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Mark I Tank
A British Mark I "male" tank near Thiepval on 26 September 1916, fitted with wire mesh to deflect grenades and the initial steering tail, shown raised. Photo by Ernest Brooks
Type	Tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	(Mk I) 1916-1918
Used by	United Kingdom (Mk I - IX)  Germany (Mk IV) Imperial Japanese Army (Mk IV) White Movement (Mk V)  Soviet Union (Mk V)  United States (Mk V, V*,VIII)  France (Mk V*)  Canada (Mk V, V*)  Estonia (Mk V)  Latvia (Mk V)
Wars	First World War Russian Civil War
Production history
Designer	William Tritton, Major Walter Gordon Wilson
Designed	1915
Manufacturer	(Mk I) William Foster & Co. of Lincoln Metropolitan Carriage, Birmingham
Produced	(Mk I) 1916
Number built	150
Variants	Mark II, Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V series, Mark VI, Mark VII, Mark VIII, Mark IX, Mark X, Gun Carrier Mark I
Specifications
Weight	Male: 28 tons (28.4 tonnes) Female: 27.4 tonnes
Length	32 ft 6 in (9.94 m) with tail
Width	13 ft 9 in (4.33 m) [male]
Height	8 ft 0.5 in (2.44 m)
Crew	8 (commander, driver, two gearsmen and four gunners)

The British Mark I was a tracked vehicle developed by the British Army during the First World War, and the world's first combat tank. The Mark I entered service in August 1916, and was first used in action on the morning of 15 September 1916 during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, of the Somme Offensive.^[1] Born of the need to break the domination of trenches and machine guns over the battlefields of the Western Front, it was the first vehicle to be named "tank", as an expedient to maintain secrecy and to disguise its true purpose.^[2] It was developed to be able to cross trenches, resist small-arms fire, travel over difficult terrain, carry supplies, and to capture fortified enemy positions. It is regarded as successful in many respects, but suffered from many problems owing to its primitive nature.

Development[link]

The Mark I was a development of Little Willie, the experimental tank built for the Landships Committee by Lieutenant Walter Wilson and William Tritton in the summer of 1915. It was designed by Wilson in response to problems discovered during the development of Little Willie. A gun turret above the hull would have made the centre of gravity too high, so the guns were put in sponsons. The prototype Mark I, ready in December 1915, was called "Mother", (previous names having been "The Wilson Machine", "Big Willie", and "His Majesty's Land Ship Centipede"). One hundred and fifty of the Mark I were built.

Description[link]

The Mark I was a rhomboid vehicle with a low centre of gravity and long track length, able to negotiate broken ground and cross trenches. Main armament was carried in sponsons on the hull sides.

The hull was undivided internally; the crew shared the same space as the engine. The environment inside was extremely unpleasant; since ventilation was inadequate, the atmosphere was contaminated with poisonous carbon monoxide, fuel and oil vapours from the engine, and cordite fumes from the weapons. Temperatures inside could reach 50 °C (122 °F). Entire crews lost consciousness inside the tank or, sometimes, collapsed when again exposed to fresh air.^[3]

To counter the danger of bullet splash or fragments knocked off the inside of the hull, crews were issued with leather-and-chainmail masks, and a leather helmet was also issued, to protect the head against projections inside the tank. Gas masks were standard issue as well, as they were to all soldiers at this point in the war (see Chemical warfare). The side armour of 8 mm initially made them largely immune to small arms fire, but could be penetrated by the recently developed armour-piercing K bullets. There was also the danger of being overrun by infantry and attacked with grenades. The next generation had thicker armour, making them nearly immune to the K bullets. In response, the Germans developed the 13.2 mm Mauser anti-tank rifle, and also a Geballte Ladung ("Bunched Charge")—several regular stick grenades bundled together for a much bigger explosion.

A direct hit by an artillery or mortar shell could cause the fuel tanks (which were placed high in the front horns of the track frames either side of the drivers' area, to allow gravity feed) to burst open. Incinerated crews were removed by special Salvage Companies, who also salvaged damaged tanks.

Steering was difficult, controlled by varying the speed of the two tracks. Four of the crew, two drivers (one of whom also acted as commander; he operated the brakes, the other the primary gearbox) and two "gearsmen" (one for the secondary gears of each track) were needed to control direction and speed, the latter never more than a walking pace. As the noise inside was deafening, the driver, after setting the primary gear box, communicated with the gearsmen with hand signals, first getting their attention by hitting the engine block with a heavy spanner. For slight turns, the driver could use the steering tail: an enormous contraption dragged behind the tank consisting of two large wheels, each of which could be blocked by pulling a steel cable causing the whole vehicle to slide in the same direction. If the engine stalled, the gearsmen would use the starting handle—a large crank between the engine and the gearbox. Many of these vehicles broke down in the heat of battle making them an easy target for German gunners. There was no wireless (radio); communication with command posts was by means of two pigeons, which had their own small exit hatch in the sponsons, or by runners. Because of the noise and vibration, early experiments had shown that radios were impractical, so lamps, flags, semaphore, coloured discs, and the carrier pigeons were part of the standard equipment of the various marks.^[4]

During the First World War, British propaganda made frequent use of tanks, portraying them as a wonder weapon that would quickly win the war. They were featured in films and popular songs.^[5]

Variants[link]

A requirement was found for two types of armament, so 50% of Mark Is were armed with two 6 pounder guns and three 8 mm Hotchkiss machine guns, and called "Male", and 50% with four Vickers machine guns and one Hotchkiss, and called "Female". Swinton is credited with inventing the terms.^[6]

To aid steering, a pair of large wheels were added behind the tank. These were not as effective as hoped and were subsequently dropped.

The subsequent Mark II, III, IV, and V, and later tanks, all bear a strong resemblance to their "Mother".

Mark I[link]

British Mark I tank with special camouflage scheme

• Crew: 8
• Combat Weight
  • Male: 28 tons (28.4 tonne)
  • Female: 27 tons (27.4 tonne)
• Armour: .23-.47 in (6–12 mm)
• Armament
  • Male: two 6-pounder QF, three 8 mm Hotchkiss Machine Guns
  • Female: four .303 Vickers Machine Guns, one 8 mm Hotchkiss Machine Gun

The Gun Carrier Mark I was a separate design, intended to carry a field gun or howitzer that could be fired from the vehicle. In service it was mostly used for carrying supplies and ammunition. Forty-eight were built.

Mark II[link]

Mark II; tank no. 799 captured near Arras on 11 April 1917.

The Mark II incorporated minor improvements over the Mark I. With the Army declaring the Mark I still insufficiently developed for use, the Mark II order^[7] would continue to be built but it would be used for training only.^[8] As they were only to be used as training tanks they were supposedly clad in unhardened steel, though some doubt was cast on this claim in early 1917.^[9] Initially twenty were shipped to France and twenty-five remained at the training ground at Wool, Dorset in Britain; the remaining five were kept for use as test vehicles. As the promised MkIV tanks had not arrived by early 1917 it was decided, despite the protestations of Stern (see below), to ship the twenty-five training vehicles in Britain to France, ^[9] where they joined the other twenty MkIIs and fifteen MkIs in the Battle of Arras in April 1917. It is worth noting that the Germans were able to pierce the armour of both the MkI and MkII tanks at Arras with their armour-piercing machine gun ammunition.

