Peter Debye
Born	(1884-03-24)March 24, 1884 Maastricht, Netherlands
Died	November 2, 1966(1966-11-02) (aged 82) Ithaca, New York, USA
Citizenship	Netherlands / United States
Fields	Physics, Chemistry
Institutions	University of Zürich (1911-12) University of Utrecht (1912-14) University of Göttingen (1914-20) ETH Zürich (1920-27) University of Leipzig (1927-34) University of Berlin Cornell University (1940-50)
Alma mater	RWTH Aachen University of Munich
Doctoral advisor	Arnold Sommerfeld
Doctoral students	Lars Onsager Paul Scherrer Raymund Sänger Franz Wever George K. Fraenkel Fritz Zwicky
Known for	Debye model Debye relaxation Debye temperature
Notable awards	Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1936) Priestley Medal (1963) National Medal of Science (1965)

Peter Joseph William Debye FRS^[1] (March 24, 1884 – November 2, 1966) was a Dutch physicist and physical chemist, and Nobel laureate in Chemistry.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Born Petrus Josephus Wilhelmus Debije^[2] in Maastricht, Netherlands, Debye attended the Aachen University of Technology, Rhenish Prussia just 30 km away in 1901. He studied mathematics and classical physics, and, in 1905, received a degree in electrical engineering. In 1907, he published his first paper, a mathematically elegant solution of a problem involving eddy currents. At Aachen, he studied under the theoretical physicist Arnold Sommerfeld, who later claimed that his most important discovery was Peter Debye.

In 1906, Sommerfeld received an appointment at Munich, Bavaria, and took Debye with him as his assistant. Debye got his Ph.D. with a dissertation on radiation pressure in 1908. In 1910, he derived the Planck radiation formula using a method which Max Planck agreed was simpler than his own.

In 1911, when Albert Einstein took an appointment as a professor at Prague, Bohemia, Debye took his old professorship at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. This was followed by moves to Utrecht in 1912, to Göttingen in 1913, to ETH Zurich in 1920, to Leipzig in 1927, and in 1934 to Berlin, where, succeeding Einstein, he became director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics (now named the Max-Planck-Institut) whose facilities were built only during Debye's era. He was awarded the Lorentz Medal in 1935. From 1937 to 1939 he was the president of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.

Family[link]

In 1913, Debye married Mathilde Alberer. They had a son, Peter P. Debye (born 1916), and a daughter, Mathilde Maria (born 1921). Peter became a physicist and collaborated with Debye in some of his researches, and had a son who was also a chemist.^[3]

Scientific contributions[link]

His first major scientific contribution was the application of the concept of dipole moment to the charge distribution in asymmetric molecules in 1912, developing equations relating dipole moments to temperature and dielectric constant. In consequence, the units of molecular dipole moments are termed debyes in his honor. Also in 1912, he extended Albert Einstein's theory of specific heat to lower temperatures by including contributions from low-frequency phonons. See Debye model.

In 1913, he extended Niels Bohr's theory of atomic structure, introducing elliptical orbits, a concept also introduced by Arnold Sommerfeld. In 1914-1915, Deybe calculated the effect of temperature on X-ray diffraction patterns of Crystal crystalline solids with Paul Scherrer (the "Debye–Waller factor"). In 1923, together with his assistant Erich Hückel, he developed an improvement of Svante Arrhenius' theory of electrical conductivity in electrolytic solutions. Although an improvement was made to the Debye-Hückel equation in 1926 by Lars Onsager, the theory is still regarded as a major forward step in our understanding of electrolytic solutions. Also in 1923, Debye developed a theory to explain the Compton effect, the shifting of the frequency of X-rays when they interact with electrons.

Later work[link]

From 1934 to 1939 Debye was director of the physics section of the prestigious Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin. From 1936 onwards he was also professor of Theoretical Physics at the Frederick William University of Berlin. These positions were held during the years that Adolf Hitler ruled Nazi Germany and, from 1938 onward, also over Austria.

In 1939 Debye traveled to the United States of America to deliver the Baker Lectures at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. After leaving Germany in early 1940, Debye became a professor at Cornell, chaired the chemistry department for 10 years, and became a member of Alpha Chi Sigma. In 1946 he became an American citizen. Unlike the European phase of his life, where he moved from city to city every few years, in the United States Debye remained at Cornell for the remainder of his career. He retired in 1952, but continued research until his death.

Much of Debye's work at Cornell concerned the use of light-scattering techniques (derived from his X-ray scattering work of years earlier) to determine the size and molecular weight of polymer molecules. This started as a result of his research during World War II on synthetic rubber, but was extended to proteins and other macromolecules.

In April 1966, Debye suffered a heart attack, and in November of that year a second one proved fatal. He is buried in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery (Ithaca, New York, USA).^[4][5]

War activities and controversies[link]

2006 controversy[link]

In January 2006, a book (in Dutch) appeared in The Netherlands, written by Sybe Rispens, entitled Einstein in the Netherlands.^[6] One chapter of this book treats the relationship between Einstein and Debye. Rispens discovered documents that, as he believed, were new and proved that, during his directorship of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, Debye was actively involved in cleansing German science institutions of Jewish and other "non-Aryan elements". Rispens records that on December 9, 1938, Debye wrote in his capacity as chairman of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG) to all the members of the DPG:

In light of the current situation, membership by German Jews as stipulated by the Nuremberg laws, of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft cannot be continued. According to the wishes of the board, I ask of all members to whom these definitions apply to report to me their resignation. Heil Hitler!

Many biographies^[7][1][8] published before Rispens' work, state that Debye moved to the US because he refused to accept German citizenship forced on to him by the Nazis. He planned his departure from Germany during a visit with his mother in Maastricht in late 1939, boarded a ship in Genoa in January 1940 and arrived in New York in early February 1940. He immediately sought a permanent position in the US and accepted such an offer from Cornell in June 1940. That month, he crossed the US border into Canada and returned within days on an immigration visa. He was able to get his wife out of Germany and to the US by December 1940. Although his son already was in the US before he departed, Peter Debye's 19 year old daughter and his sister-in-law did not leave. They lived in his official residence in Berlin and were supported by Debye's official Berlin wages (he carefully maintained an official leave of absence for this purpose).

