Curated playlist
People stripped of honorary degrees
- Donald TrumpDonald Trump was a millionaire in inflation-adjusted terms by age eight.
- Kanye WestKanye West recorded "Through the Wire" with his jaw still wired shut. A 2002 car accident had shattered it.
- Wilhelm IIWilhelm II, the last German Emperor, spent much of his adult life holding a pair of white gloves in his left hand. The gloves made that arm look longer than it was. He reigned from 1888 to 1918 over a country that had become Europe's…
- Sean CombsSean Combs founded Bad Boy Records, which launched the Notorious B.I.G. He was later sentenced to four years in prison.
- Harvey WeinsteinHarvey Weinstein was thanked by name in 34 Academy Award acceptance speeches. That is as many times as God was thanked, and only Steven Spielberg, with 43 mentions, was thanked more often. The tally comes from an analysis of speeches made…
- Sepp BlatterSepp Blatter announced his resignation as FIFA president six days after the U.S. indicted FIFA officials.
- Bill CosbyBill Cosby holds the record for the most Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album, with seven wins. To a vast television audience, he was also Cliff Huxtable, the father at the center of The Cosby Show. That role earned him a reputation as…
- Vladimir PutinVladimir Putin's grandfather cooked personal meals for both Lenin and Stalin. Putin later joined the KGB in 1975.
- Hassanal BolkiahHassanal Bolkiah, the sultan of Brunei, has held his throne since 1967. That makes him the longest-reigning current monarch and the longest-serving current head of state anywhere in the world. He is also counted among the few absolute…
- Jimmy SavileJimmy Savile ended the last weekly edition of Top of the Pops on the 30th of July 2006 with the words 'It's number one, it's still Top of the Pops.' After the closing credits, he turned off the studio lights. Savile had been a fixture of…
- Charlie RoseCharlie Rose, an American journalist born on the 5th of January 1942, hosted a talk show under his own name for 26 years, from 1991 to 2017. He was its executive producer as well as its host, and the program became known for its stature…