The Mark II was built from December 1916 to January 1917 by Foster & Co and Metropolitan (25 Male and 25 Female respectively).^[10]

Mark III[link]

The Mark III was a training tank, which used Lewis machine guns and a smaller sponson for the females. Fifty were built. It was originally intended that the Mark III have all the proposed new design features of the Mark IV. This is why there were two distinct training types, the Mark II being little more than a slightly improved Mark I. Development of the new features was so slow however, that the change from the Mark II was very gradual. The last two Mark III's were melted down in the Second World War. They did not see action overseas.

Mark IV[link]

A female Mark IV tank C14. Photographed with German forces after the Battle of Cambrai. December 1917

Mark IV Female tank knocked out

Mark IV was an up-armoured version of the Mark I which went into production in May 1917. Fundamental mechanical improvements had originally been intended but these had to be postponed, the main change consisting in the switch to shorter-barrelled 6-pounder guns. It had all fuel stored in a single external tank (located between the rear track horns) in an attempt to improve crew safety. The sponsons could be pushed in to reduce the width of the tank for rail transportation. Rails on the roof carried an unditching beam. A total of 1,220 were built: 420 Males, 595 Females and 205 Tank Tenders, which were supply tanks.

The Mark IV was used successfully at the Messines Ridge in June 1917 where they outpaced the infantry on dry ground, but in the Third Ypres of July and August they found the swampy ground difficult and were of little use. About 432 Mark IV tanks were used during the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917.

The first tank-to-tank battle was between Mk IV tanks and German A7Vs in the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux in April 1918.^[11]

Mark V series[link]

Mark V "male" tank, showing short 6-pounder (57-mm) Hotchkiss gun in right sponson

The Mark V was first intended to be a completely new design of tank, of which a wooden mock-up had been finished. However, when the new engine and transmission originally destined for the Mark IV became available in December 1917, the first, more advanced Mark V design was abandoned for fear of disrupting the production run. The designation "Mark V" was switched to an improved version of the Mark IV, equipped with the new systems. The original design of the Mark IV was to be a large improvement on the Mark III but had been scaled back to be a mild improvement because of technical delays. The Mark V thus turned out very similar to the original design of the Mark IV - i.e. a greatly modified Mark III.

Four hundred were built, 200 each of Males and Females. Several were converted to Hermaphrodites (also known as "Composites") by fitting one male and one female sponson so that each tank had a 6-pounder. This measure was intended to ensure that female tanks would not be outgunned when faced with captured British male tanks in German use or the Germans' own A7V.

The Mark V was first used in the Battle of Hamel on 4 July 1918 when 60 tanks contributed to a successful assault on the German lines by Australian units. It took part in eight further major engagements during the War. A number saw service in the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War on the White Russian side. Most were subsequently captured and used by the Red Army in the Russian Civil War. Four were retained by Estonian forces, and two by Latvia.

Mark VI[link]

The Mark VI was one of a pair of related projects to develop the tank initiated in late 1916. The Mark V would be the application of as many advanced features as could be managed on the Mark I hull design and the Mark VI would be a complete break with the Mark I hull. The Mark V would not be built as such, because of the delays with the Mark IV and it would be a different Mark V that was built. The Mark VI project design had a completely new hull – taller and with rounded track paths. The single main gun was in the front of the hull. It did not progress past the stage of a wooden mock-up; the project was cancelled in December 1917 in order that a tank co-developed with the US (the Mark VIII) could go forward.

Mark VII[link]

Mark Knothe, the Technical Liaison Officer between Stern, Elles and Anley, contributed to the development of the tank, designing a longer Mark I with Williams-Janney hydraulic transmission;^[12] one of the Mark IIs used as test vehicles had used a hydraulic transmission. In October 1917 Brown Brothers ^[13] in Edinburgh were granted a contract to develop this line of research further. In July 1918 the prototype was ready. Its drive system was very complex. The 150 hp Ricardo engine drove into Variable Speed Gear Ltd. pumps that in turn powered two hydraulic motors, moving one track each by means of several chains. To ward off the obvious danger of overheating there were many fans, louvres and radiators. Steering was easy and gradual however and the version was taken into production to equip one tank battalion. Three had been built, and only one delivered out of an order for 74 when war ended.^[12] It was passed over in favour over the V** which was ordered at the same time. The hull was slightly lengthened in comparison with the Mark V. No Mark VIIs survive.

Mark VIII[link]

The Allied Mark VIII (Liberty) tank

When Stern was removed from his post following disagreements with the war office, he was sidelined by appointment to a new department to work on a cooperative design between the Allies – assembly in France, hulls, guns and their ammunition from the UK and other components (principally the engines) from the USA^[14] American involvement in the development of the tank design led to the Mark VIII, also known as "Liberty" or Anglo-American tank (though initially the French were partially involved).

The engine was compartmentalised from the crew, and the turret structure included forward and rear firing machine guns. Of a planned (shared production) of 1,500 each, 24 were built by the British before they pulled out of the project and 100 completed by the Americans. The 100 were produced between September 1918 and 1920, at the Rock Island Arsenal, at a cost of $35,000 [£8,750] apiece ($430,000 [£226,000] in 2006). About 40 hulls for the U.S Liberty were produced by the Manchester Tank Syndicate, 11 British Type Mark VIII by the North British Locomotive Co.^[15]

They were used and upgraded until the 1930s when given to Canada for training (as opposed to the M1917s which were sold at scrap value). The tank itself was over 34 feet (10 m) long, and there had been an even longer 44 foot (13 m) version planned but never made (the Mark VIII*). The tank was outdated by the 1930s due to its speed (under 6 mph/10 km/h) and armour (16–6 mm) but it did have one of the longest independent trench crossing capabilities of any armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) ever made. Modern main battle tanks and AFVs rely on bridge laying tanks for crossing large deep trenches.

• Crew: 12 (later 10)
• Weight 37 tons (37.6 tonnes)
• Length/Height/Width : 34 ft 2 in by 10 ft 3 in by 12 ft 4 in (10.4 m by 3.1 m by 3.8 m) (Mark VIII* length 44 ft/13.4 m)
• Engine: Ricardo 330 hp petrol (UK), Liberty V12 300 hp (U.S.).^[15]

Mark IX[link]

The Mark IX was a troop carrier or infantry supply vehicle—among the first tracked armoured personnel carrier not counting experiments with the lengthened Mk V's. 34 were built out of an order for 200.

Mark X[link]

Paper only project to improve the Mark V, originally known as Mark V***. This was basically a contingency plan in case the Mark VIII project would fail (if so a production of 2000 was foreseen for 1919), trying to produce a tank with as many parts of the Mark V as possible but with improved manoeuvrability and crew comfort.

Combat history[link]

A disabled Mark IV tank near Cambrai, 1917.

German forces using captured British Mark IVs during the Second Battle of the Marne.

