunger " that attaches to flying creatures . Donald then returns to the South Pole , hitching a ride on one of Pete 's bird minions to reach the diary . 
 However , upon finding the diary , Pete shows up , holding Donald 's nephews hostage in exchange for the diary . After giving Pete the diary , Donald travels to Pete 's hideout to defeat Pete and get the diary back . The diary reveals that the map , when dipped in water , will reveal the location of the Great Duck Treasure . Donald flies to the island where the treasure is hidden and manages to evade its traps in order to reach the treasure vault . After defeating the ancient spirit guarding the treasure , Donald opens the vault only to find a simple stone statue . When the disappointed Donald returns home , Huey , Dewey and Louie accidentally break the statue , which reveals a golden jeweled necklace was hidden inside . Donald gives the necklace to Daisy and the two fly off into the sunset together . 

 = = Development and release = = 

 QuackShot was developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis as part of a series of games that were based on Walt Disney cartoon characters . The game was released in Europe in 1991 , in North America on December 19 , 1991 and in Japan on December 20 , 1991 . QuackShot was later released as part of a bundle called The Disney Collection for Genesis in 1996 alongside Castle of Illusion . The game was also ported to the Sega Saturn and released exclusively in Japan alongside Castle of Illusion again as part of the Sega Ages series in 1998 , entitled Sega Ages : I Love Mickey Mouse . 

 = = Reception = = 

 QuackShot received a mostly positive response from critics upon release . GameRankings , an aggregator for video game reviews , assigned the game a score of 77 % based on 2 reviews . Mega placed the game at # 7 in their " Top Mega Drive Games of All Time " list . MegaTech magazine praised the game 's graphics , but criticized the game 's easy difficulty level , explaining simply that " the graphics are excellent , but the game is easy to complete . " Damian Butt from Sega Pro also praised the graphics , stating that the game has " without [ a ] doubt some of the best graphics around " and that " the sprites and backgrounds are consistently excellent . " He also noted the game 's various puzzles and their use in the game , explaining that " [ e ] ven if the ideas are not original , the way they are strung together to accelerate the pace to overload is nothing short of breath @-@ taking . " Levi Buchanan from IGN gave QuackShot a 7 @.@ 3 / 10 , also lauding the graphics and animation as excellent and saying the music was pleasing . 
 Butt criticized Donald 's controls in certain situations in the game , as well as the difficulty of some levels and puzzles . Buchanan also criticized the controls , calling them " float @-@ y " and noted the difficulty in executing precision jumps , explaining that " [ i ] t 's far too easy to over- or under @-@ shoot a narrow column and slip to your doom . " Butt was also " dubious of the number of credits , " stating that the game may seem easy with unlimited continues , but that the player will " still need considerable skill to reach the treasure island . " Buchanan was disappointed with the lack of speech samples , explaining that it 's " a bit of a drag with a character that is so defined by his voice . " Ultimately , Butt said that " [ y ] ounger players will instantly be enthralled by Donald 's quest " and that " QuackShot is everything a cartoon game should be and more . " Buchanan summed up the game as being a " good platformer tripped up by some questionable controls " and recommended the game as " a mildly enjoyable 16 @-@ bit platformer that would fit nicely in your Genesis collection . " 


 = Olmec colossal heads = 

 The Olmec colossal heads are at least seventeen monumental stone representations of human heads sculpted from large basalt boulders . The heads date from at least before 900 BC and are a distinctive feature of the Olmec civilization of ancient Mesoamerica . All portray mature men with fleshy cheeks , flat noses , and slightly crossed eyes ; their physical characteristics correspond to a type that is still common among the inhabitants of Tabasco and Veracruz . The backs of the monuments often are flat . The boulders were brought from the Sierra de los Tuxtlas mountains of Veracruz . Given that the extremely large slabs of stone used in their production were transported over large distances , requiring a great deal of human effort and resources , it is thought that the monuments represent portraits of powerful individual Olmec rulers . Each of the known examples has a distinctive headdress . The heads were variously arranged in lines or groups at major Olmec centres , but the method and logistics used to transport the stone to these sites remain unclear . 
 The discovery of a colossal head at Tres Zapotes in the nineteenth century spurred the first archaeological investigations of Olmec culture by Matthew Stirling in 1938 . Seventeen confirmed examples are known from four sites within the Olmec heartland on the Gulf Coast of Mexico . Most colossal heads were sculpted from spherical boulders but two from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán were re @-@ carved from massive stone thrones . An additional monument , at Takalik Abaj in Guatemala , is a throne that may have been carved from a colossal head . This is the only known example from outside the Olmec heartland . 
 Dating the monuments remains difficult because of the movement of many from their original contexts prior to archaeological investigation . Most have been dated to the Early Preclassic period ( 1500 – 1000 BC ) with some to the Middle Preclassic ( 1000 – 400 BC ) period . The smallest weigh 6 tons , while the largest is variously estimated to weigh 40 to 50 tons , although it was abandoned and left unfinished close to the source of its stone . 

 = = Olmec civilization = = 

 The Olmec civilization developed in the lowlands of southeastern Mexico between 1500 and 400 BC . The Olmec heartland lies on the Gulf Coast of Mexico within the states of Veracruz and Tabasco , an area measuring approximately 275 kilometres ( 171 mi ) east to west and extending about 100 kilometres ( 62 mi ) inland from the coast . The Olmecs are regarded as the first civilization to develop in Mesoamerica and the Olmec heartland is one of six cradles of civilization worldwide , the others being the Norte Chico culture of South America , the Erlitou culture of China 's Yellow River , the Indus Valley Civilization of south Asia , the civilization of ancient Egypt and the Sumerian civilization of ancient Iraq . Of these , only the Olmec civilization developed in a lowland tropical forest setting . 
 The Olmecs were the first inhabitants of the Americas to construct monumental architecture and to settle in towns and cities . They were also the first people in the Americas to develop a sophisticated style of stone sculpture . In the first decade of the 21st century evidence emerged of Olmec writing , with the earliest examples of Olmec hieroglyphs dating to around 650 BC . Examples of script have been found on roller stamps and stone artefacts ; the texts are short and have been partially deciphered based on their similarity to other Mesoamerican scripts . The evidence of complex society developing in the Olmec heartland has led to the Olmecs being regarded as the " Mother Culture " of Mesoamerica , although this concept remains controversial . 
 Some of the Olmecs ' rulers seem to have served religious functions . The city of San Lorenzo was succeeded as the main centre of the civilization by La Venta in about 900 BC , with Tres Zapotes and Laguna de los Cerros possibly sharing the role ; other urban centres were much less significant . The nature and degree of the control exercised by the centres over a widespread rural population remains unclear . Very fine Olmec art , much clearly made for an elite , survives in several forms , notably Olmec figurines , and larger sculptures such as The Wrestler . The figurines have been recovered in large numbers and are mostly in pottery ; these were presumably widely available to the population . Together with these , of particular relevance to the colossal heads are the " Olmec @-@ style masks " in stone , so called because none have yet been excavated in circumstances that allow the proper archaeological identification of an Olmec context . These evocative stone face masks present both similarities and differences to the colossal heads . Two thirds of Olmec monumental sculpture represents the human form , and the colossal heads fall within this major theme of Olmec art . 

 = = Dating = = 

 The colossal heads cannot be precisely dated . However , the San Lorenzo heads were buried by 900 BC , indicating that their period of manufacture and use was earlier still . The heads from Tres Zapotes had been moved from their original context before they were investigated by archaeologists and the heads from La Venta were found partially exposed on the modern ground surface . The period of production of the colossal heads is therefore unknown , as is whether it spanned a century or a millennium . Estimates of the time span during which colossal heads were produced vary from 50 to 200 years . The San Lorenzo heads are believed to be the oldest , and are the most skillfully executed . All of the stone heads have been assigned to the Preclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology , generally to the Early Preclassic ( 1500 – 1000 BC ) , although the two Tres Zapotes heads and the La Cobata Head are attributed to the Middle Preclassic ( 1000 – 400 BC ) . 

 = = Characteristics = = 

 Olmec colossal heads vary in height from 1 @.@ 47 to 3 @.@ 4 metres ( 4 @.@ 8 to 11 @.@ 2 ft ) and weigh between 6 and 50 tons . All of the Olmec colossal heads depict mature men with flat noses and fleshy cheeks ; the eyes tend to be slightly crossed . The general physical characteristics of the heads are of a type that is still common among people in the Olmec region in modern times . The backs of the heads are often flat , as if the monuments were originally placed against a wall . All examples of Olmec colossal heads wear distinctive headdresses that probably represent cloth or animal hide originals . Some examples have a tied knot at the back of the head , and some are decorated with feathers . A head from La Venta is decorated with the head of a bird . There are similarities between the headdresses on some of the heads that has led to speculation that specific headdresses may represent different dynasties , or perhaps identify specific rulers . Most of the heads wear large earspools inserted into the ear lobes . 
 All of the heads are realistic , unidealised and frank descriptions of the men . It is likely that they were portraits of living ( or recently deceased ) rulers well known to the sculptors . Each head is distinct and naturalistic , displaying individualised features . They were once thought to represent ballplayers although this theory is no longer widely held ; it is possible , however , that they represent rulers equipped for the Mesoamerican ballgame . Facial expressions depicted on the heads vary from stern through placid to smiling . The most naturalistic Olmec art is the earliest , appearing suddenly without surviving antecedents , with a tendency towards more stylised sculpture as time progressed . Some surviving examples of wooden sculpture recovered from El Manatí demonstrate that the Olmecs are likely to have created many more perishable sculptures than works sculpted from stone . 
 In the late nineteenth century , José Melgar y Serrano described a colossal head as having " Ethiopian " features and speculations that the Olmec had African origins resurfaced in 1960 in the work of Alfonso Medellín Zenil and in the 1970s in the writings of Ivan van Sertima . Such speculation is not taken seriously by Mesoamerican scholars such as Richard Diehl and Ann Cyphers . 
 Although all the colossal heads are broadly similar , there are distinct stylistic differences in their execution . One of the heads from San Lorenzo bears traces of plaster and red paint , suggesting that the heads were originally brightly decorated . Heads did not just represent individual Olmec rulers ; they also incorporated the very concept of rulership itself . 

 = = Manufacture = = 

 The production of each colossal head must have been carefully planned , given the effort required to ensure the necessary resources were available ; it seems likely that only the more powerful Olmec rulers were able to mobilise such resources . The workforce would have included sculptors , labourers , overseers , boatmen , woodworkers and other artesans producing the tools to make and move the monument , in addition to the support needed to feed and otherwise attend to these workers . The seasonal and agricultural cycles and river levels needed to have been taken into account to plan the production of the monument and the whole project may well have taken years from beginning to end . 
 Archaeological investigation of Olmec basalt workshops suggest that the colossal heads were first roughly shaped using direct percussion to chip away both large and small flakes of stone . The sculpture was then refined by retouching the surface using hammerstones , which were generally rounded cobbles that could be of the same basalt as the monument itself , although this was not always the case . Abrasives were found in association with workshops at San Lorenzo , indicating their use in the finishing of fine detail . Olmec colossal heads were fashioned as in @-@ the @-@ round monuments with varying levels of relief on the same work ; they tended to feature higher relief on the face and lower relief on the earspools and headdresses . Monument 20 at San Lorenzo is an extensively damaged throne with a figure emerging from a niche . Its sides were broken away and it was dragged to another location before being abandoned . It is possible that this damage was caused by the initial stages of re @-@ carving the monument into a colossal head but that the work was never completed . 
 All seventeen of the confirmed heads in the Olmec heartland were sculpted from basalt mined in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas mountains of Veracruz . Most were formed from coarse grained dark grey basalt known as Cerro Cintepec basalt after a volcano in the range . Investigators have proposed that large Cerro Cintepec basalt boulders found on the southeastern slopes of the mountains are the source of the stone for the monuments . These boulders are found in an area affected by large lahars ( volcanic mudslides ) that carried substantial blocks of stone down the mountain slopes , which suggests that the Olmecs did not need to quarry the raw material for sculpting the heads . Roughly spherical boulders were carefully selected to mimic the shape of a human head . The stone for the San Lorenzo and La Venta heads was transported a considerable distance from the source . The La Cobata head was found on El Vigia hill in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas and the stone from Tres Zapotes Colossal Head 1 and Nestepe Colossal Head 1 ( also known as Tres Zapotes Monuments A and Q ) came from the same hill . 
 The boulders were transported over 150 kilometres ( 93 mi ) from the source of the stone . The exact method of transportation of such large masses of rock are unknown , especially since the Olmecs lacked beasts of burden and functional wheels , and they were likely to have used water transport whenever possible . Coastal currents of the Gulf of Mexico and in river estuaries might have made the waterborne transport of monuments weighing 20 tons or more impractical . Two badly damaged Olmec sculptures depict rectangular stone blocks bound with ropes . A largely destroyed human figure rides upon each block , with their legs hanging over the side . These sculptures may well depict Olmec rulers overseeing the transport of the stone that would be fashioned into their monuments . When transport over land was necessary , the Olmecs are likely to have used causeways , ramps and roads to facilitate moving the heads . The regional terrain offers significant obstacles such as swamps and floodplains ; avoiding these would have necessitated crossing undulating hill country . The construction of temporary causeways using the suitable and plentiful floodplain soils would have allowed a direct route across the floodplains to the San Lorenzo Plateau . Earth structures such as mounds , platforms and causeways upon the plateau demonstrate that the Olmec possessed the necessary knowledge and could commit the resources to build large @-@ scale earthworks . 
 The flat backs of many of the colossal heads represented the flat bases of the monumental thrones from which they were reworked . Only four of the seventeen heartland heads do not have flattened backs , indicating the possibility that the majority were reworked monuments . Alternatively , the backs of many of these massive monuments may have been flattened to ease their transport , providing a stable form for hauling the monuments with ropes . Two heads from San Lorenzo have traces of niches that are characteristic of monumental Olmec thrones and so were definitely reworked from earlier monuments . 

 = = Known monuments = = 

 Seventeen confirmed examples are known . An additional monument , at Takalik Abaj in Guatemala , is a throne that may have been carved from a colossal head . This is the only known example outside of the Olmec heartland on the Gulf Coast of Mexico . Possible fragments of additional colossal heads have been recovered at San Lorenzo and at San Fernando in Tabasco . Crude colossal stone heads are also known in the Southern Maya area where they are associated with the potbelly style of sculpture . Although some arguments have been made that they are pre @-@ Olmec , these latter monuments are generally believed to be influenced by the Olmec style of sculpture . 

