when did tracy mcgrady score 13 points in 33 seconds

The Rockets struggled to begin the 2004–05 season, posting a losing record of 16–17 through their first 33 games.[31] In December, McGrady had one of the most memorable performances of his career, scoring 13 points in the final 35 seconds against the San Antonio Spurs to secure a comeback victory.[32] The sequence included four consecutive three pointers, one of which was part of a four-point play and the last of which was a game-winner in the final two seconds.[32] After the All-Star break, Houston rebounded from their slow start, finishing the season with 51 wins and the third-best record in the West.[31] McGrady's final averages were 25.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.[1] In Game 2 of the first round of the postseason, he had another signature performance, completing a "thunderous" dunk over 7'6" Dallas Mavericks center Shawn Bradley and hitting a game-winner for a 113–111 victory.[33] The series would go to a decisive Game 7, where McGrady came out cold, missing his first seven shots en route to a 40-point loss.[34]

Tracy McGrady

Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player who is best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played as both a shooting guard and small forward. McGrady was a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two-time NBA scoring champion, and one-time winner of the NBA Most Improved Player Award. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2017.

McGrady entered the NBA straight out of high school and was selected as the ninth overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 1997 NBA draft. Beginning his career as a low-minute player, he gradually improved his role with the team, eventually forming an exciting duo with his cousin Vince Carter. In 2000, he left the Raptors for the Orlando Magic, where he became one of the league's most prolific scorers and a candidate for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. In 2004, he was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he paired with center Yao Ming to help the Rockets become a perennial playoff team. His final seasons in the NBA were plagued by injuries, and he retired in 2013 following a brief stint with the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the San Antonio Spurs.

Since retiring, McGrady has worked as a basketball analyst for ESPN. From Aprilâ€“July 2014, he realized his dream of playing professional baseball, pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

McGrady was born on May 24, 1979 in Bartow, Florida to Melanise Williford.[1] His father was not a part of his everyday life, so Melanise raised McGrady with the help of her mother, Roberta, in Auburndale.[2] As a youth, McGrady played high school basketball and baseball at Auburndale High School for three years before transferring to Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, North Carolina for his senior season.[3] A relative unknown coming out of Florida, he made a name for himself after a strong performance at the Adidas ABCD Camp, an experience that helped McGrady recognize his true talent.[4] He later reflected, "Nobody had a clue who Tracy McGrady was. Sonny Vaccaro gave me that platform, and I played against the best players in the world at that time. I left that camp the No. 1 player in the nation, 175 to No. 1."[5] Behind his leadership, Mt. Zion emerged as the number two-ranked team in the country, and McGrady was named a McDonald’s All-American, national Player of the Year by USA Today, and North Carolina's Mr. Basketball by the Associated Press.[2] Initially, McGrady considered playing college basketball at the University of Kentucky, but he ultimately decided to enter the NBA draft as he was a projected lottery pick.[2]

McGrady was selected as the ninth overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 1997 NBA draft.[1] For most of the 1997–98 season, he received little playing time, averaging only 13 minutes per game under head coach Darrell Walker.[6] McGrady has described his rookie year as "hell", feeling lonely in Toronto and sleeping for up to 20 hours a day.[7] Late in the season, Walker resigned and McGrady began playing more under new coach Butch Carter, who agreed to increase McGrady's minutes on the condition that McGrady would improve his work ethic.[6]

Before the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season, the Raptors drafted McGrady's distant cousin, Vince Carter.[8] The two became inseparable;[9] teammate Dee Brown once said, "They say they're cousins... But Siamese twins is more like it."[10] By the 1999–2000 season, the duo had developed a reputation for their athleticism, giving memorable performances at the All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest.[7] McGrady, now playing significant minutes, was a contender for the Sixth Man of the Year Award before being elevated to Toronto's starting backcourt in late March.[11] Behind McGrady and Carter's play, the Raptors finished the season with a 45–37 record, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.[7][12] McGrady's final averages were 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and a career-high 1.9 blocks per game.[1] In the first round of the postseason, the Raptors were swept by the New York Knicks.[12]

Following Toronto's first-round exit, McGrady became a free agent, signing a six-year, $67.5 million contract with the Orlando Magic.[13] He elected to join the Magic in part because he disliked his secondary role playing behind Vince Carter,[14] in part so that he could return home to Florida, and in part to play with their other newly acquired free agent, Grant Hill.[15] Hill would go on to play in only 47 games total throughout his tenure with the team, forcing McGrady into a larger leadership and scoring role than anticipated.[16]

During the 2000–01 season, McGrady defied the expectations of many,[17] emerging as one of the best players in the NBA, with Milwaukee Bucks General Manager Ernie Grunfeld going so far as to call him "one of the top five talents in the league".[13] McGrady's play earned him his first All-Star Game appearance and, behind averages of 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, he was selected to his first All-NBA Team, being named to the All-NBA Second Team.[1] He was also voted the league's Most Improved Player.[14] With a 43-39 record, the Magic entered the playoffs as the East's seventh seed, drawing a matchup with the Bucks.[18] In Game 3 of the series, McGrady notched 42 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists in a performance that Bill Simmons later called McGrady's "superstar audition tape".[17] Orlando was eventually eliminated by Milwaukee in four games.[19]

For the 2001–02 season, McGrady averaged 25.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, earning his second All-NBA Team selection, this time to the All-NBA First Team.[1] During that year's All-Star Game, he completed one of the most memorable highlights of his career, throwing the ball off the backboard to himself and completing an alley-oop in traffic.[20] At season's end, the Magic were again ousted in the first round of the playoffs, losing in four games to the Charlotte Hornets.[21]

In 2002–03, McGrady won his first scoring title and, behind averages of 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, finished a career-best fourth in NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting.[22] ESPN later ranked his season one of the best ever for a perimeter player.[23] In Game 1 of the playoffs, he scored 43 points to help Orlando take an early series lead against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.[24] The Magic would go on to take a commanding 3–1 lead, and McGrady made headlines when he prematurely assumed that Orlando were guaranteed to advance to the next round, replying in an interview, "It feels good to get in the second round."[25] Despite holding the series lead, the Magic were eliminated in seven games.[26]

The 2003–04 season was a tumultuous one for McGrady; Magic coach Doc Rivers was fired after a 1–10 start to the year and there were reports of friction between McGrady and Orlando General Manager John Weisbrod.[13][27] Throughout the season, Orlando struggled because of a series of injuries, finishing the year with the worst record in the East despite McGrady winning his second consecutive scoring title.[1][28] Late in the season, McGrady scored a career-high 62 points in a winning effort versus the Washington Wizards.[29] His final averages were 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.[1]

On June 29, 2004, McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines were traded to the Houston Rockets as part of a seven-player deal that sent Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to the Magic.[1] In response to the trade, McGrady stated that he was happy with the situation and expressed excitement over the prospect of playing alongside Rocket All-Star center Yao Ming.[30] Shortly after arriving in Houston, McGrady signed a three-year, $63 million contract extension with the team.[7]

The 2005–06 season was a disappointing one for the Rockets, as McGrady appeared in only 47 games due to injury.[1] At various points during the year, he missed time due to back spasms, including a moment in January where he had to be carried off the court in a stretcher due to a severe flare up.[35] Despite his health concerns, McGrady was able to play in that year's All-Star Game in front of his home crowd in Houston, exploding for 36 points in just 27 minutes.[17] For the season, he averaged 24.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.[1] Due in part to his frequent absences, the Rockets failed to qualify for the playoffs.[36]

Early in the 2006–07 season, McGrady missed seven games, again because of back spasms, eventually deciding to visit a doctor and receive treatment for the injury as he felt that it was affecting his speed and explosiveness.[37] His health issues and the ascension of Yao Ming, who was having a breakout season, resulted in McGrady temporarily becoming the team's second scoring option.[38] His final averages were 24.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game.[1] To open the playoffs, the Rockets were matched up the Utah Jazz.[39] By this time, pressure had started to mount on McGrady to lead the team deep into the postseason, to which he responded, "If we don’t get out of the first round, it’s on me!"[40] Houston would eventually lose the series in seven games, and at his postgame press conference following the Game 7 defeat, McGrady, still visibly emotional from the loss, said "I tried, man, I tried."[41]

In 2007–08, the Rockets went on a 22-game winning streak, the fourth longest in NBA history, despite missing Yao Ming during that stretch.[42] During their run, McGrady expressed optimism over the team's roster, admitting, "I haven't had this kind of trust in my teammates before."[7] Houston finished the season as the West's fifth seed, earning them a rematch with the Jazz in the first round.[43] By the time the playoffs arrived, McGrady was nursing shoulder and knee injuries, at times requiring him to receive pain-killing injections and have fluid drained from both his shoulder and knee in order for him to be able to play.[44][45][46] The Jazz again eliminated the Rockets, this time in six games, despite a strong 40-point and 10-rebound performance from McGrady in the decisive Game 6.[47]

Following Houston's loss to Utah, McGrady underwent arthroscopic surgery on both his left shoulder and left knee.[48] Early in the 2008–09 season, he missed 18 games, including a two-week stretch in January as his knee was not fully healed from his offseason surgery.[49] On February 24, he had microfracture surgery in Chicago, forcing him to miss the remainder of the year.[46][50] By then, his averages had declined to 15.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.[1] In a surprise turn of events, the Rockets qualified for the playoffs without McGrady and advanced to the second round, pushing the eventual-champion Los Angeles Lakers to seven games.[51]

McGrady was still recovering from surgery to begin the 2009–10 campaign.[52] On December 15, he returned to action but was limited to only seven minutes off the bench.[53] After six games, the Rockets decided to shut him down again so that they could focus on trading him to another team.[52]

