Ne Win နေဝင်း
Official portrait of Ne Win
1st Chairman of the Burma Socialist Programme Party
In office 4 July 1962 – 23 July 1988
Preceded by	Party created
Succeeded by	Sein Lwin
4th President of Burma
In office 2 March 1974 – 9 November 1981
Preceded by	Win Maung (1962)
Succeeded by	San Yu
3rd Prime Minister of Burma
In office 29 October 1958 – 4 April 1960
Preceded by	U Nu
Succeeded by	U Nu
In office 2 March 1962 – 2 March 1974
Preceded by	U Nu
Succeeded by	Brigadier General Sein Win
Personal details
Born	Maung Shu (1911-05-14)14 May 1911 Paungdalè, Pegu Province, British Burma
Died	5 December 2002(2002-12-05) (aged 91) Yangon, Myanmar
Nationality	Burmese
Political party	Burma Socialist Programme Party
Spouse(s)	Than Nyunt Tin Tin Khin May Than Ni Ni Myint Yadana Nat Mei
Children	Ngwe Soe Sandar Win Phyo Wai Win Kyemon Win
Alma mater	Rangoon University
Religion	Theravada Buddhism

Ne Win (Burmese: နေဝင်း IPA: [nè wɪ́ɴ]; born on 24 May or 14 May 1911 or 10 July 1910 – 5 December 2002) was a Burmese politician and military commander. He was Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974 and also head of state from 1962 to 1981. He also was the founder and from 1962 to 1988 the chairman of the Burma Socialist Programme Party, which from 1964 until 1988 was the sole political party in the Burmese nation state.

Date of birth[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Ne Win's date of birth is not known with certainty. The English language publication Who's Who in Burma published in 1961 by People's Literature House, Rangoon, stated that Ne Win was born on 24 May 1911. Dr. Maung Maung stated in the Burmese version of his book Burma and General Ne Win, also published in English, that Ne Win was born on 14 May 1911. However, in a book written in Burmese titled The Thirty Comrades, the author Kyaw Nyein gave Ne Win's date of birth as 10 July 1910.

David Ben-Gurion – General Ne Win PM of Burma 1959

Kyaw Nyein's date of 1910 can be considered as the more plausible date. First, Kyaw Nyein had access to historical records and he interviewed many surviving members of the Thirty Comrades when he wrote the book in the mid-to late 1990s. (Ne Win was one of the Thirty Comrades who secretly went to undergo military training in Japanese-occupied Hainan Island in the early 1940s for the purpose of fighting for independence from the British). In his book published around 1998 Kyaw Nyein lists the names of the surviving members of the Thirty Comrades whom he had interviewed, although Ne Win was not one of them.) Secondly, when Ne Win died on 5 December 2002, the Burmese language newspapers that were allowed to carry a paid obituary stated the age of 'U Ne Win' to be '93 years'. According to Burmese custom a person's age is their age upon their next birthday. Since Ne Win turned 92 in July 2002, when he died in December 2002 he was considered to be 93 years old. Most Western news agencies, based on the May 1911 birth date, reported that Ne Win was 91 years old, but the obituary put up by his family (most probably his children) stated that he was 93 years old, which most likely stems from East Asian age reckoning.

Early years[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011)

Ne Win, born Shu Maung (ရှုမောင်), was born into a educated middle class Burmese Chinese family in Paungdale about 200 miles north of Rangoon.^[1] He spent two years at Rangoon University beginning in 1929, and took biology as his main subject with hopes of becoming a doctor. However, in 1931 he was expelled from the university after he failed an exam.^[2] Ne Win eventually became "Thakin Shu Maung" or a member of the nationalist organisation Dobama Asiayone (We Burmans Association). Other members of the group included Aung San (father of Aung San Suu Kyi) and U Nu. In 1941 Ne Win, as a member of the Ba Sein-Tun Ok (Socialist) faction of the Dobama, was one of thirty young men chosen for military training by the Japanese . Their leader was Aung San and they formed the Burma Independence Army (BIA). During military training on the then Japanese-occupied Hainan Island Shu Maung chose a nom de guerre, Bo Ne Win (Commander Radiant Sun). In early 1942 the Japanese Army and the BIA entered Burma in the wake of the retreating British forces. Ne Win's role in the campaign was to organize resistance behind the British lines.

The experience of the Japanese occupation of Burma worked to alienate the nationalists as well as the population at large. Toward the end of the Second World War, on 27 March 1945 the Burma National Army (successor to the BIA) turned against the Japanese following the British re-invasion of Burma. Ne Win, as one of the BNA Commanders, was quick to establish links with the British – attending the Kandy conference in Ceylon and taking charge of the anti-Communist operations in the Pyinmana area as commander of the 4th Burma Rifles after the Red Flag Communists and the Communist Party of Burma went underground to fight against the government in October 1946 and on 28 March 1948 respectively. Burma obtained independence on 4 January 1948, and for the first 14 years it had a parliamentary and democratic government mainly under Prime Minister U Nu, but the country was riven with political division. Even before independence, Aung San was assassinated together with six of his cabinet members on 19 July 1947; U Saw, a pre-war prime minister and political rival of Aung San, was found guilty of the crime and executed. U Nu as leader of the Socialists took charge of the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL) formed by the Communists, Socialists and the BNA in 1945 now that Aung San was dead and the Communists expelled from the AFPFL.

Following independence there were uprisings in the army and among ethnic minority groups. In late 1948, after a confrontation between army rivals, Ne Win was appointed second in command of the army and his rival Bo Zeya, a communist commander and fellow member of the Thirty Comrades, took a portion of the army into rebellion. Ne Win immediately adopted a policy of creating Socialist militia battalions called 'Sitwundan' under his personal command with the approval of U Nu. On 31 January 1949, Ne Win was appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) and given total control of the army replacing General Smith Dun, an ethnic Karen. He rebuilt and restructured the armed forces along the ruling Socialist Party's political lines, but the country was still split and the government was ineffective.

General Ne Win shaking David Ben-Gurion's hand on visit to Israel, 1959.

Ne Win was asked to serve as interim prime minister from 28 October 1958 by U Nu, when the AFPFL split into two factions and U Nu barely survived a motion of no-confidence against his government in parliament. Ne Win restored order during the period known as the Ne Win caretaker government'.^[3] Elections were held in February 1960 and Ne Win handed back power to the victorious U Nu on 4 April 1960.