The first tanks were added, as a "Heavy Branch", to the Machine Gun Corps until a separate Tank Corps was formed on 28 July 1917 by Royal Warrant. A small number of Mark I tanks took part in the battle of the Somme during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette in September 1916. They were used to cut through barbed wire to clear the way for infantry, and were even driven through houses to destroy machine gunner's emplacements.^[16] Although many broke down or became stuck, almost a third that attacked made it across no man's land, and their effect on the enemy was noted, leading to a request by the British C-in-C Douglas Haig for a thousand more. This came as a bit of a surprise: William Tritton had already started the development of a heavier tank: the Flying Elephant. Unfortunately for the Allies, it also gave the Germans time to develop a specifically designed anti-tank weapon for the infantry, an armour-piercing 7.92 mm K bullet.

During the Battle of Amiens in August 1918, several hundred Mark V tanks, along with the new Whippet and Mk V* tanks, penetrated the German lines in a foretaste of modern armoured warfare.

Mark V tanks captured by the Red Army from the White Army in the course of the Russian Civil War were used in 1921 during the Red Army invasion of Georgia and contributed to the Soviet victory in the battle for Tbilisi.^[17]

In 1945, Allied troops came across two badly damaged Mk V tanks in Berlin. Photographic evidence indicates that these were survivors of the Russian Civil War and had been previously been displayed in Smolensk before being brought back to Berlin after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Accounts of their active involvement in the Battle of Berlin have not been verified .^[18]

A small number of MkI and Mk IV tanks were present at the Second Battle of Gaza and Third Battle of Gaza, respectively, in Palestine in 1917.

Surviving vehicles[link]

Little Willie[link]

Little Willie survives at the Bovington Tank Museum; it was saved from being scrapped in 1940—many other prototypes were melted down during the Invasion Scare—on the pretext it was helping to defend Bovington base against possible German attacks.

Mark I[link]

A single male survives. This is the only surviving Mark I and the world's oldest surviving combat tank. It is part of the collection at the Bovington Tank Museum. It is painted to represent Number 705, C19, Clan Leslie although its identity and wartime history are unknown. There are indications it may have served as a driver-training tank and it has been suggested it is Number 702, which would make it the second Mark I built. Between 1919 and 1970, it was sited in the grounds of Hatfield House to commemorate the fact this was a testing site for tanks during their earliest development.^[19]

Mark II[link]

There is a single surviving Mark II Female, F53: The Flying Scotsman, at the Bovington Tank Museum. This tank still has battle damage sustained at the Battle of Arras in April 1917.

Mark IV[link]

Seven Mark IV's survive.

• A Mark IV Female, F4: Flirt II, which fought at the Battle of Cambrai, is at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, Lincoln, England, on permanent loan from the Bovington Tank Museum. A local company, William Foster & Co., manufactured the first tanks.
• A Mark IV Female is preserved at Ashford in Kent. This is one of many that were presented for display to towns and cities in Britain after the war; most were scrapped in the 1920s and 1930s.
• The Royal Museum of the Army in Brussels has a Male Mark IV tank, the Lodestar III, still in original colours.
• A Mark IV Female,Grit, is displayed in the ANZAC hall at the Australian War Memorial.
• In 1999, a Mark IV Female, D51: Deborah, was excavated at the village of Flesquières in France. It had been knocked out by shell-fire at the Battle of Cambrai (1917) and subsequently buried when used to fill a crater. Work is underway on its restoration.^[20]
• A Mark IV Male, Excellent, is displayed at Bovington. After World War I, this tank was presented by the army to HMS Excellent, a Royal Navy shore establishment where some tank crewmen were trained. During World War II, it was made operational again for service with the Home Guard when German invasion threatened in 1940.^[21] It is still maintained in working order.^[22]
• Mark IV Female Liberty: displayed at United States Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen, Maryland. Originally named Britannia, Renamed Liberty, the tank joined the Ordnance Museum collection in 1919. After decades of exposure to the elements, it is in poor condition, but about to undergo restoration.^[23]

Mark V[link]

Eleven Mark V's survive. The majority are in Russia or Ukraine and are survivors of the tanks sent there to aid the White forces during the Russian Civil War.

• The Bovington Tank Museum displays a Mark V Male, Number 9199, one of two British World War I tanks still in working order. It was in action at the Battle of Amiens where its commander – Lt. HA Whittenbury – was awarded the Military Cross.
• A Mark V** Female: Ol'Faithfull, is also preserved at Bovington.
• A heavily restored Mark V Male, Devil, survives at the London Imperial War Museum.
• A Mark V* Male, Number 9591, has since 2010 been part of the collection of the National Armor and Cavalry Museum, Fort Benning, Georgia. Issued to Company A, US 301st Heavy Tank Battalion and knocked out by a single artillery round on September 27, 1918 during the attack against the Hindenburg Line, it was repaired and sent back to the United States. It represents the only surviving exemplar of the Mark V*.
• A Mark V is at the Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia.
• A Mark V serves as memorial in Arkhangelsk. This was originally used by British forces during the Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War.
• Two preserved Mark Vs, a Male and a Female, form part of an outdoor memorial at Luhansk in Ukraine; two more are in storage.
• A Mark V Female is at the Kharkiv Historical Museum, Ukraine.

Mark VIII/Liberty[link]

• A Mark VIII Liberty tank originally at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, has in 2010 been transferred to the National Armor and Cavalry Museum at Fort Benning, GA. The vehicle was originally assigned to the American 67th Infantry Regiment (Heavy Tanks) at Fort Benning, GA.
• A modified Liberty tank is preserved at Fort Meade, Maryland. The tank displayed in the post museum was made in 1920 at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. It was assigned to the 301st Tank Battalion (Heavy), later redesignated the 17th Tank Battalion (Heavy). Throughout most of 1921–1922, Major Dwight D. Eisenhower commanded this unit
• A British Mark VIII is at Bovington.

Mark IX[link]

A single vehicle survives at Bovington; it has just been restored.

Gallery[link]

• 

  Little Willie, photographed in 2001.

• 

  The Bovington Mark II Female tank.

• 

  Mark IV tank at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life.

• 

  Mk. IV Female tank preserved at Ashford, Kent

• 

  The Mark IV at the Belgian Royal Museum of the Army, Brussels.

• 

  Mark IV tank at the Australian War Memorial.

• 

  Mark IV Female tank Liberty at the Aberdeen Proving Ground.

• 

  The Bovington Mark V tank; note the vertical white-red-white British recognition stripes, still in use up to early WW II.

• 

  Mark V Composite tank in Luhansk, Ukraine, right-hand view.

• 

  Mark V Composite tank in Luhansk, Ukraine, left-hand view.

• MarkVMale.JPG

  Mark V Male tank at the London Imperial War Museum.

• 

  Mark V tank in Arkhangelsk, captured by the Red Army during the British intervention in Russia.

See also[link]

• Mark V Composite

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Fletcher, David (2007). British Mark IV Tank. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-082-6. 
• Fletcher, David (2001). The British Tanks, 1915–19. Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-400-3. 
• Fletcher, David. British Mark I Tank 1916. Osprey Publishing. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mark I tank

• Headquarters, Tank Corps, 1 December 1917, British Army : "Instructions for the training of the Tank Corps in France". Includes Mk IV & V tank specifications.
• http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWmother.htm
• http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk/colww1.html
• Article on the preserved Arkhangelsk tank.
• Archaeological discovery: the Mark IV tank of Flesquières (Battle of Cambrai 1917)
• Lists and battle narratives of British Built Tanks in World War One.

