Irish and Gaelic descendants have been celebrating St. Patrick's Day for over 1,000 years. The holiday, which falls on the anniversary of St. Patrick's death, is accompanied by parades, drinking beer, and eating traditional foods like corned beef and cabbage or shepherd's pie. More than 100 parades are held across the United States including the largest ones in New York City, Chicago and Scranton.

Although the US is home to some of the largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations, festivities take place around the world from Ireland to Australia. 

Here is a breakdown of St. Patrick's Day by the numbers:

Source: WalletHub

Source: WalletHub

Chicago started dyeing its river green in 1962. The first year used 100 pounds of dye.

Source: RewardExpert

• Tiger Woods and his ex-wife, former Swedish model Elin Nordegren, divorced in 2010 after six years of marriage.
• In 2011, Nordegren purchased property in North Palm Beach, Florida, and custom built a mansion.
• The 11-bedroom mansion is now listed for $49.5 million.

Tiger Woods' ex-wife Elin Nordegren, who was married to the pro golfer for six years, has placed her 11-bedroom Florida mansion on the market for $49.5 million. Woods and 38-year-old Nordegren divorced in 2010.

The property was purchased by Nordegren in 2011 for $12.25 million, and the custom-built mansion was completed in 2014.

The 23,176 square-foot oceanfront home is in Seminole Landing — a private, gated community in North Palm Beach, Florida. The property comes with 11 bedrooms, 15 full baths, a guest house, and a four-car garage.

Other perks inside include a wine cellar, theater, fitness center, a catering kitchen, and a three-story Swarovski crystal chandelier. The home is inspired by British West Indies architectural design, and if the beach doesn't impress, there's also a swimming pool equipped with a waterslide and spa, lounge areas with fire pits, a half basketball court, and a putting green.

The listing is held by Cristina Condon and Todd Peter of Sotheby's International Realty.

Keep scrolling for a full tour of the mansion.

SEE ALSO: An elite networking group that counts professional athletes and fashion executives as members is turning an island off Finland into the next Soho House

DON'T MISS: Nobody wants to buy Warren Buffett's $11 million Southern California vacation home — take a look inside

In total the mansion is 25,878 square feet.

The home sits on 1.4 acres of land.

The design was inspired by British West Indies architectural design.

• Mermaids, beer historians, and cat café owners all make a living from unusual and cool jobs.

• Some gigs involve inherently interesting activities, like finding Spanish coins and traveling the country visiting breweries.

• Business Insider spoke with a number of people who have particularly interesting jobs.

Cool jobs may seem hard to come by sometimes, but they're definitely out there.

Some jobs, like mermaid and treasure hunter, are so interesting that they almost sound far-fetched.

But Business Insider found that's it's more than possible to make a living doing things that you love.

Here's a look at how six people came by some of the most incredible jobs out there and what their lives entail:

SEE ALSO: The 50 best places to work in 2018, according to employees

Paisley Easton was introduced to the world of mermaids by a high school friend

Paisley Easton has always loved the water.

"I'm not a swimmer per se, but growing up we were always going to the pool and water parks," she said.

Now, she spends part of her work days underwater, working as a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Florida. A high school classmate who she attended college with first clued her in to the world of Weeki Wachee's mermaids.

"As we were sitting in a college class, she told me, 'Oh I just wish I could be a mermaid forever,'" she told Business Insider. "Obviously, she's there getting her education to move onto something else, but you could tell that she really loved the job by that comment."

Prospective mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Florida have to undergo a number of tests before they earn their tails

Easton had visited the tourist attraction as a kid, but that conversation was what sparked her interest. Typically, prospective mermaids audition in groups of 60, but Easton's friend snagged her a private audition.

To make the cut, Easton had to swim 400 yards in 16 minutes, try out some underwater moves, and do breath exercises.

"I had to take a breath, hold, and smile and wave at the windows so they could watch how comfortable I was," she said. "You've got to make sure that your face just looks calm and relaxed and not scrunched up. And you've got to keep your eyes open."

Easton said the mermaid performances have brought out her more outgoing side

Easton ended up getting the gig. Along with the other new mermaids, she trained to swim relying on her arms, keeping her legs straight and her ankles together.

Wearing the costume fish tail actually makes swimming easier, Easton said, because it keeps your legs together for you. The mermaids perform three shows a day, but Easton said swimming before an audience isn't too stressful, and the job has brought out her more outgoing side.

For many people, the thought of playing video games as a full-time job on YouTube or Twitch might seem like a far-off dream, akin to becoming a rockstar or professional athlete.

For others, the very concept of a career reliant on video views and channel subscriptions, like so many "social media influencer," might seem like a quick jaunt down easy street for lazy millennials who don't want to get real jobs. 

All this to say: There are a lot of myths and skepticism around what it means to play video games on the internet for a living in this day and age.

But, like any career path, the stories and experiences among the people who make money from YouTube and Twitch are extremely varied. From the types of games they play on-camera to the amount of money they make is unique to each person; no one content creator is indicative of the success of the next. That said, there are definitely some common themes in their stories.

