The U.S. national anthem, inspired by the flag that flew proudly over Fort McHenry, is part of America's fabric.
And singing it for huge events is a great honor, given the opportunity to inspire millions.
That's why, in honor of American independence, we've put together our choices for the 15 most stirring renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner."
Seventy years ago the U.S. was transitioning from an epic financial crisis — one that brought high unemployment, plunging farm profits and lost opportunities — to one of the world's deadliest and most destructive wars.
We've written about the Library of Congress' incredible collection of color photos from the early 1940s before. We decided to take another look, this time highlighting how the country mobilized for World War II.
Mark Cuban lives a life most people envy.
After selling his dot com company in the late nineties for $5.9 billion, Cuban has been able to live large. And live large, he has.
One of his biggest purchases was a majority stake of the Dallas Mavericks, and ever since, he's become a huge voice in the sports world.
But how did he get to where he is today?
He also had a job as a salesperson at a PC retailer in Dallas, but he was fired in less than a year when instead of opening the store, he met with a client about new business
Cuban's first business was called MicroSolutions. But a few years later, in 1990, Cuban sold this company to CompuServ for $6 million.
But what really got Cuban his money was his next endeavor...
Cuban started Audionet.com with his college friend, which eventually turned into Broadcast.com. The idea for Broadcast.com was to put live sporting events online for anyone to listen to.
By 1999, Cuban grew the company to $13.5 million revenue in the second quarter during the dot com boom.
And then, Yahoo! picked it up for $5.9 BILLION in '99 just before the dot com crash.
A 228-foot superyacht built just this year is now available for charter in the Caribbean or Mediterranean.
The Quatroelle, built by Lurssen, is a "family-oriented" megayacht with five spacious decks and a number of outdoor social areas perfect for soaking up the sun.
The streamlined exterior and lavish interior were both designed by Nuvolari Lenard and can accommodate up to 12 guests in six spacious suites, with additional space for four personal staff in two more cabins. The boat also fits a crew of 29.
This stunning ship, which has an art gallery and a hair salon onboard, is available for charter via Moran Yacht & Ship for €1 million, or about $1.29 million, per week.
All photos were taken by Klaus Jordan (www.klausjordan.de)
All photos were taken by Klaus Jordan (www.klausjordan.de)
All photos were taken by Klaus Jordan (www.klausjordan.de)
Los Angeles is a big city, and in this big city there are plenty of things to keep you occupied.
From gorgeous beaches, to trendy bars, to first-rate museums, to theme parks and everything in-between, Los Angeles is a world-class city and will keep you properly entertained and occupied.
And out there in that great expanse you’re likely to find any number of things to do in Los Angeles, any number of activities with which to entertain yourself, but, as a newcomer, are there any things that you should not do?
Certainly. Quite a few. Check them out.
Hollywood, though it gets all the fame, is actually a sketch part of town, particularly come nightfall. Hollywood and Vine is reminiscent of the golden days of the silver screen, but you know where bygone days belong? In a museum – and that’s where you should see them. Bygone days that refuse to move along turn into questionable establishments and goofy characters with dingy costumes trying to pose with you for a buck. Skip this option. See the Hollywood Wax Museum instead – it’s all your favorite characters of yesteryear and even some history of the film industry. Routinely 4-star reviewed.
This should come as a no-brainer. Los Angeles has one of the worst reputations in the world for traffic, and trying to navigate the 405 at 9am on Monday morning is an experience you’d be wise to avoid if you like your sanity. Instead, consider taking a hop-on hop-off tour to get to most of your preferred destinations. It’s cheaper than taxis, you get to relax, let someone else do the driving, and you get a history lesson along with it. Done.
This Don’t is right in line with Don’t #2 – though you might be tempted to book a room downtown, there isn’t much happening in that part of the city, and thus your commute to fun things to do will involve driving in Los Angeles traffic – not a pretty proposition at the best of times. Instead, either stay in Santa Monica or Huntington Beach. Both of these places claim that they’re not really LA, but we know different. Both have appeal of their own, and both are close enough to LA area attractions that you’ll be closer to the action than downtown LA.
"White House Down" landed in theaters this weekend with a thud.
