Coordinates	39°44′21″N104°59′5″N
Company name	RCA Corporation
Company logo
Slogan	The most trusted name in electronics
Fate	Taken over by General Electric and broken up
Foundation	1919
Defunct	1986
Location	New York, United States
Industry	Electronics
Key people	David Sarnoff, first general manager
Products	RCA Photophone Electric phonograph videodiscRCA Televisions }}

RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor. The trademark is used by Sony Music Entertainment and Technicolor, which licenses the name to other companies like Audiovox and TCL Corporation for products descended from that common ancestor.

Origins

RCA's organization by General Electric

In August 1914, the United Kingdom and France declared war on the German Empire and Austria-Hungary, following the German and Austrian invasions of their neighbors, including Serbia and the Russian Empire, which started World War I. Radio traffic across the Atlantic Ocean increased dramatically after the western Allies cut the German transatlantic submarine communication cables (telegraph-only at that time, well before the first transatlantic telephone cable connected the United States with France in 1956.) Germany, Austria-Hungary, and their allies in Europe (the Central Powers) maintained contact with neutral countries in the Americas, such as the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru via long-distance radio communications, as well as via telegraph cables owned by neutral countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark.

In 1917 the U.S. Government took charge of the patents owned by the major companies involved in radio manufacture in the United States in order to devote radio technology to the war effort. All production of radio equipment was allocated to the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The War Department and the Navy Department sought to maintain a Federal monopoly of all uses of radio technology. However, the wartime takeover of all radio systems ended late in 1918, when the U.S. Congress failed to pass a bill which would have extended this monopoly; the War ended in November of that year.

The ending of the Federal Government's monopoly in radio communications did not prevent the War and Navy Departments from creating a national radio system for the United States. On 8 April 1919, naval Admiral W. H. G. Bullard and Captain Stanford C. Hooper met with executives of the General Electric Corporation (G.E.) and asked them to discontinue selling the company's Alexanderson alternators (used in the high-power AM radio transmitters of that era) to the British-owned Marconi Company, and to its subsidiary, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America.

The proposal presented by the government was that if G.E. created an American-owned radio company, then the Army and Navy would effect a monopoly of long-distance radio communications via this company. This marked the beginning of a series of negotiations through which G.E. would buy the American Marconi company and then incorporate what would be called the ''Radio Corporation of America''.

Establishment

The incorporation of the assets of Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America (including David Sarnoff,) the Pan-American Telegraph Company, and those already controlled by the United States Navy led to a new publicly-held company formed by General Electric (which owned a controlling interest) on 17 October 1919. The following cooperation among RCA, General Electric, the United Fruit Company, the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T;) brought about innovations in high-power radio technology, and also the founding of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in the United Sates. The Army and the Navy granted to RCA the former American Marconi radio terminals that had been confiscated during the War. (Note: there were no commercial radio stations anywhere in the world before 1922 when station KDKA started broadcasting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.) Admiral Bullard received a seat on the Board of Directors of RCA for his efforts in establishing RCA. The result was Federally-created monopolies in radio for GE and the Westinghouse Corporation and in telephone systems for the American Telephone & Telegraph Company.

The argument by the Department of War and the Department of the Navy that the usable radio frequencies were limited, and hence needed to be appropriated for use before other countries, such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Canada monopolized them, collapsed in the mid-1920s following the discovery of the practicality of the use of the shortwave radio band (3.0 MHz though 30.0 MHz) for very long-range radio communications.

The first chief executive officer of RCA was Owen D. Young; David Sarnoff became its general manager. RCA's incorporation papers required that a majority of its stock be held by American citizens. RCA agreed to market the radio equipment manufactured by G.E. and Westinghouse, and in follow-on agreements, RCA also acquired the radio patents that had been held by Westinghouse and the United Fruit Company. As the years went on, RCA either took over, or produced for itself, a large number of patents, including that of the superheterodyne receiver.

Over the years, RCA continued to operate international telecommunications services, under its subsidiary RCA Communications, Inc., and later the RCA Global Communications Company.

Broadcast expansion

By 1926 the market for commercial radio had expanded, and RCA purchased the WEAF and WCAP radio stations and networks from AT&T;, merged them with its WJZ (the predecessor of WABC) New York to WRC (presently WTEM) Washington chain, and formed the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).

Radio

G.E. used RCA as its retail arm for radio sales from 1919, when G.E. began production, until 1930. Westinghouse also marketed home radios through RCA until 1930.

Phonograph

In 1929 RCA purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company, then the world's largest manufacturer of phonographs (including the famous "Victrola") and phonograph records. This included a majority ownership of the Victor Company of Japan (JVC). The new subsidiary then became RCA-Victor. With Victor, RCA acquired New World rights to the Nipper trademark. This Trademark is also the trademark for the British music & entertainment company HMV who now display Nipper in sillohette. RCA Victor produced many radio-phonographs and also created RCA Photophone, a sound-on-film system for sound films that competed with William Fox's sound-on-film Movietone and Warner Bros.' sound-on-disc Vitaphone.

RCA began selling the first electronic turntable in 1930. In 1931 RCA Victor began selling 33⅓ rpm records. These had the standard groove size (the same width as the contemporary 78 rpm records), rather than the "microgroove" used in post-World War II 33⅓ "Long Play" records. The format was a commercial failure at the height of the Great Depression, partly because the records and playback equipment were expensive, and partly because the audio performance was poor (tracking ability depends upon, among other things, the stylus's radius of curvature, and it would require the smaller-radius stylus of the microgroove system to make slower-speed records track acceptably). The system was withdrawn from the market after about a year. (This was not the first attempt at a commercial long play record format, as Edison Records had marketed a microgroove vertically recorded disc with 20 minutes playing time per side the previous decade; the Edison long-playing records were also a commercial failure.)

In 1930 RCA agreed to occupy the yet-to-be-constructed landmark building of the Rockefeller Center complex, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, which in 1933 became known as the RCA building, now the GE Building. This critical lease in the massive project enabled it to proceed as a commercially viable venture.

