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Pro wrestling star Hulk Hogan died of cardiac arrest yesterday at age 71. The two-time World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer and six-time WWE champion was a cultural icon, elevating pro wrestling to a multibillion-dollar industry in the 1980s.
Hogan was born Terry Bollea in 1953 in Augusta, Georgia. He began his wrestling career in 1977, eventually taking on the comic-book-inspired alias “Hulk” (Hogan measured over 6 feet, 7 inches tall, at one point weighing 320 pounds). Hogan was known for firing up crowds, cupping his ear to encourage cheering, and shredding his shirt. He headlined the first-ever WrestleMania in 1985 and seven other times, drawing tens of thousands of attendees.
Hogan also starred in cartoons, a reality TV series, and movies including “Rocky III” (1982) and “Mr. Nanny” (1993). He won a privacy lawsuit against celebrity website Gawker in 2016 and spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Learn about the history of pro wrestling via 1440 Topics here. |
Thailand-Cambodia Border Dispute |
Clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops erupted yesterday, escalating a longstanding border dispute that has left at least 11 dead, including an 8-year-old boy, and wounded several others. Fighting began near disputed ancient temple sites like Ta Moan Thom and Preah Vihear, involving artillery, rocket fire, and at least one F-16 jet. Both nations closed border crossings and blamed each other for initiating the violence.
The border dispute dates back over a century to when France—which occupied Cambodia from 1863 to 1953—mapped the 508-mile border mostly along a natural watershed. However, the map placed Preah Vihear—which lies on the Thai side of the watershed—in Cambodia. Thailand accepted this map until the 1930s, when it conducted its own land survey of the watershed, eventually contesting the map to the International Court of Justice. In 1962, the court ruled the temple belonged to Cambodia.
Recent violence escalated after a Cambodian soldier was killed and Thai troops were wounded by land mines in May. Similar clashes in 2011 killed 20 people and displaced thousands. |
The US fertility rate dropped to an all-time low last year, with fewer than 1.6 children born per woman, federal data revealed yesterday. Explore the data here.
The report highlights a decline since 1957, when the rate peaked at 3.8 births per woman. Until 1971, the US was among the few developed countries that consistently saw enough births to replace older generations: about 2.1 children per woman. Today’s rate resembles those long seen in Western Europe; fertility rates have been dropping worldwide.
The decline in the US is partly attributed to women having children later or not at all. Despite the falling total fertility rate, births among women aged 40 to 44 have almost continuously increased since 1985.
Immigration increasingly drives population growth, with an uptick in childbearing women contributing to a 1% rise in births last year compared with 2023. As the Trump administration moves to curb immigration, it has proposed boosting the birthrate through expanded IVF access and newborn savings accounts. |
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