I spoke with a few famous gaming YouTubers about what their jobs actually entail, how they measure success, and what makes them love what they do:

First, the thing we're all wondering about: Money.

Yes, it is true that a handful of people have made it really rich by creating a career on YouTube.

Logan Paul made that very apparent toward the end of 2017 when he famously purchased a $6.55 million estate in Los Angeles, and then posted a series of videos showing it off.

Every year, Forbes publishes a list of the world's highest-paid YouTube stars, calculated through "data from Nielsen, IMDB and other sources, as well as on interviews with agents, managers, lawyers, industry insiders and the stars themselves."And every year, a good portion of the names on the list are leading gaming-focused YouTube channels. 

Tied with Logan Paul for fourth pace on 2017's list is Mark Fischbach (a.k.a. "Markiplier"), who reportedly made $12.5 million last year. Markiplier currently has 19 million subscribers, and is most famous for his commentary during various horror video games, including the "Five Nights at Freddy's" series.

Fischbach's channel says he's also raised over $3 million for various charities, including the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, through various livestreaming events and drives during his six years on YouTube. 

Despite the sometimes-lucrative nature of the job, very few famous YouTube gamers expected to make it big when they started out.

When asked how his life has changed since he achieved internet fame, Fischbach admitted, "Fundamentally, [my life is] not that different than the life I was living before, as I'm still spending the vast majority of my time at home in front of a computer," Fischbach told us.

He did say, though, that playing games on YouTube has changed his general perspective.

Markiplier's monetary success is, tragically, the exception rather than the rule for most online content creators — professional gamers included.

In the same way that the occasional musical artist is discovered from relative anonymity while many more wait in the wings for their shot at the big time, there is an endless list of gamers who won't make it big, and it's not always for lack of trying. 

• About 17.2 million cars were sold in 2017, according to data from Kelley Blue Book.
• Compact and mid-size crossover SUVs accounted for nearly 40% of all sales.
• Among the top-selling SUVs were the Toyota Rav4, Nissan Rogue, and Honda CR-V.

There were about 17.2 million cars and trucks sold last year, according to a report by Kelley Blue Book.

Though the total number of car sales is down 1.8% from 2016, the report shows that people are continuing to favor SUVs and trucks over sedans. In fact, compact and mid-size crossover SUVs combined accounted for about 40% of all car sales in 2017. Some of the top selling crossover SUVs include the Toyota Rav4, Nissan Rogue, and Honda CR-V — over 350,000 of each was sold in 2017 alone.

Here are some of the best sellers, according to KBB:

SEE ALSO: Ford is cutting back on sedans to build more SUVs — and it could mean a boom for its business

12. Jeep Cherokee: 169,882 sold during 2017. Down -14.9% over 2016.

11. Subaru Forester: 177,563. -0.6%.

10. Subaru Outback: 188,886. +3.3%.

• MONEY ranked 45 of the biggest chain restaurants in America based on value for money and service.
• The casual dining chain Steak 'n Shake won first place, where an average entree costs $4.39.
• Popular chains such as Olive Garden, Applebee's, and Red Lobster did not rank in the top 25 as they received poor marks for customer service. 

America's highway exits are littered with recognizable restaurants like Cracker Barrel, Denny's and IHOP. But let's face it: An awful lot of these so-called "casual dining" chains fail to deliver a tasty experience. Some are overpriced; others serve terrible food.

So which of these chains are really a good deal? I set out to come up with some answers.

To start, I identified the pool of contenders: I wanted chains with over 100 locations nationwide that serve moderately priced food in a sit-down dining experience, with a wait staff. For the resulting 40 restaurant chains, I asked my MONEY colleagues to rate their recent dining experiences — and then ranked the top 25 chains by factoring in both the average cost of a dinner entree and the level of customer experience.

Here are the results: the top 25 casual dining restaurants for your money.

SEE ALSO: Research shows that money can buy happiness if you spend it these 4 ways

1. Steak 'n Shake

• Average cost of a dinner entree: $4.39
• Average MONEY staff rating: 3.4 (out of 5)

Founded in 1934 in Illinois, the name of this retro style chain says it all: "steak" stands for the brand's premium "steakburger," and the "shake" is for the hand-dipped milkshakes.

2. Bob Evans

• Average cost of a dinner entree: $6.65
• Average MONEY staff rating: 3.38

Headquartered in Ohio, this family-friendly Midwest comfort food chain is known for farm classics like the "Sunshine Skillet" (an open-faced omelet filled with sausage, home fries and shredded cheddar) and biscuits and gravy.

3. Waffle House

• Average cost of a dinner entree: $5.04
• Average MONEY staff rating: 3.27

Open 24/7, this Southern chain has become a cultural icon. Breakfast reigns supreme here, with favorites like hash browns (smothered & covered) and pecan waffles served all day.

The waters of the Earth's oceans have seen as much violence and conflict as its land.

For centuries the only way to travel the world was to brave the high sea. Control over shipping routes was essential for the security of nations and empires. Throughout history, the nations of the world have built and sent massive fleets to do battle with one another to take control of swathes of the oceans.