Separation from General Electric

In 1930 the U.S. Department of Justice brought antitrust charges against RCA, General Electric and Westinghouse. As a result, G.E. and Westinghouse gave up their ownership interests in RCA. RCA was allowed to keep its radio factories, and G.E. and Westinghouse were allowed to compete in that business after 30 months.

Electronic television

RCA demonstrated an all-electronic television system at the 1939 New York World's Fair, and developed the USA's first television test pattern. With the introduction of the NTSC standard, the Federal Communications Commission authorized the start of commercial television transmission on 1 July 1941. World War II slowed the deployment of television in the US, but RCA began selling television sets almost immediately after the war was over. (''See also:'' History of television) RCA was closely involved in radar and radio development in support of the war effort. These development efforts greatly assisted RCA in its television research efforts.

RCA was a major producer of vacuum tubes (branded Radiotron) in the USA, creating a series of innovative products ranging from octal base metal tubes co-developed with General Electric before World War II to the transistor-sized Nuvistor used in the tuners of the New Vista series of television sets. The Nuvistor tubes were a last hurrah for vacuum tubes and were meant to be a competitive technology against the newly introduced transistors. RCA also partnered with Tung-Sol to produce the legendary KT88/6550 hi-fi vacuum tube. Their combined power in the marketplace was so strong that they effectively set the selling prices for vacuum tubes in the USA. Except for the main cathode ray tube (CRT), the company had completely switched from tubes to solid-state television sets by 1975.

Antitrust concerns led FCC to force the breakup of the NBC radio networks, a breakup affirmed by the United States Supreme Court. On 12 October 1943, the "NBC Blue" radio network was sold to Life Savers candy magnate Edward J. Noble for $8,000,000, and renamed "The Blue Network, Inc". It would become the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in 1946. The "NBC Red" network retained the NBC name, and RCA retained ownership.

Diversification

In 1941, before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the cornerstone was laid for a research and development facility, RCA Laboratories, on Route 1 just north of New Jersey Rte 571 in Princeton, New Jersey. This lab developed many innovations, such as color television, the electron microscope, CMOS-based technology, heterojunction physics, optoelectronic emitting devices, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), videocassette recorders, direct broadcast television, direct broadcast satellite systems and high-definition television. After 1988 the Lab was called ''Sarnoff Corporation'', a subsidiary of SRI International. During World War II and beyond, RCA set up several new divisions, for defense, space exploration and other activities. The RCA Service Coporation provided large numbers of staff for the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line. RCA units won five Army–Navy ‘E’ Awards for Excellence in production. Also during the war, ties between RCA and JVC were severed.

In 1947 RCA-Victor developed and released the first 45 rpm record to the public, answering CBS/Columbia's 33⅓ rpm "LP".

In 1953 RCA's all electronic color-TV technology was adopted as the standard for American color TV; it is now known as NTSC (after the "National Television System Committee" that approved it). RCA cameras and studio gear, particularly of the TK-40/41 series, became standard equipment at many American television network affiliates, as RCA CT-100 ("RCA Merrill" to dealers) television sets introduced color television to the public.

In 1955 RCA sold its Estate large appliance operations to Whirlpool Corporation. As part of the deal, Whirlpool was given the right to market "RCA Whirlpool" appliances through the mid-1960s.

Despite the company's indisputable leadership in television technology, David Sarnoff in 1955 commented, "Television will never be a medium of entertainment".

RCA was one of several major computer companies that also included IBM, Digital Equipment Corporation, Burroughs, Control Data Corporation, General Electric, Honeywell, NCR and Sperry Rand through most of the 1960s. RCA marketed the Spectra 70 Series (models 15, 25, 35, 45, 46, 55, 60 and 61) that were hardware, but not software, compatible with IBM’s 360 series, and the RCA Series (RCA 2, 3, 6, 7) competing against the IBM 370. These systems all ran RCA’s real-memory operating systems, DOS and TDOS. RCA’s Virtual Memory Systems, the Spectra 70/46 and 70/61 and the RCA 3 and 7 could also run their Virtual Memory Operating System, VMOS. VMOS was originally named TSOS (Time Sharing Operating System), but was renamed in order to expand the system beyond the time-sharing market. RCA was credited with coining the term "Virtual Memory". TSOS was the first mainframe, demand paging, virtual memory operating system on the market. The English Electric System 4 range, the 4-10, 4-30, 4-50,4-70 and the time-sharing 4-75 computers were essentially RCA Spectra 70 clones of the IBM System /360 and 370 range. RCA abandoned computers in 1971. Sperry Rand officially took over the RCA base in January 1972.

RCA Graphic Systems Division (GSD) was an early supplier of electronics designed for the printing and publishing industries. It contracted with German company Rudolf Hell to market adaptations of the Digiset photocomposition system as the Videocomp, and a Laser Color Scanner. The Videocomp was supported by a Spectra computer that ran the Page-1 and, later the Page-II and FileComp composition systems. RCA later sold the Videocomp rights to Information International Inc. (III).

RCA was a major proponent of the eight-track tape cartridge, which it launched in 1965. The eight-track cartridge initially had a huge and profitable impact on the consumer marketplace. However, sales of the 8-track tape format peaked early on as consumers increasingly favored the compact cassette tape format developed by competitor Philips.

Later years

David Sarnoff, whose ambition and business acumen had helped RCA become one of the world's largest companies, turned the company over to his son Robert in 1970. David died the next year, aged 80.

On 17 September 1971, NBC's Huntley-Brinkley Report read a news bulletin issued by the RCA Board of Directors just minutes before the broadcast, announcing the Board's decision to cease operation of its general-purpose computer systems division (RCA-CSD). This marked a milestone in RCA's move away from technology and into a diversified conglomerate. (The introduction by IBM of the 370 series required RCA to make a substantial new investment in its computer division, and the Board decided against making that investment.)

During the late 1960s and 1970s, RCA Corporation, as it was now formally known, ventured into other markets. Under Robert Sarnoff's leadership, RCA diversified far beyond electronics and communications, in a broader American corporate trend toward "conglomerates." The company acquired Hertz (rental cars), Banquet (frozen foods), Coronet (carpeting), Random House (publishing) and Gibson (greeting cards), yet slipped into financial disarray, with wags calling it "Rugs Chickens & Automobiles" to poke fun at their attempt at becoming a conglomerate.