On February 18, 2010, McGrady was dealt to the Knicks as part of a three-team trade involving Houston, New York, and Sacramento.[54] Two days later, he made his team debut, scoring 26 points in an overtime loss against the Thunder.[55] He would finish the season with averages of 9.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 26.1 minutes per game.[1] In 2010–11, he signed with the Detroit Pistons and averaged just 8 points per game, and in 2011–12, he signed with the Atlanta Hawks, averaging a career-low 5.3 points per game.[1]

On October 9, 2012, McGrady signed a one-year deal with the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association.[56] Qingdao finished the season in last place,[57] with McGrady averaging 25 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.[58] Shortly after the conclusion of the CBA campaign, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs in time for him to qualify for their playoff roster.[59] In 2015, McGrady's jersey number 1 was retired by Qindao.[60] The Spurs eventually advanced to the 2013 NBA Finals, losing in seven games to the Miami Heat, which provided McGrady with the opportunity to play his first career postseason minutes outside of the first round.[61]

On August 26, 2013, McGrady announced his retirement from the NBA on ESPN's First Take.[62][63][64]

McGrady was selected to the United States men's national basketball team for the FIBA Americas Championship 2003 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.[65] On August 22, McGrady led the Americans with 16 points in a 98–69 victory over Venezuela.[66] McGrady sat out the August 26 game due to a back injury.[67] The U.S. qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games on August 30 with an 87–71 win over Puerto Rico, where McGrady was involved in an altercation with Puerto Rico's Eddie Casiano, with fans throwing drinks and debris on the court when it happened.[68] America eventually advanced to the gold medal game, where they defeated Argentina.[69] For the tournament, McGrady averaged 12.6 points and 2.9 rebounds a game on 54.4 percent shooting overall and 42.1 percent three-point shooting.[70]

Standing 6 feet 8 inches tall (2.03 m) and weighing 210 pounds (95 kg), McGrady played as a shooting guard and small forward.[1] His career averages were 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.[71] McGrady earned seven All-NBA honors (2001–05, 2007–08), seven All-Star selections (2001–07), two NBA scoring titles (2003–04), and won the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2001.[1] He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2017.[72]

McGrady was known for his laid-back demeanor and scoring prowess; he once scored 41 points in a game despite being asleep right until tip-off, a performance that inspired the nickname "The Big Sleep".[73] Many of his contemporaries, including Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce, have called him one of the most difficult players that they ever had to guard.[74][75] His playing style has been compared to that of George Gervin; both players made scoring appear easy with their "smooth" approach to the game.[73] At his peak, McGrady was an explosive player capable of finishing at the rim over the defense;[76] in a piece for ESPN, Zach Lowe elaborated, "He glided through the lane, crouched into traffic, and accelerated suddenly -- almost violently -- through a forest of slower-moving forms, and to the rim."[77] McGrady would frequently pull up for deep three-pointers over unsuspecting defenders, making him a threat to score from anywhere on the court.[76] These qualities, in addition to his ability to survey the floor and make accurate pocket passes when necessary, have led analysts to describe him as being ahead of his time; in 2017, ESPN's Amin Elhassan remarked that McGrady was built for the style of positionless basketball that was being played in the modern era.[77] On the defensive side of the ball, McGrady's effort was less consistent, but he demonstrated the ability to raise his level in meaningful games, such as during the playoffs against the Mavericks, where he often drew the assignment of guarding Dirk Nowitzki.[7]

During his time as an All-Star, McGrady was frequently criticized for not having led any team beyond the first round of the playoffs.[78] Some analysts have defended McGrady, feeling that he was the victim of bad rosters and unfortunate circumstances.[17] His effort level, leadership, and toughness were also questioned at times.[7] In response to these criticisms, former Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy described McGrady as a poor practice player but praised his coachability, unselfishness, and ability to perform well in big games.[17]

McGrady is often ranked as one of the greatest basketball players of all-time; The Book of Basketball ranked him 77th,[79] ESPN ranked him 63rd,[23] and SLAM Magazine ranked him 75th.[80] In 2016, Sports Illustrated listed McGrady as one of the 20 best basketball players since the announcement of the original 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.[81]

McGrady has three children with his wife, CleRenda Harris.[82] Their first son, Laymen Lamar, was born on December 27, 2005 during a home game in Houston, which McGrady left at halftime.[83] Tracy's younger brother, Chancellor "Chance" McGrady, played for the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball runner-up Memphis Tigers.[84] McGrady and former teammate Vince Carter are distant cousins; after McGrady left the Raptors, they had a feud, but it was resolved in a short period of time.[85]

In 2002, McGrady signed a longterm partnership with Adidas, agreeing to an endorsement deal that lasted through his playing career and beyond.[86] Adidas produced a signature line of shoes for McGrady that Complex remembered as "all the buzz in the early-mid 2000's".[87] Upon retiring, McGrady shifted his focus to his business investments, including Dasdak, a Washington, D.C.-based technology company, and Blue-04, a bottled water company in Florida.[88] He is also part-owner of a Minor League Baseball team set to begin play in Biloxi, Mississippi.[89] Since 2016, he has worked as an NBA analyst for ESPN.[90]

In 2007, McGrady traveled to the Darfurian refugee camps in Chad with John Prendergast and Omer Ismail of the Enough Project.[91] McGrady recruited NBA players to support an initiative linking schools in Darfurian refugee camps to American middle schools, high schools, and universities.[91] During one of his final seasons with the Rockets, he changed his jersey number to #3 in order to promote his humanitarian efforts in the region and a documentary on his summer visit called 3 Points.[92] In 2008, McGrady was criticized for his comments on the All-Star Game being held in New Orleans, only three years removed from the destruction surrounding Hurricane Katrina.[93] McGrady publicly questioned the quality of public safety and protection of NBA players.[93]

On February 4, 2014, McGrady confirmed that he was officially pursuing his dream of becoming a professional baseball player, working with Roger Clemens to become a pitcher for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.[94][95] On April 23, McGrady made the Skeeters' Opening Day roster.[96] In his debut, he pitched 1 2⁄3 innings, receiving the loss.[97][98] In July, he started the Atlantic League All-Star Game, where he recorded his first strikeout.[99] After the game, McGrady announced his retirement from baseball.[100]

NBA statistics per Basketball Reference.[1] CBA statistics per CBA Data Center.[101]

Per McGrady's Basketball Reference page unless noted otherwise.[1]


national anthem of the soviet union red army choir

Slav’sya, Otechestvo nashe svobodnoye! (Russian: Славься, Отечество наше свободное!; Slav’sya, Otechestvo nashe svobodnoye!, lit. "Be glorious, our free Fatherland!"), officially known as the "State Anthem of the Soviet Union" (Russian: Государственный гимн СССР, tr. Gosudarstvenny Gimn SSSR) was introduced during World War II on 15 March 1944, replacing The Internationale as the official anthem of the Soviet Union and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The lyrics were written by Sergey Mikhalkov (1913–2009) in collaboration with Gabriel El-Registan (1899–1945) and the music was composed by Alexander Alexandrov (1883–1946). Although the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, its national anthem's melody continues to be used in the Russian Federation's national anthem, which has different lyrics to the version used in the Soviet Union.

State Anthem of the Soviet Union

The music was originally composed by Alexander Alexandrov in 1930 for the Hymn of the Bolshevik Party with lyrics by Vasily Lebedev-Kumach, adapted from an older song of Alexandrov's, Life Has Become Better. When came time for a new national anthem to replace The Internationale and boost the morale of Soviet forces fighting the threat of The Third Reich, Alexandrov used his pre-existing melody and had Gabriel El-Registan create new lyrics for the hymn of the united republics.

The anthem itself was played for the first time on Soviet radio at midnight on 1 January 1944.[2][citation needed] The newly created lyrics had three different refrains following three different stanzas; in each refrain, the second line was consequently modified with references to friendship, then happiness and finally to glory. Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union's war against Nazi Germany were originally invoked in the second and third lyrics respectively.

With the process of de-Stalinization inaugurated after Stalin's death, the lyrics which referred to Stalin were considered unacceptable and during 1953–1977 the anthem was performed without lyrics.[3] A notable exception took place at the 1976 Canada Cup ice hockey tournament, where the singer Roger Doucet insisted on performing the anthem with lyrics, after consultations with Russian studies scholars from Université de Montréal and the Soviet team officials.[4][5] In 1977, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution, revised lyrics, earlier written in 1970 by the original author Sergey Mikhalkov,[6] were adopted. The varying refrains were replaced by a uniform refrain following all stanzas; the line praising Stalin was dropped, as were the lines referring to the Great Patriotic War. A notable change in the lyrics is the replacement of a line referencing the Flag of the Soviet Union to one mentioning the Bolshevik Party in the form of "Partiya Lenina" (The party of Lenin). These lyrics were also present in the original Bolshevik party anthem at the same location within the melody, followed by the lyrics "Partiya Stalina" (The party of Stalin).

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian Federation adopted a new wordless anthem called the "Patriotic Song", although there were suggestions for adopting lyrics. As a result, a few different versions were produced.[7] In 2000, the current national anthem of Russia was introduced, which used the music of the Soviet national anthem and the lyrics written by Sergey Mikhalkov.

The Soviet anthem remains for many a song of national pride and of international unity with former Union republics. It is often played at Communist rallies and apolitical Victory Day celebrations.[citation needed][where?]

Also, the same music was used for a proposal of the anthem of the State Union of Russia and Belarus entitled Derzhavny Soyuz Narodov (Union of Sovereign Nations). Although never officially adopted, the lyrics of that piece were not tied to any specific nationality, and could be adopted for a broader union. However, there appears to be no plans to utilize that piece in any official role. The anthem also had official versions in the languages of every Soviet republic and in several other Soviet languages.

