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It was on this date this week back in 1937 that the Golden Gate Bridge opened to the public. It was opened by then President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, DC who pushed the button to signal the start of vehicle traffic over the span. The Golden Gate Bridge was designed by Jospeh Strauss, Irving Morrow and Charles Ellis and construction on the bridge began on 5 January 1933.

The bridge is about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometres) in total length, 90 feet (27.4 metres) in width, 746 feet (227.4 metres) in height with the longest span of 4,200 feet (1.28 kilometres). The vertical clearance of the bridge is 14 feet (4.3 metres) at toll gates with higher truck loads possible and the clearance below is 200 feet (67.1 metres) at tide. The structure itself links the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin Country. The structure is a part of both US Route 101 and California State Route 1.

It is one of the most internationally recognised symbols in San Francisco and in the United States as a whole. The Frommers travel guide considers the Golden Gate Bridge "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world."

For more information on the Golden Gate Bridge, read this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge

The world of music entertainment also lost another music legend.

Robin Gibb, a British singer and songwriter who is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice and older brother Barry and had another younger brother, Andy Gibb who was also a very popular singer.

He died in London yesterday from advanced colorectal cancer. More than a month earlier, it was reported that he was fighting for his life after contracting pneumonia and was in a coma in a Chelsea hospital. His two oldest children, his wife Dwina, his brother Barry and his mother were at his bedside. Six days later, it was reported that he was out of his coma and was making remarkable progress, according to his family.

He was 62 at the time of his death. With the loss of Robin Gibb from advanced colorectal cancer, this leaves Barry Gibb as the last surviving Bee Gee. After a career spanning 54 years, he last performed on state in February 2012 supporting injured British servicemen and women at a charity concert at the London Palladium.

Born Robin Hugh Gibb on 22 December 1948 in Douglas, Isle of Man to English parents, the family later moved to Manchester before settling in Brisbane, Australia. He began his career as a part of the family trio and when th group found their first success they returned to the United Kingdom where they achieved worldwide fame.

In 2004, following the retirement of the Bee Gees name, the group received their CBEs from the Prince of Wales in Buckingham Palace for their "contribution to music". With record sales estimated in excess of 200 million units, the Bee Gees became one of the most successful pop groups of all time.

For more information regarding the life of Robin Gibb, read this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Gibb

He will be missed.

Donna Summer, was an American singer-songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the late 1970s, had a mezzo-soprano vocal range and was a five-time Grammy Award winner. She was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach #1 on the US Billboard chart and charted four #1 singes in the United States within a 13-month period.

She died last Thursday morning after losing battle with lung cancer. She was 63 years old.

Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines to a devoutly Christian lower middle class African-American family in Boston, Massachusetts on 31 December 1948, she first became involved with singing through chrch choir groups before joining a number of bands influenced by the Motown Sound. As she became influenced by the counterculture of the 1960s, she became the front singer of a psychedelic rock ban, Crow and moved to New York City.

When she joined a touring version of the musical Hair, she spent several years living in West Germany, where she married Helmut Sommer, whose surname she adopted as her stage name.

She was posthumously described as the "undisputed queen of the disco boom" during the mid-to-late 1970s and later reached the status of "one of the world's leading female singers".

For more information regarding the life of Donna Summer, read this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Summer

She has battled drug addiction and depression and was survived by her husband Bruce Sudano, their daughters Brooklyn and Amanda as well as her daughter Mimi from a previous marriage to Helmut Sommer.

She will be missed dearly.

Vidal Sassoon was an English hairdresser, widely credited with create simple geometric "Bauhaus-inspired" hairstyles (aka the wedge bob), who was described as "a rock star, an artist and a craftsman who 'changed the world with a pair of scissors.'" and was also widely remembered for his television commercials in the 1980s. His Vidal Sassoon brand was applied to shampoo and conditioners sold worldwide, with a commercial campaign featuring the iconic slogan, "If you don't look good, we don't look good."

He died in the presence of his family at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles yesterday. Originally, he died from natural causes, but it was later reported to have been a result of his leukemia. Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Kevin Maiberger said that when the police went to his residence at Mulholland Drive, he was found already deceased.

Prior to this, in June of last year, it was reported that he had been diagnosed with leukemia two years earlier (back in 2009) and was receiving treatment in Beverly Hills, California and in London.