Though confined to vessels, naval battles have been just as large and devastating as land battles. This is especially true when HMS Dreadnought was created in 1906, ushering a new era of battleships that defined the 20th century.

With this new type of warship, and with the advent of aircraft carriers decades later, naval battles saw a new level of intensity and importance, as they defined the course of wars.

Here are 10 of the largest and most important naval battles in modern history:

SEE ALSO: These are the 20 aircraft carriers in service today

Battle of Manila Bay, May 1, 1898.

Though a battle that featured pre-dreadnought ships, the Battle of Manila Bay involved massive steamships with large turrets and guns that were the precursors of those that would be seen on battleships in WWI and WWII.

The first battle of the Spanish-American War, the Battle of Manila Bay saw the complete destruction of Spain's Pacific Squadron by the American Asiatic Squadron, led by commodore George Dewey.

Out of the 13 total ships in the Spanish squadron, eight were sunk — seven cruisers and one transport. Spanish forces suffered 77 dead and over 200 wounded.

US casualties were extremely low — only one US cruiser damaged, one sailor dead (reportedly due to heatstroke), and nine sailors wounded.

The battle showed that the US was a global power capable of taking on traditionally powerful European countries like Spain. It also enabled the US to occupy Manila which eventually led to Spain surrendering control of the Philippines to the US.

Battle of Tsushima, May 27-28, 1905.

Known in Japan as the Naval Battle of the Sea of Japan, the Battle of Tsushima saw the Empire of Japan, then a rising power, take on the combined forces of the Russian Empire's Baltic Fleet and Pacific Squadron.

Russia's Navy had prevented Imperial Japan from controlling the sea, and intended to swarm the Japanese Navy with their combined forces, hopefully ending the Russo-Japanese War.

The stakes were so high that Japanese Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō told his sailors just before the battle, "the Empire's fate depends on the result of this battle, let every man do his utmost duty."

The Japanese sailors would end up virtually destroying the Russian Navy. Two-thirds of Russia's fleet, some 21 ships, were sunk in the battle — with six more captured. Over 4,000 Russian sailors were killed and 5,000 more were captured. 

Japanese casualties were just three ships sunk, over 100 dead, and around 530 wounded. Sir George Sydenham Clarke, a British officer and colonial administrator at the time, wrote that "the battle of Tsu-shima is by far the greatest and the most important naval event since Trafalgar."

Like the Americans at the Battle of Manila, Tsushima proved that the Japanese Empire was a major power. The Russians would concede defeat at the Treaty of Portsmouth four months later.

Battle of Coronel, November 1, 1914.

One of the first naval battles of WWI, the Battle of Coronel was fought between Britain's Royal Navy, and the German Empire's Imperial Navy. The battle did not take place in Europe or Asia, but in neutral South America, off the coast of Chile.

Germany's East Asia Squadron had retreated from its base in China after the British Navy and the Australian Navy overran the Pacific, and Japan entered the war on the side of the allies. 

German Vice-Admiral Maximilian von Spee decided to use his ships as raiders to attack merchant ships off the coast of South America to disrupt commerce. Britain sent its West Indies Squadron, under the command of Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock to deal with von Spee. 

Von Spee would end up crushing Cradock's squadron — two of its four ships were sunk, and over one and a half thousand sailors died, including Cradock himself. 

The Germans had suffered no fatalities, virtually no damage, and docked in the Chilean port of Valparaiso before setting off to continue its raiding mission. 

Several companies have said they plan to spend the gains from tax cuts on paying debt, capital investments, dividends, and buying back their stocks. 

In recent years, share buybacks have been a key source of support for the stock market's gains. In 2018, buybacks are on pace to break their previous annual record, adding up to about $800 billion, JPMorgan analysts estimated. 

"Our projection of a notable inflection in buybacks should provide a significant boost to the demand-supply gap and buybacks alone drive price gains of 12% to around our year-end target of 3000 for the S&P 500," said Binky Chadha, Deutsche Bank's chief global strategist, in a note on Tuesday. 

But buybacks won't profit all stocks equally, Chadha added. His note included a list of companies with characteristics that have helped investors predict buyback announcements, and which lead to outperformance afterwards. These are high free-cash-flow yield, low capex relative to sales, high return on equity, low debt leverage, and strong price momentum.

"The basket has historically outperformed the S&P 500 (+4.8pp a year) and other simple buyback strategies (+3pp)," Chadha said.

SEE ALSO: GOLDMAN SACHS: A new 'scenario worth worrying about' could cause the next avalanche of selling in the stock market

General Dynamics Corp.

Ticker: GD

Industry: Aerospace & Defense

Market Cap: $68.28 billion 

Deutsche Bank Rating: N/A

Robert Half International

Ticker: RHI

Industry: Professional Services

Market Cap: $7.52 billion 

Deutsche Bank Rating: Buy

Boeing

Ticker: BA

Industry: Aerospace & Defense

Market Cap: $208.63 billion 

Deutsche Bank Rating: N/A

• Barack Obama first met his future wife Michelle at work in 1989.

• The former First Couple went on a date that same year, and subsequently were married in 1991.