Further, Rispens^[6] alleges that Albert Einstein in the first half of 1940 actively tried to prevent Debye from being appointed in the United States at Cornell. Einstein allegedly wrote to his American colleagues: "I know from a reliable source that Peter Debye is still in close contact with the German (Nazi) leaders" and, according to Rispens, called upon his colleagues to do "what they consider their duty as American citizens". To support this, Rispens refers to a well-known letter from Debye to Einstein and Einstein's response to it. Van Ginkel^[9] investigated 1940 FBI reports on this matter and traced the "reliable source" to a single letter directed to Einstein and written by someone whose name is lost. This person was not known personally to Einstein and, according to Einstein, probably did not know Debye personally either. Moreover, this accusatory letter did not reach Einstein directly but was intercepted by British censors who showed it to Einstein. Einstein sent the British agent with the letter to Cornell, and the Cornell authorities told Debye about the affair. Thereupon Debye wrote his well-known 1940 letter to Einstein to which Einstein answered. The latter two letters can be found in the published Einstein correspondence.

Rispens alleges that Debye sent a telegram to Berlin on 23 June 1941 informing his previous employers that he was able and willing to resume his responsibilities at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut, presumably in order to maintain his leave of absence and keep the Berlin house and wages available for his daughter. A copy of this telegram has not been recovered thus far. In summer 1941, Debye filed his intent to become a US citizen and was quickly recruited in the US to participate in the Allied War research.

It has been well documented in many biographies, and also in Rispens' book, that Debye and Dutch colleagues helped his Jewish colleague Lise Meitner in 1938-1939 (at great risk to himself and his family^[10][11]) cross the Dutch-German border to escape Nazi persecution and eventually obtain a position in Sweden.

Predating Rispens' work, and in contrast to it, an article by Rechenberg^[12] appeared 18 years earlier concerning Debye's letter. The article describes Debye's missive in more detail and presents a very favorable picture of Debye in his efforts to resist the Nazi activists. Moreover, this article points out that Max von Laue, well known for his anti-Nazi views, gave his approval to the letter from the DPG chairman.

International response[link]

Debye's son, Peter P. Debye, interviewed in 2006 at age 89^[13] recollects that his father was completely apolitical and that in the privacy of their home politics were never discussed. According to his son, Debye just wanted to do his job at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute and as long as the Nazis did not bother him was able to do so. He recalls that his mother urged him (the son) to stay in the US in the event of war. Debye's son had come to the US on a planned 2-month vacation during the summer of 1939 and never returned to Germany because war did, indeed, break out.

Rispens' accusations were considered harmful enough by the Board of Directors of the University of Utrecht that they announced on February 16, 2006 a name change for the Debye Institute. This was done after consultation with NIOD.^[14]

In an opinion article published on the Debye Institute website, Dr. Gijs van Ginkel, until April 2007 Senior Managing Director of the VM Debye Instituut in Utrecht^[15] deplored this decision. In his article he cites scholars who point out that the DPG was able to retain their threatened staff as long as could be expected under increasing pressure from the Nazis. He also puts forward the important argument that when Debye in 1950 received the Max Planck medal of the DPG, nobody objected, not even the known opponent of the national socialists Max von Laue, who would have been in a position to object. Also Einstein, with his enormous prestige, was still alive, as were other Jewish scientists such as Lise Meitner and James Franck who both knew Debye intimately. None of them protested against Debye's receiving the highest German scientific distinction. In fact, Albert Einstein, after many years of not participating in the voting for the Max Planck Medal nominees, joined the process again to vote for Debye.

Maastricht University also announced that it was reconsidering its position on the Peter Debye Prijs voor natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek (Peter Debye Prize for scientific research) ^[16]

In a reply on the DPG website,^[17] Dieter Hoffmann and Mark Walker also conclude that Debye was not a Nazi activist. They remark that Max von Laue also was required and obliged (as a civil servant) to sign letters with Heil Hitler. They also state that the DPG was one of the last scientific societies to purge the Jewish members and only very reluctantly. They quote the response of the Reich University Teachers League (a National Socialist organization) to the Debye letter:

Obviously the German Physical Society is still very backward and still clings tightly to their dear Jews. It is in fact remarkable that only "because of circumstances beyond our control" the membership of Jews can no longer be maintained

In May 2006,^[18] the Dutch Nobel Prize winner Martinus Veltman who had written the foreword to the Rispen book, renounced the book's description of Peter Debye, withdrew his foreword, and asked the Board of Directors of Utrecht University to rescind their decision to rename the Debye Institute.

Various historical investigations, both in The Netherlands and in the US, have been carried out subsequent to the actions of the University of Maastricht. The earliest of these investigations, carried out by the Cornell University's department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology is now complete. The report^[19] of the Cornell investigation, released on 31 May 2006, states that:

Based on the information to-date, we have not found evidence supporting the accusations that Debye was a Nazi sympathizer or collaborator or that he held anti-Semitic views. It is important that this be stated clearly since these are the most serious allegations.

It goes on to declare:

Thus, based on the information, evidence and historical record known to date, we believe that any action that dissociates Debye's name from the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell is unwarranted.