Robert Sarnoff was ousted in a 1975 boardroom coup by Anthony Conrad, who resigned a year later after he admitted failing to file income tax returns for six years. RCA maintained its high standards of engineering excellence in broadcast engineering and satellite communications equipment, but ventures such as the NBC radio and television networks declined.

In about 1980 RCA corporate strategy reported on moving manufacture of its television sets to Mexico. RCA was still profitable in 1983, when it switched manufacturing of its VHS VCRs from Panasonic to Hitachi.

Forays into new consumer electronics products lost money. The SelectaVision videodisc system, not to be confused with the same trademark that RCA applied to its VCRs, never developed the manufacturing volumes to substantially bring down its price, could not compete against cheaper, recordable videotape technology, and was abandoned in 1985 for a write-off of several hundred million dollars.

In 1984 RCA Broadcast Systems Division moved from Camden, New Jersey, to the site of the RCA antenna engineering facility in Gibbsboro, New Jersey. In the years that followed, the broadcast product lines developed in Camden were terminated or sold off, and most of the buildings demolished, save for the original RCA Victor buildings that had been declared national historical buildings. For several years, RCA spinoff L-3 Communications Systems East was headquartered in the building, but has since moved to an adjacent building built by the city for them. The building now houses shops and luxury loft apartments.

Takeover and break-up by G.E.

Business and financial conditions led to RCA's takeover by G.E. in 1986 and its subsequent break-up. G.E. sold its 50% interest in then-RCA/Ariola International Records to its partner Bertelsmann and the company was renamed BMG Music, for Bertelsmann Music Group.

G.E. then sold the rights to make RCA- and GE-branded televisions and other consumer electronics products to the French Thomson Consumer Electronics, in exchange for some of Thomson's medical businesses.

RCA Laboratories was transferred to SRI International as the David Sarnoff Research Center, subsequently renamed Sarnoff Corporation. Sarnoff Labs was put on a five-year plan whereby G.E. would fund all the labs' activities for the first year, then reduce its support to near zero after the fifth year. This required Sarnoff Labs to change its business model to become an industrial contract research facility.

The only RCA unit which G.E. kept was the National Broadcasting Company. G.E. sold the NBC Radio Network to Westwood One and all of its radio stations to various owners.

For information on the RCA brand after 1986, see RCA (trademark).

Legacy

RCA antique radios and RCA Merrill/CT-100s and other early color television receivers are among the more sought-after collectible radios and televisions, thanks to their popularity during the golden age of radio, their manufacturing quality, their engineering innovations, their styling and their name, RCA.

The historic RCA Victor Building 17, the "Nipper Building", in Camden, New Jersey, was converted to luxury apartments in 2003.

Environmental record

A former RCA facility in Taiwan's northern county of Taoyuan polluted groundwater with toxic chemicals and led to a high incidence of cancer among former employees. The area was declared a toxic site by the Taiwanese Environmental Protection Agency. Both GE and Thomson spent millions of dollars for cleanup, removing of soil and installing municipal water treatment facilities for neighboring communities. A spokesman for RCA's current owners denied responsibility, saying a study conducted by the Taiwan government showed no correlation between the illnesses and the company's facilities, which shut down in 1991.

A plant in Lancaster, Pennsylvania which RCA operated from the late 1940s to June 1986, released more than 250,000 pounds of pollutants per year from its exhaust stacks. Tested by the EPA in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the groundwater at the facility is contaminated by trichloroethylene (TCE) and 1,2-dichloroethylene (1,2-DCE). In 1991 and 1992, contaminants were detected in monitoring wells on the east side of the Conestoga River in Lancaster.

The shallow and deep groundwater aquifers beneath the Intersil Facility in Mountaintop, Pennsylvania, which RCA operated in the 1960s and later sold to Harris Semiconductor, contain elevated levels of volatile organic compounds.

A site in Burlington, Massachusetts which RCA used from 1958 to 1994 to make and test military electronics equipment, generated hazardous waste (VOCs, TCE, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes.

In Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, an RCA-operated plant generated wastes containing chromium, selenium and iron. Four lagoons holding chemical waste drained into the limestone aquifer. Used water from the manufacturing process (process water), containing ferric chloride, was treated onsite to remove contaminants and then was discharged into a sinkhole at the site. The treatment of process water created a sludge that was stored onsite in drying beds and in surface impoundments.

See also

Ampliphase

Berliner Gramophone Company, whose Canadian operation became RCA Victor of Canada

HMV His Masters Voice

RCA Mark II Sound Synthesizer

RCA connector

CMOS 4000 series

RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video, joint venture between RCA and Columbia Pictures

RKO Pictures, founded in part by RCA

RCA Photophone, Motion Picture sound recording

Electrofax

Harold H. Beverage vice president of research and development at RCA Communications Inc

Ernst F. W. Alexanderson RCA's first Chief Engineer, 1920–1924

George H. Brown, research engineer who headed RCA's development of color television

Colortrak and Colortrak 2000, notable trademarks for RCA's early color television sets

Dimensia, a high-end advanced trademark TV for RCA

RCA Records

Claude Robinson, American pioneer in advertising and opinion survey research

Film Chain—RCA TK-26, TK-27 and TK-28

Professional video cameras—TK 47 and more''

Victor Company of Japan (JVC)

References

Robert N. Sobel: ''RCA'' New York: Stein and Day Publishers, 1986. ISBN 0-8128-3084-9

External links

RCA History from Thomson Consumer Electronics

Intech Contractors/Construction Managers. ''The Victor Project''. Converting the "Nipper" building into apartments