• The Obamas have spoken at length about how they made their marriage work, despite the pressures of the campaign trail and the White House.

Barack Obama reportedly knows how to sweep a girl off her feet.

The future president's first date with his wife Michelle began at the Art Institute of Chicago, where they grabbed lunch. It didn't start auspiciously.

Michelle was Obama's mentor at the law firm Sidley Austin LLP, and was therefore reluctant to go out with him. According to David Mendell's "Obama: From Promise to Power," the future First Lady also thought Obama sounded "too good to be true" at first. She was also unimpressed when he showed up to the date in a "bad sport jacket" with a "cigarette dangling from his mouth."

"I thought: 'Oh, here you go. Here's this good-looking, smooth-talking guy. I've been down this road before,'" she told Mendell, according to the Washington Post. 

But ultimately, Barack won her over. They went out walking, and later caught a screening of Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing,"the Telegraph reported.

The date went well by all accounts, and couple reportedly had their first kiss outside a Baskin-Robbins at 53rd and South Dorchester in Chicago. The spot is now marked by a plaque commemorating the event, according to Atlas Obscura.

Here's a look inside the 25-year marriage of the former First Couple:

SEE ALSO: A look inside the marriage of the richest couple in history, Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos — who met at work, were engaged in 3 months, and own more land than almost anyone else in America

Michelle, then 25, became 28-year-old Barack's mentor at Sidley Austin LLP in 1989. Michelle worried that it would be too "tacky" to date the new summer associate.

Source: INSIDER, ABC News

But ultimately, Barack won her over. The couple's first romantic excursion inspired the 2016 film "Southside with You.""We clicked right away… by the end of the date, it was over… I was sold," Michelle said, according to Brides.com.

Source: Youtube, Atlas Obscura, Brides.com

In 1991, Barack passed the bar exam, and took Michelle out to dinner at the now-shuttered Gordon's restaurant to celebrate. It was there he proposed to her.

Source: Youtube, Atlas Obscura, Brides.com

Around the world, most secondary schools share a similar design: There are hallways that lead to classrooms, a front and back entrance, a cafeteria, and a gymnasium.

Near Chennai, India, a new boarding school called Riverbend aims to rethink traditional architecture — and curricula — in education. Instead of one large, central building, the campus will include more than a dozen smaller facilities that are designed to focus on a range of subjects, including math, entrepreneurship, literature, art, meditation, history, and physical education.

The goal is to prioritize the middle and high school students' happiness rather than grades, Riverbend School's lead architect, Danish Kurani, tells Business Insider.

Construction will start this year and wrap up in 2020. Take a look below.

SEE ALSO: Striking maps reveal the huge wealth gap between San Francisco and the rest of the country

In a rural area outside Chennai, Riverbend School will host its first class of 300 students (plus faculty, staff, and an artist-in-residence) in 2018.

Students will live there on weekdays and travel home on weekends.

The school was designed by the New York-based firm Kurani, which specializes in educational spaces.

Kurani's team designed the campus like a village, he says. The site will center around a central plaza, with classrooms outside it, student and faculty housing outside that, and then agricultural land on the outskirts, where students will farm.

When planning Riverbend, the firm looked to a long-running Harvard study that has tracked people over the past eight decades. It suggests that strong relationships contribute to a happy life.

Source: Harvard University

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• The easiest and cheapest way to make a TV smarter is to buy a media streamer, and two of the best options are Amazon's Fire TV Stick and Roku's Streaming Stick.
• Both are fine choices, and have their own set of pros and cons, but the Fire TV Stick won out overall.
• The biggest deciding factors were that it can be used for non-video activities and has Alexa.

Whether you're looking to make an older TV smart, or want to stop using the built-in streaming apps that came bundled with your current set, you're going to want a media streaming stick.

They're small, relatively inexpensive, packed with features, and pretty easy to understand and set up. But that begs the question: Which one should you get? Two of the most popular options are Amazon's Fire TV Stick and Roku's Streaming Stick, and we've compared them below to help you make the best choice. 

Some of it will come down to the other tech in your life, but the good news is there's no real bad choice. That said, read on to figure out the right streaming stick for you.

Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote, $39.99, available at Amazon

Roku Streaming Stick, $46.50, available at Amazon

SEE ALSO: 50 must-have tech accessories under $50

The basic tech specs

Winner: This round goes to Amazon, since the Fire TV Stick has more memory and internal storage.

At first glance, the Fire TV Stick and Roku Streaming Stick seem to be very similar, but that's not the case under the hood. 

They do both connect to your TV via HDMI, support the latest Wi-Fi standard (802.11AC), tap out at 1080P video output, and get their power via a Micro USB cable, but that's where the similarities end. 

The Fire TV Stick has 8GB of internal storage and 1GB of memory, whereas Roku's Streaming Stick only has 256MB of storage and 512MB of memory. If you're only going to stream video from a couple of sources, the internal storage won't be a major issue, but having less memory is a distinct disadvantage for Roku.

I can't directly compare the processors in both because Roku doesn't list the clock speed or number of cores for the Streaming Stick, but the startup has been pretty good at keeping up with the pace of technology with its hardware revisions. 