Military coup of 1962[link]

Less than two years later, on 2 March 1962, Ne Win again seized power in a coup d'état. Ne Win became head of state as Chairman of the Revolutionary Council and also Prime Minister. The coup was characterized as "bloodless" by the world's media. Declaring that "parliamentary democracy was not suitable for Burma," the new regime suspended the constitution and dissolved the legislature.

Following riots at Rangoon University in July 1962, troops were sent to restore order. They fired on protestors and destroyed the student union building.^[4]

Shortly afterward, around 8 pm local time, Ne Win addressed the nation in a five-minute radio speech which concluded with the statement: "if these disturbances were made to challenge us, I have to declare that we will fight sword with sword and spear with spear".^[5] On 13 July 1962, less than a week after the speech, Ne Win left for Austria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom "for a medical check up".^[6] All universities were closed for more than two years until September 1964.

In 1988, 26 years later, Ne Win denied involvement in the dynamiting of the Student Union building, stating that his deputy Brigadier Aung Gyi — who by that time had fallen out with Ne Win and been dismissed — gave the order and was responsible as a "revolutionary leader" by giving the sword with sword and spear with spear speech.

Burmese Way to Socialism (1962–1988)[link]

Ne Win oversaw a number of reforms after taking power. The administration instituted a system including elements of extreme nationalism, Marxism, and Buddhism,^[7] though Ne Win lacked interest in either ideology or religion – terming this the Burmese Way to Socialism. He founded the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP), of which he remained the chairman for 26 years from 4 July 1962 until 23 July 1988.

A system of state hospitals and institutions was established in Burma; medical aid was freed. Private hospitals were brought under public ownership. A new system of public education was introduced. A campaign to liquidate illiteracy was carried out starting in 1965. Between 1962 and 1965 important laws against landlords and usury were adopted. They aimed at protecting peasants' rights to land and property and to renting the land. These measures included the law abolishing lands rents.

On 2 March 1974—twelve years after his coup—he disbanded the Revolutionary Council and proclaimed the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma. He was elected President and shortly afterward appointed Brigadier General Sein Win Prime Minister. On 9 November 1981, Ne Win resigned as President and was succeeded in that post by General San Yu. However, Ne Win remained leader of the party and thus remained the ultimate political authority in the land until his resignation in 1988.

Economic policies[link]

His government nationalized the economy and pursued a policy of autarky, which involved the economic isolation of his country from the world. The ubiquitous black market and rampant smuggling supplied the needs of the people, while the central government slid slowly into bankruptcy. Autarky also involved expelling foreigners and restricting visits by foreigners to three days, and after 1972, one week. Furthermore, political oppression caused many in the educated workforce to emigrate.

He also took drastic steps regarding the currency: In 1963, he issued a decree that 50 and 100 kyat notes would cease to be legal tender, alleging that they were subject to hoarding by black-marketeers and were also used to finance the various insurgencies. Though limited compensation was offered, this wiped out people's savings overnight. At least one insurgency, that of the ethnic Kayan, was triggered by this act.

In September 1988 he ordered the Burmese currency, the kyat, to be demonetized in some larger denominations while issuing new denominations of 45 and 90 kyats, crippling the Burmese economy further still.^[8] He reportedly changed the currency to add up to 90 because an astrologer said he would live to 90 if he did this^{[citation needed]}. Ne Win was well known for his penchant for numerology and yadaya (cabalistic rituals and spells performed in order to ward off misfortune).^[9] When his soothsayer warned him that there might be a bloodbath, he would stand in front of a mirror and trample on meat to simulate the blood then shoot himself in the mirror to avert the possibility of an assassination attempt.^[10]

In 1987 after the United Nations had declared Burma a "Least Developed Country", Ne Win, resigned on 23 July 1988 as chairman of the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party at the height of the uprising against one-party rule.

Protests[link]

Despite the oppression, sporadic protests against the government continued. Students led protests in 1965, December 1969, and December 1970. These demonstrations took place mainly on campuses located in the cities of Rangoon, Mandalay and Moulmein and were often followed by closure of universities and colleges. In June 1974, workers from more than 100 factories throughout the nation participated in a strike, to which the government reacted by shooting about 100 workers and students on 6 June 1974 at the Thamaing Textile Factory and the Sinmalaik Dock Yard in Rangoon. Since Ne Win was in Australia on an official visit at the time, responsibility for these shootings is unclear. On 5 December 1974, students turned the funeral of former UN Secretary General U Thant into a demonstration, snatching the coffin on display at the Kyaikkasan Race Course and erecting a makeshift mausoleum on the grounds of the former Student Union building in protest against the government for not honouring their famous countryman with a state funeral. The military stormed the campus on 11 December killing some of the students, recovered the coffin and buried U Thant at the foot of the Shwedagon pagoda, next to the tomb of Thakin Kodaw Hmaing.^[11]

Students from universities throughout Rangoon demonstrated again in June 1975 in commemoration of the previous year's Labour Strike. Student-led demonstrations also occurred in March 1976, September 1987, March and June 1988. In August and September 1988, these demonstrations turned into a nation-wide uprising against BSPP rule in what is now known as the 'Four Eights Uprising'.

Resignation[link]

At the height of the Four Eights Uprising against the BSSP, Ne Win resigned as party chairman on 23 July 1988. In a truculent farewell speech to the BSPP Party Congress, he warned that if the "disturbances" continued the "army would have to be called and I would like to declare from here that if the army shoots it has no tradition of shooting into the air. It would shoot straight to hit."^[12] The Tatmadaw troops shot, killed and maimed hundreds if not up to 3,000 or more demonstrators in various places throughout Burma from the period of 8 to 12 August 1988 and again on 18 September 1988, proving that Ne Win's farewell speech was not an empty threat.

Military coup of 1988[link]

On 18 September 1988 the military led by General Saw Maung dispelled any hopes for democracy by brutally crushing the uprisings. It is widely believed that Ne Win, though in apparent retirement, orchestrated the coup from behind the scenes.^[13]

For about ten years, Ne Win kept a low profile but remained a shadowy figure exercising at least some influence on the military junta.^[14] After 1998, Ne Win's influence on the junta began to wane.

On 4 March 2002, an alleged plot to overthrow the junta by Ne Win's son-in-law Aye Zaw Win, the husband of his favorite daughter Sandar Win was exposed. Ne Win and his daughter were put under house arrest and in September Aye Zaw Win and his three sons (Aye Ne Win, Kyaw Ne Win and Zwe Ne Win) were found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. They are thought to remain in custody in Rangoon's Insein Jail.