 = = = San Lorenzo = = = 

 The ten colossal heads from San Lorenzo originally formed two roughly parallel lines running north @-@ south across the site . Although some were recovered from ravines , they were found close to their original placements and had been buried by local erosion . These heads , together with a number of monumental stone thrones , probably formed a processional route across the site , powerfully displaying its dynastic history . Two of the San Lorenzo heads had been re @-@ carved from older thrones . 
 San Lorenzo Colossal Head 1 ( also known as San Lorenzo Monument 1 ) was lying facing upwards when excavated . The erosion of a path passing on top of the monument uncovered its eye and led to the discovery of the Olmec site . Colossal Head 1 is 2 @.@ 84 metres ( 9 @.@ 3 ft ) high ; it measures 2 @.@ 11 metres ( 6 @.@ 9 ft ) wide and it weighs 25 @.@ 3 tons . The monument was discovered partially buried at the edge of a gully by Matthew Stirling in 1945 . When discovered it was lying on its back , looking upwards . It was associated with a large number of broken ceramic vessels and figurines . The majority of these ceramic remains have been dated to between 800 and 400 BC ; some pieces have been dated to the Villa Alta phase ( Late Classic period , 800 – 1000 AD ) . The headdress possesses a plain band that is tied at the back of the head . The upper portion of the headdress is decorated with a U @-@ shaped motif . This element descends across the front of the headdress , terminating on the forehead . On the front portion it is decorated with five semicircular motifs . The scalp piece does not meet the horizontal band , leaving a space between the two pieces . On each side of the face a strap descends from the headdress and passes in front of the ear . The forehead is wrinkled in a frown . The lips are slightly parted without revealing the teeth . The cheeks are pronounced and the ears are particularly well executed . The face is slightly asymmetric , which may be due to error on the part of the sculptors or may accurately reflect the physical features of the portrait 's subject . The head has been moved to the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa ( " Anthropological Museum of Xalapa " ) . 
 San Lorenzo Colossal Head 2 ( also known as San Lorenzo Monument 2 ) was reworked from a monumental throne . The head stands 2 @.@ 69 metres ( 8 @.@ 8 ft ) high and measures 1 @.@ 83 metres ( 6 @.@ 0 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 05 metres ( 3 @.@ 4 ft ) deep ; it weighs 20 tons . Colossal Head 2 was discovered in 1945 when Matthew Stirling 's guide cleared away some of the vegetation and mud that covered it . The monument was found lying on its back , facing the sky , and was excavated in 1946 by Stirling and Philip Drucker . In 1962 the monument was removed from the San Lorenzo plateau in order to put it on display as part of " The Olmec tradition " exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston in 1963 . San Lorenzo Colossal Head 2 is currently in the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City . The head was associated with a number of ceramic finds ; they have been dated to the Early Preclassic and Late Classic periods . Colossal Head 2 wears a complex headdress that sports a horizontal band tied at the back of the head ; this is decorated with three bird 's heads that are located above the forehead and temples . The scalp piece is formed from six strips running towards the back of the head . The front of the headdress above the horizontal band is plain . Two short straps hang down from the headdress in front of the ears . The ear jewellery is formed by large squared hoops or framed discs . The left and right ornaments are different , with radial lines on the left earflare , a feature absent on the right earflare . The head is badly damaged due to an unfinished reworking process . This process has pitmarked the entire face with at least 60 smaller hollows and 2 larger holes . The surviving features appear to depict an ageing man with the forehead creased into a frown . The lips are thick and slightly parted to reveal the teeth ; the head has a pronounced chin . 
 San Lorenzo Colossal Head 3 is also known as San Lorenzo Monument 3 . The head measures 1 @.@ 78 metres ( 5 @.@ 8 ft ) high by 1 @.@ 63 metres ( 5 @.@ 3 ft ) wide by 0 @.@ 95 metres ( 3 @.@ 1 ft ) deep and weighs 9 @.@ 4 tons . The head was discovered in a deep gully by Matthew Stirling in 1946 ; it was found lying face down and its excavation was difficult due to the wet conditions in the gully . The monument was found 0 @.@ 8 kilometres ( 0 @.@ 50 mi ) southwest of the main mound at San Lorenzo , however , its original location is unknown ; erosion of the gully may have resulted in significant movement of the sculpture . Head 3 has been moved to the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa . The headdress is complex , with the horizontal basal band being formed by four horizontal cords , with diagonal folds above each eye . A small skullcap tops the headdress . A large flap formed of four cords drops down both sides of the head , completely covering the ears . The face has a typically frowning brow and , unusually , has clearly defined eyelids . The lips are thick and slightly parted ; the front of the lower lip has broken away completely , and the lower front of the headdress is pitted with 27 irregularly spaced artificial depressions . 
 San Lorenzo Colossal Head 4 ( also known as San Lorenzo Monument 4 ) weighs 6 tons and has been moved to the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa . Colossal Head 4 is 1 @.@ 78 metres ( 5 @.@ 8 ft ) high , 1 @.@ 17 metres ( 3 @.@ 8 ft ) wide and 0 @.@ 95 metres ( 3 @.@ 1 ft ) deep . The head was discovered by Matthew Stirling in 1946 , 550 metres ( 600 yd ) northwest of the principal mound , at the edge of a gully . When excavated , it was found to be lying on its right @-@ hand side and in a very good state of preservation . Ceramic materials excavated with the head became mixed with ceramics associated with Head 5 , making ceramic dating of the monument difficult . The headdress is decorated with a horizontal band formed of four sculpted cords , similar to those of Head 3 . On the right @-@ hand side , three tassels descend from the upper portion of the headdress ; they terminate in a total of eight strips that hang down across the horizontal band . These tassels are judged to represent hair rather than cords . Also on the right hand side , two cords descend across the ear and continue to the base of the monument . On the left @-@ hand side , three vertical cords descend across the ear . The earflare is only visible on the right hand side ; it is formed of a plain disc and peg . The face is that of an ageing man with a creased forehead , low cheekbones and a prominent chin . The lips are thick and slightly parted . 
 San Lorenzo Colossal Head 5 is also known as San Lorenzo Monument 5 . The monument stands 1 @.@ 86 metres ( 6 @.@ 1 ft ) high and measures 1 @.@ 47 metres ( 4 @.@ 8 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 15 metres ( 3 @.@ 8 ft ) deep . It weighs 11 @.@ 6 tons . The head was discovered by Matthew Stirling in 1946 , face down in a gully to the south of the principal mound . The head is particularly well executed and is likely to have been found close to its original location . Ceramics recovered during its excavation became mixed with those from the excavation of Head 4 . The mixed ceramics have been dated to the San Lorenzo and Villa Alta phases ( approximately 1400 – 1000 BC and 800 – 1000 AD respectively ) . Colossal Head 5 is particularly well preserved , although the back of the headdress band was damaged when the head was moved from the archaeological site . The band of the headdress is set at an angle and has a notch above the bridge of the nose . The headdress is decorated with jaguar paws ; this general identification of the decoration is contested by Beatriz de la Fuente since the " paws " have three claws each ; she identifies them as the claws of a bird of prey . At the back of the head , ten interlaced strips form a net decorated with disc motifs . Two short straps descend from the headdress in front of the ears . The ears are adorned with disc @-@ shaped earspools with pegs . The face is that of an ageing man with wrinkles under the eyes and across the bridge of the nose , and a forehead that is creased in a frown . The lips are slightly parted . Colossal Head 5 has been moved to the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa . 
 San Lorenzo Colossal Head 6 ( also known as San Lorenzo Monument 17 ) is one of the smaller examples of colossal heads , standing 1 @.@ 67 metres ( 5 @.@ 5 ft ) . It measures 1 @.@ 41 metres ( 4 @.@ 6 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 26 metres ( 4 @.@ 1 ft ) deep and is estimated to weigh between 8 and 10 tons . The head was discovered by a local farmworker and was excavated in 1965 by Luis Aveleyra and Román Piña Chan . The head had collapsed into a ravine under its own weight and was found face down on its left hand side . In 1970 it was transported to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for the museum 's centenary exhibition . After its return to Mexico , it was placed in the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City . It is sculpted with a net @-@ like head covering joined together with sculpted beads . A covering descends from under the headdress to cover the back half of the neck . The headband is divided into four strips and begins above the right ear , extending around the entire head . A short strap descends from either side of the head to the ear . The ear ornaments are complex and are larger at the front of the ear than at the back . The face is that of an ageing male with the forehead creased in a frown , wrinkles under the eyes , sagging cheeks and deep creases on either side of the nose . The face is somewhat asymmetric , possibly due to errors in the execution of the monument . 
 San Lorenzo Colossal Head 7 ( also known as San Lorenzo Monument 53 ) measures 2 @.@ 7 metres ( 8 @.@ 9 ft ) high by 1 @.@ 85 metres ( 6 @.@ 1 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 35 metres ( 4 @.@ 4 ft ) deep and weighs 18 tons . San Lorenzo Colossal Head 7 was reworked from a monumental throne ; it was discovered by a joint archaeological project by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia and Yale University , as a result of a magnetometer survey . It was buried at a depth of less than 1 metre ( 3 @.@ 3 ft ) and was lying facing upwards , leaning slightly northwards on its right hand side . The head is poorly preserved and has suffered both from erosion and deliberate damage . The headdress is decorated with a pair of human hands ; a feathered ornament is carved at the back of the headband and two discs adorn the front . A short strap descends from the headband and hangs in front of the right ear . The head sports large earflares that completely cover the earlobes , although severe erosion makes their exact form difficult to distinguish . The face has wrinkles between the nose and cheeks , sagging cheeks and deep @-@ set eyes ; the lips are badly damaged and the mouth is open , displaying the teeth . In 1986 the head was transported to the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa . 
 San Lorenzo Colossal Head 8 ( also known as San Lorenzo Monument 61 ) stands 2 @.@ 2 metres ( 7 @.@ 2 ft ) high ; it measures 1 @.@ 65 metres ( 5 @.@ 4 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 6 metres ( 5 @.@ 2 ft ) deep and weighs 13 tons . It is one of the finest examples of an Olmec colossal head . It was found lying on its side to the south of a monumental throne . The monument was discovered at a depth of 5 metres ( 16 ft ) during a magnetometer survey of the site in 1968 ; it has been dated to the Early Preclassic . After discovery it was initially reburied ; it was moved to the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa in 1986 . The headdress is decorated with the talons or claws of either a jaguar or an eagle . It has a headband and a cover that descends from under the headdress proper behind the ears . Two short straps descend in front of the ears . The head sports large ear ornaments in the form of pegs . The face is that of a mature male with sagging cheeks and wrinkles between these and the nose . The forehead is gathered in a frown . The mouth is slightly parted to reveal the teeth . Most of the head is carved in a realistic manner , the exception being the ears . These are stylised and represented by one question mark shape contained within another . The head is very well preserved and displays a fine finish . 
 San Lorenzo Colossal Head 9 is also known as San Lorenzo Monument 66 . It measures 1 @.@ 65 metres ( 5 @.@ 4 ft ) high by 1 @.@ 36 metres ( 4 @.@ 5 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 17 metres ( 3 @.@ 8 ft ) deep . The head was exposed in 1982 by erosion of the gullies at San Lorenzo ; it was found leaning slightly on its right hand side and facing upwards , half covered by the collapsed side of a gully and washed by a stream . Although it was documented by archaeologists , it remained for some time in its place of discovery before being moved to the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa . The headdress is of a single piece without a distinct headband . The sides display features that are possibly intended to represent long hair trailing to the bottom of the monument . The earflares are rectangular plates with an additional trapezoid element at the front . The head is also depicted wearing a nose @-@ ring . The face is smiling and has wrinkles under the eyes and at the edge of the mouth . It has sagging cheeks and wide eyes . The mouth is closed and the upper lip is badly damaged . The sculpture suffered some mutilation in antiquity , with nine pits hollowed into the face and headdress . 
 San Lorenzo Colossal Head 10 ( also known as San Lorenzo Monument 89 ) has been moved to the Museo Comunitario de San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán near Texistepec . It stands 1 @.@ 8 metres ( 5 @.@ 9 ft ) tall and measures 1 @.@ 43 metres ( 4 @.@ 7 ft ) wide by 0 @.@ 92 metres ( 3 @.@ 0 ft ) deep ; it weighs 8 tons . The head was discovered by a magnetometer survey in 1994 ; it was found buried , lying face upwards in the bottom of a ravine and was excavated by Ann Cyphers . The headdress is formed of 92 circular beads that completely cover the upper part of the head and descend across the sides and back . Above the forehead is a large element forming a three @-@ toed foot with long nails , possibly the foot of a bird . The head wears large earspools that protrude beyond the beads of the headdress . The spools have the form of a rounded square with a circular sunken central portion . The face is that of a mature man with the mouth closed , sagging cheeks and lines under the eyes . The mouth is sensitively carved and the head possesses a pronounced chin . 

 = = = La Venta = = = 

 Three of the La Venta heads were found in a line running east @-@ west in the northern Complex I ; all three faced northwards , away from the city centre . The other head was found in Complex B to the south of the Great Pyramid , in a plaza that included a number of other sculptures . The latter , the first of the La Venta heads to be discovered , was found during archaeological exploration of La Venta in 1925 ; the other three remained unknown to archaeologists until a local boy guided Matthew Stirling to them while he was excavating the first head in 1940 . They were located approximately 0 @.@ 9 kilometres ( 0 @.@ 56 mi ) to the north of Monument 1 . 
 La Venta Monument 1 is speculated to have been the portrait of La Venta 's final ruler . Monument 1 measures 2 @.@ 41 metres ( 7 @.@ 9 ft ) high by 2 @.@ 08 metres ( 6 @.@ 8 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 95 metres ( 6 @.@ 4 ft ) deep ; it weighs 24 tons . The front of the headdress is decorated with three motifs that apparently represent the claws or fangs of an animal . Above these symbols is an angular U @-@ shaped decoration descending from the scalp . On each side of the monument a strap descends from the headdress , passing in front of the ear . Each ear has a prominent ear ornament that descends from the earlobe to the base of the monument . The features are those of a mature man , with wrinkles around the mouth , eyes and nose . Monument 1 is the best preserved head at La Venta but has suffered from erosion , particularly at the back . The head was first described by Franz Blom and Oliver La Farge who investigated the La Venta remains on behalf of Tulane University in 1925 . When discovered it was half @-@ buried ; its massive size meant that the discoverers were unable to excavate it completely . Matthew Stirling fully excavated the monument in 1940 , after clearing the thick vegetation that had covered it in the intervening years . Monument 1 has been moved to the Parque @-@ Museo La Venta in Villahermosa . The head was found in its original context ; associated finds have been radiocarbon dated to between 1000 and 600 BC . 
 La Venta Monument 2 measures 1 @.@ 63 metres ( 5 @.@ 3 ft ) high by 1 @.@ 35 metres ( 4 @.@ 4 ft ) wide by 0 @.@ 98 metres ( 3 @.@ 2 ft ) deep ; the head weighs 11 @.@ 8 tons . The face has a broadly smiling expression that reveals four of the upper teeth . The cheeks are given prominence by the action of smiling ; the brow that is normally visible in other heads is covered by the rim of the headdress . The face is badly eroded , distorting the features . In addition to the severe erosion damage , the upper lip and a part of the nose have been deliberately mutilated . The head was found in its original context a few metres north of the northwest corner of pyramid @-@ platform A @-@ 2 . Radiocarbon dating of the monument 's context dates it to between 1000 and 600 BC . Monument 2 has suffered erosion damage from its exposure to the elements prior to discovery . The head has a prominent headdress but this is badly eroded and any individual detail has been erased . A strap descends in front of the ear on each side of the head , descending as far as the earlobe . The head is adorned with ear ornaments in the form of a disc that covers the earlobe , with an associated clip or peg . The surviving details of the headdress and earflares are stylistically similar to those of Tres Zapotes Monument A. The head has been moved to the Museo del Estado de Tabasco in Villahermosa . 
 La Venta Monument 3 stands 1 @.@ 98 metres ( 6 @.@ 5 ft ) high and measures 1 @.@ 6 metres ( 5 @.@ 2 ft ) wide by 1 metre ( 3 @.@ 3 ft ) deep ; it weighs 12 @.@ 8 tons . Monument 3 was located a few metres to the east of Monument 2 , but was moved to the Parque @-@ Museo La Venta in Villahermosa . Like the other La Venta heads , its context has been radiocarbon dated to between 1000 and 600 BC . It appears unfinished and has suffered severe damage through weathering , making analysis difficult . It had a large headdress that reaches to the eyebrows but any details have been lost through erosion . Straps descend in front of each ear and continue to the base of the monument . The ears are wearing large flattened rings that overlap the straps ; they probably represent jade ornaments of a type that have been recovered in the Olmec region . Although most of the facial detail is lost , the crinkling of the bridge of the nose is still evident , a feature that is common to the frowning expressions of the other Olmec colossal heads . 
 La Venta Monument 4 measures 2 @.@ 26 metres ( 7 @.@ 4 ft ) high by 1 @.@ 98 metres ( 6 @.@ 5 ft ) wide and 1 @.@ 86 metres ( 6 @.@ 1 ft ) deep . It weighs 19 @.@ 8 tons . It was found a few metres to the west of Monument 2 and has been moved to the Parque @-@ Museo La Venta . As with the other heads in the group , its archaeological context has been radiocarbon dated to between 1000 and 600 BC . The headdress is elaborate and , although damaged , various details are still discernible . The base of the headdress is formed by three horizontal strips running over the forehead . One side is decorated with a double @-@ disc motif that may have been repeated on the other ; if so , damage to the right side has obliterated any trace of it . The top of the headdress is decorated with the clawed foot of a bird of prey . Either straps or plaits of hair descend on either side of the face , from the headdress to the base of the monument . Only one earspool survives ; it is flat , in the form of a rounded square , and is decorated with a cross motif . The ears have been completely eroded away and the lips are damaged . The surviving features display a frown and creasing around the nose and cheeks . The head displays prominent teeth . 

