- published: 28 Sep 2014
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Coordinates: 53°28′45″N 2°56′14″W / 53.4793°N 2.9373°W / 53.4793; -2.9373
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside. It lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) north of Liverpool city centre, in North West England.
It is best known as the site of Aintree Racecourse, which since the 19th century has staged the Grand National horserace. During the 1950s and '60s, there was also a three-mile-long motor racing circuit on the site, which used the same grandstands as the horserace. A shorter form of the racing circuit is still used for various events, although car racing ceased in 1982.
Historically part of Lancashire, the name Aintree, thought to be of Saxon origin, means "one tree" or "tree standing alone." In 1999, the parish council decided to revert to its original name of Aintree Village; this request was granted by Sefton Council. Local legend held that a tree on Bull Bridge Lane, one of the oldest parts of the village, was "the Ain tree".[citation needed] The tree had to be cut down in 2004 because it had become diseased and started to lean into the road.
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Often referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.
In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B, pop and rock artists.