RCAGlobal.com - a web site dedicated to what was RCA Global Communications

The Victor Lofts

RCA Radio Central, Rock Point, Long Island, NY

RCA Taiwan factory pollution

RCA TV equipment archive

Category:Companies established in 1919 Category:NBC television network Category:RCA brands Category:Rockefeller Center Category:Defunct companies based in New York Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States Category:Technicolor SA Category:Electronics companies of the United States Category:Former components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average

ca:Radio Corporation of America da:RCA Records de:Radio Corporation of America es:Radio Corporation of America eo:Radio Corporation of America eu:Radio Corporation of America fr:Radio Corporation of America ko:RCA (기업) id:RCA it:Radio Corporation of America he:RCA nl:Radio Corporation of America ja:RCA no:RCA pt:Radio Corporation of America ru:RCA fi:Radio Corporation of America sv:Radio Corporation of America

Coordinates	39°44′21″N104°59′5″N
name	The Primitives
background	group_or_band
origin	Coventry, England
genre	Indie pop
years active	1985–1992; 2009–present
label	Lazy Records, RCA
current members	Paul Court (guitar, vocals)Tracy Tracy (vocals, tambourine)Raph Moore (bass)Tig Williams (drums)
past members	Keiron McDermott (vocals)Steve Dullaghan (bass) [deceased]Paul Sampson (bass)Pete Tweedie (drums)| notable_instruments }}

The Primitives are a British indie pop band from Coventry, best known for their 1988 international hit single "Crash".

Biography

The Primitives (who had nothing to do with the original "Mal Ryder and the Primitives" band formed in the 60's) were part of the indie music scene of the mid-1980s alongside bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, the Soup Dragons and the Wedding Present. They were formed in 1985 by PJ Court (born Paul Jonathan Court) (vocals, guitar), Keiron McDermott (vocals), Steve Dullaghan (bass) and Pete Tweedie (drums). The band shared a love of melody, the Sixties, fast Ramones-like guitars and the pop influences of Buzzcocks and Orange Juice. McDermott was soon replaced by vocalist Tracy Tracy (born Tracy Cattell) and Tig Williams replaced Pete Tweedie on drums in October '87.

They received valuable publicity when The Smiths singer Morrissey was photographed wearing a Primitives T-shirt. After a successful first album, which gave them with their UK Top 5 hit single "Crash" in early 1988 (and made the Top 3 in the U.S. Modern Rock Charts), their career began to fade in the early 1990s. They split in 1992 following the commercial failure of their final album, 1991's ''Galore''. Their major rivals within the 'blonde pop' scene were Transvision Vamp and The Darling Buds.

Dullaghan died in Coventry on 4 February 2009.

After nearly 18 years of dormancy, The Primitives re-formed for live shows in Coventry on 2 October 2009 and the Buffalo Bar in London on 9 October 2009. In spring of 2010, The Primitives toured the UK and also performed a single US concert at the Bell House in Brooklyn, New York. The Primitives also went back into the studio with original producer Paul Sampson, intending to record cover versions of lesser-known female-fronted songs, including Lee Hazlewood's "Need All the Help I Can Get", originally recorded by Suzi Jane Hokum in 1966 and "Breakaway" recorded by Toni Basil in 1966. During the summer of 2010, the Primitives have also recorded a few new songs for future release, such as "Rattle My Cage" and "Never Kill a Secret".

The Primitives supported The Wedding Present at Koko in Camden, London on December 13, 2010 as part of the Weddoes Bizarro Album 21st anniversary tour.

Discography

Albums

''Lovely'' (1988) UK #6

''Pure'' (1989) UK #33

''Galore'' (1991)

Compilations

''Lazy 86-88'' (1989) UK #73

''Bombshell - The Hits & More'' (1994)

''Best of The Primitives'' (1996)

''Bubbling Up - BBC Sessions'' (1998)

''Thru the Flowers - The Anthology'' (2004)

''Buzz Buzz Buzz'' (2005)

''The Best of The Primitives'' (2005)

''Buzz Buzz Buzz - Complete Lazy Recordings'' (2006)

Singles

UK Singles Chart
	"Really Stupid"	align="center"
align="center"
	"Stop Killing Me"	align="center"
align="center"
rowspan="4"
"Thru the Flowers"	align="center"
align="center"
"Out of Reach"		align="center"
"Way Behind Me"			rowspan="3"
	"Sick of It"
"Secrets"
	"You Are the Way"		align="center"
"Earth Thing"	align="center"
align="center"
	"Crash - the '95 Mix"	align="center"

References

External links

Crashsite -- Primitives fan site, with history, news, music and video clips, etc

Category:British indie pop groups Category:English pop music groups Category:Music from Coventry, England Category:Musical groups established in 1985 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1992

de:The Primitives gl:The Primitives it:The Primitives (1985) pl:The Primitives ru:The Primitives

Coordinates	39°44′21″N104°59′5″N
playername	Shane Warne
country	Australia
fullname	Shane Keith Warne
nickname	Warnie, King of Spin, Sheik of Tweak
living	true
dayofbirth	13
monthofbirth	9
yearofbirth	1969
placeofbirth	Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria
countryofbirth	Australia
heightm	1.83
role	Leg spin bowler, Lower order batsman
batting	Right-handed
bowling	Right-arm leg break
international	true
testdebutdate	2 January
testdebutyear	1992
testdebutagainst	India
testcap	350
lasttestdate	2 January
lasttestyear	2007
lasttestagainst	England
odidebutdate	24 March
odidebutyear	1993
odidebutagainst	New Zealand
odicap	110
odishirt	23
lastodidate	10 January
lastodiyear	2005
lastodifor	World XI
lastodiagainst	Asia XI
club1	Victoria
year1	1990/91–2006/07
clubnumber1	23
club2	Hampshire
year2	2000–2007
clubnumber2	23
club3	Rajasthan Royals
year3	2008–2011
clubnumber3	23
columns	4
column1	Tests
matches1	145
runs1	3,154
bat avg1	17.32
100s/50s1	0/12
top score1	99
deliveries1	40,704
wickets1	708
bowl avg1	25.41
fivefor1	37
tenfor1	10
best bowling1	8/71
catches/stumpings1	125/–
column2	ODIs
matches2	194
runs2	1,018
bat avg2	13.05
100s/50s2	0/1
top score2	55
deliveries2	10,642
wickets2	293
bowl avg2	25.73
fivefor2	1
tenfor2	n/a
best bowling2	5/33
catches/stumpings2	80/–
column3	FC
matches3	301
runs3	6,919
bat avg3	19.43
100s/50s3	2/26
top score3	107*
deliveries3	74,830
wickets3	1,319
bowl avg3	26.11
fivefor3	69
tenfor3	12
best bowling3	8/71
catches/stumpings3	264/–
column4	LA
matches4	311
runs4	1,879
bat avg4	11.81
100s/50s4	0/1
top score4	55
deliveries4	16,419
wickets4	473
bowl avg4	24.61
fivefor4	3
tenfor4	n/a
best bowling4	6/42
catches/stumpings4	126/–
date	29 March
year	2008
source	http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1999/1999.html cricketarchive.com }}