 = = = Tres Zapotes = = = 

 The two heads at Tres Zapotes , with the La Cobata head , are stylistically distinct from the other known examples . Beatriz de la Fuente views them as a late regional survival of an older tradition while other scholars argue that they are merely the kind of regional variant to be expected in a frontier settlement . These heads are sculpted with relatively simple headdresses ; they have squat , wide proportions and distinctive facial features . The two Tres Zapotes heads are the earliest known stone monuments from the site . The discovery of one of the Tres Zapotes heads in the nineteenth century led to the first archaeological investigations of Olmec culture , carried out by Matthew Stirling in 1938 . 
 Tres Zapotes Monument A ( also known as Tres Zapotes Colossal Head 1 ) was the first colossal head to be found , discovered by accident in the middle of the nineteenth century , 1 kilometre ( 0 @.@ 62 mi ) to the north of the modern village of Tres Zapotes . After its discovery it remained half @-@ buried until it was excavated by Matthew Stirling in 1939 . At some point it was moved to the plaza of the modern village , probably in the early 1960s . It has since been moved to the Museo Comunitario de Tres Zapotes . Monument A stands 1 @.@ 47 metres ( 4 @.@ 8 ft ) tall ; it measures 1 @.@ 5 metres ( 4 @.@ 9 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 45 metres ( 4 @.@ 8 ft ) deep , and is estimated to weigh 7 @.@ 8 tons . The head is sculpted with a simple headdress with a wide band that is otherwise unadorned , and wears rectangular ear ornaments that project forwards onto the cheeks . The face is carved with deep creases between the cheeks and the nose and around the mouth ; the forehead is creased into a frown . The upper lip has suffered recent damage , with the left portion flaking away . 
 Tres Zapotes Monument Q ( also known as the Nestape Head and Tres Zapotes Colossal Head 2 ) measures 1 @.@ 45 metres ( 4 @.@ 8 ft ) high by 1 @.@ 34 metres ( 4 @.@ 4 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 26 metres ( 4 @.@ 1 ft ) deep and weighs 8 @.@ 5 tons . Its exact date of discovery is unknown but is estimated to have been some time in the 1940s , when it was struck by machinery being used to clear vegetation from Nestape hill . Monument Q was the eleventh colossal head to be discovered . It was moved to the plaza of Santiago Tuxtla in 1951 and remains there to this day . Monument Q was first described by Williams and Heizer in an article published in 1965 . The headdress is decorated with a frontal tongue @-@ shaped ornament , and the back of the head is sculpted with seven plaits of hair bound with tassels . A strap descends from each side of the headdress , passing over the ears and to the base of the monument . The face has pronounced creases around the nose , mouth and eyes . 

 = = = La Cobata = = = 

 The La Cobata region was the source of the basalt used for carving all of the colossal heads in the Olmec heartland . The La Cobata colossal head was discovered in 1970 and was the fifteenth to be recorded . It was discovered in a mountain pass in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas , on the north side of El Vigia volcano near to Santiago Tuxtla . The head was largely buried when found ; excavations uncovered a Late Classic ( 600 – 900 AD ) offering associated with the head consisting of a ceramic vessel and a 12 @-@ centimetre ( 4 @.@ 7 in ) long obsidian knife placed pointing northwards towards the head . The offering is believed to have been deposited long after the head was sculpted . The La Cobata head has been moved from its original location to the main plaza at Santiago . 
 The La Cobata head is more or less rounded and measures 3 by 3 metres ( 9 @.@ 8 by 9 @.@ 8 ft ) by 3 @.@ 4 metres ( 11 ft ) high , making it the largest known head . This massive sculpture is estimated to weigh 40 tons . It is stylistically distinct from the other examples , and Beatriz de la Fuente placed it late in the Olmec time frame . The characteristics of the sculpture have led to some investigators suggesting that it represents a deceased person . Norman Hammond argues that the apparent stylistic differences of the monument stem from its unfinished state rather than its late production . The eyes of the monument are closed , the nose is flattened and lacks nostrils and the mouth was not sculpted in a realistic manner . The headdress is in the form of a plain horizontal band . 
 The original location of the La Cobata head was not a major archaeological site and it is likely that the head was either abandoned at its source or during transport to its intended destination . Various features of the head suggest that it was unfinished , such as a lack of symmetry below the mouth and an area of rough stone above the base . Rock was not removed from around the earspools as on other heads , and does not narrow towards the base . Large parts of the monument seem to be roughed out without finished detail . The right hand earspool also appears incomplete ; the forward portion is marked with a sculpted line while the rear portion has been sculpted in relief , probably indicating that the right cheek and eye area were also unfinished . The La Cobata head was almost certainly carved from a raw boulder rather than being sculpted from a throne . 

 = = = Takalik Abaj = = = 

 Takalik Abaj Monument 23 dates to the Middle Preclassic period , and is found in Takalik Abaj , an important city in the foothills of the Guatemalan Pacific coast , in the modern department of Retalhuleu . It appears to be an Olmec @-@ style colossal head re @-@ carved into a niche figure sculpture . If originally a colossal head then it would be the only known example from outside the Olmec heartland . 
 Monument 23 is sculpted from andesite and falls in the middle of the size range for confirmed colossal heads . It stands 1 @.@ 84 metres ( 6 @.@ 0 ft ) high and measures 1 @.@ 2 metres ( 3 @.@ 9 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 56 metres ( 5 @.@ 1 ft ) deep . Like the examples from the Olmec heartland , the monument features a flat back . Lee Parsons contests John Graham 's identification of Monument 23 as a re @-@ carved colossal head ; he views the side ornaments , identified by Graham as ears , as rather the scrolled eyes of an open @-@ jawed monster gazing upwards . Countering this , James Porter has claimed that the re @-@ carving of the face of a colossal head into a niche figure is clearly evident . 
 Monument 23 was damaged in the mid @-@ twentieth century by a local mason who attempted to break its exposed upper portion using a steel chisel . As a result , the top is fragmented , although the broken pieces were recovered by archaeologists and have been put back into place . 

 = = Collections = = 

 All of the 17 confirmed colossal heads remain in Mexico . Two heads from San Lorenzo are on permanent display at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City . Seven of the San Lorenzo heads are on display in the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa . Five of them are in Sala 1 , one is in Sala 2 and one is in Patio 1 . The remaining San Lorenzo head is in the Museo Comunitario de San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán near Texistepec . All four heads from La Venta are now in Villahermosa , the state capital of Tabasco . Three are in the Parque @-@ Museo La Venta and one in the Museo del Estado de Tabasco . Two heads are on display in the plaza of Santiago Tuxtla ; one from Tres Zapotes and the La Cobata Head . The other Tres Zapotes head is in the Museo Comunitario de Tres Zapotes . 
 Several colossal heads have been loaned to temporary exhibitions abroad ; San Lorenzo Colossal Head 6 was loaned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1970 . San Lorenzo colossal heads 4 and 8 were lent to the Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico exhibition in the National Gallery of Art , Washington , D.C. that ran from 30 June to 20 October 1996 . San Lorenzo Head 4 was again loaned in 2005 , this time to the de Young Museum in San Francisco . The de Young Museum was loaned San Lorenzo colossal heads 5 and 9 for its Olmec : Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico exhibition , which ran from 19 February to 8 May 2011 . 

 = = = Vandalism = = = 

 On 12 January 2009 , at least three people , including two Mexicans and one American , entered the Parque @-@ Museo La Venta in Villahermosa and damaged just under 30 archaeological pieces , including the four La Venta colossal heads . The vandals were all members of an evangelical church and appeared to have been carrying out a supposed pre @-@ Columbian ritual , during which salts , grape juice and oil were thrown on the heads . It was estimated that 300 @,@ 000 pesos ( US $ 21 @,@ 900 ) would be needed to repair the damage , and the restoration process would last four months . The three vandals were released soon after their arrest after paying 330 @,@ 000 pesos each . 

 = = = Replicas = = = 

 Although not all of the replicas were placed by him , the majority of replicas around the world were placed under the leadership of Miguel Alemán Velasco , former governor of the state of Veracruz . The following is a list of replicas and their locations within the United States : 
 Austin , Texas . A replica of San Lorenzo Head 1 was placed in the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas in November 2008 . 
 Chicago , Illinois . A replica of San Lorenzo Head 8 made by Ignacio Perez Solano was placed in the Field Museum of Natural History in 2000 . 
 Covina , California . A replica of San Lorenzo Head 5 was donated to Covina in 1989 , originally intended to be placed in Jalapa Park . Due to concerns over potential vanadalism it was instead installed outside the police station . It was removed in 2011 and relocated to Jobe 's Glen , Jalapa Park in June 2012 . 
 McAllen , Texas . A replica of San Lorenzo Head 8 is located in the International Museum of Art & Science . The specific date placement is unknown , but it was dedicated by Fidel Herrera Beltrán , then governor of Veracruz , during his time in office between 2004 – 2010 . 
 New York . A replica of San Lorenzo Head 1 was placed next to the main plaza in the grounds of Lehman College in the Bronx , New York . It was installed in 2013 to celebrate the first anniversary of the CUNY Institute of Mexican Studies , housed at the college . The replica was a gift by the government of Verazruz state , Cumbre Tajín and Mexico Trade ; it was first plazed in Dag Hammerskjold Park , outside the United Nations , in 2012 . 
 San Francisco , California . A replica of San Lorenzo Head 1 created by Ignacio Perez Solano was placed in San Francisco City College , Ocean Campus in October 2004 . 
 Washington , D.C. A replica of San Lorenzo Head 4 sculpted by Ignacio Perez Solano was placed near the Constitution Avenue entrance of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in October 2001 . 
 West Valley City , Utah . A replica of San Lorenzo Head 8 was placed in the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in May 2004 . 
 Mexico donated a resin replica of an Olmec colossal head to Belgium ; it is on display in the Musée du Cinquantenaire in Brussels . 
 In February 2010 , the Mexican Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores ( Secretariat of Foreign Affairs ) announced that the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia would be donating a replica Olmec colossal head to Ethiopia , to be placed in Plaza Mexico in Addis Ababa . 


 = Brad Stevens = 

 Bradley Kent " Brad " Stevens ( born October 22 , 1976 ) is an American professional basketball head coach for the Boston Celtics of the NBA . He was previously the head coach at Butler University in Indianapolis . A former basketball player , he grew up in Zionsville , Indiana , where he starred on the Zionsville Community High School basketball team , setting four school records . After high school , he attended DePauw University , where he played basketball and earned a degree in economics . He made the all @-@ conference team multiple times and was a three @-@ time Academic All @-@ America nominee . 
 Stevens joined the Butler basketball program as a volunteer prior to the 2000 – 01 season after quitting his job at Eli Lilly and Company . He was promoted to a full @-@ time assistant coaching position for the 2001 – 02 season . On April 4 , 2007 , he became the head coach after Todd Lickliter left to coach the Iowa Hawkeyes . In his first year , Stevens led Butler to 30 wins , becoming the third @-@ youngest head coach in NCAA Division I history to have a 30 @-@ win season . 
 In 2010 , his third year as head coach , Stevens broke the NCAA record for most wins in a coach 's first three years , exceeding the previous record by eight . In the postseason , Stevens coached Butler to the first Final Four in school history . At 33 years old , Stevens became the second @-@ youngest head coach to make a NCAA National Championship game , losing 61 – 59 to Duke . Shortly after the season ended , he signed a contract extension with Butler through the 2011 – 12 season . With the 2010 – 11 team making the Final Four , Stevens became the youngest coach to go to two Final Fours . Stevens coached the Bulldogs in their second consecutive national championship game on April 4 , 2011 , where the team lost to the Huskies of the University of Connecticut . 
 Stevens is known for a calm , focused coaching style . He spends a lot of time analyzing opponents using statistical analysis , adding new wrinkles to his team 's play each game . He puts a strong emphasis on defensive and team oriented basketball . Butler 's success against teams with superior athletes has been attributed to Stevens ' coaching style and calm demeanor . Stevens has twice been named the Horizon League Coach of the Year and won collegeinsider.com 's Hugh Durham Award mid @-@ season honors in January 2009 . He has also been both a Hugh Durham Award and Jim Phelan Award finalist all three years of his career . Stevens has been called a coaching prodigy and compared to John Wooden . He is married with two young children . In July 2013 , he signed a six @-@ year , 22 million dollar contract to become the head coach of the Boston Celtics in the NBA . In April 2015 , Stevens led the Celtics to the NBA Playoffs as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 40 – 42 record . 

 = = Early life = = 

 Bradley Kent Stevens grew up in Zionsville , Indiana , where he developed his love for basketball . Starting at age five , Stevens would watch taped basketball games " before he went to afternoon kindergarten " . His father would often drive him to Bloomington , to watch Indiana Hoosiers games . " It 's hard not to be [ in love with basketball ] when you 're a kid growing up in Indiana " , Stevens later said . 
 For his eighth birthday , Stevens received a new basketball hoop . " It ’ s so much fun to dream in your driveway , " he later remarked . " That ’ s where my friends and I hung out . It was a lot of fun to grow up in that era . " When a friend , Brandon Monk , had a basketball court installed in his back yard , Stevens " appeared instantaneously . " He was so dedicated to the game that he would bring the unprepared ingredients for grilled cheese sandwiches over to Monk 's house , so that he would not waste time waiting for the sandwiches to cook . 
 Monk 's court soon became a gathering place , where Zionsville kids and kids from the surrounding areas would hold pickup games . These games helped develop Stevens ' competitive streak . Besides playing basketball , the young Stevens also enjoyed solving puzzles , a skill he later applied to analyzing opposing teams to find their weaknesses . 
 Stevens attended Zionsville Community High School , where he became a star basketball player . He wore No. 31 in high school in honor of Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller . During his freshman year , he would get up early to practice shooting at a local gym before school . The hard work paid off as Stevens made the varsity team that same year . By the time his high school career was complete , Stevens had set school records for career scoring , assists , steals , and three @-@ point field goals . As of 2010 , he still holds the records for points ( 1508 ) , assists ( 444 ) , and steals ( 156 ) , as well as the single @-@ season points record ( 644 in 1995 ) . Stevens was named to the all @-@ conference team three times . In 1995 , he was named the sectional MVP and was the leading scorer in state sectional play ( 32 @.@ 3 ppg ) . 
 Stevens made the academic all @-@ state first team and received the Straight A Gold Medal Award all four years . He was a member of the National Honor Society , graduating seventh in his class of 165 . He earned three letters in basketball , three in track , and one in baseball during his days at Zionsville . During summers , he traveled the country playing AAU basketball . 
 Although Stevens had a strong passion for the game , he realized that his basketball skills were modest and not likely to get him very far . As such , he chose to attend academically oriented DePauw University for college . During his stay , he played in all 101 DePauw games , earning four varsity letters . He earned multiple all @-@ conference and academic all @-@ conference awards , and was a three @-@ time Academic All @-@ America nominee . He was a team captain his senior year , and averaged more than 8 points per game three of his four years . His career highs were 24 points and 8 rebounds in a game . After his senior year , Stevens received the Coaches ’ Award . Coach Bill Fenlon later described Stevens as " one of the most selfless , team @-@ oriented person [ sic ] I 've ever been around . " 
 While at DePauw , Stevens was a member of the Management Fellows Honors Program and the DePauw Community Services ’ Sports Night executive board . He was also a brother of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity . During summer vacations , Stevens spent time teaching at Butler basketball camps . He was named to the Dean 's list and graduated in 1999 with a degree in economics . 