Blowing up much of the Beltway cost $150 million, but the film only eked out a $25.7 million opening despite boasting the triple threat of Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx and "Independence Day" director Roland Emmerich.
And this week sees the debut of "The Lone Ranger," which rides into theaters on a flurry of bad reviews and damaging reports about a bursting budget and production snafus. Of course, like "World War Z," another film that was plagued by trouble on the set stories, "The Lone Ranger" could overcome the bad buzz to be a solid box officer earner.
Also read: 'Lone Ranger' Battling Bad Buzz and 'Despicable Me 2' Minions at Box Office
It's just that not every film is so lucky. Just ask Will and Jaden Smith's whose father-son adventure "After Earth" crash landed with audiences and critics or poor Taylor Kitsch, who had the ignominious distinction of starring in not one, but two back-to-back bombs with "Battleship" and "John Carter."
Nearly every preview for would-be blockbusters these days promises moviegoers a non-stop thrill ride guaranteed to leave them flattened, floored and gasping at the sheer wonder of all that CGI and star power. Look closer, however, and there are certain tell-tale signs that a studio knows it may have a turkey on its hands.
Also read: TheWrap's Inaugural Innovators List: 12 Who Are Changing Hollywood
Every studio wants a movie to be a hit.
Sometimes a film is so unsalvageable that studios won't let critics get their talons into it until after a film debuts. So if your local paper carries a notice that such and such a film can't be reviewed because there were no advance screenings, cancel the babysitter and call off plans to hit the multiplex. That kind of treatment is reserved for movies that are so bad,studios know the reviews will only add fuel to the fire.
Think of the much-panned "Movie 43," or the Ashton Kutcher-Katherine Heigl dud "Killers," or the Daniel Craig horror film "Dream House," which was frightening for all the wrong reasons. None of those films got reviewed until after opening day. Get the drift?
Also read: 'White House Down' Vs 'Olympus Has Fallen' Mashup: Casting the Perfect Mega-Movie
Some "critics" are such quote-whores that they essentially write press releases for studios. They always find something positive to say about even the most awful movies. So how do you know which reviewers fall short of objective status?
eFilmCritics's Erik Childress has a helpful column that keeps tabs on the reviewers most likely to lavish hyperbole on otherwise poorly-rated box office bombs. Edwards and Lyons are often at the top of his list, so if you see one of their names on a movie's promo poster raving about how a film is "a cinematic gem" or advising you to "wear a diaper, it's that good!," it's probably best to add it to the must-miss pile.
Also read: How the Master of Disaster's 'White House Down' Can Stand Out in the Summer of the Apocalypse
When a studio plans to release a movie during blockbuster or awards season only to change course and reschedule for, say, early spring or mid-fall, that usually signals big problems. It either means a movie isn't good enough to snag an Oscar or lacks what it takes to compete with the other popcorn movies. Either way, it's rarely an endorsement.
Exceptions: "The Great Gatsby" which had many Hollywood watchers smelling a bomb when it was punted out of Oscar season and into this summer. Yes, critics hated it, but audiences embraced it to the tune of more than $300 million at the worldwide box office.
A similar strategy reaped dividends for "World War Z," which brought in the "Lost" team of Damon Lindelof and Drew Goddard after filming had wrapped to craft a new ending. The costly bet required a move from winter 2012 to the summer of 2013, but the filmmakers were rewarded with a box office gross of $260 million worldwide and counting.
Some things are worth the wait.
Also read: Channing Tatum: What's Next for the 'White House Down' Star?
From the party beaches of Ibiza to the remote sand stretches of Thailand, the world is covered with miles of spectacular shoreline.
We've scoured world to find the best beaches you should put on your bucket list.
There's something for everyone: we found beaches where you can swim with penguins, relax under ancient Mayan ruins, bask on volcanic black sand, and more.
Why should Cory Booker get to have all the fun?
The Newark, New Jersey mayor-turned-Senate hopeful might be the only politician who will come shovel your driveway if you ask him on Twitter, but he's far from the only politician making great use of the platform.
Social media can be a tricky game for politicians. Never mind the well-publicized scandals like Anthony Weiner's bulging tweets and Sarah Palin's coining the word refudiate; there's an entire website devoted to cataloging politicians' deleted tweets, making sure their slips of the finger never leave the internet.