Family[link]

Ne Win was married six times:

1. He was first married to Than Nyunt, who bore him a son, Kyaw Thein.
2. He was second married to Tin Tin, who bore him a son, Ngwe Soe.
3. He then married Khin May Than (Katie Ba Than), daughter of Professor Ba Than, the former dean of Rangoon medical school. The couple had two daughters and a son between them, Sandar Win, Kye Mon Win, and Phyo Wai Win. Khin May Than brought three daughters from her first marriage, Le Le Win and twins Thida Win and Thawdar Win, into the family. Khin May Than was Ne Win's favourite wife and her death in 1972 was a heavy blow to him.
4. He then married Ni Ni Myint, a university teacher, whom he divorced.
5. He then married June Rose Bellamy (Yadana Natmei), a great granddaughter of Crown Prince Ka Naung.
6. He remarried his former wife Ni Ni Myint.

Death[link]

Still under house arrest, the 91-year-old Ne Win died on 5 December 2002 at his lakeside house in Yangon.^[15] The death remained unannounced by Burmese media or the junta. The only mention of Ne Win's death was a paid obituary notice that appeared in some of the government-controlled Burmese language newspapers. Ne Win was not given a state funeral and his former contacts or junior colleagues were strongly discouraged from attending a hastily-arranged funeral, so that only thirty people attended the funeral.

Ne Win's daughter Sandar Win was temporarily released from house arrest to attend his funeral and cremation. She later dispersed her father's ashes into the Hlaing River

References[link]

v t e Heads of state of Burma (Myanmar) Sao Shwe Thaik Ba U Win Maung Ne Win1 San Yu1 Sein Lwin1 Aye Ko2 Maung Maung2 Saw Maung1 Than Shwe1 Thein Sein ^1 military officeholders ^2 acting officeholders

v t e Prime Ministers of Burma (Myanmar) U Nu Ba Swe U Nu Ne Win U Nu Ne Win[m] Sein Win[m] Maung Maung Kha[m] Tun Tin Saw Maung[m] Than Shwe[m] Khin Nyunt[m] Soe Win[m] Thein Sein[m] ^[m] military officeholders

Fabian Cancellara

Cancellara before the 2011 Tour of Flanders
Personal information
Full name	Fabian Cancellara
Nickname	Spartacus[1]
Born	(1981-03-18) 18 March 1981 (age 31) Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Weight	82 kg (180 lb; 12.9 st)
Team information
Current team	RadioShack-Nissan-Trek
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Time-Trialist/Classics Specialist
Amateur team(s)
2000	Mapei-Quick Step (stagiaire)
Professional team(s)
2001–2002 2003–2005 2006–2010 2011 2012-	Mapei-Quick Step Fassa Bortolo Team CSC Leopard Trek RadioShack-Nissan-Trek
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 7 Stages Vuelta a España 4 Stages Stage Races Tirreno–Adriatico General Classification (2008) 4 Stages Tour de Suisse General Classification (2009) Points Classification (2008, 2009) Single-Day Races and Classics World Time-Trial Champion (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010) National Time Trial Championships (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008.) National Road Race Championships (2009, 2011) Olympic Time-Trial Champion (2008) Paris–Roubaix (2006, 2010) Ronde van Vlaanderen (2010) Milan – San Remo (2008) E3 Prijs Vlaanderen (2010, 2011) Other Velo d'Or (2010)
Medal record Competitor for  Switzerland Road bicycle racing Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Time trial Silver 2008 Beijing Road race World Championships Gold 2006 Salzburg Time trial Gold 2007 Stuttgart Time trial Gold 2009 Mendrisio Time trial Gold 2010 Melbourne Time trial Bronze 2005 Madrid Time trial Bronze 2011 Copenhagen Time trial
Infobox last updated on 17 March 2012

Fabian Cancellara (born 18 March 1981) is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam RadioShack-Nissan-Trek. A time trial specialist, he is a four-time World Time Trial Champion and is the current Olympic gold medalist. He is also a winner of Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix (twice), Milan – San Remo, Tirreno–Adriatico, Tour de Suisse, Strade Bianche (twice), and four prologues of the Tour de France.

Career[link]

Early years[link]

Cancellara was born in Wohlen bei Bern, a municipality near the city of Berne, Switzerland to an Italian mother and a Swiss-German father. He discovered cycling at the age of 13 after falling in love with an old family bike that he had found in the garage and immediately gave up football to concentrate on cycling.^[3]

Cancellara's cycling skills began to blossom at an early age, when he impressed as a time trialist and dominated Swiss junior cycling. Yvan Girard, Swiss national junior team coach from 1997 to 2005, was quoted saying that Cancellara was head and shoulders above everyone else in the time trials.^[1] He won the junior World Time Trial Championship in both 1998 and 1999 and at the age of 19 he came in second at the 2000 U-23 World Time Trial Championship, after which he turned professional with Mapei-Quick Step, then one of the strongest teams in the world.

2001–2002[link]

Cancellara rode as a stagiaire for the Mapei-Quick Step team in late 2000 before joining the team for the 2001 season as a member of the "Young Riders Project". Cancellara's first victory as a professional came at the prologue of the Tour of Rhodes, where he also won the overall final general classification. For 2002 the Mapei team split into two formations per UCI regulations, the "Top Team" with 25 riders and the GS-III "Gruppo Giovani" (youth group) to develop young talents, which Cancellara joined with other riders including Filippo Pozzato, Michael Rogers and Bernhard Eisel.^[4] Giorgio Squinzi, the head of Mapei firm, later said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport that he took Cancellara and Pozzato all the way from the Junior category to Mapei's top team, in order to let them avoid the Under-23 category where he suggested that doping was even worse than among professionals. Squinzi also said that Cancellara was going to be "The future Miguel Indurain".^[5] During his two seasons with Mapei, Cancellara used his time trialling skills to great effect, winning several individual time trials and a total of eleven victories.

2003–2005[link]

Following the cessation of sponsorship of Mapei at the end of 2002, Cancellara joined Fassa Bortolo to work as a lead-out man for Alessandro Petacchi in 2003. He won the prologues of the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse as well as a time trial at the Tour of Belgium. Cancellara's break-through season was 2004. He finished fourth in the classic race Paris–Roubaix, and he won the prologue at the Tour de France ahead of Lance Armstrong, earning the yellow jersey which he wore for two stages. He also won an individual time trial at the Tour de Luxembourg and bunch sprints at Setmana Catalana and the Tour of Qatar.

