Michael Phelps is an American swimmer and the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals. He also holds the all-time record for gold medals with 18. In winning eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps took the record for the most first-place finishes at any single Olympics. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he won four golds and two silver medals.
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, bestselling author, magazine publisher and TV personality. She is the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine and star of the syndicated talk show Martha. Starting in 2004, Stewart served a five-month prison sentence following ImClone insider trading convictions, but her media empire simply cannot be destroyed. She was born on this day in 1941.
Jesse Owens was a barrier-breaking American track and field athlete. At a Big Ten track meet in 1935, Owens set three world records and tied a fourth in a span of 45 minutes. He was the most successful athlete at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Nazi Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 relay and long jump.
Carl Lewis is an American former track and field athlete, who won 10 Olympic medals, including nine gold. His career spanned from 1979 to 1996, when he last won an Olympic title and subsequently retired. Lewis was a dominant sprinter and long jumper who topped the world rankings in the 100 meters, 200 meters and long jump events frequently.
Fiona Apple is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She has released four albums, all critically acclaimed: Tidal (1996), When the Pawn… (1999), Extraordinary Machine (2005) and The Idler Wheel… (2012). Apple’s vocal range is contralto and her musical style contains elements of jazz and alternative rock.
Fiona Apple is one of my favorites. Tonight Heidi and I will see her in concert at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon. Blake Mills opens. By the way, in case you’ve forgotten, Fiona’s stunning live cover of Elvis Costello’s “I Want You” still exists.
Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and influential political leader. He played a key role in Hispanic-Spanish America’s successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire. In Latin America, Bolívar is regarded as a hero, visionary, revolutionary and liberator. He led Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia to independence, and helped lay the foundations for democratic ideology in much of Latin America. He was born on this day in 1783.
Ernest Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His minimalist style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s. In 1954, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature following the publication of The Old Man and the Sea. He was born on July 21, 1899 and committed suicide in 1961.
Tony Gwynn is a retired American Major League Baseball player who played 20 seasons (1982-2001) for the San Diego Padres. He won eight batting titles, seven Silver Slugger Awards and is considered one of the best hitters in baseball history. He was also a 15-time All-Star and won five Gold Glove Awards. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Note: The early 1980s San Diego Padres uniforms were some of the ugliest of all time. Behold the brown, yellow and orange combo in 8-bit glory.
Nolan Ryan is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers. During a major league record 27-year baseball career (1966-1993), he pitched for four different teams: the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Note: The 1980s Houston Astros wore “tequila sunrise” uniforms (AKA “rainbow guts” uniforms), which are famously ugly. Naturally, I chose this uniform style for 8-bit Nolan Ryan.
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed “Lady Day,” she pioneered a new vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists. Holiday is perhaps most celebrated for singing “Strange Fruit,” a protest song that became one of her standards and was made famous with her 1939 recording. She died on this day in 1959.
Björk Guðmundsdóttir is an Icelandic singer-songwriter with an eclectic musical style and seven acclaimed studio albums. Three of her 1990s singles from Post charted in the UK Top 10. Björk wore her celebrated “swan dress” to the 2001 Oscars for her Selmasongs duet with Thom Yorke of Radiohead, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.
Bill Cosby is an American comedian, actor and television producer. During the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in The Cosby Show (1984-1992), which is considered one of the decade’s defining sitcoms. He is also known for The Electric Company, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and A Different World. Cosby is a notable spokesman for Jell-O and other products. He was born on this day in 1937.
Note: The Cosby Sweater Project is great.
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian tennis player who has won five Grand Slam singles titles, between 2008 and 2012. In 2011, Djokovic became the sixth male player in the Open Era to win three Grand Slams in a calendar year. During 2011, he compiled in 43-match winning streak and finished the season with a 70-6 record and No. 1 in the world. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
This is 8-bit tennis character #8 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon. Also, Djokovic’s long-time girlfriend Jelena Ristić is possibly the most supportive and adorably emotive tennis fan ever. Happy Fourth of July!
Rafael Nadal is a Spanish tennis player who has won 11 Grand Slam singles titles, between 2005 and 2012. His wins include a record seven French Open titles and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time—and the greatest clay court player in history, as his nickname “The King of Clay” attests.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #7 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon.
Roger Federer is a Swiss tennis player who has won a men’s record 16 Grand Slam singles titles, between 2003 and 2011. He has appeared in an unprecedented 23 career Grand Slam tournament finals, including a men’s record ten in a row, and appeared in 18 of 19 finals from 2005 through 2010. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #6 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon.
Pete Sampras is an American former tennis player who won 14 Grand Slam singles titles between 1990 and 2002. He was the year-end world No. 1 for six consecutive years (1993-1998), a record for the Open Era. His seven Wimbledon singles championships are also an Open Era record. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #5 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon.
Andre Agassi is an American former tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles titles (and competed in 15 Grand Slam finals) between 1990 and 2005. He also won the 1996 Olympic gold medal in singles. Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #4 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon. Now-bald Agassi is sporting his iconic 1990s-era mullet, which he recently revealed was a wig.
Boris Becker is a German former tennis player who won six Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal in doubles between 1985 and 1996. He is the youngest-ever winner of the men’s singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #3 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon.
Stefan Edberg is a Swedish former tennis player who won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men’s doubles titles between 1985 and 1996. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he is a former world No. 1 professional tennis player (in both singles and doubles). He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #2 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon.
LeBron James – No. 473
LeBron James is an NBA player with the Miami Heat who plays the small forward position. He played for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003-2010. King James is an NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP, three-time NBA MVP and NBA Rookie of the Year. He is an eight-time NBA All-Star and has earned eight All-NBA honors and four All-Defensive honors.
I submit that LeBron’s performance during the 2012 NBA Finals elevated his status to one of the 14 greatest NBA players of all time. He is currently playing on the U.S. men’s national basketball team in the 2012 Summer Olympics.