Author: Henry

Fifty-five years ago today, Richard Petty reached a milestone no NASCAR driver had ever accomplished.

On July 31, 1971, Petty won the Dixie 500 at Atlanta International Raceway, becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to surpass $1 million in career earnings. At the time, the achievement was virtually unimaginable in stock car racing, where the sport was still establishing itself as a national powerhouse.

A Historic First for NASCAR

Petty’s victory in Atlanta marked far more than another trip to Victory Lane.

The win pushed “The King” past the $1 million mark in career prize money, making him the first NASCAR driver to reach the milestone. It was another record in a career that would ultimately redefine what success looked like in stock car racing.

By that point, Petty was already building a resume unlike any driver before him. Over the course of his career, he would go on to win a record 200 NASCAR Cup Series races, capture seven Cup Series championships, and claim seven Daytona 500 victories — records that remain among the most celebrated in the sport.

Petty’s $1 million milestone foreshadowed just how dramatically NASCAR would grow over the following decades.

Prize money, sponsorships, and television deals transformed the sport into one of America’s biggest motorsports, with modern stars earning many times what seemed possible in Petty’s era.

More than five decades after becoming the first NASCAR driver to surpass $1 million in career earnings, Richard Petty’s name is still synonymous with excellence. His record-setting accomplishments — and the understated way he approached them — remain a defining part of NASCAR history.

“The economy sucks, bees are dying, and movies are pretty much all sequels now.” Well, Schmidt might be right about that again as his actor confirms a New Girl revival is on the way.

Entirely relatable, totally quotable, and very 2010s, New Girl was an incredibly popular show that ran for seven seasons. Now, nearly a decade after the show’s finale, Max Greenfield, 45, has revealed that a New Girl reunion is happening.

Greenfield appeared on Today with Jenna & Sheinelleto discuss his role in the upcoming Netflix film Don’t Say Good Luck. Of course, Greenfield, who played the quirky, neurotic Schmidt, was asked about New Girl, arguably his best-known role.

The actor said, “As far as I know, it’s happening.” Greenfield added, “I’ve seen scripts, they’re amazing.”

New Girl stars Zooey Deschanel as the new girl Jessica Day, who moves into a loft with a group of guys played by Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris, Damon Wayans Jr., and, of course, Greenfield. Hannah Simone plays Cece, Jess’ best friend and Schmidt’s future wife. As the show progressed, New Girl transformed into a beloved ensemble show with characters developing their friendships and relationships and becoming adults.

The Neighborhood actor is not the first cast member to be asked about the reunion.

In a recent interview, Fargo actor Morris joked that Johnson has become too big for New Girl. Johnson plays Peter B Parker, one version of Spider-Man, in the critically acclaimed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Morris, who now has an Emmy, and Johnson often rib each other, and it was clear he was not serious.

Johnson previously spoke to Entertainment Tonightabout New Girl. He said, “It definitely doesn’t feel like yesterday. It feels like a long time ago, but I’m still so close to the whole cast.”

“It’s crazy that we’ve now known each other for 15 years, but what a dream that show was, and the fan base of that show was so fun, and so honestly, being able to do a show like this show is because of that. So it’s really a blessing,” Johnson said while promoting Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed in May earlier this year.

“If you put us together in any circumstance, we go right back,” Greenfield told Peopleearlier this year.  With everyone seemingly on board and scripts in the works, if Greenfield is to be believed, it seems like a New Girl reunion is on its way.

A two-inch screen and an 8-bit system, all packaged in a hard grey plastic case that ran on four AA batteries.

On July 31, 1989, the Game Boy hit the American markets and video games haven’t been the same since. Although the Game Boy was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, it wasn’t until a few months later that the console made it to America.

The NES made Nintendo famous, but it was the Game Boy that helped to solidify Nintendo’s legacy. The Game Boy sold 1 million units within just a couple of weeks. Until 2004, th console sold better than any other Nintendo system, including the original, the Super NES, and Nintendo 64. It wasn’t until the Nintendo DS was released that the record was beaten.

Although the Game Boy is almost prehistoric now compared to the consoles people carry around every day, compared to smartphones even, in 1989 a portable gaming device was breakthrough technology. The game almost wasn’t made at all due to difficulties with the device’s technology and logistics. However, ultimately the problems were resolved due to advancements in tech and software, mainly with LCD screens.

The Game Boy may have become the biggest console, but it was not the only one. The Atari Lynx was released a few months after the Game Boy, and the Sega Game Gear a few months after that. Yet, the Game Boy stood apart and rose above the competition. The handheld game was easier to hold, cheaper, and had a longer battery life.

The console was also packaged with Tetris, a puzzle game that appealed to people of all ages. Initially, Super Mario Land was going to be packaged with the game, but Henk Rogers convinced Nintendo to use Tetris instead. The goal was that, instead of just kids wanting the game, people of all ages could find interest in it. Because of this decision, the Game Boy became the first console to be played in space, and Tetris became the first game played in space.

The game library was steadily built up through the years, with many of the early games being adaptations of popular arcade games. Pokémon, Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Land are just some of the games that drew people to the console.

Nintendo has continued its reign of handheld devices with the Nintendo Switch, which blends portability with larger, more powerful gaming systems.

Next: 1984 Game That Was The First To Be Played In Space, Named One Of The “Best Video Games Of All Time”

A pair of former world champions are reportedly inching closer toward their respective returns.