That said, this round goes to Amazon, since the additional storage and memory make it more adaptable should your needs change.

Content

Winner: If you're only looking to stream video, either streaming stick will work, but games and Alexa skills give the Fire TV Stick the edge.

Roku has built its reputation on being the top platform for streaming video. Because it doesn't focus any resources on making content, the startup has charged full force into making sure everybody else's videos are available on its platform. With over 5,000 "channels," you're bound to find everything from top-tier streaming services to niche broadcasting. 

On the other hand, the Fire TV Stick has access to fewer video services — though every one I searched for was available — but can play games and use other apps, like Facebook. To be fair, I don't think the Facebook experience would be exceptional on a TV, but it's nice that the option is there if you want it.

In both cases, you'll get access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Vimeo, HBO Go, and Spotify, so really it'll come down to non-media apps.

Games made the bigger difference here, since it makes the Fire TV Stick a little more versatile. You may be able to get away with using this as a game system for casual players or kids. On top of that, you can use thousands of Alexa skills, since it's built right into the remote.

The interface

Winner: Roku won this round thanks to its more fun and approachable interface.

I have some experience with both interfaces, and this round is going to the Roku Streaming Stick. The Fire TV Stick's interface isn't bad, but it's a little clunkier to navigate and easier to get a little lost in. 

Roku's look is distinctly more "fun," which might be off putting to people who take their media very seriously, but is ultimately a win for less tech-savvy folks. I know this first-hand, since my mom has been using a Roku TV for nearly two years and hasn't complained about how it works once. 

If you're more tech-focused, you may appreciated the sleek look of the Fire TV Stick's interface, but it's a bit unfriendly. Roku's, on the other hand, is just as powerful and a little more inviting, which is what made the difference this round.

• Costco and Sam's Club are extremely popular in the US, and while memberships are needed to buy items, the food courts are open to all. 
• We decided to compare the food from two of the biggest bulk retail chains in the country: Costco and Sam's Club.
• Both had nearly identical set-ups and price points, but Costco's larger selection and shockingly good quality won out in the end. 

Costco and Sam's Club are shining basilicas of American bulk shopping.

Within their hallowed — and exclusive — corrugated-metal-and-concrete walls, shoppers grab pounds of pasta and peanut butter amid miles of aisles of marked-down goods. 

There is virtually nothing that isn't offered by these warehouse giants — coffins, cars, even vacation packages can be purchased through their services. And even Amazon can't stand in the way of bulk efficiency, as Costco's most recent quarterly earnings report showed. 

And no matter which warehouse store you're shopping in, you're bound to get hungry. Luckily, both Costco and Sam's Club have mini food courts to satiate hungry shoppers. While they may look rather bare-bones, make no mistake: under the right circumstances, the food can be shockingly good. 

We visited a Costco food court and were floored by the quality and downright deliciousness of some of the options — it was suspiciously good. So, we decided to head over to one of Costco's biggest competitors, Sam's Club, to find out if its food could beat the best:

SEE ALSO: We tried biscuit breakfast sandwiches from major fast-food chains — and the winner is shockingly clear

First, a recap of Costco's highlights.

Costco has a fairly large amount on its menu considering it's a tiny kitchen hidden within a bulk retailer.

This entire spread — cheese pizza, hot dog, three different sandwiches, a quasi-stromboli, a soda, and a churro — cost just over $25. That's pretty impressive. 

The pizza is fine, but nothing astounding.

It's a large, doughy, slice that's similar in taste to Pizza Hut — salty, with a slightly sweet sauce. It's nothing special, but for $1.99, I wasn't complaining. 

• As a renter, your postal code has a huge impact on the quality of space you can find for your money.
• Rental listings site Apartment List calculated the average apartment size people with a $1,500 monthly budget could expect in every American state.
• As a comparison, in New York a 740 square foot apartment is worth $1,500, whereas in Indiana the same amount affords 1,860 square feet of space.

In Indiana you get three bedrooms, two and a half baths and access to a fire pit, pool and hot tub. In New York, be prepared to squeeze yourself into one-bedroom less than a half that size. And the fire pit? Fuhgeddaboudit.

When it comes to how much apartment you can afford, the size of your paycheck is hardly the only variable. Where you choose to live can make as big — or bigger difference. For committed city-dwellers, that means cramming into a teeny living space or, increasingly, moving in with mom and dad. Those drawn to rural and suburban areas can count more space and amenities — but, of course, less access to night life and public transportation.

Wondering how your rental market stacks up?

In case you're apartment-hunting right now, it's worth noting that the units below were listed as of Feb. 26, 2018 and may be no longer available. Check out the state-to-state examples below, or find your city's average at apartmentlist.com.

SEE ALSO: How a $500 monthly allowance saved our marriage

Alabama

Average $1,500 apartment size: 2,020 square feet.

What you could rent: A $1,500 three-bedroom Birmingham apartment that clocks in at 1,456 square feet. The apartment comes with two bathrooms, a fireplace, two walk-in closets and a balcony at the Kenley complex.

Alaska

Average $1,500 apartment size: 1,200 square feet.