But Twitter has more than 200 million active users who produce more than 400 million tweets a day, according to the platform's blog. It has the potential to be an amazing resource for politicians looking to interact with constituents, humanize their campaigns, and more directly influence the news cycle.
Lots of politicians turn the reins over to their staff and tweet bland policy updates and press appearances. Some, however, use their 140 characters creatively. We've scoured the web and pulled together the 15 most interesting politicians on Twitter.
They're aggressive, funny, informative, uplifting, and sometimes even cute. You definitely won't always agree with them, but they're all making Twitter more interesting, and deserve your follow.
Grassley's Twitter feed is most often the subject of ridicule, as in this Gawker article that compiled 15 occasions on which the Senator tweeted one or two letters without explanation. These gaffes do make for a good laugh, but Grassley's tweets are also unapologetically aggressive and critical, which makes for a more dynamic read than many carefully edited politicians on social media. His unnecessary abbreviations, frequent exclamation points, and unique syntax make him all the more interesting.
Follow: @ChuckGrassley
The Colorado Congressman loves to jump on the bandwagon for hashtags like #NSALoveSongs and is refreshingly down-to-earth — he reacted well to making the list of "23 Most Important Combovers Of Congress." He also appears to have a thing for Capuchin monkeys. The best thing about following Polis is the abundance of quotes, from Calvin Coolidge to Victor Hugo, including some he appears to have come up with himself.
Follow: @jaredpolis
Maybe it's just because we're mentally reading the tweets in a British accent, but the London Mayor's relentlessly cheery tweets and frequent constituent interaction (he regularly hosts #AskBoris Q and A's on everything from the nation's finances to his favorite type of cake) easily earned him a spot on this list.
Follow: @MayorofLondon
How do celebrities celebrate the Fourth of July?
While we were out grilling and admiring the fireworks, celebs were doing the same.
Many celebrities shared photos of their fourth on Instagram and Twitter.
From Heidi Klum to Katy Perry, see how the stars celebrate the holiday.
With 180,000 people turning out on a sprawling English farm to see countless musical and theatre acts on 50 stages, last week's Glastonbury Festival is the U.K.'s biggest music festival of the year.
The Rolling Stones played for the first time in the festival's 43-year history, while bands like Mumford and Sons, The Arctic Monkeys and Public Enemy also headlined.
But the main attraction wasn't necessarily the musical acts paid to perform — it was the festively dressed people who braved rain, heat, mud, camping and even flying tomatoes to see them.
The bikini has come a long way over the past 67 years.
On this date in 1946, French fashion designer Louis Réard hired a nude dancer to sport his two-piece creation after the runway models he approached refused to wear it.
He called it the Bikini after the nuclear testing site Bikini Atoll because he believed it had the power to shock the public just as much as a nuclear bomb.
Since then, the bikini has been immortalized in song, provoked controversies from morality to skin cancer, and is now a beach staple around the world.
One thing's for certain: The teenie weenie suit is here to stay.
Additional research provided by Simone Foxman.
Goldman Sachs chief U.S. equity strategist David Kostin is bullish. He expects the S&P 500 to rally to 1,750 by the end of the year.
However, this is not to say that every stock in the market is a good buy right now.
In his new US Monthly Chartbook, Kostin offers a list of the 40 stocks with the most downside relative to Goldman analysts' price targets.
We pulled the 10 stocks that have at least 20% to lose.
Ticker: BSX
Sector: Healthcare
Recent Price: $9.27
Downside: 20.2%
Like other medical device companies, Boston Scientific is now subject to a 2.3% device tax that came as part of the Affordable Care Act.
Source: Goldman Sachs
Ticker: STX
Sector: Technology
Recent Price: $44.83
Downside: 21.9% (rating: neutral)
Seagate, a hard-disk drive producer, has seen its revenues drop by 17%, 2%, and 4% in the last three quarters, respectively.
Source: Goldman Sachs
Ticker: JNPR
Sector: Technology
Recent Price: $19.31
Downside: 22.3%
Last month, shares of the networking equipment company jumped upon comments from their CEO Kevin Johnson that demand from its telecom customers was looking good.
Source: Goldman Sachs
Although it might seem like the days of the drive-in movie theater have passed, drive-ins around the country are seeing a resurgence in popularity.