In 2005, Cancellara was one of the favourites for Paris–Roubaix, but a flat tyre 46 kilometers from the finish line^[6] meant he finished 8th, almost four minutes behind winner Tom Boonen. Later that year, he came third at the World Time Trial Championship in Madrid. He also won a stage at Paris–Nice and the individual time trials of Setmana Catalana and the Tour de Luxembourg, where he finished second overall with the same time as the winner, Laszlo Bodrogi.

2006[link]

Fabian Cancellara in the 9th stage of the 2007 Tour de Suisse

When the Fassa Bortolo team was discontinued, Cancellara signed a three-year contract with Team CSC, starting from the 2006 season. Before the 2006 Paris–Roubaix he said he had never been better prepared^[7] and by accelerating on the cobblestones in the forest of Arenberg, just less than 100 kilometers from the finish line, he forced a selection of 17 riders to compete for the win. When Discovery Channel rider Vladimir Gusev attacked on the Le Carrefour de l’Arbre cobblestones with 17 kilometers to go, Cancellara followed him, before passing Gusev for a solo break-away. Cancellara quickly gained 30 seconds on the other favourites and riding the last kilometers like a time trial^[8] he kept expanding his lead for the remainder of the race^[9] finishing one and a half minutes ahead of the riders closest to him. He became only the second Swiss winner of Paris–Roubaix, following Heiri Suter in 1923. During the season he also won the individual time trials of Tirreno–Adriatico, Volta a Catalunya and Post Danmark Rundt, where he also won a stage and the overall classification. Later that year, he won the World Time Trial Championships in Salzburg, Austria.

2007[link]

After a slow start to the season, Cancellara hit form in June, winning three time trials in Switzerland: the prologue and Stage 9 of the Tour de Suisse, and the National time trial Championships. In the Tour de Suisse he held onto his yellow jersey until Stage 4, where it passed on to teammate Fränk Schleck.

On July 7, Cancellara won the prologue of the Tour de France in London, defeating Andreas Kloden of Astana by 13 seconds. According to online measurement published by www.srm.de his average power output was over 550W. During Stage 2, he was caught up in a very large crash which brought down an estimated thirty riders. He crossed the finish line nursing his left hand but appeared to be fine during the yellow jersey presentation. He subsequently won the third stage in Compiègne, catching and overtaking a breakaway group of four in the final seconds of the stage. Cancellara held the yellow jersey until stage 7, the tour's first mountain stage.

On September 27 he won his second UCI Road World Championships Time Trial with an advantage of 52 seconds over Laszlo Bodrogi.^[10]

2008[link]

Fabian Cancellara in the Prologue of the 2008 Tour of California

Cancellara won the prologue of the Tour of California ahead of Olympic track gold medalist Bradley Wiggins in his first race of the season. He then won the second edition of Italian Monte Paschi Eroica ahead of Alessandro Ballan. During the Tirreno–Adriatico he showed his improvement in stage races, winning the individual time trial to Recanati as well as the overall classification. Just a few days later in the Milan – San Remo classic monument race, Cancellara broke away from a leading group in the final kilometres to win. In the 2008 edition of Paris–Roubaix, Cancellara finished 2nd behind Tom Boonen in a sprint finish.

In preparation for the second half of the season, Cancellara won the prologue of the Tour de Luxembourg and two stages of the Tour de Suisse, both stages won with solo attacks a few kilometres from the finish. Despite being unable to win any stage at the Tour de France, he finished second in the last individual time trial behind Stefan Schumacher, who was later found to have tested positive for EPO. Cancellara helped his teammate Carlos Sastre win the overall classification. In the Olympic Road Race in Beijing, Cancellara won the bronze medal behind Spaniard Samuel Sánchez (gold). He produced an audacious and unexpected burst of speed over the last five kilometres to escape a following group of 10, then a chase group of 2, then the leading group of three just inside the last kilometer, bringing the last two chasers with him covering a substantial 21 second gap of time deficit in less than three and a half minutes over 4 kilometers. He finished third in the six man uphill sprint,^[11] behind Davide Rebellin, who was later stripped of the silver medal for a doping offence, and Cancellara was eventually presented with the medal in December 2010.^[12] Cancellara later won the Olympic Individual Time Trial, beating CSC-Saxo Bank teammate, Gustav Erik Larsson. Cancellara decided not to defend his World Time Trial title in Varese citing mental fatigue.^[13] He was named Swiss Male Athlete of the Year at the Credit Suisse Sports Awards.^[14]

2009[link]

Cancellara won the prologue of the Tour of California for the second year running. However, he then had a dip in form and could not defend his title at the Tirreno–Adriatico while not performing to his usual high level in any of the spring classics. He recaptured his best form at the Tour de Suisse by winning the prologue and staying with the leaders on the mountains to put him in a good position to win the overall on the final time-trial. He did win comfortably by over two minutes in the general classification while also winning the points jersey.^[15] Cancellara won his first national road racing crown on 28 June 2009, outsprinting Mathias Frank at the line^[16]

He placed 1st in stage 1 of the 2009 Tour de France, a 15 km (9.3 mi) individual time trial. In the team time trial (4th stage), he was able to keep the yellow jersey with Lance Armstrong a mere 22 hundredths of a second behind. It was not until the seventh stage, the first true mountain stage, that Cancellara lost the yellow jersey. After falling behind the leaders with less than 10 km (6.2 mi) to go in the stage, he was unable to bridge the gap due to the sharp grade of the Arcalis mountain-top finish. He lost the yellow jersey to Rinaldo Nocentini, falling to 39th place overall.

In the 2009 UCI Road World Championships, Cancellara was a favourite in both the road race and time trial disciplines. He dominated the time trial event to take the coveted rainbow jersey by nearly a minute and a half, the biggest winning margin ever in the World Championship time trial. Despite many considering him one of the strongest riders in the road race, he was unable to convert his form into an unprecedented second rainbow jersey.