 = = College career = = 

 In the summer of 2000 , Stevens was offered the opportunity to volunteer in the Butler basketball office . He ran the idea of quitting his job at Eli Lilly by then @-@ longtime girlfriend Tracy Wilhelmy . She thought about it for two hours before telling him to go for it . " Now , it looks like a great idea , " Stevens later remarked . " At the time , I thought it was something I really wanted to try . " Tracy went back to school to get a law degree that could support the couple if things did not work out for Brad . " We were 23 and realized this was our chance , " Tracy later said . " Five years down the road , we were probably not going to be in a position to do that . The more success you had at Lilly , the harder it would be to leave . " 
 Stevens planned to live in a friend 's basement and took a job at Applebee ’ s to pay the bills . Before he started training at Applebee 's , he was offered a low @-@ paying administrative position as coordinator of basketball operations under then @-@ coach Thad Matta . The position had opened up when assistant coach Jamal Meeks resigned after being arrested on solicitation and drug charges , of which he was later acquitted . Years later , Matta recalled , " [ Stevens ] was just a hungry young kid that was desperate to get into coaching . He had a great passion and was willing to take a risk to get into the coaching profession . " 
 After Matta left the school following the 2000 – 01 season , new head coach Todd Lickliter promoted Stevens to a full @-@ time assistant coach . Under Lickliter , Stevens was active in every aspect of the game : skills instruction , game preparation , in @-@ game coaching , and recruiting . Butler was 131 – 61 during Stevens ' time as an assistant coach . 

 = = = Named head coach = = = 

 On April 2 , 2007 , Lickliter resigned in order to take the head @-@ coaching position at the University of Iowa . The Butler players had a meeting with athletic director Barry Collier , urging him to promote from within . Collier , having spent the entire season observing the assistant coaches ' interaction with the team , agreed . The day after Lickliter resigned Stevens and Butler 's two other assistant coaches interviewed for the job . Within 24 hours of the interviews Stevens was named Butler 's new head coach . According to Collier , Stevens had something older , outside candidates could never match : six years of experience learning the Butler system , dubbed " The Butler Way " by Collier . " Age wasn 't a factor because I 'd seen his ability shine through during the course of the season , " Collier said . 

 = = = 2007 – 08 season = = = 

 At the start of the 2007 – 08 season , Stevens was the second youngest coach in Division I basketball . He got off to a fast start , winning his first eight games before falling to Wright State 43 – 42 . Legendary coach Bob Knight , whose Texas Tech team was an early victim , said " I wish we played as smart as they do . " Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg added " they 've got toughness about them and they expect to win . " 
 Midway through Stevens ' first season , with the Bulldogs at 12 – 1 , The New York Times wrote " so far , Stevens has made the transition [ to head coach ] look easy . " The Times went on to state that Stevens had the calm and composure of a seasoned veteran . " You ’ ve got a lot of people always looking for the next step . And that ’ s not what I was doing . I was just trying to figure out a way to win the next game and think like a head coach . " Stevens said . 
 Butler ended the regular season with a 27 – 3 record , taking first place in the Horizon League with a 16 – 2 in conference mark . The team beat Illinois @-@ Chicago 66 – 50 and Cleveland State 70 – 55 to claim the league 's tournament title and an automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA tournament . Butler was awarded the seven seed in the East Regional . They beat tenth @-@ seeded South Alabama 81 – 61 in the first round , before falling to second @-@ seeded Tennessee 76 – 71 in overtime . 
 Stevens ended up with a school and Horizon league record 30 wins , beating several big name schools – Michigan , Texas Tech , Florida State , Ohio State – along the way . In so doing , he became the third @-@ youngest head coach in NCAA Division I history to lead a team to 30 wins in a season , and became the fourth @-@ winningest first @-@ year coach . Butler was nationally ranked for a school and league record 19 consecutive weeks . Butler 's 30 – 4 record was the best among teams that did not reach the Final Four . Stevens was a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award , losing to Keno Davis of Drake , and a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award , losing to Bo Ryan . 
 At the conclusion of the season , Butler signed Stevens to a seven @-@ year contract . " We are extremely excited to reach this long @-@ term agreement to have Brad continue to lead our program , " Collier remarked . 

 = = = 2008 – 09 season = = = 

 Butler lost four starters after the 2007 – 08 season , and was picked to finish fifth in the Horizon league during the 2008 – 09 season . The team got off to a 12 – 1 start that won Stevens the Hugh Durham mid @-@ season coaching award . On February 5 , Stevens notched his 50th win as Butler beat Detroit 66 – 61 . In so doing , Stevens became the sixth head coach in NCAA history to reach 50 wins in 56 games or fewer . Butler finished first in the Horizon League with a 15 – 3 in conference record , defying preseason expectations . Butler lost the Horizon League tournament final 57 – 54 to Cleveland State , but made the NCAA tournament as an at @-@ large selection . The team received the nine seed in the South Regional , and lost to eighth @-@ seeded Louisiana State in the first round by a score of 75 – 71 to finish the year at 26 – 6 overall . 
 Stevens ' 56 – 10 two @-@ year record places him second only to Bill Guthridge ( 58 ) in total wins during one 's first two years as head coach . Stevens was a finalist for both the Hugh Durham and Jim Phelan Awards for the second straight year and was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year . He was also named as a finalist for the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award . Stevens was given a one @-@ year contract extension at the conclusion of the season . 

 = = = 2009 – 10 season = = = 

 Fueled in large part by Gordon Hayward 's and Shelvin Mack 's roles in leading Team USA to the gold medal in the FIBA Under @-@ 19 World Championship during the off @-@ season , Butler began the season ranked 10th in the Coaches ' Poll and 11th in the AP Poll . A few commentators picked the Bulldogs as a possible " sleeper team " to make the Final Four . Stevens was not so sure , privately telling his father , " We have a really good team , and I ’ m not sure how far we can go this year , but next year , we ought to go really far . " 
 Butler got off to a mediocre start , losing twice in the 76 Classic 82 – 73 to 22nd @-@ ranked Minnesota and to 19th @-@ ranked Clemson 70 – 69 . After the tournament Butler 's record stood at 4 – 2 and the team dropped to # 23 in the AP Poll and # 20 in the Coaches ' Poll . Butler won its next two games before falling to 13th @-@ ranked Georgetown 72 – 65 in the Jimmy V Classic . The team won its next two games beating # 15 Ohio State 74 – 66 and edging out former conference rival Xavier 69 – 68 , both at home . After losing 67 – 57 at UAB three days later , Butler stood at 9 – 4 and fell out of the AP rankings . However , the team remained in the Coaches Poll at # 23 . 
 Stevens rallied the team , and they proceeded to win 16 straight games before facing Siena in a BracketBusters game . Butler beat Siena 70 – 53 and Stevens tied the NCAA record for most wins ( 81 ) by a head coach in his first three seasons set by Mark Few of Gonzaga in 2002 and tied by Mark Fox of Nevada in 2007 . 
 On February 26 , 2010 , Butler traveled to Valparaiso for their regular season finale . Leading scorer Gordon Hayward was sidelined with lower back pain , but the team still won 74 – 69 . In so doing , Stevens broke the coaching record he had tied the prior week and Butler completed an 18 – 0 undefeated conference schedule . It was Butler 's first undefeated conference record since joining the Horizon League , and first since Joe Sexson led the 1978 team to a 6 – 0 record in the now defunct Indiana Collegiate Conference . Stevens earned his third straight regular @-@ season conference championship . 
 In the Horizon league tournament , Stevens ' Bulldogs used their home @-@ court advantage to beat Milwaukee 68 – 59 in the semi @-@ finals and to beat Wright State 70 – 45 in the finals . The win earned the team an automatic bid into the 2010 NCAA tournament , and completed a 20 – 0 run through league play . Stevens became the first coach to lead a Horizon League team to both an undefeated regular season and conference tournament since the league was formed in 1979 . Stevens was also the only coach in Division I to lead his team to an undefeated conference schedule during the 2009 – 10 season . 

 = = = = NCAA tournament = = = = 

 For their season , the Bulldogs were ranked 8th in the final pre @-@ NCAA tournament Coaches ' Poll and 11th in the corresponding AP Poll . On Selection Sunday , the Bulldogs were seeded fifth in the West regional of the NCAA tournament and given a first @-@ round match up with twelfth seeded UTEP on March 18 . 
 Many basketball commentators picked UTEP to pull the upset , and at halftime it looked like they might be right , as UTEP led 33 – 27 . Stevens made a number of halftime adjustments , and the Bulldogs came out firing on all cylinders in the second half . The team dominated the second half and won the game 77 – 59 . Butler next faced off with thirteenth seeded Murray State . The game was close throughout , but Butler emerged victorious 54 – 52 when Hayward deflected a Murray State pass into the back court with less than five seconds on the clock . The win gave Stevens the first Sweet Sixteen appearance of his career . 
 On March 25 , 2010 , Butler faced top @-@ seeded Syracuse . The Bulldogs got off to a good start , jumping out to a 12 – 1 lead and a 35 – 25 halftime advantage . Syracuse rallied in the second half , taking its first lead of the game , 40 – 39 , off a Wes Johnson three @-@ pointer . Stevens called timeout and Butler regained the lead on its next possession , stopping the run . At the 5 : 32 mark , Syracuse got a rare fast break opportunity that ended with a dunk and 54 – 50 lead . Stevens again called time out and re @-@ focused the team . Butler responded by holding Syracuse scoreless for the next 5 minutes , taking a 60 – 54 lead with 0 : 59 to go . Butler held on to win 63 – 59 , advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history . 
 Two days later , Stevens ' Bulldogs met second @-@ seeded Kansas State in the regional finals . Perhaps feeling the effects of their double overtime 101 – 96 win two days prior , Kansas State got off to a slow start , scoring just 20 points in the first half to trail 27 – 20 . Butler kept the lead in the upper single digits for most of the second half , before Kansas State went on a 13 – 2 run and took a 52 – 51 lead . Stevens immediately called time out and re @-@ focused the team . " Play your game . Just play your game , " he told them . On the ensuing possession , Butler regained the lead for good . They outscored Kansas State 12 – 4 the rest of the way and won the game 63 – 56 . In the post game celebration , Stevens and walk @-@ on forward Emerson Kampen connected on a flying back @-@ bump that became one of the iconic images of the tournament . 
 The win earned the Bulldogs a trip back to Indianapolis for the first Final Four appearance in school and Horizon League history . The win made Stevens , at age 33 , the youngest coach to lead a team to the Final Four since Bob Knight made his first Final Four appearance at age 32 in 1973 . Butler became the smallest school ( enrollment 4 @,@ 200 ) to make the Final Four since seeding began in 1979 . 

 = = = = = Final Four = = = = = 

 On April 3 , Brad Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs faced off with Michigan State in the national semi @-@ finals . Michigan State took an early 14 – 7 lead , and Matt Howard got in early foul trouble , sitting most the first half . Stevens kept the team focused with a " next man up " attitude and the game was tied at 28 at halftime . The second half was dominated by tight defense for both sides . With 2 : 45 to go in the game , the score was 47 – 44 Butler . Michigan State called a time out to set up a play . Stevens correctly anticipated the play call and had Ronald Nored , the team 's best defender , switch onto Korie Lucious off a screen . Nored stole the ball and Shawn Vanzant got fouled on the resulting run out , hitting 1 of 2 . Trailing 50 – 49 with under 30 seconds remaining , Michigan State came up empty and was forced to foul . Nored hit both foul shots , giving Butler a 52 – 49 lead . After a Michigan State time out , Stevens had his team foul Lucious with 2 seconds remaining to prevent a potentially game tying 3 @-@ pointer . After making the first , Lucious intentionally missed the second free throw . Hayward came down with the rebound to seal the victory . Butler became the first team since the shot clock was adopted for the 1985 – 86 season to hold five straight tournament opponents under 60 points . 
 On April 5 , 2010 , Butler and Duke faced off in what The New York Times called " the most eagerly awaited championship game in years " . Late in the first half , Duke went on an 8 – 0 run to take a 26 – 20 lead . Stevens called a timeout . With starters Matt Howard and Ronald Nored on the bench in foul trouble , Stevens was forced to call on backup center Avery Jukes who came up big for Butler . Jukes scored 10 first half points , tying his season high . At half time , Duke 's lead stood at 33 – 32 . 
 The second half was played very closely , with neither team taking a substantial lead . With 3 : 16 to play , Duke took a 60 – 55 lead on two made free throws by Nolan Smith . Butler cut the lead to one point in the final minute and , after a missed Kyle Singler jump shot with 36 seconds remaining , got a chance to retake the lead . Butler was unable to initiate their offense and Stevens called a timeout to set up a play . A failed inbounds attempt and a timeout later , Hayward missed a baseline fade @-@ away jumper and Brian Zoubek came down with the rebound for Duke . He was quickly fouled with less than 4 seconds remaining . Hayward narrowly missed a desperation half @-@ court shot court as time expired , making the final margin 61 – 59 . 
 The loss snapped Butler 's 25 @-@ game winning streak , the longest in school history . Butler became the smallest school to play for a National Championship since Jacksonville in 1970 . Stevens became the second @-@ youngest head coach to coach in the NCAA National Championship Game , behind Branch McCracken who led the Indiana Hoosiers to the 1940 National Championship at age 31 . Stevens was named as both a Hugh Durham and Jim Phelan Award finalist for the third consecutive year , losing to Mike Young and Jamie Dixon respectively . He was also a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award , which was won by Bob Marlin . 
 Butler finished the year ranked # 2 in the Coaches ' Poll , the highest ranking in school history . The school was ranked for 19 consecutive weeks , tying the school record . 