And why shouldn't they?
Most drive-ins are substantially cheaper than ordinary theaters, and movie-goers can bring their own comfortable chairs and use their cell phone all they like. Even better, there are no sticky floors or mysterious substances on the seats.
While some of the drive-ins on our list have been around for more than half a century, others were built in the last decade, and one was built just last year. Most have a cool retro atmosphere and are open roughly from Memorial Day until Labor Day, making them the perfect low-key summer outing for almost anyone.
SEE ALSO: US Cities With The Most Expensive Movie Tickets
This classic drive-in theater, located in Orefield, Pennsylvania, claims to be America's oldest: It's been in continuous operation since 1934, according to its website.
Open April through September (depending on the weather), this local institution still draws sizable crowds of moviegoers each weekend and shows no signs of closing anytime soon. Adult tickets cost $9, children 12 and under enter for $5 and those under the age of 2 enter for free.
The Warwick Drive-In has been going strong since 1950, although it's changed hands quite a few times since then. It's one of the only movie theaters in the Warwick area, which may explain why it's still so popular.
According to their site, the theater can play up to three movies at once, and current movie options are almost identical to what one might find at an ordinary theater. Adult tickets are $10, seniors and kids get in for $6 and children under age 4 are free.
This Southern Maine drive-in offers two movies shown on separate screens each night starting at 8:45.
Moviegoers can get any item on the food menu for under $5, and the prices can't be beat — just $15 pays for an entire car, no matter how many people are in it! The theater has been in operation since 1950, but due to rising movie industry costs it's now in danger of closing.
Sitting where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Arctic Ocean, Iceland is a special place full of other-worldly treks and a truly magnificent volcanic landscape.
A 40-minute drive from Reykjavík, the Blue Lagoon is a gorgeous geothermal spa that's one of the most-visited places in Iceland.
At an average temperature of around 100 °F, the lagoon's nutrient-rich waters are reported to fix all sorts of skin ailments, from psoriasis to eczema. People travel thousands of miles to bathe in these nutrient-rich waters. Others come to simply relax.
Besides swimming, you can have a drink at the in-water bar, pamper yourself with a massage or skin treatment, or relax at one of the exclusive lounges.
Massive, recording-breaking blooms of the algae Enteromorpha prolifera have been washing up on China's beaches in Shandong province, near Qingdao.
The bloom is the size of Connecticut and officials have already removed 19,800 tons of algae from beaches. This is the largest bloom since 2008, which covered 5,000 square miles. That year, the algae cost $30 million to clean up and according to a 2011 report, cost about $100 million in damages to fisheries in the area, since the algae soaks up oxygen in the water, choking off other marine organisms.
The blooms first started in 2007, and researchers aren't sure if they are cause by pollution or by changes to seaweed farming practices to the south of Qingdao.
America added 195,000 jobs in June, well ahead of the predicted 165,000, according to the new Bureau of Labor statistics jobs report.
The auspicious figure means that average U.S. job growth over last six months is now over 200,000.
While the unemployment rate hovered at 7.6%, average hourly earnings rose by 10 cents over the month, and are up 2.2% over the year.
Retailers, leisure and hospitality, health care, and professional and business services led the pack in job gains.
The BLS broke down the numbers sector by sector in 22 charts.
It's July 4th weekend, and nothing goes hand-in-hand with fireworks and sparklers like a hearty plate of barbecue.
From New York to Chicago to L.A., Zagat scoured the States for the shining stars of barbecue around America.
Here are 16 barbecue spots in 13 cities around the country you need to try this summer.
1238 DeKalb Avenue N.E., Atlanta
Fox Bros. BBQ cooks their meat low and slow with hickory wood. They have all the southern staples (pulled pork, beef brisket, baby back ribs), which are available in both adult- and kid-sized portions.
They also sell their homemade barbecue sauce so you can make Fox Bros. barbecue at home, but don't worry if it doesn't turn out as good as what they offer on site.
Since 1949, Louis Mueller has been one of the most beloved barbecue joints in Austin. Not only has it been featured in five movies, but it got the thumbs up from Guy Fieri on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.
The website warns out-of-towners that they often sell out of their smoky fare, and that it's best to place orders ahead of time.