What you could rent: A 1,100-square-foot house in Wasilla, a community north of Anchorage. The three bedroom, two bathroom ranch-style home costs $1,425 per month to rent.

Arizona

Average $1,500 apartment size: 1,490 square feet.

What you could rent: A two bedroom, two bathroom unit at Pillar at Westgate, a Glendale complex located 20 minutes outside of Phoenix. The 1,201-square-foot unit with in-unit laundry, garage access and a balcony costs $1,285.

It's almost spring, which means it's that time of year when TV show cancellations start rolling in. 

The networks, as always, have some  shows that are struggling from low ratings and bad reviews from critics.

But this year has been a bit unusual. A lot of shows that premiered in fall 2017 that didn't perform well haven't been officially canceled yet, including ABC's "Inhumans" and The CW's "Valor."

The only big network shows that have been canceled so far are the ABC shows "The Mayor" and "Once Upon a Time." Most of the other cancellations in 2018 have been streaming service shows on Amazon and Netflix. 

A few shows further into their runs are also at risk of cancellation, including CBS' once beloved "Elementary," which is nearing its end, as interest has dropped significantly over the past few seasons. 

Is your favorite show at risk?

Check out the status on our list of 17 TV shows that will probably get canceled:

SEE ALSO: All the TV shows that have been canceled in 2018

"9JKL"— CBS

Despite airing on a good night with "Man with a Plan" and "Kevin Can Wait," the show's ratings aren't good. It could survive another season, but it's not likely at this point. 

"The Blacklist"—NBC

The James Spader drama used to be really popular, but in its fifth season it's the second lowest rated show on the network. It could get a sympathy final season, but it could just get the axe. 

"The Brave"— NBC

NBC has tried to get more viewers to watch this show, airing it after "The Voice." But it hasn't done much to improve ratings, and it's on the same night as ratings hit "The Good Doctor," on ABC. 

Kate Middleton and Prince William honored St. Patrick's Day with the traditional visit to the 1st Battalion of the Guards regiment at their barracks in Hounslow, London. Since Middleton is expected to give birth within the next month, she had to skip the annual pint of Guinness. 

But the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appeared to have a great time — and even met a grand Irish wolfhound.

Keep scrolling for a look at Middleton sporting a baby bump beneath her regal green coat and celebrating the holiday.

Kate Middleton attended the annual Irish Guards St. Patrick's Day Parade at Cavalry Barracks.

Middleton wore a green coat with matching hat and fur trim — and her smile was clearly infectious.

The Duchess of Cambridge presented the 1st Battalion Irish Guardsmen with shamrocks.

"Burnout" is back!

10 years after "Burnout Paradise" demonstrated what a car game could be, the crash-filled racing series is back to show up everyone once again.

In "Burnout Paradise Remastered," you get the same incredible open-world racing game that impressed critics and fans alike way back in 2008. Better yet: You also get all the additional content that came out after release, and a massive update to the visuals that befit a new game in 2018. 

SEE ALSO: 'Forza Horizon 3' is the best racing game on any game console

If you're looking for a simulation racing game, look elsewhere. "Burnout Paradise Remastered" is about driving fast, getting into wrecks, and not worrying too much about it.

Video games weren't always capable of simulating real-world stuff. Take sports for example. The earliest video games based on sports are extremely pared down versions of the actual sports.

Eventually, as developers were able to more closely simulate the real thing, games like "FIFA" and "Madden" took over — they're basically simulations at this point, completely divorced from the origins of sports gaming.

That same evolutionary path can be tracked with racing games — early racing games were video game approximations of the real thing. 

But in the case of racing games, when simulations became possible, the sillier, less realistic racing games split into their own subset of the overall racing genre. Even though games like "Gran Turismo" and "Forza Motorsport" offer gorgeous, ultra-realistic simulations of racing, franchises like "Burnout,""Mario Kart," and "Forza Horizon" use racing as the foundation for great video games. They don't intend to simulate real-world driving — they just use it as the jumping off point for a good game.

"Burnout Paradise Remastered" is very much part of this delightful subset of racing games that strives for more than an exciting racing experience.

At the heart of "Burnout Paradise Remastered" is high-speed, arcade-style racing. Think: "Need for Speed." 

You don't have to know how a manual gearbox works, and you don't need to know the finer details of drifting. The right trigger is the go button, and the left trigger is the stop button. If you push A, you can use a turbo boost. That's it!

The goal in "Burnout Paradise Remastered" is to get you going fast as soon as possible. If you happen to get into a dramatic crash along the way, so be it.

The cars aren't Lambos and Ferraris — they're entirely made up, part of the "Burnout" universe. They approximate cars you know and love, but they're all fake. And that's a good thing, because Honda and Ford probably wouldn't appreciate the constant barrage of massive crashes.

The "Burnout" series nails the feeling of high-speed driving better than any other game, and "Burnout Paradise" is the best possible example.

10 years later, and it's still incredibly impressive how well "Burnout Paradise" nails the feeling of going very fast. Right from the first car you get — a junky old racer — there's a palpable sense of danger to every second of gameplay.