In some post-Soviet states which adopted decommunization laws banning the Communist symbolism, performing the Soviet anthem is illegal. For example, since 2015 in Ukraine the offenders face up to five years of prison.[8] Similar laws were adopted in Latvia,[9] Lithuania[10] and Germany.

Союз нерушимый республик свободных

Сплотила навеки Великая Русь.

Да здравствует созданный волей народов

Единый, могучий Советский Союз!

Soyuz nerushimy respublik svobodnykh

Splotila naveki velikaya Rusâ€™!

Da zdravstvuyet sozdanny voley narodov

Yediny, moguchiy Sovetskiy Soyuz!

Unbreakable Union of freeborn Republics

Great Russia has welded forever to stand!

Created in struggle by will of the Peoples,

United and Mighty our Soviet Land!

An unbreakable union of free republics,

The Great Russia has welded forever to stand.

Long live the creation of the will of the people,

The united, mighty Soviet Union!

United forever in friendship and labor,

Our mighty Republics will ever endure.

The great Soviet Union will live through the ages.

The dream of a people their fortress secure.

auf ewig verbÃ¼ndet

steht machtvoll der

Volksrepubliken Bastion.

Es lebe, vom Willen

der Völker gegründet, die einig mächtige Sowjetunion.

Ruhm und Lobgesang

dir, freies Vaterland!

Freundschaft der VÃ¶lker

hast fest du gefÃ¼gt.

Fahne der Sowjetmacht,

Fahne in Volkes Hand,

Du sollst uns fÃ¼hren von Sieg zu Sieg.

Сквозь грозы сияло нам солнце свободы,

И Ленин великий нам путь озарил:

Нас вырастил Сталин — на верность народу,

На труд и на подвиги нас вдохновил!

Skvozâ€™ grozy siyalo nam solntsye svobody,

I Lyenin velikiy nam putâ€™ ozaril,

Nas vyrastil Stalin – na vernost’ narodu,

Na trud i na podvigi nas vdokhnovil!

Through tempests the shadows of freedom have cheered us,

Along the new path where great Lenin did lead,

Be true to the people, thus Stalin has reared us,

Inspired us to labor and Valorus Deed.

Through tempests the sun of freedom shone to us,

And the great Lenin illuminated our path,

We were raised by Stalin to be true to the people,

To labour and heroic deeds he inspired us!

Through days dark and stormy where great Lenin led us

Our eyes saw the bright Sun of freedom above

and Stalin our leader with faith in the people,

Inspired us to build up the land that we love.

durch Wetter und Wolke,

Von Lenin dem Großen ward

licht unser Pfad.

Und Stalin erzog uns

zur Treue dem Volke, beseelt uns zu Schaffen der heldischen Tat!

Ruhm und Lobgesang

dir, freies Vaterland!

Freundschaft der VÃ¶lker

hast fest du gefÃ¼gt.

Fahne der Sowjetmacht,

Fahne in Volkes Hand,

Du sollst uns fÃ¼hren von Sieg zu Sieg.

Мы армию нашу растили в сраженьях.

Захватчиков подлых с дороги сметём!

Мы в битвах решаем судьбу поколений,

Мы к славе Отчизну свою поведём!

My armiyu nashu rastili v srazhyenâ€™yakh,

Zakhvatchikov podlykh s dorogi smyetyom!

My v bitvakh ryeshayem sudâ€™bu pokolyeniy,

My k slavye Otchiznu svoyu povyedyom!

Our army grew up in the heat of grim battle,

Barbarian invaders we'll swiftly strike down.

In combat the fate of the future we'll settle,

Our country we'll lead to eternal renown!

We grew our army in battles,

We will sweep the vile invaders out of the way!

We shall in battle decide the fate of generations,

We shall lead to glory our Motherland!

We fought for the future, destroyed the invader,

and brought to our homeland the laurels of fame.

Our glory will live in the memory of nations

and all generations will honor her name.

Heer geschaffen,

und schlagen den Feind, der

uns frech Ã¼berrannt.

Entscheidet das Los von Generationen mit Waffen

und fÃ¼hren zum Ruhm unser heimatlich Land.

Ruhm und Lobgesang

dir, freies Vaterland!

Freundschaft der VÃ¶lker

hast fest du gefÃ¼gt.

Fahne der Sowjetmacht,

Fahne in Volkes Hand,

Du sollst uns fÃ¼hren von Sieg zu Sieg!

Сплотила навеки Великая Русь!

Да здравствует созданный волей народов

Единый, могучий Советский Союз!

Сквозь грозы сияло нам солнце свободы,

И Ленин великий нам путь озарил:

На правое дело он поднял народы,

На труд и на подвиги нас вдохновил!

В победе бессмертных идей Коммунизма

Мы видим грядущее нашей страны,

И Красному знамени славной Отчизны

Мы будем всегда беззаветно верны!

Splotila naveki velikaya Rusâ€™!

Da zdravstvuyet sozdanny voley narodov

Yediny, moguchiy Sovetskiy Soyuz!

Skvozâ€™ grozy siyalo nam solntse svobody,

I Lenin velikiy nam putâ€™ ozaril,

Na pravoye delo on podnyal narody,

Na trud i na podvigi nas vdohnovil!

V pobede bessmertnyh idey Kommunizma

My vidim gryadushcheye nashey strany,

I Krasnomu znameni slavnoy Otchizny

My budem vsegda bezzavetno verny!

Навіки з'єднала Великая Русь!

Хай квітне, народами створений спільно

Єдиний, могутній Радянський Союз!

Славимо велич Вітчизни свободної,

Дружби народів опори в віках!

Партія Леніна — сила народная

До комунізму нам вказує шлях.

Крізь грози світило нам сонце свободи,

І Ленін великий нам путь осіяв,

На битву за правду покликав народи,

Натхнення на труд і на подвиги дав.

У звершенні славних ідей комунізму

Ми бачим, країно, майбутнє твоє.

Червоному стягу своєї Вітчизни

Народ наш несхитну присягу дає.

Naviky z"yednala Velikaya Rus'!

Khay kvitne, narodamy stvoreny spil'no

Yediny, mohutniy Radyans'ky Soyuz!

Slavymo velych Vitchyzny svobodnoyi,

Druzhby narodiv opory v vikakh!

Partiya Lenina-syla narodnaya

Do komunizmu nam vkazuye shlyakh.

Kriz' hrozy svitylo nam sontse svobody,

I Lenin velyky nam put' osiyav,

Na bytvu za pravdu poklykav narody,

Natkhnennya na trud i na podvigi dav.

U zvershenni slavnykh idey komunizmu

My bachym, krayino, maybutnye tvoye.

Chervonomu styahu svoyeyi Vitchyzny

Narod nash neskhitnu prysyahu daye.

Быў створаны навекі вялікай Расіяй!

Няхай жыве створаны воляй народаў,

Адзіны, магутны Савецкі Саюз!

Слаўся, айчына наша свабодная,

Надзейны аплот братэрскіх народаў!

Партыя Леніна, сіла народная,

Вядзе нас да трыумфу камунізму!

Праз навальніцы нам ззяла сонца свабоды,

І Ленін вялікі нам паказаў шлях.

Дзеля правай справы ён падняў народы,

Натхнуў нас на працу і подзвігі.

У перамозе несмяротных ідэй камунізму

Мы бачым будучыню нашай краіны.

І чырвонаму сцягу слаўнай айчыны,

Мы будзем заўжды самааддана верныя!

ByÇ” stvorany naveki vialikaj Rasijaj!

Niachaj žyve stvorany voliaj narodaǔ,

Adziny, mahutny, Savecki Sajuz!

Slaǔsia, aičyna naša svabodnaja,

Nadzeiny aplot braterskich narodaÇ”!

Partyja Lenina, sila narodnaya,

Viadze nas da tryumfu kamunizmu!

Praz naval'nicy nam zziala sonca svabody,

I Lenin vialiki nam pakazaǔ šliach

Dzelia pravaj spravy jon padniaÇ”,

Natchnuŭ nas na pracu i podzvihi.

U peramoze nesmiarotnych idej kamunizmu

My bačym budučynu našaj krainy,

I čyrvonamu sciahu slaǔnaj aičyny,

My budzem zaǔždy samaaddana verny'ja!


red white and green flag with red triangle

The Palestinian flag (Arabic: علم فلسطين) is a tricolor of three equal horizontal stripes (black, white, and green from top to bottom) overlaid by a red triangle issuing from the hoist. This flag is derived from the Pan-Arab colors and it is used to represent the State of Palestine and the Palestinian people.

Palestinian flag

The flag is almost identical to that of the Hashemite Kingdom of Hejaz and the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (both use a 2:3 ratio as opposed to the Palestine's 1:2) as well as the short-lived Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan (which had an equilateral triangle at the hoist). It is also very similar to the Flag of Jordan and Flag of Western Sahara, all of which draw their inspiration from the Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule (1916â€“1918). The flag of the Arab Revolt had the same graphic form, but the colours were arranged differently (white on the bottom, rather than in the middle).

The flag used by the Arab Palestinian nationalists in the first half of the 20th century is the flag of the 1916 Arab Revolt. The origins of the flag are the subject of dispute and mythology. In one version, the colours were chosen by the Arab nationalist 'Literary Club' in Istanbul in 1909, based on the words of the 13th-century Arab poet Safi al-Din al-Hili:

Ask the high rising spears, of our aspirations
Bring witness the swords, did we lose hope
We are a band, honor halts our souls
Of beginning with harm, those who won't harm us
White are our deeds, black are our battles,
Green are our fields, red are our swords.