Snow's is only open on Saturdays, and from the moment they unlock the doors at 8am to the moment they sell out there's usually a line out the door. Their menu is simple—brisket, sausage, chicken, pork, ribs, and a few sides—but customers drive hours from all over the country just to get a taste.
Not in Texas? Not to worry; Snow's does mail orders of their barbecue.
Tech CEOs leading multi-billion dollar companies wield enormous power.
But when they were younger, some CEOS took whatever jobs they could find as teenagers to scrape by.
Others chased their non-tech related dreams after college before gravitating to tech.
Still others, upon starting their careers, found themselves in positions they wouldn't have envisioned in a million years.
If there's a common theme here, it's that these execs excelled in their early roles, no matter how mundane they might seem now. They wouldn't be where they are now if they hadn't.
It's been said that the road to the top can be meandering, and based on these examples of tech CEOs that had less-than-glamorous beginnings, this maxim rings true.
SEE ALSO: These 9 Tech Companies Used Statistical Gymnastics To Make Eye-Popping Claims
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980 and has been its CEO since 2000.
After graduating from Harvard in 1977, Ballmer spent two years as an assistant product manager at Procter & Gamble.
In 2008, he told AllThingsD's Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg about the experience of managing the Coldsnap Freezer Dessert Maker, a product used to make ice cream.
After that, Ballmer was an assistant product manager for Duncan Hines' Moist & Easy cakes and brownies.
VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger had a huge impact on the chip industry during his 30 years at Intel, which he joined in 1979.
But Gelsinger started out working in a completely different field. In fact, as a teenager growing up in southeastern Pennsylvania, Gelsinger was a member of the Future Farmers of America, so he literally worked in a field.
"I was a farm boy from Pennsylvania. As I used to joke at Intel, I knew more about cow chips than computer chips when I started," Gelsinger said in an August 2012 interview with the EMC+ blog.
When Twitter CEO Dick Colstolo graduated from the University of Michigan in 1985 with a degree in computer science, he had three different offers for programming jobs on the table.
But instead of taking one of them, Costolo decided to try his hand at improv comedy in Chicago.
"I decided to make a big bet on myself and took a chance," Costolo told this year's graduating class in a commencement speech in May, as reported by Kellie Woodhouse of AnnArbor.com. "I was grinding away for a long time and I had no money."
"The beauty of improvisation is you're experiencing it in the moment. If you try to plan what the next lines are going to be, you're just going to be disappointed," Costolo told the UM grads.
Apple has yet to confirm that it is working on an iWatch — a portable, wrist-based mobile device that might function like an iPod-cum-wristwatch-cum-iPhone.
But it has filed trademark applications for the name "iWatch." And, even more tantalizing for Apple-watchers, it has also filed a number of diagrams with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that seem to show iWatch-style devices.
See the Apple iWatch patent diagrams >
Companies file patents all the time, just to get legal ownership of the technology even if they don't want to develop it. They sometimes file patents to prevent competitors from developing similar products.
And patent applications are couched in legal-ese and misleading information — so we can't say for sure that these are Apple's sketches of the iWatch.
The following gallery is, we believe, all the diagrams Apple has filed with the USPTO so far that describe iWatch-like devices, or patents for previous products that could be repurposed for the iWatch.
Not every hit movie needs an astronomical budget and A-list stars to resonate with audiences.
Check out some films that succeeded despite (and sometimes because of) the built-in limitations of being low on cash.
More from Zimbio:
Budget: $3 million
Opening Weekend: $34 million
Armed with little more than Ethan Hawke and a wickedly provocative concept, The Purge surprised studios by handily winning its opening weekend. The horror movie is about a future United States that allows a 12-hour period of lawlessness every year.
Budget: $150,000
Domestic Gross: $9.4 million
This low-budget musical stunned critics when it was first released in Ireland in 2006, and continued to win them over after it traveled overseas. The story of a street musician and a pianist who find love and make music together was acted out by two real-life musicians (Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová), who were not trained actors.
Budget: $3.5 million
Gross Domestic: $50 million
This British movie about down-on-their-luck blue collar workers turned strippers had a little budget, but that didn't keep it from hauling in an impressive $257.9 million in worldwide box offices. It was also nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, and won the BAFTA for Best Picture despite competition from Titanic.