Mark Ware Isham (born September 7, 1951) is an American trumpeter, synthesist, and film composer. He works in a variety of genres, including jazz, electronic, and film.^[1][2] He currently composed the score of the TV series Once Upon a Time.

Life and career[link]

Isham was born in New York City, New York, the son of Patricia (née Hammond), a violinist, and Howard Fuller Isham, a professor of humanities.^[3]

Isham is a Scientologist.^[4][5] He is married to Donna Isham.^[5]

Discography[link]

As sideman[link]

With Art Lande

• Rubisa Patrol (ECM, 1976)
• Desert Marauders (ECM 1978)

With David Torn

• Cloud About Mercury (ECM, 1986)

Studio albums and compilations[link]

• 1983 Vapor Drawings
• 1985 Film Music
• 1987 We Begin (with Art Lande)
• 1988 Castalia
• 1989 Tibet - a soundtrack
• 1990 Mark Isham
• 1991 Songs My Children Taught Me (music only, from the first four Rabbit Ears titles, see below)
• 1995 Blue Sun
• 1998 Mark Isham: A Windham Hill Retrospective
• 1999 Miles Remembered: The Silent Way Project

Rabbit Ears Storybook Classics[link]

• 1987 The Steadfast Tin Soldier (Narrated by Jeremy Irons)
• 1988 The Emperor and the Nightingale (Narrated by Glenn Close)
• 1989 Thumbelina (Narrated by Kelly McGillis)
• 1990 The Emperor's New Clothes (Narrated by John Gielgud)
• 1992 The Boy Who Drew Cats (Narrated by William Hurt)
• 1994 The Firebird (Narrated by Susan Sarandon)

Other[link]

• 2000 Hymn of Asia: L. Ron Hubbard (Instrument Orchestration and Choral Arrangements)
• 2006 Theme to the United States Army's Army Strong campaign^[6]
• 2007 Human the Death Dance by Sage Francis (Production on "Good Fashion" and "Water Line")

Contributions to soundtracks[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Mark Isham at the Internet Movie Database

Mark Cuban
Cuban at the 2005 Web 2.0 Conference.
Born	(1958-07-31) July 31, 1958 (age 53) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma mater	Indiana University
Occupation	Owner of Dallas Mavericks Co-owner of 2929 Entertainment Chairman of HDNet
Net worth	US$2.3 billion (2012)[1]
Spouse	Tiffany Stewart (m. 2002) «start: (2002)»"Marriage: Tiffany Stewart to Mark Cuban" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Mark_Cuban)
Children	2 daughters, 1 son[2]

Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958)^[3] is an American business magnate. He is the owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks,^[4] Landmark Theatres, and Magnolia Pictures, and the chairman of the HDTV cable network HDNet.^[5] He is also a "shark" investor on the television series Shark Tank. In 2011, Cuban wrote an e-book, How to Win at the Sport of Business, in which he chronicles his life experiences in business and sports.

Biography[link]

Cuban was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania^[6][7] and grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon, in a Jewish^[8] working-class family. His last name was shortened from "Chabenisky" when his Russian grandparents landed on Ellis Island.^[9] Cuban's father Norton was an automobile upholsterer.^[6][10][11] Cuban's first step into the business world occurred at age 12, when he sold garbage bags to pay for a pair of expensive basketball shoes.^[6][12] While in school, he held a variety of jobs, including bartender, disco dancing instructor, and party promoter. He paid for college by collecting and selling stamps, and once gained about $1,100 from starting a chain letter.^[6]

Rather than attending high school for his senior year, Cuban enrolled as a full time student at the University of Pittsburgh. After one year at the University of Pittsburgh, he transferred to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and graduated from the Kelley School of Business in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in business administration.^[13] He chose Indiana's Kelley School of Business without even visiting the campus because it had the least expensive tuition of all the business schools on the top 10 list.^[14] While in school he bought a popular college hangout on Kirkwood Avenue called Motley's Pub. Before that he gave disco lessons at sororities and says he paid for his junior year with a chain letter.^[14]

Family[link]

In September 2002, Cuban married Tiffany Stewart in Barbados,^[15] with a wedding reception at the American Airlines Center. Their first daughter, Alexis Sofia, was born on September 25, 2005; their second daughter, Alyssa, was born in 2007.^[16] Tiffany and Mark also have a son born in early 2010.^[2] The family lives in the Preston Hollow area of Dallas, in a 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m²) mansion.^[17]

Early career[link]

In 1982, Cuban moved to Dallas, Texas. Cuban first found work as a bartender,^[18][19] then as a salesperson for Your Business Software, one of the first PC software retailers in Dallas. He was terminated less than a year later, after meeting with a client to procure new business instead of opening the store.^[20]

Cuban started a company, MicroSolutions, with support from his previous customers from Your Business Software. MicroSolutions was initially a system integrator and software reseller. The company was an early proponent of technologies such as Carbon Copy, Lotus Notes, and CompuServe.^[21] One of the company's largest clients was Perot Systems.^[22] In 1990, Cuban sold MicroSolutions to CompuServe—then a subsidiary of H&R Block—for $6 million.^[23] He retained approximately $2 million after taxes on the deal.^[24]

In 1995, Cuban and fellow Indiana University alumnus Todd Wagner started Audionet, combining their mutual interest in Indiana Hoosier college basketball and webcasting. With a single server and an ISDN line,^[25] Audionet became Broadcast.com in 1998. By 1999, Broadcast.com had grown to 330 employees and $13.5 million in revenue for the second quarter.^[26] In 1999, during the dot com boom, Broadcast.com was acquired by Yahoo! for $5.9 billion in Yahoo! stock.^[27]

Business career[link]

After the sale of Broadcast.com, Cuban diversified his wealth to avoid exposure to a market crash.^[28] As of 2011, Cuban is No. 459 on Forbes' list of "World's Richest People", with a net worth of $2.3 billion.^[29] The Guinness Book of Records credits Cuban with the "largest single e-commerce transaction", after he paid $40 million for his Gulfstream V jet in October 1999.^[30]

Cuban continues to work with Wagner in another venture, 2929 Entertainment, which provides vertically integrated production and distribution of films and video.^[31]

On September 24, 2003, the firm purchased Landmark Theatres, a chain of 58 arthouse movie theaters.^[32] The company is also responsible for the updated version of the TV show Star Search, which was broadcast on CBS.^[33] 2929 Entertainment released Bubble, a movie directed by Steven Soderbergh, in theaters and on DVD on the same day in January 2006 as a simultaneous release.

Cuban was featured on the cover of the November 2003 premiere issue of Best magazine^[34] announcing the arrival of High Definition Television. Cuban also was co-founder (with Philip Garvin) of HDNet, the first high-definition satellite television network.^[35]

In February 2004, Cuban announced that he would be working with ABC television to produce a reality television series, The Benefactor. The premise of the six-episode series involved 16 contestants trying to win $1 million by participating in various contests, with their performances being judged by Cuban. It premiered on September 13, 2004 but due to poor ratings was canceled before the full season aired.^[36]

Cuban financially supported Grokster in the Supreme Court case, MGM v. Grokster.^[37] He is also a partner in Synergy Sports Technology, a web based basketball scouting and video delivery tool, used by many NBA teams.