2010[link]

Cancellara on his way to a record fourth victory in the 2010 UCI Road World Championships Elite Men's Time Trial

At the beginning of the year, Cancellara won the Tour of Oman. On March 27, he won the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen riding away from Tom Boonen and Juan Antonio Flecha in the last 2 kilometres. On April 4 Cancellara became only the 12th cyclist to have ever won the opening three "monuments" of the cycling year (over a full career) when he won the Tour of Flanders with two devastating attacks. The first took place on the Molenberg with over 30 kilometres remaining. Only two-time winner Boonen could follow. The second attack, on the famous Muur van Geraardsbergen managed to shake Boonen who eventually finished in second over a minute behind the Swiss national champion.^[17]

Cancellara repeated his 2006 Paris–Roubaix victory with a vigorous attack over 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the finish, ending the other pre-race favorites Boonen and Juan Antonio Flecha's chances of victory, and Cancellara crossed the line 2 minutes ahead of Thor Hushovd, who took second, and Flecha, who took third.^[18] Cancellara indicated his future goals could include the final two great cycling monuments: Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Giro di Lombardia.^[19]

In the 2010 Tour de France, Cancellara won the 8 km prologue by 10 seconds over the second place finisher Tony Martin. This was the third Tour de France prologue win of his career. Along with claiming the maillot jaune for the stage victory, Cancellara also donned the maillot vert, for leading the points classification. In the individual time trial, Cancellara secured his second stage win of the 2010 Tour de France, again defeating Tony Martin.

At the 2010 UCI Road World Championships in Melbourne (Geelong), Australia, Cancellara won a record fourth elite men's world time trial championship, blazing around the 45.8 km course in 58min 09.19sec, more than a minute ahead of his nearest rival, David Millar of Great Britain.^[20]

He has made an agreement with Bjarne Riis to end his contract with Team Saxo Bank one year before time. He joined Leopard Trek for the 2011 season.^[21]

2011[link]

Fabian Cancellara with Sylvain Chavanel during the 2011 Tour of Flanders

Cancellara was the overwhelming favourite for E3 Harelbeke, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix after his dominating performances of 2010. By switching to Leopard Trek, Cancellara did not have the high calibre domestiques that he did in 2010. But after winning E3 Harelbeke seemingly by himself, the nickname "Superman" was given to him – due to his seemingly unnatural and unstoppable power.

Cyclingnews after Cancellara's 2nd and 3rd placings at Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders respectively. After the spring classics he won the time trial in the Tour de Suisse the prologue of the Tour de Luxembourg and he led his team to the victory in the team time trial of the 2011 Vuelta a España. He was overpowered by the upcoming talent Tony Martin in both the time trial of the Tour de France and the time trial of the UCI Road World Championships.

2012[link]

In the first races of the 2012 season, Cancellara showed a good form: he powered to a second victory on the gravel roads of the Strade Bianche and took a victory in the closing time trial of the Tirreno–Adriatico. In the final of the first monument of the year, the 2012 Milan – San Remo, he was the strongest rider during the descent of the Poggio climb, but was outsprinted for victory by Simon Gerrans. He was in great form for the Belgian spring classics, but a fall and material malfunction kept him from playing a part in the final of both the E3 Harelbeke and Gent–Wevelgem. Cancellara was one of the favourites to win the renewed Tour of Flanders but played no part in the final due to a crash in the feed zone. He suffered a four-part fracture of the right collarbone which ruined his spring campaign.^[23][24]

Controversy[link]

In June 2010, Cancellara said that claims made in a YouTube video that he had used an electric motor fitted to his bike to assist him during races were "so stupid I'm speechless".^[25] The YouTube video edited together a report by Davide Cassani,^[26] cycling commentator and former professional rider, in which he suggested professional cyclists had used the technology (without any proof of existence of this technology apart rough simulation) with footage of Cancellara. ^[27] The UCI have said that whilst they are not investigating any specific teams or riders, it would review the need for a new bicycle inspection system to detect such cheating.^[27] However, sports scientist Ross Tucker cast doubt on the accusations made by the amateur video editor concerning Cancellara.^[28]

Career highlights[link]

Monuments results[link]

This table shows Fabian Cancellara's results in the five cycling monuments.

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fabian Cancellara

• Official site
• Team Saxo Bank profile
• Trap-Friis profile
• Fabian Cancellara profile at Cycling Archives

David Letterman
Letterman performing on his show in June 2011.
Pseudonym	Earl Hofert
Born	(1947-04-12) April 12, 1947 (age 65) Indianapolis, Indiana, United States[1]
Medium	Stand-up, talk show
Nationality	American
Years active	1974–present
Genres	Observational comedy, surreal humor, deadpan
Subject(s)	Self-deprecation, everyday life
Influences	Steve Allen,[citation needed] Johnny Carson,[2] Jack Paar,[citation needed] Paul Dixon[3]
Influenced	Jimmy Kimmel, Jim Gaffigan, Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon
Spouse	Michelle Cook (1969–1977) Regina Lasko (2009–present)
Domestic partner(s)	Regina Lasko (1986–2009)
Notable works and roles	Host of The David Letterman Show (NBC) Host of Late Night with David Letterman (NBC) Host of Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
Signature
Website	CBS.com/latenight/lateshow
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Variety Series 1981 The David Letterman Show Outstanding Individual Achievement — Writers 1981 The David Letterman Show Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program 1984 Late Night with David Letterman 1985 Late Night with David Letterman 1986 Late Night with David Letterman 1987 Late Night with David Letterman Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series 1994 Late Show with David Letterman
American Comedy Awards
Funniest Male Performer in a TV Special (Leading or Supporting) Network, Cable or Syndication 1989 Late Night with David Letterman 1995 Late Show with David Letterman: Video Special Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication 1994 Late Show with David Letterman 2001 Late Show with David Letterman

David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host and comedian.^[1] He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC. Letterman recently surpassed friend and mentor Johnny Carson for having the longest late-night hosting career in the United States of America.^[4]

Letterman is also a television and film producer. His company Worldwide Pants produces his show as well as its network follow-up The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Worldwide Pants has also produced several prime-time comedies, the most successful of which was Everybody Loves Raymond, currently in syndication.

In 1996, David Letterman was ranked #45 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.^[5]

Early life and career[link]

Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father, Harry Joseph Letterman (April 1915 – February 1973),^[6] was a florist of British descent; his mother Dorothy Letterman (née Hofert, now Dorothy Mengering), a Presbyterian church secretary of German descent, is an occasional figure on the show, usually at holidays and birthdays.