Another version credits the Young Arab Society, formed in Paris in 1911. Yet another version is that the flag was designed by Sir Mark Sykes of the British Foreign Office. Whatever the correct story, the flag was used by Sharif Hussein by 1917 at the latest and quickly became regarded as the flag of the Arab national movement in the Mashriq.[1]

On October 18, 1948, the flag of the Arab Revolt was adopted. A modified version (changing the order of stripes) was officially adopted as the flag of the Palestinian people by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1964. On November 15, 1988 the PLO adopted the flag as the flag of the State of Palestine.

On the ground the flag became widely used since the Oslo Agreements, with the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1993. Today the flag is flown widely by Palestinians and their supporters.[2][3][4]

In 1967, immediately following the Six Day War, the State of Israel banned the Palestinian flag in the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank. A 1980 law forbidding artwork of "political significance" banned artwork composed of its four colours, and Palestinians were arrested for displaying such artwork.[5][6][7]

Since the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993, the ban has been abolished.


who made the clock in grand central station

The Main Concourse is the center of Grand Central. At 275 ft (84 m) long by 120 ft (37 m) wide by 125 ft (38 m) high,[22][23][24]:74 the cavernous Main Concourse is usually filled with bustling crowds. and is often used as a meeting place.[25] The ticket booths are here, although many now stand unused or have been repurposed since the introduction of ticket vending machines.[25] The large American flag was hung in Grand Central Terminal a few days after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The main information booth is in the center of the concourse.[25] The four-faced brass clock on top of the information booth, perhaps the most recognizable icon of Grand Central, was designed by Henry Edward Bedford and cast in Waterbury, Connecticut.[25] Each of the four clock faces is made from opalescent glass (now often called opal glass or milk glass), though urban legend has it that the faces are made of opal and that Sotheby's and Christie's have estimated their value to be between $10 million and $20 million. A 1954 New York Times article[26] on the restoration of the clock notes that "Each of the glass faces was twenty-four inches in diameter...." Within the marble and brass pagoda lies a "secret" door that conceals a spiral staircase leading to the lower-level information booth.

Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal  (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter and intercity railroad terminal at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. The terminal serves commuters traveling on the Metro-North Railroad to Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties in New York, as well as to Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut. The terminal also contains a connection to the New York City Subway at Grand Central–42nd Street.

Grand Central Terminal's distinctive architecture and interior design have earned it several landmark designations, including as a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The terminal is one of the world's most visited tourist attractions, with 21.9 million visitors in 2013, excluding train and subway passengers.

Grand Central Terminal was built by and named for the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad in the pinnacle of American long-distance passenger rail travel. Until 1991, the terminal also served Amtrak, which moved to nearby Pennsylvania Station upon completion of the Empire Connection. There is also limited Amtrak service to the station during Summer 2017 and 2018 due to construction around Penn Station. The East Side Access project is underway to bring Long Island Rail Road service to the terminal.

Grand Central covers 48 acres (19Â ha) and has 44 platforms, more than any other railroad station in the world. Its platforms, all below ground, serve 30 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower, though only 43 tracks are currently in use for passenger service. The total number of tracks along platforms and in rail yards exceeds 100 as most previous tracks that are not in regular use are used for the rail yard. Unlike other Metro-North stations, Grand Central Terminal is not owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, but by a private company known as Midtown TDR Ventures.

Although the terminal has been officially called "Grand Central Terminal" since the present structure opened, it has "always been more colloquially and affectionately known as Grand Central Station", a name of one of the earlier railroad stations on the same site.[3][4][N 1] "Grand Central Station" is the name of the nearby U.S. Post Office station at 450 Lexington Avenue,[5] but may also refer to the Grand Central–42nd Street subway station that is located next to the terminal. The name was also used for the renovated Grand Central Depot, from 1900 until its demolition in 1903.

The tracks are numbered according to their location in the terminal building. The upper-level tracks are numbered 11 to 42 east to west. Tracks 22 and 31 were removed in the late 1990s to build concourses for Grand Central North. Track 12 was removed to expand the platform between tracks 11 and 13 and track 14 is only used for loading a garbage train. The lower level has 27 tracks, numbered 100 to 126, east to west; currently, only tracks 102–112, and 114–116 are used for passenger service. Odd-numbered tracks are usually on the east side (right side facing north) of the platform; even-numbered tracks on the west.

Grand Central Terminal has both monumental spaces and meticulously crafted detail, especially on its facade.[6] In a February 2013 BBC News article, historian David Cannadine described it as one of the most majestic buildings of the twentieth century.[7] In 2013, Grand Central Terminal hosted 21.6 million visitors, putting it among the ten most-visited tourist attractions in the world.[8]

Its interior has restaurants, such as the Oyster Bar, and various fast food outlets, including a Shake Shack,[9][10] surrounding the Dining Concourse on the level below the Main Concourse, as well as delis, bakeries, and a gourmet and fresh food market. There is an annex of the New York Transit Museum. The 40-plus retail stores include newsstands and chain stores, including a Starbucks coffee shop, a Rite Aid pharmacy and, since December 2011, an Apple Store.[11][12]

Grand Central Terminal's 49-acre (20Â ha) basements are among the largest in the city.[13] This includes M42, a "secret" sub-basement under the terminal that contains the AC-to-DC converters used to supply DC traction current to the tracks. The exact location of M42 is a closely guarded secret and does not appear on maps, though it has been shown on the History Channel program Cities of the Underworld and a National Geographic special. Two of the original rotary converters were not removed in the late 20th century when solid-state ones took over their job, and they remain as a historical record. During World War II, this facility was closely guarded because its sabotage would have impaired troop movement on the Eastern Seaboard.[13][14][15] It is said that any unauthorized person entering the facility during the war risked being shot on sight; the rotary converters could have easily been crippled by a bucket of sand.[16] Abwehr (a German espionage service) sent two spies to sabotage it; they were arrested by the FBI before they could strike.[13]

The terminal building primarily uses granite, so the building emits radiation.[17] People who work full-time in the station receive an average dose of 525 mrem/year, more than permitted in nuclear power facilities.[18][19]

Midtown TDR Ventures has owned the station since 2006, when Argent Ventures transferred ownership of the station.[20] The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that is the parent of Metro-North, holds a lease until 2274.[21]

Outside the station, the 13-foot (4.0 m) clock in front of the Grand Central façade facing 42nd Street contains the world's largest example of Tiffany glass. It is surrounded by the Glory of Commerce sculptural group, which includes representations of Minerva, Hercules, and Mercury. The sculptures were designed by French sculptor Jules-Felix Coutan and carved by the John Donnelly Company. At its unveiling in 1914, the 48-foot-high (15 m) trio was considered the largest sculptural group in the world.

The upper-level tracks are reached from the Main Concourse or from various hallways and passages branching off from it. On the east side of the Main Concourse is a cluster of food purveyor shops called Grand Central Market.

The original blackboard with arrival and departure information by Track 36 was replaced by an electromechanical display in the main concourse over the ticket windows that displayed times and track numbers of arriving and departing trains.[27] Dubbed a Solari board after its Italian manufacturer, it contained rows of flip panels that displayed train information, and became a New York institution, as its many displays would flap simultaneously to reflect changes in train schedules, an indicator of just how busy Grand Central was. A small example of this type of device hangs in the Museum of Modern Art as an example of outstanding industrial design.

The flap-board destination sign was replaced with high-resolution mosaic LCD modules[28] also manufactured by Solari Udine. Similar modules are now also used on the trains, both on the sides to display the destination, and on the interior to display the time, next station, calling points, and other passenger information.

For safety reasons, every train at Grand Central Terminal departs one minute later than its posted departure time.  The extra minute is intended to encourage passengers rushing to catch trains at the last minute to slow down.  Of any station in the United States, Grand Central Terminal, with its marble floors, has the fewest slips, trips, and falls.[29]

The Main Concourse has an elaborately decorated astronomical ceiling,[30]:57 conceived in 1912 by Warren with his friend, French portrait artist Paul César Helleu, and executed by James Monroe Hewlett and Charles Basing of Hewlett-Basing Studio, with Helleu consulting.[31] Corps of astronomers and painting assistants worked with Hewlett and Basing. The original ceiling was replaced in the late 1930s to correct falling plaster.

There is a small dark circle amid the stars above the image of Pisces. In a 1957 attempt to counteract feelings of insecurity spawned by the Soviet launch of Sputnik, an American Redstone missile was set up in the Main Concourse. With no other way to erect the missile, the hole was cut to allow a cable to be lowered to lift the rocket into place. Historical preservation dictated that this hole remain (as opposed to being repaired) as a testament to the many uses of the Terminal over the years.

By the 1980s, the ceiling was obscured by decades of what was thought to be coal and diesel smoke. Spectroscopic examination revealed that it was mostly tar and nicotine from tobacco smoke. A 12-year restoration effort, completed in autumn 1996, restored the ceiling to its original design. A single dark patch above the Michael Jordan Steakhouse was left untouched by renovators to remind visitors of the grime that once covered the ceiling.

The starry ceiling is astronomically inaccurate in a complicated way. While the stars within some constellations appear correctly as they would from earth, other constellations are reversed left-to-right, as is the overall arrangement of the constellations on the ceiling. For example, Orion is correctly rendered, but the adjacent constellations Taurus and Gemini are reversed both internally and in their relation to Orion, with Taurus near Orion's raised arm where Gemini should be. One possible explanation is that the overall ceiling design might have been based on the medieval custom of depicting the sky as it would appear to God looking in at the celestial sphere from outside, but that would have reversed Orion as well. A more likely explanation is partially mistaken transcription of the sketch supplied by Columbia Astronomy professor Harold Jacoby. Though the astronomical inconsistencies were noticed promptly by a commuter in 1913, they have not been corrected in any of the subsequent renovations of the ceiling.[32]

The Dining Concourse, below the Main Concourse and connected to it by numerous stairs, ramps, and escalators, provides access to the lower-level tracks. It has central seating and lounge areas, surrounded by restaurants. Among them is the Oyster Bar, the oldest business within Grand Central, whose decor includes vaults of Guastavino tile.