Shane Keith Warne (born 13 September 1969) is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five ''Wisden Cricketers of the Century'', the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet and the only one still playing at the time. He is also a cricket commentator and a professional poker player.

Warne played his first Test match in 1992, and his 708 wickets was the record for the most wickets taken by any bowler in Test cricket, until it was broken by Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan on 3 December 2007. He took over 1000 international wickets (in Tests and One-Day Internationals)—he was the second bowler to reach this milestone after Muttiah Muralitharan. A useful lower-order batsman, Warne also scored over 3000 Test runs, and he holds the record for most Test runs without a century. His career was plagued by scandals off the field; these included a ban from cricket for testing positive for a prohibited substance, charges of bringing the game into disrepute through accepting money from bookmakers and marital infidelities.

As well as Australia, he also played Australian domestic cricket for his home state of Victoria, and English domestic cricket for Hampshire. He was captain of Hampshire for three seasons, from 2005 to 2007.

He retired from international cricket in January 2007, at the end of Australia's 5–0 Ashes series victory over England. Three other players integral to the Australian team at the time, Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn and Justin Langer, also retired from Tests at the same time which led some, including the Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, to declare it the "end of an era".

Following his retirement from international cricket, Warne played a full season at Hampshire in 2007. He had been scheduled to appear in the 2008 English cricket season, but in late March 2008 he announced his retirement from playing first-class cricket in order to be able to spend more time pursuing interests outside of cricket. In March 2008, Warne signed to play in the Indian Premier League for the Jaipur team, Rajasthan Royals in the first edition of the tournament, where he played the roles of both captain and coach. He led his team to victory against the Chennai Super Kings in a cliffhanger of a final match on 1 June 2008. After the innings defeat of Australia in Adelaide in Ashes 2010, a website was launched by fans calling for his comeback. The website has also created a fund for the sole purpose of bringing Warne back into international cricket.

Youth and early cricket career

Warne's first representative honours came when in 1983/84 season he represented University of Melbourne Cricket Club in the then Victorian Cricket Association under 16 Dowling Shield competition. He bowled a mixture of leg-spin and off-spin and was also a handy lower order batsman. The following season he joined the St Kilda Cricket Club near his home town of Black Rock. He started in the lower elevens and over a number of seasons progressed to the first eleven. He was later chosen to train at the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide.

Warne joined English team Accrington Cricket Club in 1991. He enjoyed a good season with the ball, taking 73 wickets at 15.4 each, but scored only 330 runs at an average of 15.0. The committee at Accrington Cricket Club decided not to re-engage him for the 1992 Lancashire League season as he was seen not to be good enough.

First-class debut

Warne made his first-class cricket debut on 15 February 1991, taking 0/61 and 1/41 for Victoria against Western Australia at the Junction Oval in Melbourne. He was then selected for the Australia B team which toured Zimbabwe in September 1991. His best performance was 7/52 in a four-day match. Upon returning to Australia, Warne took 3/14 and 4/42 for Australia A against India in December 1991. The incumbent spinner in the Australian Test Team, Peter Taylor, had taken only one wicket in the first two tests, so Warne was brought into the team for the Third Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground a week later.

International career

Early international career

Warne had an undistinguished Test debut, taking 1/150 (Ravi Shastri caught by Dean Jones for 206) off 45 overs, and recorded figures of 1/228 in his first Test series; he took 0/78 in the Fourth Test in Adelaide and was dropped for the Fifth Test on the pace-friendly WACA Ground in Perth. His poor form continued in the first innings against Sri Lanka at Colombo, in which he recorded 0/107. However, a spell of 3/11 in the second innings precipitated the hosts' second innings collapse and contributed to a remarkable Australian win.

However, Warne's performances in the last two Tests in Sri Lanka were not to the satisfaction of the selectors, and he was dropped for the First Test against the West Indies in the 1992–93 Australian season. Greg Matthews played in Warne's place and despite Australia being in a strong position on the final day, was unable to dismiss the tourists on a turning surface. Warne was thus recalled for the Second Test in Melbourne, where he took 7/52 in a match-winning performance in the second innings.

Ban from cricket

In February 2003, just prior to the start of the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Warne was sent home after a drug test during a one-day series in Australia returned a positive result for a banned diuretic.

Warne initially claimed that he took only one of what he called a "fluid tablet" – the prescription drug Moduretic – in an attempt to improve his appearance.

In the end, the panel found Warne guilty of breaching the ACB's drug code, and imposed a one-year ban. It was further revealed, and confirmed by Warne in a subsequent television interview, that he had actually taken two of the pills. The substance he took is banned because it can be used to mask the presence of other drugs. The Judge in the case found both Shane Warne and his mother's testimony to be "unreliable".

At the time, Warne took the view that the ban imposed would lengthen his Test playing career. That Warne was allowed to play in charity matches while serving his one year ban was criticised by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) although WADA, in turn, was criticised by Warne for interfering in the matter.

During his suspension, he considered working for the St Kilda Australian rules football club as an assistant coach, before the Australian Football League told the club that it would be inappropriate to have somebody suspended for a drug offence advising its players. He also received invitations to play in various celebrity "park cricket" teams, and the newly renamed Cricket Australia reversed its decision on whether Warne, as a contracted player, should be allowed to play in such matches. He also became a TV commentator for Channel 9 in Australia during this time.