In June 2006, it was reported^[20][21] that the scientific director of the (formerly) Debye Institute had been reprimanded by the Board of Directors of the University of Utrecht for a new publication on Debye's war years on the grounds that it was too personally biased with respect to the Institute's naming dispute. According to the board, the book should have been published not as a Debye Institute publication, but as a personal one. The book^[9] was banned by the University of Utrecht and both Directors of the (former) Debye Institute were forbidden to have any further contact with the press. A dozen professors of the Physics Faculty, amongst whom Cees Andriesse, openly protested against the interventions of the Board and the censorship of their protest by the university.^[22]

In May 2007, the universities of Utrecht and Maastricht announced that a new committee headed by Jan Terlouw would advise them regarding the name change. Also, in the beginning of 2007 an official report was announced, to be published by the NIOD and authorized by the Dutch Education Ministry (then scheduled for fall 2007).^[23]

2007 NIOD report[link]

The report describes Rispens' presentation of Debye, as an opportunist who had no objection to the Nazis, as a caricature.

it can be stated that Debye was rightly called an opportunist after his arrival in the United States. We have seen that he showed himself to be loyal to the dominant political system, first in the Third Reich and then in the United States, while at the same time keeping the back door open: in the Third Reich by retaining his Dutch nationality, in the United States by attempting to secretly maintain some contacts with Nazi Germany via the Foreign Office.

It concludes that Debye's actions in 1933-45 were based on the nineteenth-century positivist view of science which saw research in physics as generating blessings for humankind. The report states that, by his contemporaries, Debye was considered an opportunist by some and as a man of highest character by others. The report asserts that Debye was not coerced by the Nazis into writing the infamous DPG Heil Hitler letter and that he also did not follow the lead of other societies in doing so but, rather, other societies followed his lead.^[24] The NIOD report also concludes that Debye felt obliged to send the letter and that it was, for him, simply a confirmation of an existing situation. The report argues that Debye, in the Third Reich, developed a survival method of ambiguity which allowed him to pursue his scientific career despite the political turmoil. Crucial to this survival method was the need to keep ready an escape hatch, for example in his secret dealings with the Nazis in 1941, if needed.

Yet, the report also states that the picture of Debye should not be oversimplified as Debyes actions were also motivated by his loyalty to his daughter, who had remained in Berlin. In general, Debye developed a survival method of ambiguity, that "could pull the wool over people's eyes" ^[25]

2008 Terlouw report[link]

In January 2008 the Terlouw Commission advised the Boards of Utrecht and Maastricht Universities to continue to use Peter Debye’s name for the chemistry and physics institute in Utrecht, and to continue awarding the science prize in Maastricht.^[26] The Commission concluded that Debye was not a party member, was not an anti-semite, did not further Nazi propaganda, did not cooperate with the Nazi war machine, was not a collaborator, and yet also was not a resistance hero. He was a rather pragmatic, flexible, and brilliant scientist, idealistic with respect to the pursuit of science, but only superficially oriented in politics. With respect to sending out the DPG letter, the Commission concluded that Debye found the situation inescapable. The Commission pointed out that the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences also took away Albert Einstein's honorary membership, emphasizing the circumstances in which these decisions had be taken. The Commission stated that now, seventy years later, no judgment can be made concerning the decision of Debye to sign this letter in the exceptionally difficult circumstances in which he then found himself. Nevertheless, the Commission describes the DPG letter as an extraordinarily unpleasant fact, forming a dark page in his life history. Finally, the Commission concluded that based on the NIOD report since no bad faith on Debye’s part has been demonstrated, his good faith must be assumed and recommended that the University of Utrecht retain the name of the Debye Institute of NanoMaterials Science and that the University of Maastricht continue to associate itself with the Peter Debye Prize. Utrecht University accepted the recommendation, Maastricht University did not. But in February 2008, the Hustinx Foundation (Maastricht), originator and sponsor of the Peter Debye Prize, announced that it will continue to have the prize awarded. The City of Maastricht, Debye's birthplace, declared that it sees no reason to change the names of Debye Street and Debye Square.

Debye the spy[link]

In a 2010 publication Jurrie Reiding asserts that Debye may have been an MI6 spy ^[27][28] Reiding discovered that Debye was befriended with the well-documented spy Paul Rosbaud. They first met around 1930 when they were both working as editors for two scientific journals. They collaborated in the escape of Lise Meitner in 1938. According to Reiding Debye was well connected in German scientific and industrial circles and could have provided MI6 with valuable information. For example as board member of the German Academy for Aviation Research he was acquainted with Hermann Goering. Reiding also offers an explanation for Debye's hasty departure on 16 January 1940 for the United States: the date coincided with the planned (but later delayed) German invasion of the Netherlands a day later, information possibly passed on to him by Rosbaud.

Awards and honors[link]

• 1930 - Rumford Medal for work relating to specific heats and X-ray spectroscopy
• 1937 - Franklin Medal from The Franklin Institute.
• 1936 - Nobel Prize in Chemistry (entry at nobelprize.org) "for his contributions to the study of molecular structure," primarily referring to his work on dipole moments and X-ray diffraction
• 1963 - Priestley Medal
• 1965 - National Medal of Science^[29]

Legacy[link]

• Debye shielding - In plasmas, semiconductors and electrolytes, the process by which a fixed electric charge is shielded by redistributing mobile charged particles around it.
• Debye length - The typical distance in a plasma required for full Debye shielding.
• Debye model - A model of the heat capacity of solids as a function of temperature
• Debye - a unit of electric dipole moment
• Debye relaxation - The dielectric relaxation response of an ideal, noninteracting population of dipoles to an alternating external electric field.
• Debye sheath - The non-neutral layer, several Debye lengths thick, where a plasma contacts a material surface.
• Debye-Hückel equation - A method of calculating activity coefficients
• Debye function - A function used in the calculation of heat capacity.
• Debye-Scherrer method - A technique used in x-ray powder diffraction.
• Debye-Waller factor - A measure of disorder in a crystal lattice.
• 30852 Debye - A minor planet (originally named 1991 TR6).
• Lorenz-Mie-Debye theory Theory of light scattering by a spherical particle.
• Debye (crater) - A lunar crater located on the far side and in the northern hemisphere of the moon.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Peter Debye

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Peter Debye

• Debye Biography - Institute of Chemistry, Hebrew University
• Debye Biography - Nobel Prize
• Debye Biography - NNDB
• Debye Biography - IUCR
• Museum Boerhaave Negen Nederlandse Nobelprijswinnaars
• Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG)
• Kennislink
• Dr. Rispens research
• Debye Institute
• Oral History interview transcript with Peter Debye 3 & 4 May 1962, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives

The Miz
The Miz as WWE champion
Ring name(s)	Calgary Kid[1][2] The Miz Mike "The Miz" Mizanin
Billed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Billed weight	221 lb (100 kg)[3]
Born	(1980-10-08) October 8, 1980 (age 31)[4] Parma, Ohio[4][5]
Resides	Los Angeles, California[4]
Billed from	Calgary, Alberta, Canada Cleveland, Ohio[3]
Trained by	UPW staff Al Snow Bill DeMott
Debut	2003[4]
Website	http://themiz.net/

Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) ^[4] is an American professional wrestler, reality television star, media personality, and actor better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand. Mizanin first gained fame as a cast member on MTV's The Real World: Back to New York, which first aired in 2001, and its spinoff series, Real World/Road Rules Challenge. He later entered the fourth season of Tough Enough, a televised competition that would award the winner a WWE contract, and became the first runner-up. Mizanin has also made appearances on television shows including Battle of the Network Reality Stars, Fear Factor, Identity, Ghost Hunters, Dinner Impossible, Psych and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.

Mizanin trained and wrestled with Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling, where he became the first Deep South Heavyweight Champion. Mizanin was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), working in tag team matches and winning the tag team title, the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, on one occasion.

After signing with WWE, Mizanin became host of the annual WWE Diva Search competition in 2006. Following his hosting duties, Mizanin made his wrestling debut in September 2006, as a villain who went undefeated. In 2007, was drafted from SmackDown to the ECW brand, where he formed a partnership with John Morrison, in which the two held both the WWE Tag Team Championship and the World Tag Team Championship. He was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2009 WWE Draft, and won the WWE United States Championship on two occasions. He also won WWE Unified Tag Team Championship with The Big Show and the WWE Tag Team Championship with John Cena. In July 2010, he won a Money in the Bank ladder match at the first WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view, earning a contract for a WWE Championship match, which he used in November to win the WWE Championship for the first time. In 2011, The Miz was ranked number one on Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual PWI 500 list.

Early life[link]

Mizanin, a native of Parma, Ohio, attended Normandy High School, where he was the captain of the basketball and cross country teams.^[4][5] He also participated in swimming, the student government and was the editor of his high school yearbook.^[4] He then attended Miami University, where he was a member of the Theta Chi Fraternity, and studied business at the Richard T. Farmer School of Business.^[4][5][6]

Television career[link]

Mizanin dropped out of college, where he was pursuing a degree in business, in order to appear on the tenth season of MTV's reality television program The Real World in 2001.^[7][8] He went on to appear in multiple seasons of its spin-off series, Real World/Road Rules Challenge,^[8] along with contestants from both Road Rules and The Real World, including Battle of the Seasons,^[9] The Gauntlet,^[10] The Inferno,^[10] Battle of the Sexes 2,^[11] and The Inferno 2.^[12] Except for Battle of the Sexes 2, Mizanin made it to the end of the rest of the Challenges on which he competed, and won both Battle of the Seasons and The Inferno 2.

After a seven year long absence from The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, Mizanin returned to the reality show on April 4, 2012 as the host of The Battle of the Exes season finale Reunion special. It marked the first time The Miz appeared on the series since becoming a main event WWE superstar.^[13]

It was during an episode of The Real World that Mizanin first displayed an alter ego known as "The Miz".^[4] In contrast to Mizanin's usually placid demeanor, The Miz was angry, combative, and headstrong. Mizanin later realized that "The Miz" would make an excellent professional wrestling gimmick.^[4]

In 2004, he appeared on the Bravo reality show Battle of the Network Reality Stars,^[8][14] where his team finished second. Mizanin was also a contestant in the "Reality Stars" episode of Fear Factor.^[8][15] His partner was his former girlfriend and cast mate, Trishelle Cannatella, and the two won the competition. In April 2007, he appeared on the game show Identity, where he appeared as a stranger, and contestant John Kim correctly identified his identity as a professional wrestler by the odd way he added "Miz-" before most words.^[16] In 2008, Mizanin appeared on the Sci Fi reality series Ghost Hunters Live as a guest investigator.^[17] In 2009, Mizanin appeared on two episodes of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, which were both aired on September 29.^[18][19] He appeared on an episode of Destroy Build Destroy on March 3, 2010.^[20][21] On October 5, 2011, Miz starred in an episode of H8R. He also appeared as a guest star in a March 2012 episode of Psych. On March 31, Miz appeared in the first ever Slime Wrestling World Championship at the Kids Choice Awards, losing to the Big Show which resulted in him being thrown into a tub of slime.

Professional wrestling career[link]

Ultimate Pro Wrestling (2003)[link]

Pursuing the goal of becoming a professional wrestler which he had harbored from an early age, Mizanin joined Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW), where he trained in the Ultimate University.^[4] He made his in-ring debut in 2003 as the Miz.^[4] During his time with UPW, the Miz competed in UPW's Mat War's tournament, making it to the finals before losing to Tony Stradlin.^[4]

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE[link]

[edit] Tough Enough and training (2004–2006)

The Miz in 2005

In October 2004, Mizanin entered the fourth season of Tough Enough, a televised competition which would award the winner a World Wrestling Entertainment contract and $1,000,000.^[4][22] Despite coming last in an arm wrestling tournament on November 25, 2004, Mizanin outlasted six other wrestlers, and made it to the final round.^[6] At the pay-per-view event, Armageddon, Mizanin faced the other remaining entrant, Daniel Puder, in a three round "Dixie Dogfight" (boxing match). Neither man achieved a knockout, and the contest was awarded to Puder on the basis of crowd reaction.^[23] On the December 16, 2004 episode of SmackDown!, Puder was announced as the winner of Tough Enough by head trainer Al Snow.^[24]