 = = = 2010 off @-@ season = = = 

 After the end of the 2009 – 10 season , Brad Stevens and Butler continued to attract considerable attention . President Barack Obama personally called Stevens to congratulate him on Butler 's season . David Letterman had Stevens on his show for a guest appearance . Butler admissions inquiries shot up 67 % . Stevens received fan letters from around the world , and his phone rang off the hook . He was invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch before the Chicago Cubs vs. Florida Marlins game in Chicago on May 10 . " It 's all been very surreal , " Stevens said . " If you are the runner @-@ up , you don 't expect to talk to the president . " " It 's been a little overwhelming , because I 'm a pretty simple guy , " he added . 
 The 2009 – 10 season also helped increase Butler 's recruiting profile . Asked if the increased fame would change things , Stevens said it better not spoil him or the university . " I look at this new challenge of not changing and sticking to your core values and making sure you remain humble as a great coaching opportunity . " 

 = = = 2010 – 11 season = = = 

 Rankings by ESPN 's Andy Katz and Fox Sports ' Jeff Goodman released shortly after the 2010 Championship game both had Butler third for the 2010 – 2011 season . Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski agreed , saying Butler would be " right up there , No. 1 or No. 2 ... They 'll be a favorite next year . " However , Hayward chose to leave early for the NBA Draft and Butler went through a rough patch early in the season , at one point losing three straight games and having a 6 – 5 conference record . Bolstered by the emergence of Andrew Smith at center and Matt Howard 's success as a perimeter forward , Butler ended up winning a share of the conference title at 13 – 5 . The Bulldogs then won the Horizon League Tournament to secure an automatic NCAA tournament bid , and received an 8 seed . 
 Picked by many to lose a first @-@ round match @-@ up against Old Dominion , Butler advanced on a last @-@ second tip @-@ in by Howard . Howard was also clutch in their next game , hitting a free throw with a less than one second remaining to beat Pitt in a dramatic finish . Shelvin Mack scored 30 points in the win . Butler won their next game when they defeated Wisconsin . On March 26 , 2011 , the Bulldogs beat Florida 74 – 71 in overtime to earn back @-@ to @-@ back trips to the Final Four . On April 2 , Butler beat fellow Cinderella team VCU 70 – 62 to make it to a second consecutive national championship game . For the second consecutive year , the Bulldogs fell in the national championship game , this time to Connecticut . 

 = = = Coaching future = = = 

 On April 8 , 2010 , Stevens signed a long @-@ term deal with Butler , extending his contract through the 2021 – 22 season . Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed ; however , Butler president Bobby Fong had publicly stated that the university could afford to increase Stevens ' base salary to approximately US $ 1 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 a few days prior . Stevens had previously made US $ 395 @,@ 000 plus benefits in base salary , a relatively low figure for a successful Division I head basketball coach . His total compensation for 2009 – 10 was estimated at US $ 750 @,@ 000 . Stevens had received a raise after each of his three seasons at Butler and his contract contains a buyout clause estimated in the high six or low seven figures . 
 By re @-@ signing with Butler , Stevens temporarily ended speculation that he would leave the university for a higher paying job . Oregon , Clemson , and Wake Forest were all said to be interested in offering Stevens multi @-@ million dollar contracts to leave Butler . " First and foremost , I ’ m loyal to Butler , " Stevens said . When asked if he would ever leave Butler , Stevens replied " I guess if they kicked me out . " 
 After the 2011 – 12 season , Stevens was pursued vigorously by Illinois to fill their coaching vacancy before he declined their offer . 
 In March 2013 , UCLA reportedly offered Stevens between $ 2 @.@ 5 and $ 3 million a year to leave Butler . Rumors circulated that Stevens was in contract negotiations with UCLA , but ultimately the rumors proved false and Stevens stayed at Butler . Commenting on the situation , a source close to Stevens said " Brad doesn 't understand why people would assume he 's leaving . " A few days later , Stevens reiterated that he was very happy at Butler and had no intentions to leave as long as he had the support of the university to continue running the program the " right way " . 

 = = NBA = = 


 = = = Boston Celtics = = = 

 On July 3 , 2013 , Stevens was signed as the head coach by the Boston Celtics . Reports state that his new contract is a six @-@ year , $ 22 million deal . In April 2015 , Stevens led the Celtics to the NBA Playoffs as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 40 – 42 record . On April 21 , 2015 , it was announced that Stevens finished fourth in voting for the NBA 's Coach of the Year Award . On March 1 , 2016 , Stevens was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played during February . In April 2016 , Brad Stevens led the Celtics to their second consecutive playoff appearance under his tenure as the 5th seed in the 2016 NBA Playoffs finishing the season with a 48 – 34 record . On June 1 , 2016 , Stevens received a contract extension . 

 = = Coaching style = = 

 According to Stevens , in one of his first games as head coach , he was nervous and " felt like our team played on edge " because of it . He decided that a team 's play will reflect the mood of its coach ; a calm coach means a team that will remain poised in difficult game situations , while a nervous coach means a team that plays on edge . " I don ’ t want to lose a game because of my approach , " he told himself . Accordingly , he developed a strategy of always remaining calm and focused during games . He rarely raises his voice or gets emotional , instead quietly observing on the sideline with folded arms . He does not get upset about bad calls by referees or player mistakes , preferring to focus on " the next play " rather than what just happened . Butler player Willie Veasley explained Butler 's 2010 Final Four run by saying , " When those big runs [ by Syracuse and Kansas State ] came , Coach called a timeout and said a few calm words . Then he said he believes in us , he loves us and we 're going to win the game . " On the rare occasion Stevens feels the need to correct a player , he does it with " positive reinforcement , just at a little louder decibel " , according to former assistant coach Matthew Graves . Above all , Stevens wants his players to be confident , not living in fear of being yanked for making a bad play . 
 Externally , Stevens is always calm , but internally he is far from it . " I 'm not as calm as everybody thinks , " Stevens says . His wife Tracy adds , " He ’ s calm and collected , but he ’ s fiercely competitive . He ’ s always thinking about how he can beat you . " Former player Joel Cornette says " Everyone sees Brad as a level @-@ headed , calm and cool coach , but he ’ s about as competitive of a guy as I know . We would get into it constantly , whether playing two @-@ on @-@ two or arguing about players ’ having better college careers . " 
 Stevens spends a lot of time preparing for each game , and always tries to add a few new wrinkles specific to that game 's opponent . Sports Illustrated calls Stevens an expert " on breaking down tape and looking at statistical trends to find opponents ' weaknesses . " Former player Ronald Nored agrees : " We know everything we need to about our opponents , all their tendencies are broken down " ahead of time . 
 Stevens is a proponent of using statistical analysis to enhance his coaching decisions , spending almost as much time looking at statistics as watching game film . " I think it 's a unique way of looking at the game that may be able to help best communicate to your players " , he explains . For example , when Butler was slumping in late 2010 , Stevens challenged his team : " this [ 46 % defensive field goal percentage ] is where we are . This isn 't acceptable to get to where we want to go . But what does that really mean ? It 's not just get better defensively , it is , if we give up 3 less baskets a game , then we will be at 40 percent field goal percentage defense which will be top 20 in the country " . The team got the message , improved throughout the season , and ultimately went on a March run fueled by defense . In 2012 , Stevens became the first college coach to hire someone solely for statistical research when he added Drew Cannon to the staff . If he had the resources , Stevens says he would hire a team of statisticians to analyze the teams play . 
 Stevens ' teams are built around solid basketball fundamentals and good team work , rather than individual basketball skill . His teams are known for their defense , forcing opponents into uncharacteristic mistakes . The secret to basketball – and life – is " just to do the job to the best of your ability and don 't worry about anything else , " Stevens says . " Win the next game . Win the next possession . That 's our focus . It 's boring . It 's also the way championships are won " , he says . In short , Stevens is a strong believer in " The Butler Way " – doing all the little things that transform a group of good basketball players into a great basketball team . " I tell the players ' the Butler Way ' isn 't easy to define , " Stevens says , " but you can see it on the floor when we share the basketball , play with great energy and defend . " 
 Stevens prefers to recruit strong team players instead of going after " top recruits . " " The guys we [ have ] recruited , most of them weren 't very highly ranked , " Stevens says . " They had very good high school careers or careers at other places ( transfers ) , but for one reason or the other they weren 't seen as great players . But they all had intangibles . " Stevens puts a strong emphasis on education and has said he would only recruit a " one and done " player if he was committed to getting his degree while playing professionally . 
 Stevens has often been referred to as a coaching prodigy , but is not interested in self @-@ promotion . He instead prefers to deflect the praise he receives to the players , athletic department , and his mentors . He has not been known to posture for more money , or to leak his name for open coaching positions . He has been described as humble , modest , and not " about the money " . 
 The New York Times , USA Today , ESPN , and other commentators have attributed Butler 's success against teams with superior athletes to Stevens ' coaching style . The Times remarks , " the Bulldogs are very well prepared for their opponents , and they do not rattle easily " , and says that the resulting confidence has led to the team 's success . " He coaches to his personality and to his strengths , " Collier says . " Obviously , he has great rapport and communication ability with his team . " Yahoo ! Sports compared Stevens to legendary coach John Wooden writing " Brad Stevens is winning at Butler the Wooden way – calm and composed on the sideline . " Wooden agreed , saying , " I enjoy watching [ Stevens ] and very much enjoy [ Butler 's ] style of play . " 

 = = Personal life = = 

 Brad Stevens is known for his youthful looks , often being described as " baby @-@ faced " . One commentator remarked , " Stevens looks like he checks the mirror every morning to see if it 's time to start shaving . " On occasion , he has been mistaken for a player . He is also known for projecting a professional , " corporate " look from the sidelines . Asked what his life would be like if he had never taken up coaching , he replies " If everything else remained the same , I would have been as happy as heck ... Friends and family and faith , they 're going to take the cake over all this stuff . " Stevens met his wife , Tracy ( née Wilhelmy ) , while attending DePauw University . Tracy , who played soccer for DePauw , quickly learned of Brad 's love for basketball ; on their third date he drove her an hour and a half to attend a high school basketball game . Tracy graduated from Rocky River High School in 1995 , and from DePauw in 1999 . She returned to school in 2000 , driving five hours from Case Western 's law school to Indianapolis on weekends to see Brad . She finished her final year of law school in Indianapolis , and the couple married in August 2003 . Tracy works as a labor and employment lawyer . Tracy also serves as Brad 's agent . 
 Brad and Tracy Stevens are involved with the American Cancer Society 's Coaches Vs . Cancer . Brad says that the cause really hit home for them after Tracy 's mother died of the disease in June 2004 . The day before Butler 's 2010 Final Four appearance , they hosted a fundraiser for the organization . Brad Stevens has also volunteered his time to the Jukes Foundation for Kids , a charity benefiting Ugandan children run by former Butler player Avery Jukes . Stevens remains in close touch with the Butler basketball family ; he notably took a one @-@ game leave from the Celtics in January 2016 to visit with Andrew Smith , a player on both of Butler 's Final Four teams who was dying of cancer ; Smith died less than a week later . At the request of Andrew 's widow , Sam , Brad delivered the eulogy at the memorial service on January 17 , 2016 . 
 Stevens ' father , Mark , is an orthopedic surgeon in Indianapolis and former Indiana Hoosiers football player . His mother , Jan , is a university professor . She has previously taught at Butler . 

 = = Head coaching record = = 


 = = = College = = = 


 = = = NBA = = = 


 = = = Awards and nominations = = = 

 Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award finalist ( 2009 ) 
 Horizon League Coach of the Year ( 2009 , 2010 ) 
 Hugh Durham Award for Mid @-@ major Coach of the Year finalist ( 2008 , 2009 , 2010 ) 
 Hugh Durham Award Mid @-@ season honors ( 2009 ) 
 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award finalist ( 2008 , 2009 , 2010 ) 
 Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award finalist ( 2010 ) 


 = Shackleton ( crater ) = 

 Shackleton is an impact crater that lies at the south pole of the Moon . The peaks along the crater 's rim are exposed to almost continual sunlight , while the interior is perpetually in shadow ( a Crater of eternal darkness ) . The low @-@ temperature interior of this crater functions as a cold trap that may capture and freeze volatiles shed during comet impacts on the Moon . Measurements by the Lunar Prospector spacecraft showed higher than normal amounts of hydrogen within the crater , which may indicate the presence of water ice . The crater is named after Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton . 

 = = Description = = 

 The rotational axis of the Moon lies within Shackleton , only a few kilometers from its center . The crater is 21 km in diameter and 4 @.@ 2 km deep . From the Earth , it is viewed edge @-@ on in a region of rough , cratered terrain . It is located within the South Pole @-@ Aitken basin on a massif . The rim is slightly raised about the surrounding surface and it has an outer rampart that has been only lightly impacted . No significant craters intersect the rim , and it is sloped about 1 @.@ 5 ° toward the direction 50 – 90 ° from the Earth . The age of the crater is about 3 @.@ 6 billion years and it has been in the proximity of the south lunar pole for at least the last two billion years . 
 Because the orbit of the Moon is tilted only 5 ° from the ecliptic , the interior of this crater lies in perpetual darkness . Estimates of the area in permanent shadow were obtained from Earth @-@ based radar studies . Peaks along the rim of the crater are almost continually illuminated by sunlight , spending about 80 – 90 % of each lunar orbit exposed to the Sun . Continuously illuminated mountains have been termed peaks of eternal light and have been predicted to exist since the 1900s . 
 The shadowed portion of the crater was imaged with the Terrain Camera of the Japanese SELENE spacecraft using the illumination of sunlight reflected off the rim . The interior of the crater consists of a symmetrical 30 ° slope that leads down to a 6 @.@ 6 km diameter floor . The handful of craters along the interior span no more than a few hundred meters . The bottom is covered by an uneven mound @-@ like feature that is 300 to 400 m thick . The central peak is about 200 m in height . 
 The continuous shadows in the south polar craters cause the floors of these formations to maintain a temperature that never exceeds about 100 K. For Shackleton , the average temperature was determined to be about 90 K , reaching 88 K at the crater floor . Under these conditions , the estimated rate of loss from any ice in the interior would be 10 − 26 to 10 − 27 m / s . Any water vapor that arrives here following a cometary impact on the Moon would lie permanently frozen on or below the surface . However , the surface albedo of the crater floor matches the lunar far @-@ side , suggesting that there is no exposed surface ice . 
 This crater was named after Ernest Henry Shackleton , an Anglo @-@ Irish explorer of Antarctica from 1901 until his death in 1922 . The name was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1994 . Nearby craters of note include Shoemaker , Haworth , de Gerlache , Sverdrup , and Faustini . Somewhat farther away , on the eastern hemisphere of the lunar near side , are the larger craters Amundsen and Scott , named after two other early explorers of the Antarctic continent . 

 = = Exploration = = 

 From the perspective of the Earth , this crater lies along the southern limb of the Moon , making observation difficult . Detailed mapping of the polar regions and farside of the Moon did not occur until the advent of orbiting spacecraft . Shackleton lies entirely within the rim of the immense South Pole @-@ Aitken basin , which is one of the largest known impact formations in the Solar System . This basin is over 12 kilometers deep , and an exploration of its properties could provide useful information about the lunar interior . 
 A neutron spectrometer on board the Lunar Prospector spacecraft detected enhanced concentrations of hydrogen close to the northern and southern lunar poles , including the crater Shackleton . At the end of this mission in July 1999 , the spacecraft was crashed into the nearby crater Shoemaker in the hope of detecting from Earth @-@ based telescopes an impact @-@ generated plume containing water vapor . The impact event did not produce any detectable water vapor , and this may be an indication that the hydrogen is not in the form of hydrated minerals , or that the impact site did not contain any ice . Alternatively , it is possible that the crash did not excavate deeply enough into the regolith to liberate significant quantities of water vapor . 
 From Earth @-@ based radar and spacecraft images of the crater edge , Shackleton appears to be relatively intact ; much like a young crater that has not been significantly eroded from subsequent impacts . This may mean that the inner sides are relatively steep , which may make traversing the sides relatively difficult for a robotic vehicle . In addition , it is possible that the interior floor might not have collected a significant quantity of volatiles since its formation . However other craters in the vicinity are considerably older , and may contain significant deposits of hydrogen , possibly in the form of water ice . ( See Shoemaker ( lunar crater ) , for example . ) 
 Radar studies preceding and following the Lunar Prospector mission demonstrate that the inner walls of Shackleton are similar in reflective characteristics to those of some sunlit craters . In particular , the surroundings appear to contain a significant number of blocks in its ejecta blanket , suggesting that its radar properties are a result of surface roughness , and not ice deposits , as was previously suggested from a radar experiment involving the Clementine mission . This interpretation , however , is not universally agreed upon within the scientific community . Radar images of the crater at a wavelength of 13 cm show no evidence for water ice deposits . 
 Optical imaging inside the crater was done for the first time by the Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft Kaguya in 2007 . It did not have any evidence of significant amount of water ice , down to the image resolution of 10 m per pixel . 
 On November 15 , 2008 , a 34 @-@ kg probe made a hard landing near the crater . The moon impact probe ( MIP ) was launched from the Indian Chandrayaan @-@ I spacecraft and reached the surface 25 minutes later . The probe carried a radar altimeter , video imaging system , and a mass spectrometer , which will be used to search for water . 