Letterman lived on the north side of Indianapolis (Broad Ripple area), not far from Speedway, IN, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he enjoyed collecting model cars, including racers.^[7] In 2000, he told an interviewer for Esquire that, while growing up, he admired his father's ability to tell jokes and be the life of the party. Harry Joseph Letterman survived a heart attack at age 36, when David was a young boy. The fear of losing his father was constantly with Letterman as he grew up.^[8] The elder Letterman died of a second heart attack^[9] at age 57.

Letterman attended his hometown's Broad Ripple High School at the same time as Marilyn Tucker (future wife of Dan Quayle) and worked as a stock boy at the local Atlas supermarket.^[10] According to the Ball State Daily News, he originally had wanted to attend Indiana University, but his grades weren't good enough, so he decided to attend Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana.^[11] He is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and he graduated from what was then the Department of Radio and Television, in 1969. A self-described average student, Letterman endowed a scholarship for what he called "C students" at Ball State.^[12]

Though he registered for the draft and passed his physical after graduating from college, he was not drafted for service in Vietnam due to receiving a draft lottery number of 352 (out of 365).^[13]

Letterman began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at the college's student-run radio station—WBST—a 10-watt campus station which now is part of Indiana Public Radio.^[14] He was fired for treating classical music with irreverence.^[14]

Letterman then became involved with the founding of another campus station—WAGO-AM 570 (now WWHI, 91.3).^[15]

Letterman credits Paul Dixon—host of the Paul Dixon Show, a Cincinnati-based talk show also shown in Indianapolis while Letterman was growing up—for inspiring his choice of career:^[3]

"I was just out of college [in 1969], and I really didn't know what I wanted to do. And then all of a sudden I saw him doing it [on TV]. And I thought: That's really what I want to do!"

Weatherman[link]

Letterman began his career as a radio talk show host on WNTS (AM), and on Indianapolis television station WLWI (now called WTHR) as an anchor, and weatherman. He received some attention for his unpredictable on-air behavior, which included congratulating a tropical storm for being upgraded to a hurricane and predicting hail stones "the size of canned hams."^[16] He would also occasionally report the weather and the day's very high and low temps for fictitious cities ("Eight inches of snow in Bingree and surrounding areas.") while on another occasion saying that a state border had been erased.^[17] ("From space you can see the border between Indiana and Ohio has been erased. I'm not in favor of this.") He also starred in a local kiddie show, made wisecracks as host of a late night TV show called "Freeze-Dried Movies" (he once acted out a scene from "Godzilla" using plastic dinosaurs),^[18] and hosted a talk show that aired early on Saturday mornings called "Clover Power,"^[19] in which he interviewed 4-H members about their projects.^[20]

In 1971, Letterman appeared as a pit road reporter for ABC Sports' tape-delayed coverage of the Indianapolis 500.^[21] David initially is introduced as Chris Economaki in his job as a corner reporter. Letterman interviews Mario Andretti who has just crashed out of the race and asks him a question about traffic on the course.

Move to Los Angeles[link]

In 1975, encouraged by his then-wife Michelle and several of his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, Letterman moved to Los Angeles, California, with hope of becoming a comedy writer.^[22] He started off by writing material for comedian Jimmie Walker.^[23] He also began performing stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store, a proving ground for unknown comics.

In the summer of 1977, Letterman was a writer and regular on the six-week summer series The Starland Vocal Band Show, broadcast on CBS.^[24] He hosted a 1977 pilot for a game show entitled The Riddlers^[25][26] that was never picked up and co-starred in the Barry Levinson-produced comedy special Peeping Times that aired in January 1978. Later that year, Letterman was a cast member on Mary Tyler Moore's variety show, Mary.^[27] Letterman made a guest appearance on Mork & Mindy (as a parody of EST leader Werner Erhard^[28]) and appearances on game shows such as The $20,000 Pyramid,^[29] The Gong Show, Password Plus^[30] and Liar's Club, as well as talk shows such as The Mike Douglas Show.^[31] He was also screen tested for the lead role in the 1980 film Airplane!, a role that eventually went to Robert Hays.^[32]

His dry, sarcastic humor caught the attention of scouts for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and Letterman was soon a regular guest on the show. Letterman became a favorite of Carson's and was a regular guest host for the show beginning in 1978. Letterman credits Carson as the person who influenced his career the most.^[2]

NBC[link]

Letterman at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1986

Morning show[link]

On June 23, 1980, Letterman was given his own morning comedy show on NBC, The David Letterman Show. It was originally 90 minutes long, but was shortened to 60 minutes in August 1980.^[33] The show was a critical success, winning two Emmy Awards, but was a ratings disappointment and was canceled in October 1980.

[edit] Late Night with David Letterman

NBC kept Letterman under contract to try him in a different time slot. Late Night with David Letterman debuted February 1, 1982; the first guest on the first show was Bill Murray.^[34] Murray also guested on January 31, 2012 – 30 years later. The show ran Monday through Thursday at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time, immediately following The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (a Friday night broadcast was added in June 1987). It was seen as being edgy and unpredictable, and soon developed a cult following (particularly among college students). Letterman's reputation as an acerbic interviewer was borne out in verbal sparring matches with Cher^[35] (who even called him an asshole on the show), Shirley MacLaine,^[36] Charles Grodin, and Madonna. The show also featured comedy segments and running characters, in a style heavily influenced by the 1950s and 1960s programs of Steve Allen.^[37] Although Ernie Kovacs is often cited as an influence on the show,^[38] Letterman has denied this.^[2]

The show often featured quirky, genre-mocking regular features, including "Stupid Pet Tricks^[39] ", dropping various objects off the roof of a five-story building,^[40] demonstrations of unorthodox clothing (such as suits made of Alka-Seltzer,^[41] Velcro^[42] and suet), a recurring Top 10 list, the Monkey-Cam^[43] (and the Audience Cam), and a facetious letter-answering segment.^[44] The Top 10 list, several "Film[s] by My Dog Bob" in which a camera was mounted on Letterman's own dog^[45] (often with comic results), Stupid Human Tricks,^[46] Small Town News,^[47] and Stupid Pet Tricks^[48] (which had its origins on Letterman's morning show) all eventually moved with Letterman to CBS.