He has also spearheaded ventures in the social software and Distributed Networking industries. He's an owner of IceRocket, a search engine which scours the blogosphere for content.^[38] Cuban was also a partner in RedSwoosh^[39]—a company which uses peer-to-peer technology to deliver rich media, including video and software to a user's PC, later acquired by Akamai. He was also an investor in Weblogs, Inc. which was acquired by AOL.^[40]

In 2005, Cuban invested in Brondell Inc., a San Francisco startup making a high-tech toilet seat called a Swash that works like a bidet but mounts on a standard toilet. "People tend to approach technology the same way, whether it's in front of them, or behind them," Cuban joked.^[41] He also invested in Goowy Media Inc., a San Diego internet software startup. In April 2006, Sirius Satellite Radio announced that Cuban would host his own weekly radio talk show, Mark Cuban's Radio Maverick.^[42] However, the show has not materialized.

In July 2006, Cuban financed Sharesleuth.com,^[43] a website created by former St. Louis Post-Dispatch investigative reporter Christopher Carey to uncover fraud and misinformation in publicly traded companies. Experimenting with a new business model for making online journalism financially viable, Cuban disclosed that he would take positions in the shares of companies mentioned in Sharesleuth.com in advance of publication. Business and legal analysts questioned the appropriateness of shorting a stock prior to making public pronouncements which are likely to result in losses in that stock's value. Cuban insisted that the practice is legal in view of full disclosure.^[44][45][46]

In April 2007, Cuban partnered with Mascot Books to publish his first children's book, Let's Go, Mavs!. In November 2011, he wrote a 30,000-word e-book, "How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It", which he described as "a way to get motivated".^[47]

In October 2008, Cuban started Bailoutsleuth.com^[48] as a grassroots, online portal for oversight over the U.S. government's $700 billion dollar "bailout" of financial institutions.

In April 2011, Cuban placed Landmark Theatres and Magnolia Pictures up for sale, but he added that he wouldn't sell the companies unless the offer was "very, very compelling".^[49]

Magnolia Pictures[link]

Cuban owns a film distributor called Magnolia Pictures. Through Magnolia, he financed the film Redacted, a docudrama based on the Mahmudiyah killings, the March 2006 rape, murder, and burning of 14-year-old Iraqi girl Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi and the murder of her parents and younger sister by U.S. soldiers. Two of the soldiers were convicted and three pleaded guilty, receiving sentences up to 110 years.^[50] In September 2007, Cuban, in his capacity as owner of Magnolia Pictures, "redacted" disturbing photographs from the concluding moments of the film, citing copyrights/permissions issues.^[51]

Also in 2007, Cuban was reportedly interested in distributing an edition of the film Loose Change, which posits a 9/11 conspiracy theory, through Magnolia, with Charlie Sheen narrating. Cuban told the New York Post, "We are having discussions about distributing the existing video with Charlie's involvement as a narrator, not in making a new feature. We are also looking for productions with an opposing viewpoint. We like controversial subjects, but we are agnostic to which side the controversy comes from."^[52]

Insider trading allegation[link]

On November 17, 2008, it was reported that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil suit against Mark Cuban relating to alleged insider trading in the shares of Mamma.com, now known as Copernic.^[53] A stock dilution occurred shortly after a trade in June 2004, giving hints of inside knowledge at the time of the trade, and Cuban allegedly was saved from a loss of $750,000.^[54] The SEC claims that Cuban ordered the sale of his holdings in Mamma.com after he had been confidentially approached by the company to participate in a transaction likely to dilute shares of current shareholders. Cuban disputes the charges, saying he had not agreed to keep the information secret.^[55] On his blog, Cuban contended the facts were false and that the investigation was "a product of gross abuse of prosecutorial discretion".^[56] DealBook, a section of The New York Times, reported through an anonymous source that Cuban believed the investigation was motivated by an SEC employee having taken offense to his interest in possibly distributing the film Loose Change.^[57]

In July 2009 the U.S. District Court dismissed the charges against Cuban. But the SEC appealed, and in September 2010 an appeals court said that the district court had erred and that further proceedings would be necessary to address the merits of the suit.^[58]

Dallas Mavericks[link]

Ownership[link]

On January 4, 2000, Cuban purchased a majority stake in the NBA's Dallas Mavericks for $285 million from H. Ross Perot, Jr.^[59][60]

In the 20 years before Cuban bought the team, the Mavs had a winning percentage of 40%, and playoff record of 21–32.^[61][62] In the ten years following, the team won 69% of their regular season games and reached the playoffs in each of those seasons. The Mavs playoff record with Cuban is 49 wins and 57 losses, including their first trip to the NBA Finals in 2006, where they lost to the Miami Heat.^[63] On June 12, 2011, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat to win the NBA Finals. Historically, NBA team owners publicly play more passive roles and watch basketball games from skyboxes; Cuban sits alongside fans while donning team jerseys. Cuban flies his private Gulfstream V to attend road games.^[64]

In May 2010, H. Ross Perot, Jr., who retained 5% ownership, filed a lawsuit against Cuban, alleging the franchise was insolvent or in imminent danger of insolvency. In June 2010, Cuban responded in a court filing maintaining Perot is wrongly seeking money to offset some $100 million in losses on the Victory Park real estate development.^[65]

NBA policy controversies[link]

Cuban's ownership has been the source of extensive media attention and controversy involving league policies.^[66]

Cuban has been fined by the NBA, mostly for critical statements about the league and referees, at least $1,665,000 for 13 incidents.^[67] In a June 30, 2006 interview, Mavericks player Dirk Nowitzki said about Cuban:^[68]

He's got to learn how to control himself as well as the players do. We can't lose our temper all the time on the court or off the court, and I think he's got to learn that, too. He's got to improve in that area and not yell at the officials the whole game. I don't think that helps us ... He sits right there by our bench. I think it's a bit much. But we all told him this before. It's nothing new. The game starts, and he's already yelling at them. So he needs to know how to control himself a little.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Cuban said that he matches NBA fines with charitable donations of equal amounts.^[69] In a nationally publicized incident, he criticized the league's manager of officials, Ed T. Rush, saying that he "wouldn't be able to manage a Dairy Queen". Dairy Queen management took offense to Cuban's comments and invited him to manage a Dairy Queen restaurant for a day. Cuban accepted the company's invitation and worked for a day at a Dairy Queen in Coppell, Texas, where fans lined up in the street to get a Blizzard from the owner of the Mavericks.^[70]

During the 2005–06 NBA season, Cuban started a booing campaign when former Mavericks player Michael Finley returned to play against the Mavs as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.^[71] In a playoff series between the Mavericks and Spurs, Cuban cursed Spurs forward Bruce Bowen^[72] and was fined $200,000 by the NBA for rushing onto the court and criticizing NBA officials.^[73] After the 2006 NBA Finals, Cuban was fined $250,000 by the NBA for repeated misconduct following the Mavericks' loss to the Miami Heat in Game Five of the 2006 NBA Finals.