I played the original game for dozens of hours back in 2008, and I've put another 10 or so into "Burnout Paradise Remastered"— even after all that time, I still freak out when I accidentally crash at full speed.

That's a testament to how well "Burnout Paradise" does speed. You really feel that crash in your gut, the same way you feel it when a roller coaster inches past the tipping point and starts thundering downward at full speed. The bottom drops out, and you feel it — physically.

It's that sense of speed, and those horrific, hilarious crashes, that make "Burnout Paradise" feel so special.

Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the old Roman town of Remagen, about halfway between Dusseldorf and Frankfurt on the Rhine River, at the end of World War II was the 1,000-foot, double-track Ludendorff railroad bridge.

Despite the bridge's presence, Remagen didn't really factor into Allied plans as they stormed across France and Belgium in late 1944. The geography of the town, with narrow roads and imposing cliffs, made it unsuitable for a military crossing.

But the swift Allied advance toward Germany was blunted in autumn 1944 by supply problems and renewed resistance by German forces, themselves invigorated by the prospect of defending of their homeland.

After Allied forces halted and flattened the bulge created by a massive and ferocious German offensive in winter 1944, attention turned to how to cross the Siegfried line at Germany's western border and the Rhine River beyond it.

Plans were drawn up to thrust into the German heartland north and south of Remagen. The US 9th Armored Division — nicknamed the "Phantom" division because of repeated German reports that it had been destroyed — was left in a backup role.

But fate, and a few thousand pounds of faulty explosives, soon made the 9th Division the first military force cross the Rhine since Napoleon.

NOW READ: What it was like in the room when Nazi Germany finally surrendered to end World War II in Europe

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As US troops approached the Rhine River in February and March 1945, the prospects of finding one of the 40 bridges across the river intact seemed dim — until Lt. Karl Timmermann and the men of his company came across the bridge at Remagen.

Sources: Deutsche Welle, "The Bridge at Remagen"

Timmermann and his troops advanced through the town of Remagen on the western side of the river, fighting off German defenders. German soldiers on the bridge prepared the numerous demolition charges they had planted to destroy the bridge.

Just as Timmermann ordered his men to cross the span, its German defenders set off the explosives. Explosions rocked the superstructure, sending up plumes of smoke and debris. The US troops flung themselves to the ground for cover but soon stood up to see the bridge intact.

"I asked for 600 kilos (1,320 pounds) of army explosives; I received 300 kilos (660 pounds) of commercial explosives," Willi Bratge, a German captain in charge of bridge security at the time, told Stars and Stripes in 1962. "They were to be exploded electrically; we activated the detonator; only one charge went off causing a crater in front of the bridge.

"The main charge did not go off; a tank round must have hit the pipe carrying the cable to the explosives," he added.

Jacob Kleebach, then a sergeant of the bridge security force who became a carpenter in Remagen after the war, differed: "All those stories are not true. Nobody knows. It just didn't explode."

American troops scrambled across what remained of the Ludendorff Bridge, backed up by rifle, machine-gun, and tank fire suppressing the German soldiers attempting to beat them back. As they sprinted across the railroad tracks toward the eastern bank, US troops cut every wire they spotted, hoping to avert further demolition.

Sgt. Alex Drabik, running for his life through a storm of German fire, was the first infantryman to set foot west of the Rhine. Soon behind him was Timmermann.

Back in the US, on the evening of March 7, Mary Timmermann, at work at the Goldenrod Cafe, got a long-distance call. She was apprehensive. She had two sons in the US Army in Germany and brothers fighting on the German side.

"This is the Omaha World-Herald calling," the voice boomed, according to Ken Hechler's 1957 book, "The Bridge at Remagen.""Your son Karl has just crossed the Remagen bridge. You know what that means?"

"I know what it means to me: Is he hurt?" she replied.

"No, he's not hurt. But listen to this: Karl Timmermann was the first officer of an invading army to cross the Rhine River since Napoleon," the voice told her.

"Napoleon I don't care about," she said. "How is my Karl?"

Scrutiny over how some members of President Donald Trump's cabinet have spent taxpayer money isn't dying down.

The latest official to come under the microscope is Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who was found to have cost taxpayers more than $1 million in combined airfare after taking eight separate government trips during a an eight-month period last year.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a non-profit government watchdog group, obtained documents detailing Mnuchin's travels after filing a Freedom of Information Act request.

Mnuchin isn't the only Trump administration official who has come under fire for alleged misuse of taxpayer funds.

Here are others who have been criticized for wasteful spending:

SEE ALSO: Interior secretary Ryan Zinke's office spent $139,000 for construction on an office door

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Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury

Between March and October last year, Mnuchin racked up more than $1 million in airfare, according to documents obtained by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a non-profit government watchdog group.

In every instance, Mnuchin flew on military aircraft rather than on commercial, which would have cost far less.

In August 2017, Mnuchin came under fire for a a $26,900 flight to Kentucky on an Air Force jet, a trip that coincided with the August 21 solar eclipse. Mnuchin and his wife, Louise Linton, viewed the eclipse from the lawn of Fort Knox, just outside the eclipse's path of totality.