Return to cricket

Warne returned to competitive cricket following his ban in February 2004.

In March 2004, Warne became the second cricketer after Courtney Walsh of the West Indies to take 500 Test wickets. He broke the record for most career wickets in Test cricket on 15 October 2004 during the Second Test against India at Chennai, overtaking his great spin bowling rival, Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka. On 11 August 2005 at Old Trafford, in the Third Ashes Test, he became the first bowler in history to take 600 Test wickets. In 2005, Warne also broke the record for the number of wickets in a calendar year, with 96 wickets. His ferocious competitiveness was a feature of the 2005 Ashes series, when he took 40 wickets at an average of 19.92 and scored 249 runs.

International retirement

Warne began his 2006/07 Ashes campaign with an indifferent Test in Brisbane and a poor first innings showing in Adelaide. However, his second innings heroics, including bowling Kevin Pietersen around the legs, triggered England's fifth-day collapse and Australia's historic victory. Warne again bowled well in the second innings in the third Test, and took the final wicket of Monty Panesar as Australia regained the Ashes.

On 21 December 2006 Warne announced his retirement, which came into effect after the fifth Ashes Test match at the SCG. He became the first cricketer to reach the 700-wicket milestone in his second last Test, on Boxing Day 2006. Warne said that it was his intention to "go out on top", adding that he might have retired after the 2005 Ashes series, had Australia won. Warne achieved his 700th test wicket at 3.18 pm on 26 December 2006 (AEST) by bowling English batsman Andrew Strauss out at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, in what was almost certainly his final appearance at the ground. This was the first occasion that a player had taken 700 career wickets. The wicket was described as a "classic Warne dismissal" to which the crowd of 89,155 gave a standing ovation.

In the last match of the 2006 Ashes Series at the SCG, Sydney spectators bade him farewell in his very last Test match, just as they witnessed his Test debut on 2 January 1992. Thus, a career spanning exactly 15 years ended where it all began.

In this final Test, Warne ended England's first innings by trapping Monty Panesar lbw for a duck and his 1000th total international wicket. His final Test wicket was the wicket of English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, stumped by Adam Gilchrist near the end of Day 3.

In 2007, Cricket Australia and Sri Lanka Cricket decided to name the Australia- Sri Lanka Test cricket series, Warne-Muralidaran Trophy in honour of Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan

Indian Premier League

After his retirement from international cricket, Warne was signed as the captain for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League 2008, leading them to victory in the first season of the competition. Warne is to continue as captain of the Royals in the 2011 season.

Playing style and influence

After an inauspicious start to his Test career, Warne revolutionised cricket thinking with his mastery of leg spin, which many cricket followers had come to regard as a dying art due to its immense difficulty of execution. For all his on-pitch and off-pitch controversies, Warne's place in cricketing posterity has been assured by the fact that he has overturned the domination of cricket by fast bowling that had prevailed for two decades before his debut. Despite the presence of high quality spin bowlers such as the Indian spin quartet of the 1970s or Abdul Qadir on the Test scene, Australia's fast bowlers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson had dominated cricket in the early 1970s. Furthermore, from 1976 until the early 1990s, the West Indies had lost only one (ill-tempered and controversial) Test series with a bowling attack almost exclusively comprising fast bowlers. In the early 1990s, with the West Indies on the wane, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram of Pakistan were assuming the mantle of the world's most feared bowling combination. It was in that context that Warne's tormenting of batsmen became so significant rather than his actual statistics. His humiliation of Mike Gatting and subsequent dominance, in particular, of English and South African batsmen, provided a welcome sight for cricket watchers weary of the relentless intimidation by West Indian bowlers of the 1980s and 1990s. His treatment of South African batsman Daryl Cullinan was such that Cullinan was said to have sought the help of a therapist to overcome Warne's psychological hold.

Warne combined the ability to turn the ball prodigiously, even on unhelpful pitches, with unerring accuracy and a variation of deliveries (notable among these being the flipper) In the latter stages of his career, variation was less evident, despite regular press conferences announcing a "new" delivery for each series he participated in. Gideon Haigh, the Australian journalist, said of Warne upon his retirement: "It was said of Augustus that he found Rome brick and left it marble: the same is true of Warne and spin bowling."

Many of his most spectacular performances have occurred in Ashes series against England In particular, the famous "Gatting Ball", otherwise known as the "Ball of the Century" which spun sharply and bowled a bemused Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes series. Conversely, he has struggled against India, particularly against Sachin Tendulkar: his bowling average against India is 47.18 runs per wicket, compared with his overall average of less than 26. In fairness to Warne, other foreign spinners have also struggled against India in recent years; Warne's contemporary off-spinner rival, Muttiah Muralitharan, for instance, has a much higher bowling average (39.58 as at 2009) in Tests played in India than his overall Test figures.

As well as his Test career Warne has been highly effective bowling in one-day cricket, something few other leg spin bowlers have managed. He also captained Australia on several occasions in One Day Internationals, winning ten matches and losing only one. Warne was instrumental in helping Australia win the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England. His performances in the semifinal against South Africa and in the final against Pakistan helped him get Man of the Match Awards. Warne had intended to retire from ODI cricket at the end of the 2003 World Cup: as it transpired, his last game for Australia was in January 2003. However, he did appear for the ICC World XI for the Tsunami benefit match in 2005.

Warne is also noted for his exuberant (and sometimes effective) lower-order batting, once famously being dismissed for 99 with a reckless shot on what was later shown to be a no ball. In fact, of all Test cricketers Warne has scored the most Test runs without having scored a century, with two scores in the nineties being his best efforts (99 and 91). Warne is also third overall in the most international test ducks. In 2006 Warne and Glenn McGrath reportedly lost a bet of which bowler would be the first to get a Test century with fellow Australian bowler Jason Gillespie after Gillespie scored a record double-century as a nightwatchman against Bangladesh.

Warne has also been a successful slip fielder, and is currently seventh in the list of most catches as a fielder in test cricket.

Controversies

Despite nearly universal recognition of Warne's talents, his reputation with fans and cricket authorities is mixed, owing to a succession of intemperate actions in both his professional and his private life.