 = = Potential uses = = 

 Some sites along Shackleton 's rim receive almost constant illumination . At these locales sunlight is almost always available for conversion into electricity using solar panels , potentially making them good locations for future Moon landings . The temperature at this site is also more favorable than at more equatorial latitudes as it does not experience the daily temperature extremes of 100 ° C when the Sun is overhead , to as low as − 150 ° C during the lunar night . 
 While scientific experiments performed by Clementine and Lunar Prospector could indicate the presence of water in the polar craters , the current evidence is far from definitive . There are doubts among scientists as to whether or not the hydrogen is in the form of ice , as well as to the concentration of this " ore " with depth below the surface . Resolution of this issue will require future missions to the Moon . The presence of water suggests that the crater floor could potentially be " mined " for deposits of hydrogen in water form , a commodity that is expensive to deliver directly from the Earth . 
 This crater has also been proposed as a future site for a large infrared telescope . The low temperature of the crater floor makes it ideal for infrared observations , and solar cells placed along the rim could provide near @-@ continuous power to the observatory . About 120 kilometers from the crater lies the 5 @-@ km tall Malapert Mountain , a peak that is perpetually visible from the Earth , and which could serve as a radio relay station when suitably equipped . 
 NASA has named the rim of Shackleton as a potential candidate for its lunar outpost , slated to be up and running by 2020 and continuously staffed by a crew by 2024 . The location would promote self @-@ sustainability for lunar residents , as perpetual sunlight on the south pole would provide energy for solar panels . Furthermore , the shadowed polar regions are believed to contain the frozen water necessary for human consumption and could also be harvested for fuel manufacture . 


 = American Beauty ( 1999 film ) = 

 American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball . Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham , a 42 @-@ year @-@ old advertising executive who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenaged daughter 's best friend , Angela ( Mena Suvari ) . Annette Bening co @-@ stars as Lester 's materialistic wife , Carolyn , and Thora Birch plays their insecure daughter , Jane . Wes Bentley , Chris Cooper , and Allison Janney also feature . The film is described by academics as a satire of American middle @-@ class notions of beauty and personal satisfaction ; analysis has focused on the film 's explorations of romantic , and paternal love , sexuality , beauty , materialism , self @-@ liberation , and redemption . 
 Ball began writing American Beauty as a play in the early 1990s , partly inspired by the media circus around the Amy Fisher trial in 1992 . He shelved the play after realizing the story would not work on stage . After several years as a television screenwriter , Ball revived the idea in 1997 when attempting to break into the film industry . The modified script had a cynical outlook that was influenced by Ball 's frustrating tenures writing for several sitcoms . Producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen took American Beauty to DreamWorks ; the then @-@ fledgling film studio bought Ball 's script for $ 250 @,@ 000 , outbidding several other production bodies . DreamWorks financed the $ 15 million production and served as its North American distributor . American Beauty marked acclaimed theater director Mendes ' film debut ; courted after his successful productions of the musicals Oliver ! and Cabaret , Mendes was , nevertheless , only given the job after 20 others were considered and several " A @-@ list " directors turned down the opportunity . 
 Spacey was Mendes ' first choice for the role of Lester , though DreamWorks had urged the director to consider better @-@ known actors ; similarly , the studio suggested several actors for the role of Carolyn until Mendes offered the part to Bening without DreamWorks ' knowledge . Principal photography took place between December 1998 and February 1999 on soundstages at the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank , California , and on location in Los Angeles . Mendes ' dominant style was deliberate and composed ; he made extensive use of static shots and slow pans and zooms to generate tension . Cinematographer Conrad Hall complemented Mendes ' style with peaceful shot compositions to contrast with the turbulent on @-@ screen events . During editing , Mendes made several changes that gave the film a less cynical tone than the script . 
 Released in North America on September 17 , 1999 , American Beauty was positively received by critics and audiences ; it was the best @-@ reviewed American film of the year and grossed over $ 356 million worldwide . Reviewers praised most aspects of the production , with particular emphasis on Mendes , Spacey , and Ball ; criticism focused on the familiarity of the characters and setting . DreamWorks launched a major campaign to increase the film 's chances of Academy Award success ; at the 72nd Academy Awards the following year , the film won Best Picture , Best Director , Best Actor ( for Spacey ) , Best Original Screenplay , and Best Cinematography . It was nominated for and won many other awards and honors , mainly for the direction , writing , and acting . 

 = = Plot = = 

 Lester Burnham is a middle @-@ aged advertising executive and magazine writer who despises his job . He is unhappily married to Carolyn , a neurotic yet fiercely ambitious real estate broker ; their teenaged daughter , Jane , abhors her parents and has low self @-@ esteem . The Burnhams ' new neighbors are retired United States Marine Corps Colonel Frank Fitts and his near @-@ catatonic wife , Barbara . Their teenaged son , Ricky , constantly films his surroundings with a camcorder , collecting hundreds of recordings on videotapes in his bedroom . His job as a part @-@ time bar caterer serves as a front for his secret marijuana dealing . Col. Fitts is a strict disciplinarian who previously sent Ricky to a military school and briefly committed him to a psychiatric hospital . Jim Olmeyer and Jim Berkley , a gay couple who live nearby , welcome the family to the neighborhood ; the homophobic Col. Fitts angrily asks Ricky " why these faggots have to rub it in your face . " 
 Lester becomes infatuated with Jane 's vain friend , Angela Hayes , after seeing her perform a half @-@ time dance routine at a high school basketball game . He starts having sexual fantasies about Angela , in which red rose petals are a recurring motif . Carolyn begins an affair with her married business rival , Buddy Kane . When Lester 's boss , Brad , tells him that he is to be laid off , Lester instead blackmails him for $ 60 @,@ 000 and quits his job . Lester takes a minimum @-@ wage job at a fast @-@ food restaurant , trades in his Toyota Camry for his dream car , a 1970 Pontiac Firebird , and starts working out after he overhears Angela tell Jane that she would find him sexually attractive if he got in shape . He begins smoking marijuana supplied by Ricky . The girls ' friendship wanes after Jane starts a relationship with Ricky . Jane and Ricky bond over what Ricky considers the most beautiful imagery he has filmed : a plastic bag being blown in the wind . 
 Lester discovers Carolyn 's infidelity , but reacts indifferently . Buddy ends the affair , fearing an expensive divorce . Col. Fitts becomes suspicious of Lester and Ricky 's friendship when he finds his son 's footage of Lester lifting weights while nude , which Ricky captured by chance , leading him to believe that Ricky is gay . After spying on Ricky and Lester through Lester 's garage window , the colonel mistakenly concludes the pair is sexually involved . He later confronts and beats Ricky for the supposed affair and accuses him of being gay . Ricky falsely admits the charges and goads his father into kicking him out of their home . Meanwhile , Carolyn is sitting in her car in the rain , taking a gun out of the glove box while a voice on the radio talks about not being a victim . Ricky goes to Jane 's bedroom , finding her arguing with Angela about Angela 's flirtation with Lester . Ricky convinces Jane to flee with him to New York City and assures Angela that she is ugly , boring , and ordinary . 
 Col. Fitts confronts Lester and attempts to kiss him ; Lester rebuffs the colonel , who tearfully flees . Carolyn puts the gun in her handbag , shouting , " I refuse to be a victim ! " Lester finds a distraught Angela sitting alone in the dark ; she asks him to tell her she is beautiful . He does , and they kiss . 
 Carolyn drives through the rain , rehearsing a confession to Lester . Just as Lester and Angela are about to have sex , she admits that she is a virgin , and Lester changes his mind . He instead comforts her and the pair bond over their shared frustrations . Angela goes to the bathroom and Lester smiles at a family photograph in his kitchen . An unseen figure raises a gun to the back of his head , a gunshot sounds , and blood sprays on the wall . Ricky and Jane find Lester 's body , while Carolyn breaks down crying in the closet . A bloodied Col. Fitts returns home , where a gun is shown to be missing from his collection . Lester 's closing narration describes meaningful experiences during his life ; he says that , despite his death , he is happy because there is " so much beauty " in the world . 

 = = Themes and analysis = = 


 = = = Multiple interpretations = = = 

 Scholars and academics have offered many possible readings of American Beauty ; film critics are similarly divided , not so much about the quality of the film , as their interpretations of it . Described by many as about " the meaning of life " or " the hollow existence of the American suburbs " , the film has defied categorization by even the filmmakers . Mendes is indecisive , saying the script seemed to be about something different each time he read it : " a mystery story , a kaleidoscopic journey through American suburbia , a series of love stories ; [ ... ] it was about imprisonment , [ ... ] loneliness , [ and ] beauty . It was funny ; it was angry , sad . " The literary critic and author Wayne C. Booth concludes that the film resists any one interpretation : " [ American Beauty ] cannot be adequately summarized as ' here is a satire on what 's wrong with American life ' ; that plays down the celebration of beauty . It is more tempting to summarize it as ' a portrait of the beauty underlying American miseries and misdeeds ' , but that plays down the scenes of cruelty and horror , and Ball 's disgust with our mores . It cannot be summarized with either Lester or Ricky 's philosophical statements about what life is or how one should live . " He argues that the problem of interpreting the film is tied with that of finding its center — a controlling voice who " [ unites ] all of the choices " . He contends that in American Beauty 's case , it is neither Mendes nor Ball . Mendes considers the voice to be Ball 's , but even while the writer was " strongly influential " on set , he often had to accept deviations from his vision , particularly ones that transformed the cynical tone of his script into something more optimistic . With " innumerable voices intruding on the original author 's , " Booth says , those who interpret American Beauty " have forgotten to probe for the elusive center " . According to Booth , the film 's true controller is the creative energy " that hundreds of people put into its production , agreeing and disagreeing , inserting and cutting " . 

 = = = Imprisonment and redemption = = = 

 Mendes called American Beauty a rite of passage film about imprisonment and escape from imprisonment . The monotony of Lester 's existence is established through his gray , nondescript workplace and characterless clothing . In these scenes , he is often framed as if trapped , " reiterating rituals that hardly please him " . He masturbates in the confines of his shower ; the shower stall evokes a jail cell and the shot is the first of many where Lester is confined behind bars or within frames , such as when he is reflected behind columns of numbers on a computer monitor , " confined [ and ] nearly crossed out " . The academic and author Jody W. Pennington argues that Lester 's journey is the story 's center . His sexual reawakening through meeting Angela is the first of several turning points as he begins to " [ throw ] off the responsibilities of the comfortable life he has come to despise " . After Lester shares a joint with Ricky , his spirit is released and he begins to rebel against Carolyn . Changed by Ricky 's " attractive , profound confidence " , Lester is convinced that Angela is attainable and sees that he must question his " banal , numbingly materialist suburban existence " ; he takes a job at a fast @-@ food outlet , which allows him to regress to a point when he could " see his whole life ahead of him " . 
 When Lester is caught masturbating by Carolyn , his angry retort about their lack of intimacy is the first time he says aloud what he thinks about her . By confronting the issue and Carolyn 's " superficial investments in others " , Lester is trying to " regain a voice in a home that [ only respects ] the voices of mother and daughter " . His final turning point comes when Angela and he almost have sex ; after she confesses her virginity , he no longer thinks of her as a sex object , but as a daughter . He holds her close and " wraps her up " . Mendes called it " the most satisfying end to [ Lester 's ] journey there could possibly have been " . With these final scenes , Mendes intended to show Lester at the conclusion of a " mythical quest " . After Lester gets a beer from the refrigerator , the camera pushes toward him , then stops facing a hallway down which he walks " to meet his fate " . Having begun to act his age again , Lester achieves closure . As he smiles at a family photo , the camera pans slowly from Lester to the kitchen wall , onto which blood spatters as a gunshot rings out ; the slow pan reflects the peace of Lester 's death . His body is discovered by Jane and Ricky . Mendes said that Ricky 's staring into Lester 's dead eyes is " the culmination of the theme " of the film : that beauty is found where it is least expected . 

 = = = Conformity and beauty = = = 

 Like other American films of 1999 — such as Fight Club , Bringing Out the Dead , and Magnolia , American Beauty instructs its audience to " [ lead ] more meaningful lives " . The film argues the case against conformity , but does not deny that people need and want it ; even the gay characters just want to fit in . Jim and Jim , the Burnhams ' other neighbors , are a satire of " gay bourgeois coupledom " , who " [ invest ] in the numbing sameness " that the film criticizes in heterosexual couples . The feminist academic and author Sally R. Munt argues that American Beauty uses its " art house " trappings to direct its message of nonconformity primarily to the middle classes , and that this approach is a " cliché of bourgeois preoccupation ; [ ... ] the underlying premise being that the luxury of finding an individual ' self ' through denial and renunciation is always open to those wealthy enough to choose , and sly enough to present themselves sympathetically as a rebel . " 
 Professor Roy M. Anker argues that the film 's thematic center is its direction to the audience to " look closer " . The opening combines an unfamiliar viewpoint of the Burnhams ' neighborhood with Lester 's narrated admission that he will soon die , forcing audiences to consider their own mortality and the beauty around them . It also sets a series of mysteries ; Anker asks , " from what place exactly , and from what state of being , is he telling this story ? If he 's already dead , why bother with whatever it is he wishes to tell about his last year of being alive ? There is also the question of how Lester has died — or will die . " Anker believes the preceding scene — Jane 's discussion with Ricky about the possibility of his killing her father — adds further mystery . Professor Ann C. Hall disagrees ; she says by presenting an early resolution to the mystery , the film allows the audience to put it aside " to view the film and its philosophical issues " . Through this examination of Lester 's life , rebirth and death , American Beauty satirizes American middle class notions of meaning , beauty and satisfaction . Even Lester 's transformation only comes about because of the possibility of sex with Angela ; he therefore remains a " willing devotee of the popular media 's exaltation of pubescent male sexuality as a sensible route to personal wholeness " . Carolyn is similarly driven by conventional views of happiness ; from her belief in " house beautiful " domestic bliss to her car and gardening outfit , Carolyn 's domain is a " fetching American millennial vision of Pleasantville , or Eden " . The Burnhams are unaware that they are " materialists philosophically , and devout consumers ethically " who expect the " rudiments of American beauty " to give them happiness . Anker argues that " they are helpless in the face of the prettified economic and sexual stereotypes [ ... ] that they and their culture have designated for their salvation . " 
 The film presents Ricky as its " visionary , [ ... ] spiritual and mystical center " . He sees beauty in the minutiae of everyday life , videoing as much as he can for fear of missing it . He shows Jane what he considers the most beautiful thing he has filmed : a plastic bag , tossing in the wind in front of a wall . He says capturing the moment was when he realized that there was " an entire life behind things " ; he feels that " sometimes there 's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can 't take it ... and my heart is going to cave in . " Anker argues that Ricky , in looking past the " cultural dross " , has " [ grasped ] the radiant splendor of the created world " to see God . As the film progresses , the Burnhams move closer to Ricky 's view of the world . Lester only forswears personal satisfaction at the film 's end . On the cusp of having sex with Angela , he returns to himself after she admits her virginity . Suddenly confronted with a child , he begins to treat her as a daughter ; in doing so , Lester sees himself , Angela , and his family " for the poor and fragile but wondrous creatures they are " . He looks at a picture of his family in happier times , and dies having had an epiphany that infuses him with " wonder , joy , and soul @-@ shaking gratitude " — he has finally seen the world as it is . 
 According to Patti Bellantoni , colors are used symbolically throughout the film , none more so than red , which is an important thematic signature that drives the story and " [ defines ] Lester 's arc " . First seen in drab colors that reflect his passivity , Lester surrounds himself with red as he regains his individuality . The American Beauty rose is repeatedly used as symbol ; when Lester fantasizes about Angela , she is usually naked and surrounded by rose petals . In these scenes , the rose symbolizes Lester 's desire for her . When associated with Carolyn , the rose represents a " façade for suburban success " . Roses are included in almost every shot inside the Burnhams ' home , where they signify " a mask covering a bleak , unbeautiful reality " . Carolyn feels that " as long as there can be roses , all is well " . She cuts the roses and puts them in vases , where they adorn her " meretricious vision of what makes for beauty " and begin to die . The roses in the vase in the Angela – Lester seduction scene symbolize Lester 's previous life and Carolyn ; the camera pushes in as Lester and Angela get closer , finally taking the roses — and thus Carolyn — out of the shot . Lester 's epiphany at the end of the film is expressed by rain and the use of red , building to a crescendo that is a deliberate contrast to the release Lester feels . The constant use of red " lulls [ the audience ] subliminally " into becoming used to it ; consequently , it leaves the audience unprepared when Lester is shot and his blood spatters on the wall . 