In February 2007, Cuban publicly criticized NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade and declared that he would get fined if he made any comments about what he thought really happened in the 2006 NBA Finals.^[74][75]

On January 16, 2009, after a reviewing, the league fined Cuban $25,000 for yelling at Denver Nuggets player J. R. Smith at the end of the first half on a Mavericks-at-Nuggets game played on January 13.^[76][77] Cuban was apparently incensed that Smith had thrown an elbow that barely missed Mavericks forward Antoine Wright.^[78] Cuban offered to match the fine with a donation to a charity of Smith's choosing. Cuban stated that if he doesn't hear from Smith that he will donate the money to the NHL Players' Association Goals and Dreams Fund in the names of Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Moore.^[79] In May 2009, Cuban made a reference to the Denver Nuggets being "thugs" after a loss to the Nuggets in game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The statement was geared towards the Nuggets and their fans. As he passed Kenyon Martin's mother, who was seated near Cuban as he left the arena, he pointed at her and said, "that includes your son". This controversial comment revisited media attention on Cuban yet again. Cuban issued an apology the next day referencing the poor treatment of away fans in arenas around the league. The league issued a statement stating that they would not fine him.^[80]

On May 22, 2010, Cuban was fined $100,000 for comments he made during a television interview about trying to sign LeBron James.^[81]

Other sports businesses[link]

In 2005, Cuban expressed interest in buying the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.^[82] In 2006, Cuban joined an investment group along with Dan Marino, Kevin Millevoi, Andy Murstein, and Walnut Capital principals Gregg Perelman and Todd Reidbord to attempt to acquire the Penguins.^[83] The franchise ultimately rejected the group's bid.

At World Wrestling Entertainment's 2003 Survivor Series, Cuban was involved in a staged altercation with RAW GM Eric Bischoff and RAW Superstar Randy Orton.^[84] On December 7, 2009, Cuban acted as the guest host of WWE Raw, where he got revenge on Randy Orton for his attack on him at Survivor Series 2003, where he was the guest referee in his match against Kofi Kingston when he gave Kingston a fast count. He then announced Orton would face Kingston at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. At the end of the show, Cuban was slammed through a table by then No.1 contender for the WWE Championship, Sheamus.^[85]

On September 12, 2007, Cuban said that he was in talks with Vince, Linda, Stephanie, and Shane McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment in creating a mixed martial arts company that would compete with Ultimate Fighting Championship.^[86] Cuban is now a bondholder of Zuffa, the UFC's parent company.^[87]

Cuban followed up his intentions by organizing "HDNet Fights", a mixed martial arts promotion which airs exclusively on HDNet and premiered on October 13, 2007 with a card headlined by a fight between Erik Paulson and Jeff Ford as well as fights featuring veterans Drew Fickett and Justin Eilers.^[88]

Since 2009, Cuban has been a panelist at the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference^[89]

In April, 2010, Cuban loaned the newly formed UFL football league $5 million dollars. He did not own a franchise and he was not involved in day-to-day operations of the league nor of any of its teams.^[90] In January 2011, he filed a federal lawsuit against the UFL for their failure to repay the loan by the October 6, 2010 deadline.^[91]

Major League Baseball[link]

Cuban has repeatedly expressed interest in owning a Major League Baseball franchise, and has thus far unsuccessfully attempted to purchase three franchises. In 2008, he submitted an initial bid of $1.3 billion to buy the Chicago Cubs and was invited to participate in a second round of bidding along with several other potential ownership groups.^[92] Cuban was not selected to participate in the final bidding process in January 2009. In August 2010, Cuban actively bid to buy the Texas Rangers. Cuban stopped bids after 1:00 A.M., having placed bids totaling almost 600 million dollars. He had outbid a competing ownership group led by ex-pitcher and Rangers executive Nolan Ryan, but lost the deal before the Rangers played the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 World Series.

In January 2012, Cuban placed an initial bid for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but was eliminated before the second round of bidding. Cuban felt that the value of the Dodgers' TV rights deal drove the price of the franchise too high.^[93] He had previously said that he would not be interested in buying the franchise at $1 billion^[94], telling the Los Angeles Times in November 2011 "I don’t think the Dodgers franchise is worth twice what the Rangers are worth."^[95] However, as the bidding process drew near many speculated that the sale would surpass $1.5 billion, with Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reporting via Twitter that at least one bid in the $1-1.5 billion range was placed in the initial round of the bidding process.

Cuban also previously expressed interest in becoming a minority owner of the New York Mets after owner Fred Wilpon announced in 2011 that he was planning to sell up to a 25% stake in the team.^[96]

Political leanings[link]

Cuban is an admirer of author/philosopher Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.^[97] About Rand's novel The Fountainhead, he said: "[It] was incredibly motivating to me. It encouraged me to think as an individual, take risks to reach my goals, and responsibility for my successes and failures. I loved it."^[98] His political views lean towards libertarianism.^[99] He held a position on the centrist Unity08 political organization's advisory council.^[100] While leaning towards libertarianism, Cuban posted an entry on his blog claiming paying more taxes to be the most patriotic thing someone can do.^[101]

Cuban has donated $7,000 to political campaigns, $6,000 going to Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. $1,000 went to Democratic California Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren.^[102]

On February 8, 2008, Cuban voiced his support for the draft movement attempting to convince New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to run in the U.S. presidential election of 2008 on his blog. Cuban concluded a post lamenting the current state of U.S. politics: "Are you listening, Mayor Bloomberg? For less than the cost of opening a tent pole movie, you can change the status quo."^[103]

Fallen Patriot Fund[link]

Cuban started the Fallen Patriot Fund to help families of U.S. military persons killed or injured during the Iraq War, personally matching the first $1 million in contributions with funds from the Mark Cuban Foundation, which is run by his brother Brian Cuban.^[104][105]

"The Mark Cuban Stimulus Plan"[link]

On February 9, 2009, Cuban announced his own "stimulus plan", involving what he called "an open source exchange of ideas."^[106] His plan entails individuals posting ideas that fit certain criteria (breaking even within 60 days, profitability within 90 days, no advertising, certain banking controls for Cuban) in the hopes that either Cuban will fund them, or other individuals will take up the ideas thereby stimulating the economy.^[107]

Film and television credits[link]

This section is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (February 2011)

Acting roles[link]

• Entourage (2010 episode) as himself
• Breaking the F-ing Rules (2007 film) as Seamus
• The Loop (TV series) (2007 episode) as himself
• All In (2006 film) as himself
• Like Mike 2: Streetball (2006 film) as Drop Squad Coach
• The Cookout (2004 film) as himself
• Walker, Texas Ranger (TV Series, 2000) as Mark Smith
• Lost at Sea (1995 film) as Villain
• Talking About Sex (1994 film) as Macho Mark

As himself[link]