Vanderbilt Hall, named for the family that built and owned the station, serves as the entrance area from 42nd Street at Pershing Square. It sits next to the Main Concourse. Formerly the main waiting room for the terminal, it is now used for the annual Christmas Market and special exhibitions, and is rented for private events.

The Campbell Apartment is an elegantly restored cocktail lounge, just south of the 43rd Street/Vanderbilt Avenue entrance, that attracts a mix of commuters and tourists. It was at one time the office of 1920s tycoon John W. Campbell and replicates the galleried hall of a 13th-century Florentine palace.[33][34]

From 1939 to 1964, CBS Television occupied a large portion of the terminal building, particularly above the main waiting room. The space contained two production studios (41 and 42), two "program control" facilities (43 and 44), network master control, and facilities for local station WCBS-TV. In 1958, the first major videotape operations facility in the world opened in a former rehearsal room on the seventh floor of the main terminal building. The facility used fourteen Ampex VR-1000 videotape recorders. The CBS Evening News began its broadcasts there with Douglas Edwards. Many historic news events were broadcast from this location, such as John Glenn's Mercury-Atlas 6 space mission. Edward R. Murrow's "See It Now" originated from Grand Central, including his famous broadcasts on Senator Joseph McCarthy. The Murrow broadcasts were recreated in George Clooney's movie Good Night, and Good Luck, although the CBS News and corporate offices were not actually in the same building as the film implies. The long-running panel show "What's My Line?" was first broadcast from the GCT studios, as were "The Goldbergs" and "Mama". The facility's operations were later moved to the CBS Broadcast Center.[35][36]

In 1966, the former studio space was converted to  Vanderbilt Tennis Club, a sports club with two tennis courts.[37][35][36] It was once deemed as the most expensive place to play tennis, with potential tenants being charged $58 an hour to play, until financial troubles forced the club to lower its fees to $40 an hour.[38] The club is so named because it is above the Vanderbilt Hall. Real estate magnate Donald Trump bought the club in 1984 after discovering the space while renovating the terminal's exterior.[39] Trump operated the club until 2009. The space is currently occupied by a conductor lounge and a smaller sports facility with a single tennis court.[35][36]

The subway platforms at Grand Central are reached from the Main Concourse. Built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), the subway station consists of platforms for three lines, now operated by the MTA as part of the New York City Subway.

The IRT 42nd Street Shuttle platforms were originally an express stop on the original IRT subway, opened in 1904.[40] When the IRT Lexington Avenue Line was extended uptown in 1918, the original tracks were converted to shuttle use.[41] One track remains connected to the downtown Lexington Avenue local track but the connection is not in revenue service.[42] A fire in the 1960s destroyed much of the shuttle station, and it was later rebuilt.[43] There are also two other platform levels. The Lexington Avenue Line's platforms are located under the southeastern corner of the Metro-North terminal building, to the east of and at a lower level than the shuttle platforms.[44] The platforms are sometimes called the "diagonal station" because they are oriented 45Â° from the rest of the Manhattan street grid.[45] The IRT Flushing Line platform is deeper than the IRT Lexington Avenue Line's platforms because it is part of the Steinway Tunnel, which descends under the East River to the east of Grand Central. It opened in 1915, three years before the Lexington Avenue Line platforms did.[46]

Grand Central North, opened on August 18, 1999, provides access to Grand Central from 45th Street, 47th Street, and 48th Street.[47] It is connected to the Main Concourse through two long hallways that run parallel to the tracks on the upper level: the 1,000-foot (300 m) Northwest Passage and 1,200-foot (360 m) Northeast Passage.[48] Entrances are at the northeast corner of East 47th Street and Madison Avenue (Northwest Passage), northeast corner of East 48th Street and Park Avenue (Northeast Passage), and on the east and west sides of 230 Park Avenue (Helmsley Building) between 45th and 46th Streets. A fifth entrance opened in early 2012 on the south side of 47th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues.[49] The 47th Street passage provides access to the upper level tracks and the 45th Street passage provides access to the lower-level tracks. Elevator access is available to the 47th Street (upper level) passage from street level on the north side of E. 47th Street, between Madison and Vanderbilt Avenues. There is no elevator access to the actual train platforms from Grand Central North; handicapped access is provided through the main terminal.

Throughout these passages, there is an Arts for Transit mosaic installation by Ellen Driscoll, an artist from Brooklyn.[48]

The entrances to Grand Central North were originally open from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. In summer 2006, Grand Central North was closed on weekends, with the MTA citing low usage and the need to save money.[50] Before it was closed, about 6,000 people used Grand Central North on a typical weekend,[51] and about 30,000 on weekdays.

Ideas for a northern entrance to Grand Central had been discussed since at least the 1970s. Construction on Grand Central North lasted from 1994 to 1999 and cost $75 million.[48] Delays were attributed to the incomplete nature of the original blueprints of Grand Central and previously undiscovered groundwater beneath East 45th Street. As of 2007, the passages are not air-conditioned.

The passages in the terminal are the Metro-North Railroad upper level; the Northwest and Northeast passages; the cross-passages at 47th and 45th Streets; and the Metro-North Railroad lower level.

The terminal has 44 platforms, the most in any railway station in the world.[52][53] As of 2016, 67 tracks are in regular passenger use.[54] The upper level has 42 tracks, including ten tracks currently used only for storage. A balloon loop track encircles 40 of these tracks.[55] The lower level has 27 tracks circled by several balloon loops.[56]

Tracks 116–125 on the lower level are being demolished to make room for the Long Island Rail Road concourse being built as part of the East Side Access project.[57] which will build eight tracks and four tracks in a 100-foot-deep (30 m) vault underneath the Metro-North tracks.[58]

Underneath the Waldorf-Astoria (and connected to Grand Central via the tracks) is a private platform, Track 61, which was built mainly for former United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt.[59] He would travel into the city using his personal train into Track 61, then take a specially designed elevator to the surface. It has been used occasionally since Roosevelt's death.[60][61] This platform was part of the original design of the Waldorf Astoria.[16][30]:67 It was mentioned in The New York Times in 1929 and first used by General Pershing in 1938.[62]

Three buildings serving essentially the same function have stood on this site. The current building's large and imposing scale was intended by New York Central to compete, and compare favorably in the public eye, with its archrival, the Pennsylvania Railroad and its now-destroyed Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963), itself an architectural masterpiece.

Grand Central Depot brought the trains of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, the New York and Harlem Railroad, and the New York and New Haven Railroad together in one large station. The station was designed by John B. Snook and financed by Cornelius Vanderbilt. Grand Central Depot first opened in October 1871. The original plan was for the Harlem Railroad to start using it on October 9, 1871 (moving from their 27th Street depot), the New Haven Railroad on October 16, and the Hudson River Railroad on October 23, with the staggering done to minimize confusion. However, the Hudson River Railroad did not move to it until November 1, which puts the other two dates in doubt.[63][64][65][66]

The head house containing passenger service areas and railroad offices was an "L" shape with a short leg running east-west on 42nd Street and a long leg running north-south on Vanderbilt Avenue. The train shed, north and east of the head house, had three innovations in U.S. practice: the platforms were elevated to the height of the cars, the roof was a balloon shed with a clear span over all of the tracks, and only passengers with tickets were allowed on the platforms (a rule enforced by ticket examiners). The Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven trains were initially in different stations that were adjacent to each other, which created chaos in baggage transfer. The combined Grand Central Depot serviced all three railroads.[66]

Between 1899 and 1900, the head house was renovated extensively.[22][23] It was expanded from three to six stories with an entirely new faÃ§ade, on plans by railroad architect Bradford Gilbert. The train shed was kept, but the tracks that previously continued south of 42nd Street were removed and the train yard reconfigured in an effort to reduce congestion and turn-around time for trains.[67] The reconstructed building was renamed Grand Central Station.[22][23]

On January 8, 1902, a fatal train crash occurred in the Park Avenue Tunnel, north of the station. A southbound train had overrun several signals and collided with another southbound train, killing 15 people and injuring many more.[22][23][68] This event prompted William J. Wilgus, the chief engineer of New York Central, to think about alternatives to running a large railway yard in a growing metropolis.[22][23]

On December 22 of that year, Wilgus wrote a letter to New York Central president W. H. Newman, recommending that Grand Central Station, which served steam trains at the time, be completely replaced with a terminal for electric trains. Wilgus stated that electric trains were cleaner, faster, and cheaper to repair.[22][23] In addition, real estate could be built over the 16-block open cut in which Grand Central Station was located. Wilgus proposed a 12-story, 2,300,000-square-foot (210,000Â m2) building over the terminal to offset the cost of the station, for a total profit of $2.3 million per year from rents.[22][23] The terminal was to cost $35 million and New York Central made most of its profit from freight. However, the railroad's board of directors, including Cornelius Vanderbilt II, William K. Vanderbilt, William Rockefeller, and J. P. Morgan, approved the project on June 30, 1903.[22][23]

Between 1903 and 1913, the entire building was torn down in phases and replaced by the current Grand Central Terminal. It was to be the biggest terminal in the world, both in the size of the building and in the number of tracks.[22][23] Before construction even started, objections were raised about the fact that dozens of buildings, on a 17-acre (6.9Â ha) plot of land, had to be razed to build the terminal. Wilgus was to head the project.[22][23] Wilgus started to figure out ways to build the new terminal efficiently.[22][23] His solution was to demolish the old Grand Central Station and build the new terminal in sections, while some station operations were shifted to the Grand Central Palace Hotel for a while. This doubled the cost of construction, but obviated the need to suspend all rail service for the duration of construction.[22][23]