Bookmakers

"John" or "John the bookmaker" is the name given to an Indian bookmaker who in 1994–95 gave money to Australian cricketers Mark Waugh and Shane Warne, in return for pitch and weather information. However, the players claim to have refused to divulge more strategic material, such as team tactics and player selection policies. One of the most publicised of a series of betting controversies in cricket in the 1990s, the matter was initially covered-up by the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), who decided that it was sufficient to privately fine the players. The ACB concluded that, since Waugh and Warne had previously accused Pakistani cricket captain Saleem Malik of attempting to bribe them to lose matches, their credibility as witnesses would be damaged if their own involvement with John was publicised. The ACB reported the matter to the International Cricket Council, and there the matter ended.

When the issue was uncovered by the media in late-1998, the two players were widely condemned by the press and public, as was the ACB for their cover-up. Waugh received a hostile reaction from the Australian public when he walked out to bat during a Test match immediately after the news broke. On the other hand, the sports community was generally supportive of the players. The ACB appointed Rob O'Regan QC to conduct an independent inquiry into the matter. O'Regan concluded that the fines were inadequate and wrote that a suspension for a "significant time" would have been a more appropriate penalty. He strongly condemned the players' behaviour and their failure as role models for young fans. O'Regan further added that players needed to be better informed about the dangers of gambling and unauthorised bookmakers.

The controversy prompted Pakistan to ask the two Australian players to appear in front of their own judicial inquiry into corruption; Australia responded by granting the Pakistanis permission to hold hearings in Australia with full privileges. The players were questioned about their accusations against Malik, and whether their dealings with John detracted from their credibility. Both Waugh and Warne denied any suggestions they played with less determination in the matches in question, pointing to the fact that they were among the leading players in the matches that they claimed were subjected to offers of bribery.

Newspaper column

Warne was charged with bringing the game into disrepute in 1999 following his comments about the Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga in a column in The Times, when he was quoted as saying "There is plenty of animosity between Arjuna and myself. I don't like him and I'm not in a club of one." After this incident, the Australian Cricket Board ruled that newspaper columns by players had to be cleared by the team management before going to print.

Outside cricket

Media

On 13 July 2005, Australia's Nine Network announced it would not renew Warne's commentating contract, worth around A$300,000 annually. Warne had previously been seen as a future member of the Nine cricket commentary team, and had done commentary work during his one-year ban from cricket in 2003. He later rejoined Nine in 2008, and was signed by Sky Sports in 2009.

Warne took over from Ally McCoist as a team captain on the BBC television sports quiz ''A Question of Sport'' in September 2007.

In 2010, the Nine Network commissioned a chat show hosted by Warne, entitled ''Warnie''. The program debuted on 24 November 2010, with Warne interviewing James Packer. Celebrities interviewed on the programme included then captain of the Australian cricket team Ricky Ponting, and the singers Chris Martin and Susan Boyle. The program experienced spiralling audience figures and was axed before its final scheduled episode, although the network denied that it had been cancelled due to poor ratings.

Endorsements

In 2005, Shane Warne signed a lucrative multi-year sponsorship deal with Messages On Hold. The irony of Warne promoting On Hold phone messages after weathering the ignominy of several SMS/text messaging scandals was not lost on the spin bowler. Several media sources, and even Messages On Hold’s own promotional materials quote him as saying, “Trust me with this recommendation—I know a thing or two about spin."

Warne also does promotional work for hair-loss-recovery company Advanced Hair. This matter was investigated by the British Advertising Standards Authority in relation to an illegal celebrity endorsement of medical services. In response to the investigation Warne stated "There's only one thing that worries me, and that's hair loss." He also does an ad with commentator Mark Sheridan, which is also pending investigation. They both wear brown in this ad as a protest to the British Advertising Standards Authority.

Warne has also endorsed the Codemaster video games ''Shane Warne Cricket'' and ''Shane Warne Cricket '99''. Outside Australia these were known as ''Brian Lara Cricket'' and ''Brian Lara Cricket '99''.

For the 2007/08 Australian cricket series, Warne took over as Victoria Bitter spokesperson from David Boon in the Boonanza promotion. Warne had a talking figurine as part of the promotion, which continued from the ''"Talking Boony"'' doll.

In January 2008, Warne signed a two year agreement with 888 Poker (owned by 888 Holdings PLC, a public listed company in London) to represent them at poker events around the world including the Aussie Millions, World Series of Poker and the 888 UK Poker Open.

Personal life

Warne was born in Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria to parents Keith and Bridgette, and grew up in Black Rock, Victoria. Shane Warne went to Oakleigh South Primary School for 1 year as well as being Captain of Cricket at Mentone Grammar where he attended High School on a sporting scholarship. He has three children – Brooke, Summer and Jackson with his ex-wife Simone Callahan.

Since retirement, Warne has been doing "work for the Shane Warne Foundation... [which] assists seriously ill and underprivileged children." Since launching in 2004, the charity has distributed £400,000; Warne is organising a poker tournament and a breakfast and "by the end of our summer, we hope to have raised £1.5million."

Marital infidelities

Warne's private life has been beset by scandals and subjected to scrutiny by British tabloid newspapers. He came under criticism for text messaging a woman whilst on tour in South Africa, accused of sending lewd and harassing messages. However, the woman who made the claims was subsequently charged with extortion in her own country.

In 2000, he had been stripped of the Australian vice-captaincy after bombarding a British nurse with erotic text messages. He was also involved in an altercation with some teenage boys who took a photo of him smoking; Warne had accepted a sponsorship of a nicotine patch company in return for quitting smoking.

Further allegations of Warne having extramarital affairs broke in 2005 as Australia began its tour of England in preparation for The Ashes. On 25 June 2005, Warne and his wife Simone Callahan announced that they had decided to separate.

On 7 May 2006, the ''News of the World'' tabloid newspaper published pictures of Warne standing in his underwear with a pair of 25-year-old models, as well as explicit text messages allegedly from Warne.