Despite losing the Tough Enough contest, Mizanin had piqued the interest of WWE, and he was eventually offered a developmental contract.^[4] Mizanin was sent to Deep South Wrestling (DSW) to train under Bill DeMott,^[4] relocating to McDonough, Georgia in the process. In July 2005, he wrestled two dark matches for WWE, teaming with former Tough Enough champion Matt Cappotelli to face The Highlanders (Robbie and Rory McAllister). On December 1, 2005, Mizanin defeated Mike Knox in the finals of a tournament to determine the inaugural Deep South Heavyweight Champion.^[4][25] He continued his partnership with Matt Cappotelli throughout the second half of 2005 in WWE dark matches and house shows until Cappotelli, nominally of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), was diagnosed with a brain tumor after an injury at a taping in December 2005.^[26]

On January 3, 2006, it was reported that Mizanin had been transferred to OVW. On the January 18, 2006, OVW TV show, Mizanin made his debut as "The Miz", with a Miz TV segment, where he was shown talking backstage.^[4] On the January 28, 2006 episode of the OVW television show, The Miz wrestled his first singles match against Rene Dupree, but lost by countout.^[27]

At the February 8, 2006 TV taping, The Miz and Chris Cage captured the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, defeating Chet the Jett and Seth Skyfire.^[4][28] In what was deemed a "disciplinary move", WWE released Cage over the weekend of March 18, 2006, making it necessary for Miz and Cage to drop the titles.^[29] On March 19, 2006, Deuce Shade defeated The Miz in a singles contest to win the championship for his team The Untouchables (Deuce Shade and Domino).^[4][30]

SmackDown! host (2006–2007)[link]

On March 7, 2006, WWE's official website featured a video of "The Miz" stating that he was headed to SmackDown! and throughout April, SmackDown! aired vignettes hyping his debut.^[4][31] When Mizanin actually attempted to make his debut on the April 21, 2006 episode of SmackDown!, however, he was, in storyline banned from entering the arena by "network executive" Palmer Cannon who told him that he had been "canceled" before having security escort him from the premises.^[32]

The Miz standing on the apron at an ECW/SmackDown live show

On May 31, 2006, WWE's official website announced that he would serve as SmackDown!'s "host".^[33] The Miz debuted as the "host" on June 2, 2006,^[34] announcing the planned card at the top of the show and attempting to hype up the crowd. Other "host" duties included backstage interviews and hosting a bikini contest. The hosting duties seemed sporadic at best, with some weeks having little to no involvement of Miz at all. Starting in July, Miz, along with Ashley Massaro, became host of the annual Diva Search competition appearing on both Raw and SmackDown!.^[35][36][37]

After the end of the Diva Search competition, The Miz returned exclusively to SmackDown! and adopted a villainous persona, starting his in-ring competition with a win over Tatanka in a September 2006 episode of SmackDown!.^[38] After this win he, along with commentator Michael Cole, began to note whenever possible that he was "undefeated", though he only wrestled five matches over the next two months, defeating such superstars as Matt Hardy,^[39] Funaki,^[40] and Scotty 2 Hotty.^[41] At the same time he began a feud with Diva Search winner Layla El, who spurned his advances on more than one occasion,^[42][43] leading to Miz helping Kristal defeat her in various competitions.^[44][45] Soon, however, Miz and Kristal found themselves being stalked by The Boogeyman. This began a feud in which the Boogeyman ended the Miz's winning streak at December's Armageddon event.^[46]

Following a brief absence from television, The Miz returned to SmackDown! to host an interview segment called Miz TV.^[47] After the unsuccessful segment, the Miz returned to in-ring competition with a more intense style and began to pick up wins once again.^[48][49] On the June 11, 2007 episode of Raw, Mizanin faced off against Snitsky in a match to determine a draft pick for SmackDown!.^[50] Snitsky easily defeated the Miz to give ECW the draft pick, but after constantly assaulting the Miz after the match, the referee reversed the decision and awarded the match to Miz, thus allowing SmackDown! a draft pick.^[51] SmackDown!'s pick was then revealed to be Chris Masters.^[51]

ECW and teaming with John Morrison (2007–2009)[link]

Miz was drafted from SmackDown! to ECW on June 17, 2007 as part of the 2007 Supplemental Draft.^[52] He was absent from the first few weeks of ECW, though he was the subject of backstage mentions between matches and had several short Miz TV Crashes ECW video segments.^[53][54] He made his debut on the July 10 episode of ECW in a match against Nunzio, which he won.^[55]

Following this match, Extreme Exposé began expressing admiration in him and gave him a lap-dance, starting a new gimmick for him of a self-proclaimed "chick magnet".^[56] Extreme Exposé then became managers for The Miz.^[57] He then began a feud with Balls Mahoney, after Kelly Kelly began to fall in love with Mahoney on screen.^[58][59][60] On the October 2 episode of ECW, it was revealed that Miz owned the contracts of Kelly Kelly, Layla, and Brooke Adams, and used this excuse to stop Kelly from going out with Mahoney.^[61] He was voted at Cyber Sunday to face CM Punk, for the ECW Championship but lost the match.^[62]

Miz (left) and John Morrison as World Tag Team Champions.

On the November 16 episode of SmackDown, he became one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with John Morrison when they defeated Matt Hardy and Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) in a title match, which gave the Miz his first title within the company.^[63][64]

In February 2008, Miz and Morrison were given a streaming segment on the WWE website named The Dirt Sheet in which they mocked other wrestlers and facets of pop culture, showing off their promo skills.^[65] Morrison and The Miz co-wrote each episode of The Dirt Sheet each week.^[66] As the duo continued to hold the titles, WWE downplayed the angle of Miz and Morrison disliking each other, and portrayed them as friends. The team had many successful title defenses over the next few months, before dropping the championship to Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder at the Great American Bash in a Fatal Four-Way match which also featured Jesse and Festus and Finlay and Hornswoggle.^[67] Neither Miz nor Morrison were pinned, as Hawkins pinned Jesse to win the titles.^[67] Miz and Morrison soon followed a feud with Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard and JTG) as a battle of their webshows, "Word Up" and "The Dirt Sheet". The two would be victorious against Cryme Tyme in a match at Cyber Sunday where they were voted in.^[68] On December 13, 2008, Miz and Morrison defeated Kofi Kingston and CM Punk to win the World Tag Team Championship during a WWE house show in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.^[69] The team then engaged themselves in a feud with The Colóns (Carlito and Primo). In a dark match at WrestleMania XXV, they lost the World Tag Team Championship to The Colóns in a Lumberjack match to unify the World Tag Team and the WWE Tag Team titles.^[70] On the April 13 episode of Raw, The Miz lost a match to Kofi Kingston due to Morrison's inadvertent interference, which gave Raw a draft pick in the 2009 WWE Draft. The pick was then revealed to be The Miz, and he subsequently attacked Morrison, ending their partnership.^[71]

United States and WWE Champion (2009–2011)[link]

The Miz during his feud with John Cena in 2009.