The Treasury secretary's activities also raised questions when it was reported that Mnuchin requested to fly on a US military jet for his honeymoon to Europe. The trip could have cost $25,000 per hour, but it was ultimately scrapped after consideration by officials at the Treasury Department.

Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior

On March 8, the Associated Press reported that Zinke's office spent nearly $139,000 to renovate three sets of office doors allegedly in need of repair.

A spokesperson for Zinke later explained the situation and said the secretary was not a part of the decision to authorize the payment.

"The secretary was not aware of this contract but agrees that this is a lot of money for demo, install, materials, and labor," Heather Swift, the spokesperson, said in a statement. "Between regulations that require historic preservation and outdated government procurement rules, the costs for everything from pencils to printing to doors is astronomical."

An official at the Interior Department told CNN that the doors being renovated were so damaged that they weren't able to stop rainwater from coming in during a storm.

Before Thursday's news about the office doors surfaced, Zinke was involved in another spending controversy. The Associated Press reported in December that Zinke spent more than $53,000 on three helicopters trips.

Those trips entailed:

• $39,000 on a helicopter tour above national monuments in Nevada
• $8,000 on a round trip ride to an emergency management exercise in West Virginia
• $6,200 on a trip to Virginia to visit a Revolutionary War battlefield and attend a meeting

Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Earlier this month, Carson came under firewhen his staff reportedly said they were attempting to cancel an order for a $31,000 mahogany dining set to replace the 50-year-old table currently in Carson's office. 

Carson's business manager said the secretary intended to cancel the order, but that it might not be possible.

"HUD is a bureaucracy, so everything is complicated. The person they contracted has already spent $14,000 making the table," Armstrong Williams told The New York Times. "While his intentions are to cancel it, we have to see what happens."

Stephen Hawking died early in the morning on March 14, 2018 — Pi Day and Albert Einstein's birthday— but left behind one of the most incredible legacies for a human being on Earth.

Hawking was a theoretical physicist who pioneered new understandings of black holes and the cosmos at large. What's more, he did so while struggling with a severe neurodegenerative disease that confined him to a wheelchair for the vast majority of his life.

The world-renowned scientist carefully contemplated and composed his thoughts with a special eye-tracking computer, and those words — many of them humorous— continue to inspire generations of people who were curious about how the universe works, where it came from, and where it may be headed.

Hawking supplied no shortage of remarkable insights about life, love, and science. Below, we've done our best to collect the most memorable things he said in his books, essays, interviews, TV show appearances, and more.

On coping with his disability:

On his life outlook:

On science and religion:

Late Friday night, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe, a day before he was set to retire, adding to a series of high-profile exits from the White House in recent weeks..

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump replaced his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

And last week, Trump's top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, stepped down from his post. Other recent resignations have included White House communications director Hope Hicks and White House staff secretary Rob Porter.

The administration has been rocked by high-profile departures — including Sean Spicer as press secretary and James Comey as FBI director — since Trump took office in January 2017.

Here are the top-level people who've either been fired or resigned from the administration and why they left:

SEE ALSO: How 29-year-old Hope Hicks, Trump's 'real daughter,' became the youngest White House communications director in history — and resigned after getting ensnared its biggest scandals

DON'T MISS: MEET THE CABINET: Here's who Trump has appointed to senior leadership positions

Andrew McCabe

Andrew McCabe, the FBI's deputy director, was fired by Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday — just a day before he would have reached pension eligibility.

McCabe, a 21-year veteran of the bureau, was planning to retire on Saturday. He was forced out of the FBI earlier this year amid an internal investigation by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) into his approval of unauthorized disclosures to the media in October 2016 related to the bureau's Hillary Clinton email probe.

Sessions said in a statement Friday that a "both the OIG and FBI OPR reports concluded that Mr. McCabe had made an unauthorized disclosure to the news med and lacked candor — including under oath — on multiple occasions."

But McCabe said in a Friday night statement that he believed he was "singled out" over the events he witnessed and actions he took after the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired in May.

"The OIG's focus on me and this report became a part of an unprecedented effort by the Administration, driven by the President himself, to remove me from my position, destroy my reputation, and possibly strip me of a pension that I worked 21 years to earn," McCabe said.

Rex Tillerson

President Donald Trump has asked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to leave his post, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo will replace him. The CIA's deputy director, Gina Haspel, will succeed Pompeo, becoming the first woman to lead the agency.

Trump reportedly asked Tillerson to step down on Friday.

Gary Cohn

Gary Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council and President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, said on March 6 that he would resign.

Cohn had tangled with the president and Peter Navarro, the director of the White House National Trade Council, over tariffs on imports of aluminum and steel. 

Cohn was unable to convince the president to forgo the tariffs. According to The New York Times, which first reported the news, White House officials said there was no single factor behind Cohn's resignation. 

"Gary has been my chief economic adviser and did a superb job in driving our agenda, helping to deliver historic tax cuts and reforms and unleashing the American economy once again," Mr. Trump said in a statement to The New York Times. "He is a rare talent, and I thank him for his dedicated service to the American people."