On 1 April 2007, Warne and his wife were reported to be getting back together. However, in September 2007, Simone returned to Australia from England after her husband had accidentally sent a text message meant for another woman to her phone.

Warne's history of high-profile marital infidelities inspired Australian singer-songwriter Kevin Bloody Wilson's 2003 music video entitled "The Shane Warne Song" as well as lines in Tim Minchin's "Some People Have It Worse Than Me" and "The JLA Song".

On 12 December 2010, following press reports and footage of him and English actress Liz Hurley kissing, Warne announced via his Twitter account that he and Simone had sadly separated a couple of months ago, but only his close friends and family had been informed of this,. Although the relationship with Hurley at first seemed short-lived following the disclosure of Warne texting salacious messages to a married Melbourne businesswoman, the couple created a media frenzy when Ms Hurley later moved in for a short period to Warne's Brighton mansion. The Times of India reported in April, 2011 that Hurley is to travel to India to cheer Shane Warne as the captain of the Rajasthan Royals.

Recognition

He was chosen as one of the five ''Wisden Cricketers of the Year'' for 1994.

In 2000, Warne was named by a 100-member panel of experts as the fourth of five ''Wisden Cricketers of the Century'' Warne received 27 votes, behind Sir Donald Bradman (100 votes), Sir Garfield Sobers (90 votes), and Sir Jack Hobbs (30 votes). Sir Viv Richards took the fifth place, with 25 votes. Warne was the only active cricketer to be placed in the top 10.

Warne is one of the four Australian cricketers to have been named in "Richie Benaud's Greatest XI" in 2004. (Don Bradman, Dennis Lillee and Adam Gilchrist are the others)

In 2005 he was named as winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality for his performance in the 2005 Ashes.

Warne appeared on 6 and 7 July episode of the popular Australian soap Neighbours on behalf of his charitable foundation.

In 2006 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Southampton Solent University for services to cricket.

He is a huge fan of the St Kilda Football Club and played in their 2nds side

Former Australian Test Cricket captain Kim Hughes described Warne as the "Donald Bradman of bowling" following the announcement of Warne's intention to retire.

He is one of four Australian cricketers to have his portrait hang in the Long Room at Lord's Cricket Ground, London; the ground is known as the "home of cricket". The others were Victor Trumper, Sir Donald Bradman and Keith Miller. He is also the only one to have it hanging while he was still playing.

A musical comedy was based on his life: ''Shane Warne: The Musical''.

The Melbourne Cricket Club has decided to honour Warne, by inaugurating a statue of him outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is expected that Warne's statue will be unveiled by the end of 2011.

Test wicket milestones

Batsman Ravi ShastriNasser HussainBrian McMillanAlec StewartChaminda VaasAlec StewartJacques KallisHrishikesh KanitkarAlec StewartAshwell PrinceHashan TillakaratneJames Franklin (cricketer)Marcus TrescothickAshwell PrinceAndrew StraussAndrew Flintoff

Milestone	|	Country	Method	Venue	Year
1 (First)	|	Indian Cricket Team>India	Caught Dean Jones (cricketer)>DM Jones	Sydney Cricket Ground>Sydney	1991/92
50	|	English Cricket Team>England	David Boon>DC Boon	Trent Bridge>Nottingham	1993
100	|	South African Cricket Team>South Africa	Leg Before Wicket>LBW	Adelaide Oval>Adelaide	1993/94
150	|	England	Caught and Bowled	Melbourne Cricket Ground>Melbourne	1994/95
200	|	Sri Lankan Cricket Team>Sri Lanka	Ian Healy>IA Healy	WACA Ground>Perth	1995/96
250	|	England	Bowled	Old Trafford Cricket Ground>Manchester	1997
300	|	South Africa	Bowled	Sydney	1997/98
350	|	India	LBW	Melbourne	1999/2000
400	|	England	Adam Gilchrist>AC Gilchrist	The Oval	2001
450	|	South Africa	Mark Waugh>ME Waugh	Kingsmead cricket ground, Durban>Durban	2002
500	|	Sri Lanka	Andrew Symonds>A Symonds	Galle International Stadium>Galle	2004
550	James Franklin ||	New Zealand Cricket Team>New Zealand	LBW	Adelaide	2004/05
600	|	England	Caught AC Gilchrist	Manchester	2005
650	|	South Africa	LBW	Perth	2005/06
700	|	England	Bowled	Melbourne	2006/07
708 (Last)	|	England	Stumped AC Gilchrist	Sydney	2006/07

See also

Ball of the Century

List of cricket incidents

List of doping cases in sport

References

Notes

Sources

''Shane Warne's Century – My Top 100 Cricketers'' by Shane Warne (Mainstream Publishing, 2008) ISBN

External links

Shane's Poker Blog

Cricinfo Stats Guru: List of Test wickets for Shane Warne

Cricket Australia media release congratulating Warne on 500th wicket

10 photos of milestone wickets in Warne's career

VB Warnie – Summer of Spin

Shane's Official Blog

Category:Australian cricketers Category:Australia One Day International cricketers Category:Australia Test cricketers Category:Australian cricket captains Category:ICC World XI One Day International cricketers Category:Victoria cricketers Category:Hampshire cricketers Category:Hampshire cricket captains Category:People educated at Mentone Grammar School Category:Wisden Cricketers of the Year Category:Cricketers at the 1996 Cricket World Cup Category:Cricketers at the 1999 Cricket World Cup Category:Test cricket hat-trick takers Category:Cricket commentators Category:Doping cases in cricket Category:Australian sportspeople in doping cases Category:Sportspeople from Melbourne Category:Australian people of German descent Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Rajasthan (Indian Premier League) cricketers Category:Indian Premier League coaches Category:Australian people of Cornish descent Category:People from Victoria (Australia) Category:Australian cricket coaches

bn:শেন ওয়ার্ন da:Shane Warne de:Shane Warne fr:Shane Warne ga:Shane Warne hi:शेन वौर्न ml:ഷെയ്ൻ വോൺ mr:शेन वॉर्न no:Shane Warne pl:Shane Warne ta:ஷேன் வோர்ன் te:షేన్ వార్న్