He was 84 at the time of his death.

Born in Hammersmith, London, England and lived in the Shepherds Bush area. His parents were Jewish. His mother, Bellin (Betty) came from a family of immigrants from Ukraine and his father Nathan Sassoon, was from Thessaloníki, Greece. He had a younger brother, Ivor, who died from a heart attack at the age of 46.

One of his two daughters Catya Sassoon (1968-2002), an actress who died from a drug-induced massive heart attack. He was survived by his fourth wife Ronnie, his other daughter Eden (born 1973) and two sons, Elan (born 1970) and David.

He will be greatly missed. For more information on the life and times of Vidal Sassoon, read this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidal_Sassoon

Following the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) police officers (three white and one Hispanic) charged with excessive force in the videotaped beating of African-American motorist Rodney King following a high-speed pursuit, riots broke out in Los Angeles 20 years ago today.

Thousands of people in the Los Angeles area rioted over the six days following the acquittal verdict. Widespread looting, assault and murder occurred. The riots following the verdict peaked in intensity over the next two days and a dawn-to dusk curfew and deployment of the National Guard eventually worked to control the situation and even the US Army solders and United States Marines were even ordered to the city to help quell mass disorder as well.

The riots lasted for approximately six days. When the rioting was over, property damage topped roughly between $800 million to $1 billion.

When the dust settled, 54 people were killed in the riots, more than 2,000 people were injured. 3,600+ fires were set destroying more than 1,100 buildings with fire calls coming once every minute at some points. Stores owned by Korean and other Asian immigrants were widely targeted by rioters, although stores owned by Caucasian and African Americans were targeted by rioters as well. Many of such disturbances were concentrated in South Central Los Angeles, which was primary composed of African American and Hispanic residents. Half of all riot arrestees and more than a third of those killed during the violence were Hispanic.

For more information regarding the Los Angeles riots and the history, read this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots

And so, the shortened 66-game 2011-2012 NBA schedule that began on Christmas Day last year has came to a end. Now that the dust has settled, here is how the shortened season settled out.

The Dallas Mavericks, last year's NBA champion, is looking at defending their NBA championship as the 7th seed in the Western Conference while the Miami heat looks at defending their Eastern Conference championship and looking at getting revenge by trying to claim their first NBA championship since 2006. The Chicago Bulls on the hand have not won the NBA title since the Michael Jordan era ended in 1998 prior to the previous NBA lockout of the 1998-1999 era. The Bulls did a bit better and finished with a 50-16 record, four fewer losses from last year.

Will the Dallas Mavericks try to repeat as defending NBA champions or will they get kicked out of the playoffs and have their NBA crown dethroned?

The team that did so poorly this shortened season was the Charlotte Bobcats, they finished with only 7 wins and 59 losses (.106). Two wins less than the last record when the 1972-1973 Philadelphia 76ers finished with just 9 wins and 73 losses (.11) in a full 82 game regular season. In the end, the Bobcats ended up being the worst team in NBA history as they finished their miserable year with a 23 game losing streak.

We can expect NBA coaches to lose their jobs real soon.

Now in the meantime, here is how the top eight teams finished this year:

+ Final Western Conference Standings
1. San Antonio Spurs^ (50-16, .758)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder** (47-19, .712)
3. Los Angeles Lakers* (41-25, .621)
4. Memphis Grizzlies (41-25, .621)
5. Los Angeles Clippers (40-26, .606)
6. Denver Nuggets (38-28, .576)
7. Dallas Mavericks++ (36-30, .545)
8. Utah Jazz (36-30, .545)
The following teams in the Western Conference that were eliminated from playoff contention are: Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards

+ Final Eastern Conference Standings
1. Chicago Bulls^ (50-16, .758)
2. Miami Heat+** (46-20, .697)
3. Indiana Pacers* (42-24, .636)
4. Boston Celtics (39-27, .591)
5. Atlanta Hawks (40-26, .606)
6. Orlando Magic (37-29, .561)
7. New York Knicks (36-30, .545)
8. Philadelphia 76ers (35-31, .53)
The following teams in the Eastern Conference that were eliminated from playoff contention are: New Orleans Hornets, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trailblazers and the Golden State Warriors

^ - Tie for best record in the NBA
*** - Best record in the NBA
** - Clinched best record in the conference
* - Clinched division title
++ - Defending NBA champion
+ - Defending Western/Eastern Conference champion
Records in parenthesis indicated wins-losses and winning percentage.