 = = = Sexuality and repression = = = 

 Pennington argues that American Beauty defines its characters through their sexuality . Lester 's attempts to relive his youth are a direct result of his lust for Angela , and the state of his relationship with Carolyn is in part shown through their lack of sexual contact . Also sexually frustrated , Carolyn has an affair that takes her from " cold perfectionist " to a more carefree soul who " [ sings ] happily along with " the music in her car . Jane and Angela constantly reference sex , through Angela 's descriptions of her supposed sexual encounters and the way the girls address each other . Their nude scenes are used to communicate their vulnerability . By the end of the film , Angela 's hold on Jane has weakened until the only power she has over her friend is Lester 's attraction to her . Col. Fitts reacts with disgust to meeting Jim and Jim ; he asks , " How come these faggots always have to rub it in your face ? How can they be so shameless ? " To which Ricky replies , " That 's the thing , Dad — they don 't feel like it 's anything to be ashamed of . " Pennington argues that Col. Fitts ' reaction is not homophobic , but an " anguished self @-@ interrogation " . 
 With other turn @-@ of @-@ the @-@ millennium films such as Fight Club , In the Company of Men ( 1997 ) , American Psycho ( 2000 ) , and Boys Don 't Cry ( 1999 ) , American Beauty " raises the broader , widely explored issue of masculinity in crisis " . Professor Vincent Hausmann charges that in their reinforcement of masculinity " against threats posed by war , by consumerism , and by feminist and queer challenges " , these films present a need to " focus on , and even to privilege " aspects of maleness " deemed ' deviant ' " . Lester 's transformation conveys " that he , and not the woman , has borne the brunt of [ lack of being ] " and he will not stand for being emasculated . Lester 's attempts to " strengthen traditional masculinity " conflict with his responsibilities as a father . Although the film portrays the way Lester returns to that role positively , he does not become " the hypermasculine figure implicitly celebrated in films like Fight Club " . Hausmann concludes that Lester 's behavior toward Angela is " a misguided but nearly necessary step toward his becoming a father again " . 
 Hausmann says the film " explicitly affirms the importance of upholding the prohibition against incest " ; a recurring theme of Ball 's work is his comparison of the taboos against incest and homosexuality . Instead of making an overt distinction , American Beauty looks at how their repression can lead to violence . Col. Fitts is so ashamed of his homosexuality that it drives him to murder Lester . Ball said , " The movie is in part about how homophobia is based in fear and repression and about what [ they ] can do . " The film implies two unfulfilled incestuous desires : Lester 's pursuit of Angela is a manifestation of his lust for his own daughter , while Col. Fitts ' repression is exhibited through the almost sexualized discipline with which he controls Ricky . Consequently , Ricky realizes that he can only hurt his father by falsely telling him he is homosexual , while Angela 's vulnerability and submission to Lester reminds him of his responsibilities and the limits of his fantasy . Col. Fitts represents Ball 's father , whose repressed homosexual desires led to his own unhappiness . Ball rewrote Col. Fitts to delay revealing him as homosexual , which Munt reads as a possible " deferment of Ball 's own patriarchal @-@ incest fantasies " . 

 = = = Temporality and music = = = 

 American Beauty follows a traditional narrative structure , only deviating with the displaced opening scene of Jane and Ricky from the middle of the story . Although the plot spans one year , the film is narrated by Lester at the moment of his death . Jacqueline Furby says that the plot " occupies [ ... ] no time [ or ] all time " , citing Lester 's claim that life did not flash before his eyes , but that it " stretches on forever like an ocean of time " . Furby argues that a " rhythm of repetition " forms the core of the film 's structure . For example , two scenes have the Burnhams sitting down to an evening meal , shot from the same angle . Each image is broadly similar , with minor differences in object placement and body language that reflect the changed dynamic brought on by Lester 's new @-@ found assertiveness . Another example is the pair of scenes in which Jane and Ricky film each other . Ricky films Jane from his bedroom window as she removes her bra , and the image is reversed later for a similarly " voyeuristic and exhibitionist " scene in which Jane films Ricky at a vulnerable moment . 
 Lester 's fantasies are emphasized by slow- and repetitive @-@ motion shots ; Mendes uses double @-@ and @-@ triple cutbacks in several sequences , and the score alters to make the audience aware that it is entering a fantasy . One example is the gymnasium scene — Lester 's first encounter with Angela . While the cheerleaders perform their half @-@ time routine to " On Broadway " , Lester becomes increasingly fixated on Angela . Time slows to represent his " voyeuristic hypnosis " and Lester begins to fantasize that Angela 's performance is for him alone . " On Broadway " — which provides a conventional underscore to the onscreen action — is replaced by discordant , percussive music that lacks melody or progression . This nondiegetic score is important to creating the narrative stasis in the sequence ; it conveys a moment for Lester that is stretched to an indeterminate length . The effect is one that Stan Link likens to " vertical time " , described by the composer and music theorist Jonathan Kramer as music that imparts " a single present stretched out into an enormous duration , a potentially infinite ' now ' that nonetheless feels like an instant " . The music is used like a visual cue , so that Lester and the score are staring at Angela . The sequence ends with the sudden reintroduction of " On Broadway " and teleological time . 
 According to Drew Miller of Stylus , the soundtrack " [ gives ] unconscious voice " to the characters ' psyches and complements the subtext . The most obvious use of pop music " accompanies and gives context to " Lester 's attempts to recapture his youth ; reminiscent of how the counterculture of the 1960s combated American repression through music and drugs , Lester begins to smoke cannabis and listen to rock music . Mendes ' song choices " progress through the history of American popular music " . Miller argues that although some may be over familiar , there is a parodic element at work , " making good on [ the film 's ] encouragement that viewers look closer " . Toward the end of the film , Thomas Newman 's score features more prominently , creating " a disturbing tempo " that matches the tension of the visuals . The exception is " Don 't Let It Bring You Down " , which plays during Angela 's seduction of Lester . At first appropriate , its tone clashes as the seduction stops . The lyrics , which speak of " castles burning " , can be seen as a metaphor for Lester 's view of Angela — " the rosy , fantasy @-@ driven exterior of the ' American Beauty ' " — as it burns away to reveal " the timid , small @-@ breasted girl who , like his wife , has willfully developed a false public self " . 

 = = Production = = 


 = = = Development = = = 

 In 1997 , Alan Ball resolved to move into the film industry after several frustrating years writing for the television sitcoms Grace Under Fire and Cybill . He joined the United Talent Agency , where his representative , Andrew Cannava , suggested he write a spec script to " reintroduce [ himself ] to the town as a screenwriter " . Ball pitched three ideas to Cannava : two conventional romantic comedies and American Beauty , which he had originally conceived as a play in the early 1990s . Despite the story 's lack of an easily marketable concept , Cannava selected American Beauty because he felt it was the one for which Ball had the most passion . While developing the script , Ball created another television sitcom , Oh , Grow Up . He channeled his anger and frustration at having to accede to network demands on that show — and during his tenures on Grace Under Fire and Cybill — into writing American Beauty . 
 Ball did not expect to sell the script , believing it would act as more of a calling card , but American Beauty drew interest from several production bodies . Cannava passed the script to several producers , including Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen , who took it to DreamWorks . With the help of executives Glenn Williamson and Bob Cooper , and Steven Spielberg in his capacity as studio partner , Ball was convinced to develop the project at DreamWorks ; he received assurances from the studio — known at the time for its more conventional fare — that it would not " iron the [ edges ] out " . In an unusual move , DreamWorks decided not to option the script ; instead , in April 1998 , the studio bought it outright for $ 250 @,@ 000 , outbidding Fox Searchlight Pictures , October Films , Metro @-@ Goldwyn @-@ Mayer , and Lakeshore Entertainment . DreamWorks planned to make the film for $ 6 – 8 million . 
 Jinks and Cohen involved Ball throughout the film 's development , including casting and director selection . The producers met with about 20 interested directors , several of whom were considered " A @-@ list " at the time . Ball was not keen on the more well @-@ known directors because he believed their involvement would increase the budget and lead DreamWorks to become " nervous about the content " . Nevertheless , the studio offered the film to Mike Nichols and Robert Zemeckis ; neither accepted . In the same year , Mendes ( then a theater director ) revived the musical Cabaret in New York with fellow director Rob Marshall . Beth Swofford of the Creative Artists Agency arranged meetings for Mendes with studio figures in Los Angeles to see if film direction was a possibility . Mendes came across American Beauty in a pile of eight scripts at Swofford 's house , and knew immediately that it was the one he wanted to make ; early in his career , he had been inspired by how the film Paris , Texas ( 1984 ) presented contemporary America as a mythic landscape and he saw the same theme in American Beauty , as well as parallels with his own childhood . Mendes later met with Spielberg ; impressed by Mendes ' productions of Oliver ! and Cabaret , Spielberg encouraged him to consider American Beauty . 
 Mendes found that he still had to convince DreamWorks ' production executives to let him direct . He had already discussed the film with Jinks and Cohen , and felt they supported him . Ball was also keen ; having seen Cabaret , he was impressed with Mendes ' " keen visual sense " and thought he did not make obvious choices . Ball felt that Mendes liked to look under the story 's surface , a talent he felt would be a good fit with the themes of American Beauty . Mendes ' background also reassured him , because of the prominent role the playwright usually has in a theater production . Over two meetings — the first with Cooper , Walter Parkes , and Laurie MacDonald , the second with Cooper alone — Mendes pitched himself to the studio . The studio soon approached Mendes with a deal to direct for the minimum salary allowed under Directors Guild of America rules — $ 150 @,@ 000 . Mendes accepted , and later recalled that after taxes and his agent 's commission , he only earned $ 38 @,@ 000 . In June 1998 , DreamWorks confirmed that it had contracted Mendes to direct the film . 

 = = = Writing = = = 

 Ball was partly inspired by two encounters he had in the early 1990s . In about 1991 – 92 , Ball saw a plastic bag blowing in the wind outside the World Trade Center . He watched the bag for 10 minutes , saying later that it provoked an " unexpected emotional response " . In 1992 , Ball became preoccupied with the media circus around the Amy Fisher trial . Discovering a comic book telling of the scandal , he was struck by how quickly it had become commercialized . He said he " felt like there was a real story underneath [ that was ] more fascinating and way more tragic " than the story presented to the public , and attempted to turn the idea into a play . Ball produced around 40 pages , but stopped when he realized it would work better as a film . He felt that because of the visual themes , and because each character 's story was .. " intensely personal " , it could not be done on a stage . All the main characters appeared in this version , but Carolyn did not feature strongly ; Jim and Jim instead had much larger roles . 
 Ball based Lester 's story on aspects of his own life . Lester 's re @-@ examination of his life parallels feelings Ball had in his mid @-@ 30s ; like Lester , Ball put aside his passions to work in jobs he hated for people he did not respect . Scenes in Ricky 's household reflect Ball 's own childhood experiences . Ball suspected his father was homosexual and used the idea to create Col. Fitts , a man who " gave up his chance to be himself " . Ball said the script 's mix of comedy and drama was not intentional , but that it came unconsciously from his own outlook on life . He said the juxtaposition produced a starker contrast , giving each trait more impact than if they appeared alone . 
 In the script that was sent to prospective actors and directors , Lester and Angela had sex ; by the time of shooting , Ball had rewritten the scene to the final version . Ball initially rebuffed counsel from others that he change the script , feeling they were being puritanical ; the final impetus to alter the scene came from DreamWorks ' then @-@ president Walter Parkes . He convinced Ball by indicating that in Greek mythology , the hero " has a moment of epiphany before [ ... ] tragedy occurs " . Ball later said his anger when writing the first draft had blinded him to the idea that Lester needed to refuse sex with Angela to complete his emotional journey — to achieve redemption . Jinks and Cohen asked Ball not to alter the scene right away , as they felt it would be inappropriate to make changes to the script before a director had been hired . Early drafts also included a flashback to Col. Fitts ' service in the Marines , a sequence that unequivocally established his homosexual leanings . In love with another Marine , Col. Fitts sees the man die and comes to believe that he is being punished for the " sin " of being gay . Ball removed the sequence because it did not fit the structure of the rest of the film — Col. Fitts was the only character to have a flashback — and because it removed the element of surprise from Col. Fitts ' later pass at Lester . Ball said he had to write it for his own benefit to know what happened to Col. Fitts , though all that remained in later drafts was subtext . 
 Ball remained involved throughout production ; he had signed a television show development deal , so had to get permission from his producers to take a year off to be close to American Beauty . Ball was on @-@ set for rewrites and to help interpret his script for all but two days of filming . His original bookend scenes — in which Ricky and Jane are prosecuted for Lester 's murder after being framed by Col. Fitts — were excised in post @-@ production ; the writer later felt the scenes were unnecessary , saying they were a reflection of his " anger and cynicism " at the time of writing ( see " Editing " ) . Ball and Mendes revised the script twice before it was sent to the actors , and twice more before the first read @-@ through . 
 The shooting script features a scene in Angela 's car in which Ricky and Jane talk about death and beauty ; the scene differed from earlier versions , which set it as a " big scene on a freeway " in which the three witness a car crash and see a dead body . The change was a practical decision , as the production was behind schedule and they needed to cut costs . The schedule called for two days to be spent filming the crash , but only half a day was available . Ball agreed , but only if the scene could retain a line of Ricky 's where he reflects on having once seen a dead homeless woman : " When you see something like that , it 's like God is looking right at you , just for a second . And if you 're careful , you can look right back . " Jane asks : " And what do you see ? " Ricky : " Beauty . " Ball said , " They wanted to cut that scene . They said it 's not important . I said , ' You 're out of your fucking mind . It 's one of the most important scenes in the movie ! ' [ ... ] If any one line is the heart and soul of this movie , that is the line . " Another scene was rewritten to accommodate the loss of the freeway sequence ; set in a schoolyard , it presents a " turning point " for Jane in that she chooses to walk home with Ricky instead of going with Angela . By the end of filming , the script had been through 10 drafts . 