Miz challenged John Cena to a match on the April 27 episode of Raw, but as Cena was out due to injury, Miz claimed an unofficial win via forfeit and continued to do this over the following weeks, until Cena defeated him in a singles match at The Bash.^[72] On the August 3 episode of Raw, The Miz lost a match to Cena, which meant that, in storyline, he was banned from the Staples Center, Raw and SummerSlam.^[73] The following week, on August 10, Miz competed under a mask as "The Calgary Kid", and won a Contract on Pole match against Eugene, earning a contract in storyline, and revealing himself by removing his mask afterwards.^[74] After removing the mask to reveal himself. he cut a promo and debut his catchphrase "Because I am The Miz and I'm Awesome."

On the August 19 edition of Raw, The Miz announced his intention to challenge for the WWE United States Championship, and also debuted new ring attire and a new finishing move, the Skull Crushing Finale, to defeat Evan Bourne.^[1][5] He challenged for the United States Championship at the Night of Champions, Breaking Point and Hell in a Cell pay-per-views, but was unsuccessful.^[75][76][77] On the October 5 episode of Raw, the night after Hell in a Cell, The Miz received a rematch for the championship, and defeated Kofi Kingston to win the United States Championship and his first singles championship in WWE.^[78][79] The following pay-per-view event, Bragging Rights, was themed with interpromotional matches and now that The Miz was the second-tier champion on Raw he was booked against SmackDown's Intercontinental Champion, his erstwhile tag team partner John Morrison.^[80] In the build up to their first match since splitting, the two hosted a one-off edition of The Dirt Sheet on the October 16 episode of SmackDown where the two compared themselves to '80s tag team The Rockers, debating over which is more comparable to the successful Shawn Michaels and which was the less successful Marty Jannetty.^[81] At Bragging Rights, Miz pinned Morrison to become the only member of the Raw roster to win an interpromotional match.^[82] The following month at Survivor Series, Miz captained a team of five wrestlers against Team Morrison in a five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match and once again bested his former partner.^[83]

ShoMiz (The Miz and The Big Show) as the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions at WrestleMania XXVI.

In 2010, The Miz began a rivalry with MVP that began with a critically well-received verbal exchange between the two.^[84] The two met in an unadvertised match for the United States Championship at the Royal Rumble event with Miz retaining his title, but in the Royal Rumble match itself MVP eliminated both himself and The Miz.^[85] During the rivalry with MVP, Miz began showing signs of an allegiance with The Big Show and on the February 8 episode of Raw, the two defeated champions D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) and The Straight Edge Society (CM Punk and Luke Gallows) to become the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions.^[86][87][88]

On February 16, it was announced that he would be on the WWE NXT show as the storyline mentor of Daniel Bryan.^[89] At WrestleMania XXVI, Show and Miz defeated John Morrison and R-Truth to retain the title again.^[90] During the 2010 WWE Draft on the April 26 episode of Raw, ShoMiz lost the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship to The Hart Dynasty when Tyson Kidd made The Miz submit to the Sharpshooter. After the match, The Big Show knocked out The Miz, and was later drafted to the SmackDown brand, leaving The Miz on Raw.^[91] On May 10, Kidd defeated The Miz in a match, which earned any member of The Hart Dynasty a match for the United States Championship, and The Miz, who was allowed to choose his opponent, elected to face Bret Hart.^[92] On the following episode of Raw on May 17, Hart defeated The Miz to win the United States Championship, despite Chris Jericho, William Regal, and Vladimir Kozlov attempting to interfere on The Miz's behalf.^[93] The Miz had a tumultuous relationship with Bryan, who was eliminated from NXT on May 11, although he returned the following week to attack The Miz.^[94][95]

On June 1, The Miz announced that he would be returning as a Pro for the second season of NXT, to mentor Alex Riley, the only Pro to do so.^[96][97] On the June 14 episode of Raw, The Miz defeated R-Truth, John Morrison, and Zack Ryder in a fatal four-way match to win the United States Championship for the second time, and successfully retained the championship against R-Truth at the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view.^{[98][99][100]}

The Miz as the United States Champion and Money in the Bank holder in August 2010.

On July 18, at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, The Miz won a Money in the Bank ladder match to win a contract for a WWE Championship match that he could utilize at any time over the next year.^[101] Over the next few weeks, The Miz attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on the WWE Champion Sheamus, but was continually interrupted by other wrestlers before the matches could occur, which meant that he retained the contract for future use.^[102][103] Daniel Bryan returned to WWE at SummerSlam, taking The Miz's place on Team WWE, causing The Miz to attack him.^[104] This began a rivalry between the two, with The Miz losing the United States Championship to Bryan at the Night of Champions event in September.^[105] The following month, Miz defeated John Cena to become the captain of Team Raw, but at the Bragging Rights pay-per-view Team Raw—The Miz (with Alex Riley), R-Truth, John Morrison, Santino Marella, Sheamus, CM Punk, and Ezekiel Jackson—were unsuccessful in defeating Team SmackDown.^[106]

On the November 22 episode of Raw, following a successful WWE Championship defense by Randy Orton against Wade Barrett, he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to become the new WWE Champion making him the first person from Tough Enough to win the WWE Championship.^[107][108] He successfully defended the championship against Jerry Lawler in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match on the following episode of Raw, due to help from Michael Cole and Riley, and again at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view in December by defeating Orton in a Tables match following interference from Alex Riley.^[109][110] He defeated Orton again at the Royal Rumble, after interference from CM Punk, in January 2011 and Lawler the following month at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view to retain the championship.^[111][112]