The top teams in each conference have home court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Teams ranked second and third have clinched a division title and fourth through eighth have clinched a playoff spot. Here's how the playoffs have been set up now:

+ Western Conference Playoffs
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Utah Jazz
(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Denver Nuggets
(4) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers

+ Eastern Conference Playoffs
(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Philadelphia 76ers
(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) New York Knicks
(3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Orlando Magic
(4) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks

The winners of the first round of the NBA playoffs advance to the next round with fewer teams to participate. The losing team goes home for the Summer.

Enjoy the playoffs!

Dick Clark, a game-show host, radio and television personality and businessman who served as chairman and CEO of Dick Clark Productions. He was widely best known for hosting the classic musical variety show "American Bandstand" from 1952 to 1989 as well as five versions of the game show Pyramid as well as ringing in the new year on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" for nearly four decades with a overall carrier spanning nearly 67 years.

He died earlier today after suffering a massive heart attack following an outpatient medical procedure at St. John Health Care Center in Santa Monica, California. Attempts to resuscitate him by doctors were unsuccessful.

He was 82 years old.

Born as Richard Wagstaff Clarn in Bronxville, New York on 30 November 1929 and was raises in nearby Mount Vernon, New York. He was the son of Julia Fuller (nee Barnard) Clark and Richard Augustus Clark. He began his career in show business back in 1945 when he started working in the mail room of WRUN, a radio station owned by his uncle and managed by his father in Utica, New York.

Along with popular game shows, he also hosted ABC 2000 Today, The Challengers, The Krypton Factor, Scattergories, The Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show, TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes and Winning Lines. He received numerous awards and was an inductee at several Hall of Fame locations.

For more information on the death of Dick Clark, read this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Clark

He will be missed badly.

It was on this date 100 years ago today that the Royal Mail Ship Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. The RMS Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 PM Greenland Standard Time (2:40 AM GMT) and sank two hours, forty minutes later at approximately 2:20 AM GST (5:20 AM GMT), killing 1,514 people thus making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. There were 2,435 passengers with 892 crew members on board.

The Titanic was owned by the defunct British shipping company, the White Star Line (aka the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company) which operated from 1870 to 1934. The ship was laid down on 31 March 1909 and was launched on 31 May 1911 (but not christened). The ship was completed on 2 April 1912 and made its first and only maiden voyage on 10 April 1912. The RMS Titanic had te radio call-sign identification MGY.

Almost all of those who jumped or fell into the water died from hypothermia within minutes. Such a disaster caused widespread public outrage over the lack of lifeboats, lax shipping regulations and the unequal treatment of the different passenger classes aboard the ship. Such inquiries set up in the wake of the Titanic disaster recommended sweeping changed to maritime regulations. In 1914, this led to the establishment of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), which still governs maritime safety today.

The disaster of the RMS Titanic has created widespread popular culture over the generations to come.

Yahoo! has a special article regarding the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, you can read more about it here: http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/

For more information regaring the RMS Titanic, read these Wikipedia articles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_RMS_Titanic

Now that the 2011-2012 NHL regular season has come to a close, two of the remaining teams that were in the Stanley Cup final last year are back in the playoff picture. This year has two of the seven Canadian teams in the playoffs, the fewest so far. This year in the Western Conference, once again, the Vancouver Canucks, finshed the year with 111 points (51-22-9 record) as opposed to last year with 117 points (54-19-9 record). In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins moved up to second in the Eastern Conference with 102 points (49-29-4 record) as opposed to 103 points last year (46-25-11).

The Boston Bruins are looking to defend their Stanley Cup again this year. When the 2012 Stanley Cup Final rolls around this June, it could either be a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Final between the Bruins and Canucks or a rematch of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final between the New York Rangers and the Canucks. The Canucks lost both the 1994 and the 2011 Stanley Cup Final in seven games and no Canadian team has ever won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadians won it back in 1993.