 = = = Casting = = = 

 Mendes had Spacey and Bening in mind for the leads from the beginning , but DreamWorks executives were unenthusiastic . The studio suggested several alternatives , including Bruce Willis , Kevin Costner , or John Travolta to play Lester , and Helen Hunt or Holly Hunter to play Carolyn . Mendes did not want a big star " weighing the film down " ; he felt Spacey was the right choice based on his performances in the 1995 films The Usual Suspects and Seven , and 1992 's Glengarry Glen Ross . Spacey was surprised ; he said , " I usually play characters who are very quick , very manipulative and smart . [ ... ] I usually wade in dark , sort of treacherous waters . This is a man living one step at a time , playing by his instincts . This is actually much closer to me , to what I am , than those other parts . " Mendes offered Bening the role of Carolyn without the studio 's consent ; although executives were upset at Mendes , by September 1998 , DreamWorks had entered negotiations with Spacey and Bening . 
 Spacey loosely based Lester 's early " schlubby " deportment on Walter Matthau . During the film , Lester 's physique improves from flabby to toned ; Spacey worked out during filming to improve his body , but because Mendes shot the scenes out of chronological order , Spacey varied postures to portray the stages . Before filming , Mendes and Spacey analyzed Jack Lemmon 's performance in The Apartment ( 1960 ) , because Mendes wanted Spacey to emulate " the way [ Lemmon ] moved , the way he looked , the way he was in that office and the way he was an ordinary man and yet a special man " . Spacey 's voiceover is a throwback to Sunset Boulevard ( 1950 ) , which is also narrated in retrospect by a dead character . Mendes felt it evoked Lester 's — and the film 's — loneliness . Bening recalled women from her youth to inform her performance : " I used to babysit constantly . You 'd go to church and see how people present themselves on the outside , and then be inside their house and see the difference . " Bening and a hair stylist collaborated to create a " PTA president coif " hairstyle , and Mendes and production designer Naomi Shohan researched mail @-@ order catalogs to better establish Carolyn 's environment of a " spotless suburban manor " . To help Bening get into Carolyn 's mindset , Mendes gave her music that he believed Carolyn would like . He lent Bening the Bobby Darin version of the song " Don 't Rain on My Parade " , which she enjoyed and persuaded the director to include it for a scene in which Carolyn sings in her car . 
 For the roles of Jane , Ricky , and Angela , DreamWorks gave Mendes carte blanche . By November 1998 , Thora Birch , Wes Bentley , and Mena Suvari had been cast in the parts — in Birch 's case , despite the fact she was underage for her nude scene . As Birch was 16 at the time she made the film , and thus classified as a minor in the United States , her parents had to approve her brief topless scene in the movie . Child labor representatives and they were on the set for the shooting of the scene . Bentley overcame competition from top actors under the age of 25 to be cast . The 2009 documentary My Big Break followed Bentley , and several other young actors , before and after he landed the part . To prepare , Mendes provided Bentley with a video camera , telling the actor to film what Ricky would . Peter Gallagher and Alison Janney were cast ( as Buddy Kane and Barbara Fitts ) after filming began in December 1998 . Mendes gave Janney a book of paintings by Edvard Munch . He told her , " Your character is in there somewhere . " Mendes cut much of Barbara 's dialogue , including conversations between Colonel Fitts and her , as he felt that what needed to be said about the pair — their humanity and vulnerability — was conveyed successfully through their shared moments of silence . Chris Cooper plays Colonel Fitts , Scott Bakula plays Jim Olmeyer , and Sam Robards plays Jim Berkley . Jim and Jim were deliberately depicted as the most normal , happy — and boring — couple in the film . Ball 's inspiration for the characters came from a thought he had after seeing a " bland , boring , heterosexual couple " who wore matching clothes : " I can 't wait for the time when a gay couple can be just as boring . " Ball also included aspects of a gay couple he knew who had the same forename . 
 Mendes insisted on two weeks of cast rehearsals , although the sessions were not as formal as he was used to in the theater , and the actors could not be present at every one . Several improvisations and suggestions by the actors were incorporated into the script . An early scene showing the Burnhams leaving home for work was inserted later on to show the low point that Carolyn and Lester 's relationship had reached . Spacey and Bening worked to create a sense of the love that Lester and Carolyn once had for one another ; for example , the scene in which Lester almost seduces Carolyn after the pair argues over Lester 's buying a car was originally " strictly contentious " . 

 = = = Filming = = = 

 Principal photography lasted about 50 days from December 14 , 1998 , to February 1999 . American Beauty was filmed on soundstages at the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank , California , and at Hancock Park and Brentwood in Los Angeles . The aerial shots at the beginning and end of the film were captured in Sacramento , California , and many of the school scenes were shot at South High School in Torrance , California ; several extras in the gym crowd were South High students . The film is set in an upper middle @-@ class neighborhood in an unidentified American town . Production designer Naomi Shohan likened the locale to Evanston , Illinois , but said , " it 's not about a place , it 's about an archetype . [ ... ] The milieu was pretty much Anywhere , USA — upwardly mobile suburbia . " The intent was for the setting to reflect the characters , who are also archetypes . Shohan said , " All of them are very strained , and their lives are constructs . " The Burnhams ' household was designed as the reverse of the Fitts ' — the former a pristine ideal , but graceless and lacking in " inner balance " , leading to Carolyn 's desire to at least give it the appearance of a " perfect all @-@ American household " ; the Fitts ' home is depicted in " exaggerated darkness [ and ] symmetry " . 
 The production selected two adjacent properties on the Warner backlot 's " Blondie Street " for the Burnham and Fitts ' homes . The crew rebuilt the houses to incorporate false rooms that established lines of sight — between Ricky and Jane 's bedroom windows , and between Ricky 's bedroom and Lester 's garage . The garage windows were designed specifically to obtain the crucial shot toward the end of the film in which Col. Fitts — watching from Ricky 's bedroom — mistakenly assumes that Lester is paying Ricky for sex . Mendes made sure to establish the line of sight early on in the film to make the audience feel a sense of familiarity with the shot . The house interiors were filmed on the backlot , on location , and on soundstages when overhead shots were needed . The inside of the Burnhams ' home was shot at a house close to Interstate 405 and Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles ; the inside of the Fitts ' home was shot in the city 's Hancock Park neighborhood . Ricky 's bedroom was designed to be cell @-@ like to suggest his " monkish " personality , while at the same time blending with the high @-@ tech equipment to reflect his voyeuristic side . The production deliberately minimized the use of red , as it was an important thematic signature elsewhere . The Burnhams ' home uses cool blues , while the Fitts ' is kept in a " depressed military palette " . 
 Mendes ' dominating visual style was deliberate and composed , with a minimalist design that provided " a sparse , almost surreal feeling — a bright , crisp , hard edged , near Magritte @-@ like take on American suburbia " ; Mendes constantly directed his set dressers to empty the frame . He made Lester 's fantasy scenes " more fluid and graceful " , and Mendes made minimal use of steadicams , feeling that stable shots generated more tension . For example , when Mendes used a slow push in to the Burnhams ' dinner table , he held the shot because his training as a theater director taught him the importance of putting distance between the characters . He wanted to keep the tension in the scene , so he only cut away when Jane left the table . Mendes did use a hand @-@ held camera for the scene in which Col. Fitts beats Ricky . Mendes said the camera provided the scene with a " kinetic [ ... ] off @-@ balance energy " . He also went hand @-@ held for the excerpts of Ricky 's camcorder footage . Mendes took a long time to get the quality of Ricky 's footage to the level he wanted . For the plastic @-@ bag footage , Mendes used wind machines to move the bag in the air . The scene took four takes ; two by the second unit did not satisfy Mendes , so he shot the scene himself . He felt his first take lacked grace , but for the last attempt , he changed the location to the front of a brick wall and added leaves on the ground . Mendes was satisfied by the way the wall gave definition to the outline of the bag . 
 Mendes avoided using close @-@ ups , as he believed the technique was overused ; he also cited Spielberg 's advice that he should imagine an audience silhouetted at the bottom of the camera monitor , to keep in mind that he was shooting for display on a 40 @-@ foot ( 10 m ) screen . Spielberg — who visited the set a few times — also advised Mendes not to worry about costs if he had a " great idea " toward the end of a long working day . Mendes said , " That happened three or four times , and they are all in the movie . " Despite Spielberg 's support , DreamWorks and Mendes fought constantly over the schedule and budget , although the studio interfered little with the film 's content . Spacey , Bening and Hall worked for significantly less than their usual rates . American Beauty cost DreamWorks $ 15 million to produce , slightly above their projected sum . Mendes was so dissatisfied with his first three days ' filming that he obtained permission from DreamWorks to reshoot the scenes . He said , " I started with a wrong scene , actually , a comedy scene . And the actors played it way too big : [ ... ] it was badly shot , my fault , badly composed , my fault , bad costumes , my fault [ ... ] ; and everybody was doing what I was asking . It was all my fault . " Aware that he was a novice , Mendes drew on the experience of Hall : " I made a very conscious decision early on , if I didn 't understand something technically , to say , without embarrassment , ' I don 't understand what you 're talking about , please explain it . ' " 
 Mendes encouraged some improvisation ; for example , when Lester masturbates in bed beside Carolyn , the director asked Spacey to improvise several euphemisms for the act in each take . Mendes said , " I wanted that not just because it was funny [ ... ] but because I didn 't want it to seem rehearsed . I wanted it to seem like he was blurting it out of his mouth without thinking . [ Spacey ] is so in control — I wanted him to break through . " Spacey obliged , eventually coming up with 35 phrases , but Bening could not always keep a straight face , which meant the scene had to be shot 10 times . The production used small amounts of computer @-@ generated imagery . Most of the rose petals in Lester 's fantasies were added in post @-@ production , although some were real and had the wires holding them digitally removed . When Lester fantasizes about Angela in a rose @-@ petal bath , the steam was real , save for in the overhead shot . To position the camera , a hole had to be cut in the ceiling , through which the steam escaped ; it was instead added digitally . 

 = = = Editing = = = 

 American Beauty was edited by Christopher Greenbury and Tariq Anwar ; Greenbury began in the position , but had to leave halfway through post @-@ production because of a scheduling conflict with Me , Myself and Irene ( 2000 ) ( in which Chris Cooper also starred ) . Mendes and an assistant edited the film for 10 days between the appointments . Mendes realized during editing that the film was different from the one he had envisioned . He believed he had been making a " much more whimsical , [ ... ] kaleidoscopic " film than what came together in the edit suite . Instead , Mendes was drawn to the emotion and darkness ; he began to use the score and shots he had intended to discard to craft the film along these lines . In total , he cut about 30 minutes from his original edit . The opening included a dream in which Lester imagines himself flying above the town . Mendes spent two days filming Spacey against bluescreen , but removed the sequence as he believed it to be too whimsical — " like a Coen brothers movie " — and therefore inappropriate for the tone he was trying to set . The opening in the final cut reused a scene from the middle of the film where Jane tells Ricky to kill her father . This scene was to be the revelation to the audience that the pair was not responsible for Lester 's death , as the way it was scored and acted made it clear that Jane 's request was not serious . However , in the portion he used in the opening — and when the full scene plays out later — Mendes used the score and a reaction shot of Ricky to leave a lingering ambiguity as to his guilt . The subsequent shot — an aerial view of the neighborhood — was originally intended as the plate shot for the bluescreen effects in the dream sequence . 
 Mendes spent more time recutting the first 10 minutes than the rest of the film taken together . He trialled several versions of the opening ; the first edit included bookend scenes in which Jane and Ricky are convicted of Lester 's murder , but Mendes excised these in the last week of editing because he felt they made the film lose its mystery , and because they did not fit with the theme of redemption that had emerged during production . Mendes believed the trial drew focus away from the characters and turned the film " into an episode of NYPD Blue " . Instead , he wanted the ending to be " a poetic mixture of dream and memory and narrative resolution " . When Ball first saw a completed edit , it was a version with truncated versions of these scenes . He felt that they were so short that they " didn 't really register " . Mendes and he argued , but Ball was more accepting after Mendes cut the sequences completely ; Ball felt that without the scenes , the film was more optimistic and had evolved into something that " for all its darkness had a really romantic heart " . 

 = = = Cinematography = = = 

 Conrad Hall was not the first choice for director of photography ; Mendes believed he was " too old and too experienced " to want the job , and he had been told that Hall was difficult to work with . Instead , Mendes asked Fred Elmes , who turned the job down because he did not like the script . Hall was recommended to Mendes by Tom Cruise , because of Hall 's work on Without Limits ( 1998 ) , which Cruise had executive produced . Mendes was directing Cruise 's then @-@ wife Nicole Kidman in the play The Blue Room during preproduction on American Beauty , and had already storyboarded the whole film . Hall was involved for one month during preproduction ; his ideas for lighting the film began with his first reading of the script , and further passes allowed him to refine his approach before meeting Mendes . Hall was initially concerned that audiences would not like the characters ; he only felt able to identify with them during cast rehearsals , which gave him fresh ideas on his approach to the visuals . 
 Hall 's approach was to create peaceful compositions that evoked classicism , to contrast with the turbulent on @-@ screen events and allow audiences to take in the action . Hall and Mendes first discussed the intended mood of a scene , but he was allowed to light the shot in any way he felt necessary . In most cases , Hall first lit the scene 's subject by " painting in " the blacks and whites , before adding fill light , which he reflected from beadboard or white card on the ceiling . This approach gave Hall more control over the shadows while keeping the fill light unobtrusive and the dark areas free of spill . Hall shot American Beauty in a 2 @.@ 39 : 1 aspect ratio in the Super 35 format , using Kodak Vision 500T 5279 35 mm film stock . He used Super 35 partly because its larger scope allowed him to capture elements such as the corners of the petal @-@ filled pool in its overhead shot , creating a frame around Angela within . He shot the whole film at the same T @-@ stop ( T1.9 ) ; given his preference for shooting that wide , Hall favored high @-@ speed stocks to allow for more subtle lighting effects . He used Panavision Platinum cameras with the company 's Primo series of prime and zoom lenses . Hall employed Kodak Vision 200T 5274 and EXR 5248 stock for scenes with daylight effects . He had difficulty adjusting to Kodak 's newly introduced Vision release print stock , which , combined with his contrast @-@ heavy lighting style , created a look with too much contrast . Hall contacted Kodak , who sent him a batch of 5279 that was 5 % lower in contrast . Hall used a 1 / 8 inch Tiffen Black ProMist filter for almost every scene , which he said in retrospect may not have been the best choice , as the optical steps required to blow Super 35 up for its anamorphic release print led to a slight amount of degradation ; therefore , the diffusion from the filter was not required . When he saw the film in a theater , Hall felt that the image was slightly unclear and that had he not used the filter , the diffusion from the Super 35 – anamorphic conversion would have generated an image closer to what he originally intended . 
 A shot where Lester and Ricky share a cannabis joint behind a building came from a misunderstanding between Hall and Mendes . Mendes asked Hall to prepare the shot in his absence ; Hall assumed the characters would look for privacy , so he placed them in a narrow passage between a truck and the building , intending to light from the top of the truck . When Mendes returned , he explained that the characters did not care if they were seen . He removed the truck and Hall had to rethink the lighting ; he lit it from the left , with a large light crossing the actors , and with a soft light behind the camera . Hall felt the consequent wide shot " worked perfectly for the tone of the scene " . Hall made sure to keep rain , or the suggestion of it , in every shot near the end of the film . In one shot during Lester 's encounter with Angela at the Burnhams ' home , Hall created rain effects on the foreground cross lights ; in another , he partly lit the pair through French windows to which he had added material to make the rain run slower , intensifying the light ( although the strength of the outside light was unrealistic for a night scene , Hall felt it justified because of the strong contrasts it produced ) . For the close @-@ ups when Lester and Angela move to the couch , Hall tried to keep rain in the frame , lighting through the window onto the ceiling behind Lester . He also used rain boxes to produce rain patterns where he wanted without lighting the entire room . 