The night after Elimination Chamber, The Miz and John Cena were paired together by the Raw General Manager to challenge The Corre (Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater) for the WWE Tag Team Championship. The Miz and Cena were successful in winning the titles (making Miz a double champion and seemingly turning him into a tweener), but lost them back to Corre immediately afterward in a rematch, after The Miz turned on Cena.^[113][114] This made their reign the shortest in the championship's history.^[115] The following week, The Miz lost Riley as his apprentice after Cena defeated Riley in a steel cage match with the stipulation that if Cena won, Riley was fired from his job, but The Miz hired Riley back, this time as his VP of Corporate Communications, in mid-March.^[116][117] On April 3 in the main event of WrestleMania XXVII, The Miz successfully defended the WWE Championship against Cena, following interference from The Rock.^[118] At the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on May 1, The Miz lost the WWE Championship to Cena, in a triple threat steel cage match, also involving Morrison.^[119] The following night on Raw, The Miz failed to regain the championship from Cena in a singles match when he lost by disqualification, and failed to regain the championship again in an "I Quit" match at Over the Limit .^[120][121]

On the May 23 episode of Raw, The Miz fired Riley, blaming him for not being able to regain the championship because of Riley not being present at the Extreme Rules PPV when Miz lost the title, the following night on Raw when Riley held up the arm that Miz was holding the belt with leading to his disqualification and at the Over the Limit PPV when he left his phone behind that he used to trick the referee into thinking that Cena had said "I Quit". This led to Riley attacking his former mentor, sending him crashing into a barricade at ringside and then head first over the announce table which turned Riley a fan favorite for the first time in WWE. On the May 30 episode of Raw, The Miz assaulted Riley after an interview from Michael Cole, but Riley gained the upper hand and Miz escaped through the crowd. At Capitol Punishment, Riley defeated Miz in a singles-match. He went on to lose to Riley in various singles and tag team matches. It was later announced that Miz would be a participant in the Raw's Money in the Bank ladder match at Money in the Bank, though he was unsuccessful in winning the match following a knee injury kayfabe and then returning but stopped from claiming the briefcase by Rey Mysterio. The following night on Raw Miz made it to the finals of the WWE Championship tournament defeating his former NXT rookie, Alex Riley in the first round. The following week on Raw Miz would be defeated by Rey Mysterio.^[122] At Summerslam,The Miz teamed up with R-Truth and Alberto Del Rio in a losing effort to Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston and John Morrison.^[123]

Awesome Truth (2011)[link]

Miz with R-Truth (right) as Awesome Truth in November 2011.

On the August 22 episode of Raw, Miz and R-Truth attacked Santino Marella before his match. They would then cut a promo agreeing there was a conspiracy in the WWE keeping the both of them out of the main event picture, and declared they would, together, seize any opportunity that came their way in the future.^[124] The duo would soon begin referring to themselves, on Raw and in other media, as "The Awesome Truth".^[125][126] On the August 29 episode of Raw, Truth interfered in Miz's match and the duo attacked CM Punk. The following week, Miz and Truth announced that they would challenge Air Boom (Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston) to a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Night of Champions. At the pay-per-view, following the referee being distracted while The Miz was attempting a pin, Miz would assault the referee , causing his team to lose by disqualification.^[127] Seeking retribution, Miz and Truth later attacked both Triple H and CM Punk during their no disqualification match in the main event.^[128] Because of their actions from the previous night, R-Truth and The Miz were fired by Triple H on the September 19 episode of Raw.^[129][130] At the conclusion of the main event match at Hell in a Cell, R-Truth and The Miz jumped the barricade wearing black hooded sweatshirts and entered the cell as it was being raised. They then used weapons to attack Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk, John Cena, the Referee and camera men while the cell was again lowered. After this, the entire WWE roster led by Triple H came out to find a way into the cell, before New Orleans Police Department officers were able to get the door open and arrest them. The two later posted a video on YouTube apologizing to the WWE Universe for their actions.^[131] The Miz and R-Truth were reinstated by John Laurinaitis on the October 10 episode of Raw. At Vengeance, Miz and Truth defeated CM Punk and Triple H in a tag team match, after interference from Kevin Nash. Later that same night they assaulted John Cena during his WWE Championship match with Alberto Del Rio.^[132] On the October 24 episode of Raw, Awesome Truth attacked John Cena and Zack Ryder. On the November 7 episode of Raw, Miz and R-Truth defeated Cena and Ryder.^[133] At Survivor Series, The Awesome Truth were defeated by John Cena and The Rock.^[134]

On the November 21 episode of Raw, Cena instigated an argument between R-Truth and Miz, which resulted in Miz hitting his finisher on Truth as they were heading up the steel ramp, signaling the end of their alliance.^[135] This was a pretext to explain R-Truth's absence during his suspension as a result of his violating of the Wellness Policy.^[136]

Singles competition (2011–present)[link]

The Miz in 2011.