Across town, Pennsylvania Station was being built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, which had started building its station and the North River Tunnels in 1901.[22][23] Wilgus wanted the new Grand Central Terminal's design to compete with Penn Station's similarly grand design, which was being built by McKim, Mead & White. Therefore, in 1903, New York Central set up a design competition to decide the firms who would design the new terminal. Wilgus already had abstract concepts for the new terminal and knew some design flaws in the old depot that he wanted to remove in the new terminal.[22][23]

Although many architects and firms entered the competition, only two wonâ€”Reed & Stem and Warren & Wetmore. Reed & Stem, from St. Paul, Minnesota, had won the contract in part because of their experience designing railway stations, and in part because one of the partners, Allen Stem, was Wilgus's brother-in-law. Similarly, Warren & Wetmore, the architects of the New York Yacht Club building, had Whitney Warren, the cousin of William Vanderbilt, as one of its partners.[22][23] Reed & Stem and Warren & Wetmore entered an agreement to act as the associated architects of Grand Central Terminal in February 1904. Reed & Stem were responsible for the overall design of the station, while Warren and Wetmore added architectural details and the Beaux-Arts style.[22][23] Charles Reed was appointed the chief executive for the collaboration between the two firms, and he promptly appointed Alfred T. Fellheimer as head of the combined design team. The team, called Associated Architects of Grand Central Terminal, had a tense relationship due to constant design disputes.[22][23] Warren & Wetmore's plan, for instance, removed the potentially-profitable tower above the terminal as well as vehicular viaducts around the depot.[22][23]

The construction project was enormous. About 3,200,000 cubic yards (2,400,000 m3) of the ground were excavated at depths of up to 10 floors, with 1,000 cubic yards (760 m3) of debris being removed from the site on 300 cars every day. The average construction site was 45 feet (14 m) deep, with the lower level being 40 feet (12 m) below ground.[22][23] Over 10,000 workers were assigned to put 118,597 short tons (107,589 t) of steel and 33 miles (53 km) of track inside the final structure. In addition, a 0.5-mile-long (0.80 km), 6-foot-wide (1.8 m) tube was sunk 65 feet (20 m) under the ground to the East River.[22][23]

In 1906â€“7, the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad and the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad electrified their tracks with third rail on the approaches to Grand Central Terminal. This allowed electric trains to enter the then-future Grand Central Terminal upon its completion.[22][23] On September 30, 1906, the first electric train departed for the soon-to-be-demolished Grand Central Station from Highbridge, Bronx.[22][23]

To accommodate ever-growing rail traffic into the restricted Midtown area, Wilgus took advantage of the recent electrification technology to propose a novel scheme: a bi-level station below ground. Arriving trains would go underground under Park Avenue, and proceed to an upper-level incoming station if they were mainline trains, or to a lower-level platform if they were suburban trains.[22][23] In addition, turning loops within the station itself obviated complicated switching moves to bring back the trains to the coach yards for servicing. Departing mainline trains reversed into upper-level platforms in the conventional way.[22][23] New track infrastructure allowed maximum train speeds of 52 miles per hour (84Â km/h), as well as a massive four-floor, 400-lever signal tower to control the suburban trains.[22][23]

Burying electric trains underground brought an additional advantage to the railroads: the ability to sell above-ground air rights over the tracks and platforms for real-estate development. The result of this was the creation of several blocks worth of prime real estate in Manhattan, which were then sold for a large sum of money. In addition, the terminal itself contains support structures for a possible future tower to be built above it.[22][23] The terminal also did away with bifurcating Park Avenue by introducing a "circumferential elevated driveway" that allowed Park Avenue traffic to traverse around the building and over 42nd Street without encumbering nearby streets. The building was also designed to eventually reconnect both segments of 43rd Street by going through the concourse if the City of New York demanded it.[22][23]

The last train left Grand Central Station at midnight on June 5, 1910, and workers promptly began demolishing the old station.[22][23] Plans for the new terminal were filed in January 1911. At the time, the proposals for Grand Central Terminal were spread out among 55 architects' drawings, marking one of the most comprehensive sets of plans that had ever been submitted to the New York City Department of Buildings.[69]

On December 20, 1910, a gas explosion at the station killed 10 people and injured 117 more.[70]

On February 2, 1913, the new terminal was opened, with passengers boarding the first train at one minute past midnight.[71][22][23][72][73] Within sixteen hours of opening, there were an estimated 150,000 visitors.[22][23]

Grand Central Terminal was much larger than Penn Station, although the latter had been the first to open.[22][23] The former had 70-acre (28 ha) railyards, while the latter had only 28-acre (11 ha). Grand Central had 46 tracks and 30 platforms, more than twice Penn Station's 21 tracks and 11 platforms. In addition, the $43 million Grand Central Terminal had twice as much masonry and steel than Penn Station did, with another $800,000 for a roof that could potentially support a skyscraper in the future.[22][23] The new terminal also had a balloon loop for trains to turn around without reversing out of the station. The station building was 800 feet (240 m) long, 300 feet (91 m) wide, and 105 feet (32 m) high.[74]

Designers of the new terminal also tried to make it as comfortable as possible. To that end, amenities included an oak-floored waiting room for women, attended to by maids; a shoeshine room, also for women; a room with telephones; a salon with gender-separated portions; a dressing room, with maids available for a fee; and a men's barbershop for men, containing a public portion with barbers from many cultures, as well as a rentable private portion.[73][22][23] As part of the plans, Grand Central was also going to have two concourses, one on each level. The "outbound" concourse would have a 15,000-person capacity while the "inbound" concourse would have an 8,000-person capacity. A waiting room adjoining each concourse could fit another 5,000 people.[74] Brochures advertised the new Grand Central Terminal as a tourist-friendly space where "[t]imid travelers may ask questions with no fear of being rebuffed by hurrying trainmen, or imposed upon by hotel runners, chauffeurs or others in blue uniforms"; a safe and welcoming place for people of all cultures, where "special accommodations are to be provided for immigrants and gangs of laborers"; and a general tourist attraction "where one delights to loiter, admiring its beauty and symmetrical lines â€” a poem in stone".[22][23]

The construction of Grand Central created a mini-city called the "Grand Central Zone", which stretched from 42nd to 51st Streets between Madison and Lexington Avenues. This area included the Commodore, Biltmore, Roosevelt, Marguery, Chatham, Barclay, Park Lane and Waldorf Astoria Hotels, luxury apartment houses along Park Avenue, and various new office buildings. Prestigious apartment and office buildings were erected around Grand Central, which turned the area into the most desirable commercial office district in Manhattan.[75][76][77] It spurred construction throughout the neighborhood in the 1920s, including that of skyscrapers such as the Chrysler Building.

In 1928, New York Central built its headquarters in a 34-story building (now called the Helmsley Building) straddling Park Avenue on the north side of the Terminal.

From 1922 to 1958, Grand Central Terminal was the home of the Grand Central Art Galleries, which were established by John Singer Sargent, Edmund Greacen, Walter Leighton Clark, and others.[78] The founders had sought a location in Manhattan that was central and easily accessible, and Alfred Holland Smith, president of New York Central, made the top of the terminal available. A 10-year lease[79] was signed, and the galleries, together with the railroad company, spent more than $100,000 to prepare the space.[80] The architect was William Adams Delano, best known for designing Yale Divinity School's Sterling Quadrangle.

At their opening, the galleries extended over most of the terminal's sixth floor, 15,000 square feet (1,400Â m2), and offered eight main exhibition rooms, a foyer gallery, and a reception area.[81] A total of 20 display rooms were planned for what was intended as "... the largest sales gallery of art in the world".[80] The official opening was March 22, 1923,[81] and featured paintings by Sargent, Charles W. Hawthorne, Cecilia Beaux, Wayman Adams, and Ernest Ipsen. Sculptors included Daniel Chester French, Herbert Adams, Robert Aitken, Gutzon Borglum, and Frederic MacMonnies. The event attracted 5,000 people and received a glowing review from The New York Times.

A year after they opened, the galleries established the Grand Central School of Art, which occupied 7,000 square feet (650Â m2) on the seventh floor of the east wing of the terminal. The school was directed by Sargent and Daniel Chester French. Its first-year teachers included painters Jonas Lie and Nicolai Fechin, sculptor Chester Beach, illustrator Dean Cornwell, costume designer Helen Dryden, and muralist Ezra Winter.[82][83] The Grand Central School of Art remained in the east wing until 1944.[84]

The Grand Central Art Galleries remained in the terminal until 1958, when they moved to the Biltmore Hotel.[85] They remained at the Biltmore for 23 years, until it was converted into an office building.[86] When the Biltmore was demolished in 1981, they moved to 24 West 57th Street.[87] They ceased operations in 1994.

Beginning during the Christmas season of 1928 and continuing on certain holidays until 1958, an organist performed in Grand Central's North Gallery. The organist was Mary Lee Read, who initially performed on a borrowed Hammond organ. Grand Central management eventually bought an organ and a set of chimes for the station and began paying Read an annual retainer.[88] In addition to the weeks before Christmas, Read played during the weeks before Thanksgiving and Easter and on Mother's Day. On one Easter, a choir composed of Works Progress Administration employees performed with her.[88] Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, she attempted to lift spirits by playing "The Star-Spangled Banner", which brought the main concourse to a standstill. The stationmaster subsequently asked her to avoid selections that would cause passengers to miss their trains, and Read became known as the only organist in New York who was forbidden to play the United States' national anthem.[88]

In 1947, over 65 million people, or equivalent to 40% of the United States' population at the time, traveled through Grand Central. However, railroad traffic soon declined with competition from highways and intercity airline traffic.