Several key WWE talents are currently sidelined with long-term injuries, including Kevin Owens, Logan Paul, Bronson Reed, Randy Orton and Hall of Famer Nikki Bella. Fortunately, reinforcements are soon arriving.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Orton and Owens will return “very soon.” According to the report, Orton could return as soon as next week.

Orton is dealing with a long-term back injury that has sidelined him since his loss to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania. Owens hasn’t wrestled since Elimination Chamber on March 1 of last year, having undergone neck fusion surgery 12 months ago.

Meltzer noted that Orton could resume his feud with Rhodes or enter a rivalry with CM Punk. Rhodes will challenge Punk for the WWE Championship at night one of SummerSlam on Saturday.

A former NXT and Universal Champion, Owens has been a mainstay in WWE’s mid-card and tag team divisions. He’s a member of the WWE Grand Slam club and has nine championship belts to his name.

Randy Orton Eyes His 15th World Championship

Orton has won 14 world championships in WWE, tied with former Evolution leader and mentor Triple H for third-most. Only John Cena (17) and Ric Flair (16) have more world title reigns than “The Viper.”

At 46 years of age, Orton only has so many chances left to catch Flair and Cena. But judging by Meltzer’s latest report, it sounds like Orton will soon get a crack at a 15th world championship against either Punk or Rhodes.

There was a time when wearing sneakers with formal clothes felt out of place. Today, the right pair can elevate an entire outfit, and the Air Jordan 13 ‘Cap and Gown’ is one of the best examples. Its monochromatic palette, premium materials, and understated finish give the classic silhouette an elegance rarely seen in performance basketball footwear.

Key Facts at a Glance

Where Can You Buy the Air Jordan 13 ‘Cap and Gown’?

Your size decides everything on this one, because some pairs are sitting under $200 while others are asking closer to $300.

StockX shows a lowest ask near $185 with a recent sale around $121, well under the $200 retail, while scarcer sizes climb toward $300. GOAT and Stadium Goods both carry 414571-012 as well. There’s also a grade-school run, style code 884129-012, that dropped the same day at $150 retail and remains the cheapest way in.

What Makes This Retro Stand Out?

The patent leather and suede pairing is what earns the higher price, giving the 13 a finish closer to dress footwear.

Patent leather replaces the mesh that normally sits on an AJ13 upper, with black suede on the toe box and beneath the overlays for contrast. The ankle hologram is gone, blacked out to match everything else, and the midsole runs into a semi-transparent outsole. Those upgrades are why this one cost $200 instead of standard AJ13 pricing, similar to how the Air Jordan 5 PRM ‘Bordeaux’ justified its own premium.

Why Does It Still Matter?

Pairing Jordans with a cap and gown was already happening long before Jordan Brand decided to sell a shoe for it.

The brand started the series with an Air Jordan 11 in 2018, then handed the concept to the 13 a year later and turned an unofficial tradition into a real product line. That instinct for reading the culture before packaging it is a thread running through the greatest Jordans ever made.

Should You Buy the Air Jordan 13 Retro ‘Cap and Gown’ 2019?

A triple-black retro that works with a suit is worth owning whether or not you have a ceremony coming up.

Graduation gave this shoe its name, but triple black keeps it useful year-round, which is more than most occasion sneakers manage. Check your size before committing, because the spread here is wide enough that patience pays. If near-retail pricing is what you’re after, the Air Jordan 7 ‘Pure Money’ and the Air Jordan 9 ‘Chile Red’ sit in similar territory.

Related: Air Jordan 13 ‘WINGS’ — Tearaway Panels, Secret Details, Back-to-School Energy: Release Date & Where to Buy

Related: Air Jordan 5 Premium ‘Triple Black’ — Smoky Outsole, All-Black Everything, $400 Pinnacle: Where to Buy

In another exciting addition to Marvel’s growing list of new castings, Samara Weaving is reportedly joining the cinematic universe as X-Men’s Emma Frost.

Although reps for Weaving and Marvel declined to comment on the matter, the entertainment outlet Deadline reported that the Australian actress is set to play the character, who debuted in the 1980 comic book The Uncanny X-Men. The Australian actress, best known for her roles in the Ready or Not film series, as well as Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020), will be the fourth on-screen portrayal of the character.

Finola Hughes (All My Children, Charmed) portrayed the mutant hero in the undeveloped television pilot Generation X (1996), followed by Tahyna Tozzi (Charlie’s Angels, The Ever After) in the spin-off film X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). January Jones (Mad Men, The Last Man on Earth) played the character in her last on-screen appearance in X-Men: First Class (2011).

Weaving’s reported casting is the third major announcement from Marvel over the past week. During the high-profile Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, Hollywood heavyweight Ryan Gosling (Barbie, Project Hail Mary) was announced as Ghost Rider in an upcoming project.

Additionally, David Jonsson (The Long Walk, Alien: Romulus) was revealed to be taking on the role of T’Challa II, the adult son of T’Challa, King of Wakanda, as played by Chadwick Boseman before his death in 2020. Jonsson will make his debut in the upcoming Black Panther 3, with the child version of the character appearing at the end of Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever (2022).

So far, it is unknown which projects Weaving will appear in, with her casting not formally announced by Marvel yet as of July 31. However, Avengers: Doomsday, set to premiere this December, features several X-Men characters, including Magneto (Ian McKellen), Cyclops (James Marsden), and Professor X (Patrick Stewart).