Other memorable moments included Letterman using a bullhorn to interrupt a live interview on The Today Show, announcing that he was the NBC president while not wearing any pants; interrupting Al Roker on WNBC-TV's broadcast of Live at Five by walking into their studio (which occupied the same floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza as Letterman's studio); and staging "elevator races", complete with commentary by NBC Sports' Bob Costas. In one infamous appearance, in 1982, Andy Kaufman (who was already wearing a neck brace) appeared to be slapped and knocked to the ground by professional wrestler Jerry Lawler (though Lawler and Kaufman's friend Bob Zmuda later revealed that the event was staged.)^[49] In another memorable exchange, sex expert Dr. Ruth Westheimer included cucumbers in a list of handy sex objects that women could find at home. The following night, guest Ted Koppel asked Letterman "May I insert something here?" and Dave responded "OK, as long as it's not a cucumber."^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Late Show with David Letterman

The Ed Sullivan Theater, where Late Show with David Letterman is recorded

In 1992, Johnny Carson retired, and many fans believed that Letterman would become host of The Tonight Show. When NBC instead gave the job to Jay Leno, Letterman departed NBC to host his own late-night show on CBS, opposite The Tonight Show at 11:30 p.m., called the Late Show with David Letterman. The new show debuted on August 30, 1993 and was taped at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater, where Ed Sullivan taped his eponymous variety series from 1948 to 1971. For Letterman's arrival, CBS spent $8 million in renovations.^[50] In addition to that cost, CBS also signed Letterman to a lucrative three-year, $14 million/year contract,^[51] doubling his Late Night salary. The total cost for everything (renovations, negotiation right paid to NBC, signing Letterman, announcer Bill Wendell, Shaffer, the writers and the band) was over $140 million.

But while the expectation was that Letterman would retain his unique style and sense of humor with the move, Late Show was not an exact replica of his old NBC program. Recognizing the more formal mood (and wider audience) of his new time slot and studio, Letterman eschewed his trademark blazer with khaki pants and white sneakers wardrobe combination in favor of expensive shoes, tailored suits and light-colored socks. The monologue was lengthened and Paul Shaffer and the "World's Most Dangerous Band" followed Letterman to CBS, but they added a brass section and were rebranded the "CBS Orchestra" as a short monologue and a small band were mandated by Carson while Letterman occupied the 12:30 slot. Additionally, because of intellectual property disagreements, Letterman was unable to import many of his Late Night segments verbatim,^[52] but he sidestepped this problem by simply renaming them (the "Top Ten List" became the "Late Show Top Ten", "Viewer Mail" became the "CBS Mailbag", etc.)

Popularity[link]

The main competitor of The Late Show is NBC's The Tonight Show, which was hosted by Jay Leno for nearly 16 years, but from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, was hosted by Conan O'Brien. In 1993 and 1994, The Late Show consistently gained higher ratings than The Tonight Show. But in 1995, ratings dipped and Leno's show consistently beat Letterman's in the ratings from the time that Hugh Grant came on Leno's show after Grant's arrest for soliciting a prostitute.;^[53] Leno typically attracted about 5 million nightly viewers between 1999 and 2009. The Late Show lost nearly half its audience during its competition with Leno, attracting 7.1 million viewers nightly in its 1993–94 season and about 3.8 million per night as of Leno's departure in 2009.^[54] In the final months of his first stint as host of The Tonight Show, Leno beat Letterman in the ratings by a 1.3 million viewer margin (5.2 million to 3.9 million), and Nightline and The Late Show were virtually tied.^[55] Once O'Brien took over Tonight, however, Letterman closed the gap in the ratings.^[56][57][58] O'Brien initially drove the median age of Tonight Show viewers from 55 to 45, with most older viewers opting to watch The Late Show instead.^[59]

Following Leno's return to The Tonight Show, however, Leno has regained his lead.^[60]

Letterman's shows have garnered both critical and industry praise, receiving 67 Emmy Award nominations, winning 12 times in his first 20 years in late night television. From 1993–2009, Letterman ranked higher than Leno in the annual Harris Poll of Nation's Favorite TV Personality 12 times.^[61] For example, in 2003 and 2004 Letterman ranked second in that poll, behind only Oprah Winfrey, a year that Leno was ranked fifth.^[62] Leno was higher than Letterman on that poll three times during the same period, in 1998, 2007, and 2008.^[61]

Hosting the Academy Awards[link]

On March 27, 1995, Letterman acted as the host for the 67th Academy Awards ceremony. Critics blasted^[63] Letterman for what they deemed a poor hosting of the Oscars, noting that his irreverent style undermined the traditional importance and glamor of the event.^{[citation needed]} In a joke about their unusual names (inspired by a similar joke by Woody Allen), he started off by introducing Uma Thurman to Oprah Winfrey, and then both of them to Keanu Reeves: "Oprah...Uma. Uma...Oprah," "Have you kids met Keanu?"^[64] This and many of his other jokes fell flat.^{[citation needed]} Although Letterman attracted the highest ratings to the annual telecast since 1983, many felt that the bad publicity garnered by Letterman's hosting caused a decline in the Late Show's ratings.^[65]

Letterman recycled the apparent debacle into a long-running gag. On his first show after the Oscars, he joked, "Looking back, I had no idea that thing was being televised." He lampooned his stint two years later, during Billy Crystal's opening Oscar skit, which also parodied the plane-crashing scenes from that year's chief nominated film, The English Patient.

For years afterward, Letterman recounted his hosting the Oscars, although the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued to hold Letterman in high regard and they had invited him to host the Oscars again.^[66][67] On September 7, 2010, he made an appearance on the premiere of the 14th season of The View, and confirmed that he had been considered for hosting again.

Heart surgery hiatus[link]

On January 14, 2000, a routine check-up revealed that an artery in Letterman's heart was severely obstructed. He was rushed to emergency surgery for a quintuple bypass.^[68]

During the initial weeks of his recovery, reruns of the Late Show were shown and introduced by friends of Letterman including Drew Barrymore,^[58] Ray Romano, Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, Megan Mullally, Bill Murray, Regis Philbin, Charles Grodin, Nathan Lane, Julia Roberts,^[58] Bruce Willis, Jerry Seinfeld, Martin Short, Steven Seagal, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Danny DeVito, Steve Martin, and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Subsequently, while still recovering from surgery, Letterman revived the late night tradition that had virtually disappeared on network television during the 1990s of 'guest hosts' by allowing Bill Cosby, Kathie Lee Gifford (recommended by Regis Philbin, who was asked first but had no time in his schedule), Dana Carvey, Janeane Garofalo, and others to host new episodes of The Late Show. Cosby—the show's first guest host—refused to sit at Letterman's desk out of respect, using the couch instead; Garofalo followed suit, utilizing a set of grade-school desks instead.