On the November 28 episode of Raw, Miz defeated John Morrison in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Like he had done to R-Truth, he used his finisher on the steel ramp which was used as a storyline reason to explain Morrison's departure from WWE. On the December 5, episode of Raw, Miz qualified for a Triple Threat Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match against Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk at Tables, Ladders & Chairs for the WWE Championship after a win over Randy Orton via count out, but was unsuccessful.^[137][138] On the December 26 episode of Raw, R-Truth returned only to viciously attack Miz after a match and promised this will continue week-after-week.^[139] The following Raw, Truth would hide in the audience and attack Miz again during his match with Sheamus.^[140] On the January 9 episode of Raw, Miz would retaliate by attacking R-Truth until Truth turned the tables and chased him out of the ring.^[141] On the January 16 episode of Raw SuperShow, R-Truth defeated Miz, Wade Barrett, and Sheamus in an Over The Top Rope Challenge.^[142] The following Raw, Miz was defeated by R-Truth in a singles match with a stipulation in place where the loser of the match would enter the Royal Rumble match as the first entrant. In the Rumble match, Miz was the longest lasting participant, lasting over 45 minutes before being eliminated by former tag team partner, Big Show.^[143] At Elimination Chamber, Miz failed again to capture the WWE Championship after being eliminated last by CM Punk.^[144] Desperate for a spot on the card for the upcoming Wrestlemania XXVIII event,^[145] Miz joined John Laurinaitis' team for the 12-man tag team match after saving Laurinaitis from Santino Marella.^[146][147] Miz picked up the win for Team Johnny after pinning Zack Ryder with the help of Eve, which ended his 20 match losing streak dating back to 2011.^[148] He again defeated Ryder the following night on Raw, thus ending his losing streak in singles matches.^[149] In the pre-show of Extreme Rules, Miz unsuccessfully challenged Santino Marella for the United States Championship.^[150] The following night on Raw, Miz was part of a Beat The Clock challenge to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship match at Over the Limit; he defeated Marella in 4:18^[151] before being beaten by Randy Orton^[152] and Daniel Bryan.^[153] At the pay-per-view, Miz lost a 20-man "People Power" battle royal to battle for either the United States Championship or the Intercontinental Championship and was later defeated by Brodus Clay in a singles match.^[154]

Other media[link]

Mizanin appears as a guest in the T.V. show "Psych", in the episode 12 of the season 6 "Shawn and the real girl".^[155] Mizanin will co-star in 2012 crime drama Stainless Steel, alongside fellow wrestlers Matt Striker and Layla El as CIA agent John Steel.^[156] He appears in the WWE video games, WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009, WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010, WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011, WWE All Stars, and WWE '12.

On April 30, 2012 it was announced that the Miz would star in WWE Studios Film "Marine: Homefront".^[157] Mizanin replaced fellow wrestler Randy Orton who was dropped of the role due to his past with the USMC.^[158] On April 30 it as also announced that Mizanin will be featured in the WWE Studios and Kare Production Project "Les reines du ring" (English: Queens of the ring) alongside Eve Torres and CM Punk^[159]

Personal life[link]

Mizanin is left-handed. He passionately roots for his hometown Cleveland Browns, Indians, and Cavs. Prior to the Indians vs. Angels game on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 Mizanin fulfilled one of his life-long goals when he threw out the first pitch.^[160] Miz is a supporter of the UK's Premier League side Chelsea FC.^[161]

When Mike was 11, his parents divorced. He has a step-father named Donnie and two step-siblings, Jimmy and Tonia.^[162] His father George Mizanin, owns several Mr. Hero sandwich shops in the Cleveland area, and when Mike comes back to Cleveland to do shows, he often speaks about working the counter at one of the locations while growing up.^[163]

Mizanin is in a relationship with former WWE Diva Maryse Ouellet.^[164]

In wrestling[link]

The Miz wrestling Daniel Bryan.

• Finishing moves
  • Mizard of Oz (Swinging inverted DDT)^[165] – 2005–2007
  • Reality Check (Running knee lift followed by a neckbreaker slam)^[166] – 2007–2009
  • Skull-Crushing Finale (Full nelson facebuster)^[1][3] - 2009-present

• Signature moves
  • Big boot^[167]
  • Discus punch^[165] – OVW
  • Diving double axe handle^[168]
  • Half nelson facebuster^[169] – 2009
  • Inverted facelock backbreaker followed by a neckbreaker slam^{[167][170][171]}
  • Knee lift^[167]
  • Neckbreaker^[168]
  • Snap DDT to a kneeling opponent^[172]
  • Snapmare driver^[173] – 2011
  • Springboard bulldog^[165] – OVW
  • Swinging corner clothesline^[174]
  • Turnbuckle bulldog^[169] – 2009

The Miz (right) as the WWE Champion with Alex Riley at WrestleMania XXVII.

• Managers
  • Kenny Bolin^[175]
  • Roni Jonah^[165][176]
  • ODB^[165]
  • Layla^[165]
  • Kelly Kelly^[165]
  • Brooke^[165]
  • The Bella Twins^[165]
  • Alex Riley^[165]

• Nicknames
  • "Mr. Money in the Bank"^[177][178]
  • "The Awesome One"^[3]
  • "The Chick Magnet"^[3]
  • "The Most Must See" WWE Champion / "Superstar In History"
  • "The Cleveland Screamer"^[179]

• Entrance themes
  • "Getting Away With Murder" by Papa Roach (used when he was the host of SmackDown!)
  • "Reality" by Jim Johnston (September 1, 2006 – December 28, 2009)
  • "Ain't No Make Believe" by Stonefree Experience (November 16, 2007 – April 13, 2009; Used while teaming with John Morrison)
  • "I Came to Play" by Downstait^[180] (January 4, 2010–present; Used during singles competition)
  • "The Awesome Truth" by Jim Johnston^[181] (August 22, 2011 – November 21, 2011; Used while teaming with R-Truth)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

The Miz (left), with John Morrison (right) as World Tag Team Champions and with their Slammy Awards.

The Miz with the WWE United States Championship in 2009.

• Deep South Wrestling
  • Deep South Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[182]

• Ohio Valley Wrestling
  • OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Cage^[183]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2011)^[184]
  • PWI ranked him #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011^[185]

• World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
  • WWE Championship (1 time)
  • WWE Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with John Morrison (1), The Big Show (1) and John Cena (1)^{[63][87][113]}
  • WWE United States Championship (2 times)^[78][98]
  • World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with John Morrison (1) and The Big Show (1)^[69][86]
  • Money in the Bank (Raw 2010)^[101]
  • Slammy Award for Best WWE.com Exclusive (2008) – with John Morrison^[186]
  • Slammy Award for Tag Team of the Year (2008) – with John Morrison^[186]

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Most Improved (2008, 2009)^[187]
  • Tag Team of the Year (2008) with John Morrison^[187]

References[link]