1. Real Time with Bill Maher – (Ep. 220) Cuban appeared on the panel along with Dan Savage, Chrystia Freeland, and Marc Maron. July 15, 2011 ^[108]
2. Dancing with the Stars – Cuban was one of the 12 contestants on the 5th season of Dancing with the Stars.^[109] He was partnered with show veteran Kym Johnson.^[109] After making the cut for four weeks, they were eliminated on October 23, 2007. They were the fifth couple to go after welterweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and professional partner Karina Smirnoff were sent packing the week before.
3. The Simpsons – Cuban voiced himself in the episode "The Burns and the Bees".
4. NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game– Cuban played for the West team in the NBA All-Star Weekend game on February 12, 2010.
5. Entourage – Season 7 Episode 8 – Sniff Sniff Gang Bang; Season 8 Episode 3 - One Last Shot
6. WWE Raw – Mark Cuban appeared on WWE Raw (December 7, 2009) and was put through a table by WWE Superstar Sheamus
7. Shark Tank – Season 2, Episode 1, 2 and 7 – Cuban appeared on Shark Tank as a guest shark, and has appeared throughout Season 3 (replacing Kevin Harrington).
8. Colbert Report – appeared on the show to be interviewed as a billionaire
9. Sketchers Super Bowl Commercial – appeared on the show to as Mr. Quiggly's Manager

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mark Cuban

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mark Cuban

• blog maverick Mark Cuban's personal weblog
• Mark Cuban on Twitter
• Profile at Shark Tank on ABC
• Column archive at The Guardian
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Mark Cuban on Charlie Rose
• Mark Cuban at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Mark Cuban in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Mark Cuban collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Mark Cuban collected news and commentary at The Wall Street Journal
• Profile on Forbes

Interviews

• Executive Viewpoints with Mark Cuban interview from 2000 at ThoughtAudio.com
• Beyond the Glory video biography of Mark Cuban
• Mark Cuban Interview, Gelf Magazine, March 29, 2005
• C-SPAN Q&A interview with Cuban, March 26, 2006

Jay Leno
Leno in July 2008
Birth name	James Douglas Muir Leno
Born	(1950-04-28) April 28, 1950 (age 62)[1] New Rochelle, New York, U.S.[1]
Medium	Television, Film, Stand up
Nationality	American
Years active	1973–present
Genres	Observational comedy, Political satire
Subject(s)	American culture, Everyday life
Influences	Johnny Carson, Robert Klein, Alan King, George Carlin,[2] Don Rickles, Bob Newhart, Rodney Dangerfield
Influenced	Dennis Miller[3]
Spouse	Mavis Leno (1980–present)
Notable works and roles	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (host, 1992–2009, 2010–) The Jay Leno Show (host, 2009–2010)
Signature
Website	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series 1995 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno /ˈlɛnoʊ/ (born April 28, 1950)^[1] is an American stand-up comedian and television host.

From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. (Eastern Time, UTC-5), also on NBC. After The Jay Leno Show was canceled in January 2010 amid a host controversy, Leno returned to host The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 1, 2010.^[4]

Early life[link]

James "Jay" Leno was born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1950. His mother, Catherine (née Muir; 1911–1993), a homemaker, was born in Greenock, Scotland, and came to the United States at age 11. Leno's father, Angelo (1910–1994), who worked as an insurance salesman, was born in New York to immigrants from Flumeri, Italy.^[5] Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, and although his high school guidance counselor recommended that he drop out of school, he later obtained a Bachelor's degree in speech therapy from Emerson College, where he started a comedy club in 1973.^[6] Leno's siblings include his late older brother, Patrick, who was a Vietnam veteran^[7] and a lawyer.^[6]

Career[link]

During the 1970s, Leno appeared in minor roles in several television series and films, first in the 1976 episode "J.J. in Trouble" of Good Times and the same year in the pilot of Holmes & Yo-Yo. After an uncredited appearance in the 1977 film Fun with Dick and Jane, he played more prominent parts in 1978 in American Hot Wax and Silver Bears. Other films and television series from that period include Almost Heaven (1978), "Going Nowhere" (1979) from One Day at a Time, Americathon (1979), Polyester (1981), "The Wild One" (1981) from Alice, "Feminine Mistake" (1979) and "Do the Carmine" (1983) from Laverne & Shirley.

[edit] The Tonight Show

Leno in 1993, shortly after becoming host of The Tonight Show

Starting in 1987, Leno was a regular substitute host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. In 1992, he replaced Carson as host^[8] amid controversy with David Letterman, who had been hosting Late Night with David Letterman since 1982 (aired after The Tonight Show), who many had expected to be Carson's successor. The story of this turbulent transition was later turned into a book and a movie. Leno continued to perform as a stand-up comedian throughout his tenure on The Tonight Show.

In 2004, Leno signed a contract extension with NBC which would keep him as host of The Tonight Show until 2009.^[9] Later in 2004, Conan O'Brien signed a contract with NBC under which O'Brien would become the host of The Tonight Show in 2009, replacing Leno at that time.^[10]

During the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, Leno was accused of violating WGA guidelines by writing his own monologue for The Tonight Show. While NBC and Leno claim there were private meetings with the WGA where there was a secret agreement allowing this, the WGA denied such a meeting.^[11] Leno answered questions in front of the Writers Guild of America, West trial committee in February 2009 and June 2009, and when the WGAW published its list of strike-breakers on 11 August 2009, Leno was not on the list.^[12][13]

In 1998, Leno competed in a tag-team match at the WCW's "Road Wild" pay-per-view . In 2001, he voiced The Crimson Chin, a superhero in the Nickelodeon animated series The Fairly OddParents and continues to do so today.

Leno said in 2008 that he was saving all of his income from The Tonight Show and living solely off his income from stand-up comedy.^[14]

On April 23, 2009, Leno checked himself into a hospital with an undisclosed illness.^[15] He was released the following day and returned to work on Monday, April 27. The two subsequently cancelled Tonight Show episodes for April 23 and April 24 were Leno's first in 17 years as host.^[16][17] Initially, the illness that caused the absence was not disclosed, but later Leno told People magazine that the ailment was exhaustion.^[17][18]

Michael Jackson trial[link]

In the 2005 trial of Michael Jackson over allegations of child molestation, Leno appeared as a defense witness (many celebrity defense witnesses had been expected, but Leno was one of the few whose testimony was actually needed). In his testimony regarding a call by the accuser, Leno testified that he never called the police, that no money was asked for, and there was no coaching — but that the calls seemed unusual and scripted.^[19]

Leno in 2006.

As a result, Leno was initially not allowed to continue telling jokes about Jackson or the case, which had been a fixture of The Tonight Show's opening monologue in particular. But he and his show's writers used a legal loophole by having Leno briefly step aside while stand-in comedians took the stage and told jokes about the trial. Stand-ins included Roseanne Barr, Drew Carey, Brad Garrett, and Dennis Miller among others.^[20]

[edit] Succession by Conan O'Brien and The Jay Leno Show

Because Leno's show continued to lead all late-night programming in the Nielsen ratings, the pending expiration of Leno's contract led to speculation about whether he would become a late-night host for another network after his commitment to NBC expired.^[21] Leno left The Tonight Show on Friday May 29, 2009,^[22][23] and Conan O'Brien took over on June 1, 2009.