Upon his return to the show on February 21, 2000, Letterman brought all of the doctors and nurses on stage who had participated in his surgery and recovery (with extra teasing of a nurse who had given him bed baths—"This woman has seen me naked!"),^[69] including Dr. O. Wayne Isom and physician Louis Aronne, who frequently appears on the show. In a show of emotion, Letterman was nearly in tears as he thanked the health care team with the words "These are the people who saved my life!" The episode earned an Emmy nomination. For a number of episodes, Letterman continued to crack jokes about his bypass, including saying, "Bypass surgery: it's when doctors surgically create new blood flow to your heart. A bypass is what happened to me when I didn't get The Tonight Show! It's a whole different thing." In a later running gag he lobbied his home state of Indiana to rename the freeway circling Indianapolis (I-465) "The David Letterman Bypass." He also featured a montage of faux news coverage of his bypass surgery, which included a clip of Dave's heart for sale on the Home Shopping Network. Letterman became friends with his doctors and nurses. In 2008, a Rolling Stone interview stated "he hosted a doctor and nurse who'd helped perform the emergency quintuple-bypass heart surgery that saved his life in 2000. 'These are people who were complete strangers when they opened my chest,' he says. 'And now, eight years later, they're among my best friends.' "^[4]

Additionally, Letterman invited the band Foo Fighters to play "Everlong",^[70] introducing them as "my favorite band, playing my favorite song."^[71] During a later Foo Fighters appearance, Letterman said that Foo Fighters had been in the middle of a South American tour which they canceled to come play on his comeback episode.

Letterman again handed over the reins of the show to several guest hosts (including Bill Cosby, Brad Garrett, Elvis Costello, John McEnroe, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Bonnie Hunt, Luke Wilson and bandleader Paul Shaffer) in February 2003, when he was diagnosed with a severe case of shingles. Later that year, Letterman made regular use of guest hosts—including Tom Arnold and Kelsey Grammer—for new shows broadcast on Fridays. In March 2007, Adam Sandler—who had been scheduled to be the lead guest—served as a guest host while Letterman was ill with a stomach virus.^[72]

Re-signing with CBS[link]

Letterman hosting President Barack Obama at Late Show with David Letterman, September 2009

In March 2002, as Letterman's contract with CBS neared expiration, ABC offered him the time slot for long-running news program Nightline with Ted Koppel. Letterman was interested as he believed he could never match Leno's ratings at CBS due to Letterman's complaint of weaker lead-ins from the network's late local news programs, but was reluctant to replace Koppel.^[73] Letterman addressed his decision to re-sign on the air, stating that he was content at CBS and that he had great respect for Koppel.

On December 4, 2006, CBS revealed that Letterman signed a new contract to host The Late Show with David Letterman through the fall of 2010. "I'm thrilled to be continuing on at CBS," said Letterman. "At my age you really don't want to have to learn a new commute."^[74] Letterman further joked about the subject by pulling up his right pants leg, revealing a tattoo, presumably temporary, of the ABC logo.

"Thirteen years ago, David Letterman put CBS late night on the map and in the process became one of the defining icons of our network," said Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation. "His presence on our air is an ongoing source of pride, and the creativity and imagination that the Late Show puts forth every night is an ongoing display of the highest quality entertainment. We are truly honored that one of the most revered and talented entertainers of our time will continue to call CBS 'home.'"^[75]

According to a 2007 article in Forbes magazine, Letterman earned $40 million a year.^[76] A 2009 article in The New York Times, however, said his salary was estimated at $32 million per year.^[77] In June 2009, Letterman's Worldwide Pants and CBS reached agreement to continue the Late Show until at least August 2012. The previous contract had been set to expire in 2010, and the two-year extension is shorter than the typical three-year contract period negotiated in the past.^[77] Worldwide Pants agreed to lower its fee for the show, though it had remained a "solid moneymaker for CBS" under the previous contract.^[77]

On the February 3, 2011, edition of the Late Show, during an interview with Howard Stern, Letterman said he would continue to do his talk show for "maybe two years, I think."^[78]

2007–2008 writers' strike[link]

The Late Show went off air for eight weeks during the months of November and December because of the Writers Guild of America strike. Letterman's production company—Worldwide Pants—was the first company to make an individual agreement with the WGA,^[79] thus allowing his show to come back on air on January 2, 2008. On his first episode since being off air, he surprised the viewing audience with his newly grown beard, which signified solidarity with the strike.^[80] His beard was shaved off during the show on January 7, 2008.

Controversy over jokes about daughter of Sarah Palin[link]

On June 8 and June 9, 2009, Letterman told a sexually-themed joke on his show each night about a daughter of Sarah Palin.^[81] Palin was in New York City at the time with her fourteen year-old daughter, Willow, and the jokes were said to be aimed at the daughter, never named, who was visiting New York City with her mother.^[81] Palin criticized the jokes, saying in a statement posted on the internet that "I doubt he'd ever dare make such comments about anyone else's daughter," and "laughter incited by sexually-perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl" is "disgusting."^[82] On June 10, Letterman responded to the controversy on his show by stating that the jokes were meant to be about Palin's eighteen year-old daughter, Bristol, whose pregnancy as an unmarried teenager had caused controversy during the 2008 Presidential election, and that "(t)hese are not jokes made about (Palin's) 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl."^[82] His remarks didn't put an end to the public criticism, however, with the National Organization for Women, who supported Palin in a statement, noting he had given only "something of an apology."^[81] With the controversy not subsiding, Letterman addressed the issue again on his June 15 show, faulting himself for the error and apologizing "especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke."^[83]

Letterman and Carson[link]

In spite of Johnny Carson's clear intention to pass his title to Letterman, NBC selected Jay Leno to host The Tonight Show after Carson's departure.^[84] Letterman maintained a close relationship with Carson through his break with NBC. Three years after he left for CBS, HBO produced a made-for-television movie called The Late Shift, based on a book by New York Times reporter Bill Carter, chronicling the battle between Letterman and Leno for the coveted Tonight Show hosting spot. Letterman would mock the film for months afterward, specifically on how the actor playing him, John Michael Higgins, did not resemble him in the least.^{[citation needed]}