Grand Central was designed to support a tower built above it. In 1954, William Zeckendorf proposed replacing Grand Central with an 80-story, 4,800,000-square-foot (450,000 m2) tower, 500 feet (150 m) taller than the Empire State Building. I. M. Pei created a pinched-cylinder design that took the form of a glass cylinder with a wasp waist. The plan was abandoned. In 1955, Erwin S. Wolfson made his first proposal for a tower north of the Terminal replacing the Terminal's six-story office building. A revised Wolfson plan was approved in 1958 and the Pan Am Building (now the MetLife Building) was completed in 1963 even though that section of the superstructure was not designed to support a tower above it.

Although the Pan Am Building's completion averted the terminal's imminent destruction, New York Central continued its precipitous decline. In 1968, facing bankruptcy, it merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad to form the Penn Central Railroad. The Pennsylvania Railroad was in its own precipitous decline, and in 1964, despite efforts to save the ornate Penn Station from destruction, the station was demolished and completely rebuilt to make way for an office building and the new Madison Square Garden. In 1968, Penn Central unveiled plans to build over Grand Central a tower even bigger than the Pan Am Building. The Marcel Breuer design would have used the existing building's tower support structure but would have destroyed the facade and the Main Waiting Room. The plans drew huge opposition, most prominently from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis:

Is it not cruel to let our city die by degrees, stripped of all her proud monuments, until there will be nothing left of all her history and beauty to inspire our children? If they are not inspired by the past of our city, where will they find the strength to fight for her future? Americans care about their past, but for short term gain they ignore it and tear down everything that matters. Maybe... this is the time to take a stand, to reverse the tide, so that we won't all end up in a uniform world of steel and glass boxes.[89]

Six months before the Breuer plans were unveiled, however, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated Grand Central a city "landmark". Penn Central was unable to secure permission from the Commission to execute either of Breuer's two blueprints. The railroad sued the city, alleging a taking.[90] The resulting case, Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City (1978), was the first time that the Supreme Court ruled on a matter of historic preservation. The Court saved the terminal, holding that New York City's Landmarks Preservation Act did not constitute a "taking" of Penn Central's property under the Fifth Amendment and was a reasonable use of government land-use regulatory power.

Penn Central went into bankruptcy in 1970 in what was then the biggest corporate bankruptcy in American history. Title to Grand Central passed to Penn Central's corporate successor, American Premier Underwriters (APU) (which in turn was absorbed by American Financial Group).

Grand Central and the surrounding neighborhood fell on hard times during the financial collapse of its host railroads and the near bankruptcy of New York City itself.

In 1975, Donald Trump bought the Commodore Hotel to the east of the terminal for $10 million and then worked out a deal with Jay Pritzker to transform it into one of the first Grand Hyatt hotels.[91] Trump negotiated various tax breaks and, in the process, agreed to renovate the exterior of the terminal.[92] The complementary masonry from the Commodore was covered with a mirror-glass "slipcover" façade – the masonry still exists underneath. In the same deal, Trump optioned Penn Central's rail yards on the Hudson River between 59th and 72nd Streets that eventually became Trump Place, the biggest private development in New York City.

In order to improve passenger flow, a new passageway at Grand Central was opened in May 1975.[93]

On September 11, 1976, a group of Croatian nationalists planted a bomb in a coin locker at Grand Central Terminal. The group also hijacked a plane. After stating their political demands, they revealed the location and provided the instructions for disarming the Grand Central Terminal bomb. The disarming operation was not executed properly and the resulting explosion wounded over 30 and killed one NYPD bomb squad specialist.[94][95]

The Grand Hyatt opened in 1980 and the neighborhood immediately began a transformation.[96] Trump sold his half-share in the hotel for $142 million in 1996.[97]

Throughout this period, the interior of Grand Central was dominated by huge billboard advertisements, with perhaps the most famous being the giant Kodak Colorama photos that ran along the entire east side, and the Westclox "Big Ben" clock over the south concourse.

Amtrak announced that it would stop service to the station in 1988.[98] The final Amtrak train stopped at the station on April 7, 1991, upon the completion of the Empire Connection, which allowed trains from Albany, Toronto, and Montreal to use Penn Station. Previously, travelers had to change stations via subway, bus, or cab. Since then, Grand Central has mostly served Metro-North Railroad, except for limited Empire Service Amtrak trains in the summers of 2017 and 2018.[99][100]

In 1988, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the Metro-North's operator, commissioned a study of the Grand Central Terminal. The report found that parts of the terminal could be turned into a retail area, and the balconies could be used for "high-quality" restaurants. This would increase the terminal's annual retail and advertising revenue from $8 million to $17 million. At the time, more than 80 million subway and Metro-North passengers used Grand Central Terminal every year, but eight of 73 storefronts were empty, and almost three-quarters of leases were set to expire by 1990.[101] The MTA signed a 280-year lease in 1994. The agency announced a renovation of terminal, in January 1995. The $113.8 million renovation would be the most extensive rehabilitation to the terminal since its opening in 1913. Of the projected cost, $30 million was to come from the Metro-North's capital allocation, while the other $84 million was to be raised through the sale of bonds. The MTA expected that the terminal's renovation would be completed in 1998, and that the retail space would net $13 million in annual revenue in 1999, which would increase to $17.5 million in 2009.[102]

During this renovation, all billboards were removed and the station was restored. These renovations were mostly finished in 1998, though some of the minor refits (such as replacement of electromechanical train information displays with electronic displays at track entries) were not completed until 2000. The most striking effect was the restoration of the Main Concourse ceiling, revealing the painted skyscape and constellations. The original baggage room, later converted into retail space and occupied for many years by Chemical Bank, was removed, and replaced with a mirror image of the West Stairs. Although the baggage room had been designed by the original architects, the restoration architects found evidence that a set of stairs mirroring those to the West was originally intended for that space. Other modifications included a complete overhaul of the Terminal's superstructure and the replacement of the electromechanical Omega Board train arrival/departure display with a purely electronic display that was designed to fit into the architecture of the Terminal aesthetically. The original quarry in Tennessee was located and reopened specifically to provide matching stone to replace damaged stone and for the new East Staircase. Each piece of new stone is labeled with its installation date and the fact that it was not a part of the original Terminal building.

The exterior was again cleaned and restored, starting with the west facade on Vanderbilt Avenue and gradually working counterclockwise. The project involved cleaning the facade, rooftop light courts, and statues; filling in cracks, repointing stones on the facade, restoring the copper roof and the building's cornice, repairing the large windows of the Main Concourse, and removing the remaining blackout paint applied to the windows during World War II. The result of the restoration, which was completed in 2007, was a cleaner, more attractive, and structurally sound exterior, and the windows now allow much more light into the Main Concourse.

Midtown TDR Ventures, LLC, an investment group controlled by Argent Ventures,[103] purchased the station from American Financial in December 2006.[104] As part of the transaction the lease with the MTA was renegotiated through February 28, 2274. The MTA pays $2.24 million in rent and has an option to buy the station and tracks in 2017, although Argent could extend the date another 15 years to 2032.[103] The transferable air rights remain the property of Midtown TDR Ventures.

On February 1, 2013, numerous displays, performances and events were held to celebrate the terminal's centennial.[105][106]

In 2014, the One Vanderbilt supertall skyscraper was proposed for a site to the west of Grand Central Terminal, across Vanderbilt Avenue.[107] Demolition of the existing buildings on the site began in 2015.[108] The official groundbreaking was in October 2016[109] and the building is expected to be completed in 2020.[110] Its construction includes an underground connection to Grand Central Terminal.[109]

The MTA is in the midst of a large-scale project to bring Long Island Rail Road trains into the terminal via the East Side Access Project. The project was spurred by a study that showed that more than half of LIRR riders work closer to Grand Central than to the current terminus at Penn Station.[111] The East Side Access has resulted in major blasting work under Grand Central Terminal. Since March 2007, about 1000 workers have completed more than 2,400 controlled blasts ending about October 4, 2013.[112]

A new bi-level, eight-track tunnel with four platforms was excavated under Park Avenue, more than 90 feet (27 m) below the Metro-North tracks and more than 140 feet (43 m) below the surface. Reaching the street from the lowest level, more than 175 feet (53 m) deep, will take about 10 minutes.[113] There will also be a new 350,000-square-foot retail and dining concourse.[114] It will initially be accessed via stairwells, 22 elevators, and 47 escalators connecting to Grand Central's existing food court, in comparison to the 19 escalators in the remainder of the LIRR system.[115] The MTA plans to build and open additional entrances at 45th, 46th, and 48th streets.[116] The escalators would be up to 180 feet (55 m) long. The escalators and elevators are to be partially privately operated, one of the only such instances in the entire MTA system.[115]

LIRR trains will access Park Avenue via the existing lower level of the 63rd Street Tunnel, connecting to its main line running through Sunnyside Yard in Queens. Extensions were added on both the Manhattan and Queens sides.

Cost estimates jumped from $4.4 billion in 2004 to $6.4 billion in 2006. The MTA said that some small buildings on the route in Manhattan will be torn down to make way for air vents.[117] Cardinal Edward Egan criticized the plan, noting concerns about the tracks, which will largely be on the west side of Park Avenue, and their impact on St. Patrick's Cathedral.[117] The new LIRR terminal will be open in December 2023.[118]

Grand Central Terminal was an innovation in transit-hub design and continues to influence designers. One new concept was the use of ramps, rather than staircases, to conduct passengers and luggage through the facility. Another was wrapping Park Avenue around the Terminal above the street, creating a second level for picking up and dropping off passengers.