On December 8, 2008, it was reported that Leno would remain on NBC and move to a new hour-long show at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (9 p.m. Central Time) five nights a week.^[24] This show follows a similar format to The Tonight Show, tapes at the same lot, and retains many of Leno's most popular segments. Late Night host Conan O'Brien was his successor on The Tonight Show.^[25]

Jay Leno's new show, titled The Jay Leno Show, debuted on September 14, 2009. It was announced at the Television Critics Association summer press tour that it would feature one or two celebrities, the occasional musical guest, and keep the popular "Headlines" segments, which would air near the end of the show. First guests included Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah Winfrey (via satellite), and a short sit-down with Kanye West discussing his controversy at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.^[26]

[edit] Timeslot conflict and return to The Tonight Show

Wikinews has related news: US TV host Conan O'Brien rejects NBC's offer to switch his show's time slot

In their new roles, neither O'Brien nor Leno succeeded in delivering the viewing audiences the network anticipated. On January 7, 2010, multiple media outlets reported that beginning March 1, 2010, Jay Leno would move from his 10pm weeknight time slot to 11:35pm, due to a combination of pressure from local affiliates whose newscasts were suffering, and both Leno's and O'Brien's poor ratings.^[27][28] Leno's show would be shortened from an hour to 30 minutes. All NBC late night programming would be preempted by the 2010 Winter Olympics between February 15 and February 26. This would move The Tonight Show to 12:05am, a post-midnight timeslot for the first time in its history. O'Brien's contract stipulated that NBC could move the show back to 12:05 a.m. without penalty (a clause put in primarily to accommodate sports preemptions).^[29]

On January 10, NBC confirmed that they would move Jay Leno out of primetime as of February 12 and intended to move him to late night as soon as possible.^[30][31] TMZ reported that O'Brien was given no advance notice of this change, and that NBC offered him two choices: an hour-long 12:05am time slot, or the option to leave the network.^[32] On January 12, O'Brien issued a press release that stated he would not continue with Tonight if it moved to a 12:05am time slot,^[33] saying, "I believe that delaying The Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t The Tonight Show."

On January 21, it was announced that NBC had struck a deal with O'Brien. It was decided that O'Brien would leave The Tonight Show. The deal was made that O'Brien would receive a $33 million payout and that his staff of almost 200 would receive $12 million in the departure. O'Brien's final episode aired on Friday, January 22.^[34][35][36] Leno returned as host of The Tonight Show following the 2010 Winter Olympics on March 1, 2010.

On July 1, 2010, Variety reported that total viewership for Jay Leno's Tonight Show had dropped from 5 million to 4 million for the second quarter of 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. Although this represented the lowest second-quarter ratings for the show since 1992, Tonight was still the most-watched late night program, ahead of ABC's Nightline (3.7 million) and David Letterman's Late Show (3.3 million).^[37] Ratings over the following summer, when compared to the same period in 2009 with O'Brien hosting The Tonight Show (including O'Brien's highly rated debut), showed that while total viewership was 12% higher for Leno, viewership in the important "adults aged 18–49" demographic was 23% lower.^[38] NBC ratings specialist Tom Bierbaum commented that due to the host being out of late night television for a period of time and the subsequent 2010 Tonight Show conflict, Leno's ratings fall was "not a surprise at all".^[39]

Public image[link]

Criticism of Leno[link]

Leno on The Tonight Show in 2005

Leno has faced heated criticism and some negative publicity for his perceived role in the 2010 Tonight Show timeslot conflict.^[40][41] Critics have pointed to a 2004 Tonight Show clip, wherein Leno claimed he would allow O'Brien to take over without incident.^[41][42] At the time, Leno stated he didn't want O'Brien to leave for a competing network, adding, "I'll be 59 when [the switch occurs], that's five years from now. There's really only one person who could have done this into his 60s, and that was Johnny Carson; I think it's fair to say I'm no Johnny Carson."^[42] Leno also described The Tonight Show as a dynasty, saying "you hold it and hand it off to the next person. And I don't want to see all the fighting..." At the end of the segment, he said, "Conan, it's yours! See you in five years, buddy!"^[43]

Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt was among the first celebrities to openly voice disappointment with Leno, saying, "Comedians who don't like Jay Leno now, and I'm one of them, we're not like, 'Jay Leno sucks;' it's that we're so hurt and disappointed that one of the best comedians of our generation... willfully has shut the switch off."^[44] Rosie O'Donnell has been among O'Brien's most vocal and vehement supporters,^[45][46] calling Leno a "bully" and his recent actions "classless and kind of career-defining."^[47]

Bill Zehme, the co-author of Leno's autobiography Leading with My Chin, told the Los Angeles Times: "The thing Leno should do is walk, period. He's got everything to lose in terms of public popularity by going back. People will look at him differently. He'll be viewed as the bad guy."^[48]

Support for Leno[link]

NBC Sports head executive and former Saturday Night Live producer Dick Ebersol spoke out against all who had recently mocked Leno, calling them "chicken-hearted and gutless."^[49]

Jeff Gaspin also defended Leno: "This has definitely crossed the line. Jay Leno is the consummate professional and one of the hardest-working people in television. It's a shame that he's being pulled into this."^[48]

Paul Reiser and Jerry Seinfeld are two of the number of celebrities to have voiced support for Leno.^[50][51]

Responding to the mounting criticism, Leno claimed that NBC had assured him that O'Brien was willing to accept the proposed arrangement and then would not let either host out of his contract.^[52] Leno also said that the situation was "all business."^[52] He appeared on the January 28 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show in an attempt to repair some of the damage done to his public image.^[53][54]

Personal life[link]

Leno with President Barack Obama in March 2009

Leno has been married since 1980 to Mavis Leno; they have no children.^[55]

He is known for his prominent jaw, which has been described as mandibular prognathism.^[56] In the book Leading with My Chin he stated that he is aware of surgery that could reset his mandible, but does not wish to endure a prolonged healing period with his jaws wired shut.

Leno is dyslexic.^[6] He claims to sleep only four to five hours each night.^[57] Leno does not drink or smoke, nor does he gamble.^[58] He spends most of his free time visiting car collections or working in his private garage.^[58]

Leno reportedly earns $32 million each year;^[59] his total net worth is unknown, but has been estimated to be at least $150 million.^[60]

Charity[link]

In 2001, along with his wife, he donated $100,000 to the Feminist Majority's campaign to stop gender apartheid in Afghanistan, to educate the public regarding the plight of women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Mavis Leno is on the board of the Feminist Majority.^[61][62]

In 2009, he donated $100,000 to a scholarship fund at Salem State College in honor of Lennie Sogoloff. Mr. Sogoloff gave Leno his start at his jazz club, Lennie's-on-the-Turnpike.^[63]

Love Ride[link]

Since 1985 Jay Leno has been the grand marshal for the Love Ride, a motorcycle charity event which since its founding in 1984 has raised nearly $14 million dollars for charities benefiting muscular dystrophy research and, in 2011, Autism Speaks.^{[citation needed]}

Leno arriving at the 45th Primetime Emmy Awards in his Hispano-Suiza Aero^[64]

Vehicle collection[link]

Leno owns approximately 100 vehicles, not including about 90 motorcycles.^[65] He also has a website called "Jay Leno's Garage," which contains video clips and photos of his automobiles in detail.^[66]

He has a regular column in Popular Mechanics which showcases his car collection and gives advice about various automotive topics, including restoration and unique models, such as his jet-powered motorcycle and solar-powered hybrid. Leno also writes occasional "Motormouth" articles for The Sunday Times,^[67] reviewing high-end sports cars and giving his humorous take on automotive matters.

References[link]