While the other Canadian team in the Eastern Conference, the Ottawa Senators (92 points, 41-31-10 record) made it back to the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Winnipeg Jets who used to be known as the Atlanta Thrashers finished in 11th and missed the playoffs with 84 points (37-75-10 record).

The worst team in the NHL this year is the Columbus Blue Jackets, they finished dead last with just 65 points (29 wins, 46 losses and 7 overtime losses) despite the fact that they won the final two games of the regular season.

Additionally, the Florida Panthers return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2000. This year, they finished third in the Eastern Conference with 94 points (38 wins, 26 losses and 18 overtime losses). The Toronto Maple Leafs have been sent home for the seventh consecutive time, finishing 14th with 80 points (35-37-10 record). Last year, the Panthers finished dead last in the Eastern Conference with only 72 points (30-40-12 record). The day after they finished poorly in the Eastern Conference, Pete DeBoer was fired.

Now, can the Boston Bruins defeat their Stanley Cup champion and win again...or will the Vancouver Canucks or other teams take the Stanley Cup championship away? Also, will the New York Rangers seek to win their Stanley Cup championship for the first time since 1994?

Find out as the two month journey to a Stanley Cup championship begins.

In the meantime, here is how the top eight teams in each conference settled out this past season:

+ Final Western Conference Standings
1. Vancouver Canucks***+: 51-22-9, 111 (.622)
2. St. Louis Blues*: 49-22-11, 109 (.598)
3. Phoenix Coyotes*: 42-27-13, 97 (.512)
4. Nashville Predators: 48-26-6, 104 (.585)
5. Detroit Red Wings: 48-28-6, 102 (.585)
6. Chicago Blackhawks: 45-26-11, 101 (.549)
7. San Jose Sharks: 43-29-10, 96 (.512)
8. Los Angeles Kings: 40-27-15, 95 (.488)

The following teams that were eliminated from playoff contention are: Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild

+ Final Eastern Conference Standings
1. New York Rangers**: 51-24-7, 109 (.622)
2. Boston Bruins*++: 49-29-4, 102 (.598)
3. Florida Panthers*: 38-26-18, 94 (.463)
4. Pittsburgh Penguins: 51-25-6, 108 (.622)
5. Philadelphia Flyers: 47-26-9, 103 (.573)
6. New Jersey Devils: 48-28-6, 102 (.585)
7. Washington Capitals: 42-32-8, 92 (.512)
8. Ottawa Senators: 41-31-10, 92 (.5)

The following teams that were eliminated from playoff contention are: Montreal Canadiens, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres

*** - Clinches Presidents' Trophy (best regular-season record)
** - Clinched Best Record in the Conference
* - Clinched Division Title
++ - Defending Stanley Cup Champion
+ - Defending Western/Eastern Conference Champion
Records in indicate wins-losses-overtime losses and points; figures in parenthesis indicate 1/1000th percentage points.

The top three teams in each conference that were once division leaders this past season now have Home Ice Advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Teams that are ranked fourth through eighth have clinched a playoff spot. Once the top three teams clinch a playoff spot or top seed in the division, conference or the NHL overall, the records and point standings no longer count towards the rankings.

This is how the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs look like:

+ Western Conference Playoffs
(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (7) San Jose Sharks
(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks
(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) Detroit Redwings

+ Eastern Conference Playoffs
(1) New York Rangers vs. (8) Ottawa Senators
(2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals
(3) Florida Panthers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers

The winners of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will advance to the next round with fewer teams to participate. As each round progresses, losing teams that participated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs will get sent home for the Summer until a Stanley Cup champion in the NHL is crowned.

Enjoy the playoffs!

Mike Wallace, an American journalist, game show host, actor and media personality whose career spanned for more than 62 years has died last Saturday.

He was one of the original correspondents for CBS' 60 Minutes which debuted in 1968. He retired as a regular full-time correspondent in 2006, but still appeared occasionally on the series until 2008. He died in the New Canaan, Connecticut care facility where he had live the last few years of his life. He was 93 years old.

Born Myron Leon Wallace, whose family's surname was originally Wallik, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts to Russian Jewish immigrant parents, Frank and Zina (Sharfman) Wallace. Mike attended Brookline High School where he graduated in 1935. Four years later, he graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts.

For more information regarding the life of Mike Wallace, read this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Wallace_%28journalist%29

He will be deeply missed.