Grand Central Terminal was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.[2][119][120]

Among the buildings modeled on Grand Central's design is the Poughkeepsie station, on Metro-North's Hudson Line in Poughkeepsie, New York. It was also designed by Warren & Wetmore and opened in 1918.[121]

Many film and television productions have included scenes shot at Grand Central Terminal. Kyle McCarthy, who handles production at Grand Central, said, "Grand Central is one of the quintessential New York places. Whether filmmakers need an establishing shot of arriving in New York or transportation scenes, the restored landmark building is visually appealing and authentic."[122]

In American vocabulary, the term Grand Central Station can be used to refer to a busy and overcrowded place.[123]


who is the owner of td canada trust

The company was acquired by TD Bank in 2000, which adopted the new brand name "TD Bank Financial Group". Canada Trust's retail division was merged with TD's existing retail banking operations over the course of 2000-2001 to collectively form "TD Canada Trust". Canada Trust President and CEO W. Edmund Clark was made President and COO of TD, and became President and CEO of TD Bank Financial Group in 2002.

TD Canada Trust

TD Canada Trust (doing business as simply TD) is the personal, small business and commercial banking operation of the Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) in Canada.[2] TD Canada Trust offers a range of financial services and products to more than 10 million Canadian customers through more than 1,100 branches and 2,600 "Green Machine" ATMs.[1]

In addition to the countrywide network of TD branches and ATMs in Canada, the bank has a network of mobile mortgage specialists,[3] financial planners,[4] private bankers,[5] investment advisors,[6] and portfolio managers.[7][1][2]

The current TD Canada Trust division was formed after TD's acquisition of Canada Trust in 2000.  All new and most existing accounts are officially issued by TD Bank (Institution Number: 004), although Canada Trust (Institution Number: 509) remains a separate subsidiary entity, and remains the issuer of accounts opened at that institution prior to the merger.[8][9]

Since 2012, TD has been phasing out the "Canada Trust" part of its name from its logo online, in advertisements, and on stationery.

Canada Trust was formerly an independent company, founded in London, Ontario in 1864 as Huron and Erie Savings and Loan Society.

Toronto-Dominion Bank has come under fire due to a series of articles published by CBC News that question their banking practices. The first article written to the Go Public portion of the CBC Business section was posted on March 10, 2017, under the title "'We do it because our jobs are at stake': TD bank employees admit to breaking the law for fear of being fired".[10]

On March 15, 2017, another article was released by CBC News that reported thousands of banking employees from the top five banks in Canada, RBC, BMO, CIBC, TD and Scotiabank, being pressured to meet unreasonable sales targets.[11]

TD Canada Trust markets itself as having longer hours than any other major bank. Since late 2007, most branches are open 8–6 Monday to Wednesday (some until 8pm), 8–8 Thursday and Friday, and 8–4 on Saturday, with some exceptions for very low-traffic branches. As of February 2011, over 300 branches are open 11–4 on Sundays. All branches are closed most statutory holidays.

TD customers are able to do online banking through TD's EasyWeb system.  EasyWeb allows users to perform transactions, manage bills, update personal information, manage investments, and view banking histories.[12]

In 2011, TD Canada Trust launched a mobile banking app for iOS, Android and BlackBerry platforms, allowing clients to perform many of the same transactions that are available through EasyWeb online banking.[13]

In June 2012, TD Canada Trust introduced an enhanced Access Card with the new VISA Debit / Interac Flash Access Card which allows customers to use it via phone/online and at international merchants through the Visa network.[14]

TD provides over 200 different languages on phone service for customers in Canada, including English, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. Five languages (English, French, Italian, Cantonese and Portuguese) are provided on ATMs.[15]


when did st george last win the grand final

The 2010 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2010 NRL season. Played on Sunday, 3 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the match was contested by the St. George Illawarra Dragons and the Sydney Roosters. It was the first time the two sides met in a grand final. They had played each other twice before during the season, with St. George Illawarra winning on both occasions. The Dragons finished the season as minor premiers as they had the previous season. The Roosters were the previous year's wooden-spooners and only after playing and winning for five consecutive weeks were able to reach the 2010 decider.

2010 NRL Grand Final

In the grand final, the Dragons trailed by 2 points at halftime, but broke the shackles in the second half, keeping the Roosters scoreless while adding 26 points to their score.[1]  The game finished with a 24-point margin in favour of the Dragons, claiming their first premiership as a joint-venture club.

The 2010 NRL season was the 103rd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the thirteenth run by the National Rugby League. The season commenced on 12 March with sixteen teams competing for the 2010 Telstra Premiership whilst the third season of the National Youth Competition was also in progress.
The 2010 season was marred by the Melbourne Storm's admission in April of systematically breaching the salary cap. As part of the NRL's imposed penalties, the Storm were deducted all 8 competition points earned at the time of the announcement, and were barred from receiving points for the rest of the season, guaranteeing them the wooden spoon.

The Dragons qualified for the Grand Final having defeated the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Wests Tigers in the finals series. The club had finished the regular season as minor premiers for the second consecutive season.[2] The Dragons suffered a poor record in finals matches, having been knocked out of the finals series in straight sets in 2009, and having qualified for a Grand Final only once (in 1999, their first year as a joint venture) in eight finals appearances since the joint venture came into existence. It had been 31 years since the St. George Dragons side of the joint venture last won a premiership, while the Illawarra Steelers club had never won a premiership or qualified for a Grand Final.[3]

The Sydney Roosters entered the Grand Final from a markedly different path to that of the Dragons. The Roosters had finished the 2009 season on the bottom of the ladder. Under new coach Brian Smith, and having signed troubled star Todd Carney, the Roosters improved to finish sixth on the ladder in 2010, before consecutive finals series victories against the Wests Tigers, the Penrith Panthers and the Gold Coast Titans launched the club into the Grand Final. The Roosters were thus in a position where they could become the first club since the Western Suburbs Magpies in 1934 to win a premiership after finishing last in the previous season.[4]

Australian rock band You Am I headlined the pre-match entertainment, which also featured Jessica Mauboy, Australian dance act Justice Crew, an ensemble of the Sydney Children's Choir, the Gondwana National Indigenous Children's Choir and the Glebe Public School Choir and a tribute to the NRL's retiring players.[5] The 21 Australian soldiers killed in the war in Afghanistan also received a tribute that concluded with the traditional arrival of a Blackhawk helicopter.[6]

The Grand Final commenced at approximately 5.15pm, following the grand finals of the NSW Cup between Windsor Wolves and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Toyota Cup between South Sydney Rabbitohs and New Zealand Warriors. The weather was overcast, 13 degrees Celsius, with light rain which meant the two earlier matches had caused the centre of the field to become muddy. A crowd of 82,334 was in attendance for the match.[7]

After a sixth-minute penalty to the Dragons helped them up into good field position, Jamie Soward from the ten-metre line kicked the ball over into the Roosters' in-goal and Mark Gasnier, racing through from the right side, leapt to catch it on the full and put it down just inside the dead ball line.[8] The video referee Bill Harrigan awarded the try and Soward's conversion was successful, so St. George Illawarra were leading 6-0 after eight minutes. However, video replays showed that in the lead up to the try, Dragons winger Brett Morris had passed the ball with a foot outside the touch-line so play should not have been allowed to continue.[9] Later, in the sixteenth minute, the Roosters had made their way up into better field position when Todd Carney, twenty metres from the opposition try-line's right side, kicked high to the left corner. His winger Joseph Leilua caught the ball, crashed over the try-line, and while attempting to put it down had it knocked from his outstretched hand by Jamie Soward's knee, but Roosters captain Braith Anasta was there to ground it.[10] The video referee was again called upon to award the try, and with Carney's kick going wide the score was 6-4 in favour of the Red & Whites. Less than two minutes after the restart of play St. George Illawarra knocked on in their own half and the Tricolours, after getting within fifteen metres of the try-line, moved the ball through the hands from the left side of the field to the right where Mitchell Aubusson crashed over near the corner.[11] Carney again missed the conversion but his side was now in the lead 8-6 with a quarter of the match gone. In the twenty-sixth minute the Dragons were awarded a penalty in a goal-kicking position but Soward missed.[12] At the thirty-minute mark St. George Illawarra prop Michael Weyman was helped off the field after getting a swinging arm to the head from Daniel Conn which was placed on report.[13] The third quarter of the match was played in both ends of the ground with neither side able to turn their opportunities into points, so the teams left the field with the Sydney Roosters leading 6-8.[14]

-8th: Dragons 6â€“0 (Try: Gasnier, Goal: Soward)
-16th: Dragons 6-4 (Try: Anasta)
-20th: Roosters 8-6 (Try: Aubusson)
-46th: Dragons 12-8 (Try: Nightingale, Goal: Soward)
-60th: Dragons 18-8 (Try: Nightingale, Goal: Soward)
-63rd: Dragons 24-8 (Try: Young, Goal: Soward)
-67th: Dragons 26-8 (Penalty Goal: Soward)
-70th: Dragons 32-8 (Try: Fien, Goal: Soward)

It was the third time in the 2010 season that the Dragons had trailed the Roosters at halftime before keeping them scoreless in the second half to win. St. George Illawarra fullback Darius Boyd was judged by Australian selectors to be awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for man of the match.[19] Boyd became the fourth fullback to win the Clive Churchill, after Newcastle's Robbie O'Davis (1997), former Broncos teammate Darren Lockyer (2000) and Melbourne's Billy Slater (2009). Boyd had a hand in both of Nightingale's tries and made 111 metres from 13 hit-ups.[20] This was Boyd's second premiership win, having won with the Brisbane Broncos in his debut year of 2006.

Australia's national television audience for the match was over 3.1 million and up on the previous year's decider in Sydney and Brisbane.[21] A further 197,000 people watched the game live in New Zealand.[22]

Having won the NRL grand final, St. George Illawarra had earned the right to play against 2010's Super League XV Champions, the Wigan Warriors in the following February's World Club Challenge, which they won 21-15.