document_title: History of mobile phones

question_text: when was the first commercial mobile phone released

question_tokens: when was the first commercial mobile phone released

text: History of mobile phones

text: Predecessors[edit]

text: Before the devices existed that are now referred to as mobile phones or cell phones, there were some precursors. In 1908, a Professor Albert Jahnke and the Oakland Transcontinental Aerial Telephone and Power Company claimed to have developed a wireless telephone. They were accused of fraud and the charge was then dropped, but they do not seem to have proceeded with production.[2] Beginning in 1918, the German railroad system tested wireless telephony on military trains between Berlin and Zossen.[3] In 1924, public trials started with telephone connection on trains between Berlin and Hamburg. In 1925, the company Zugtelephonie A. G. was founded to supply train telephony equipment and, in 1926, telephone service in trains of the Deutsche Reichsbahn and the German mail service on the route between Hamburg and Berlin was approved and offered to first-class travelers.[4]

text: Fiction anticipated the development of real world mobile telephones. In 1906, the English caricaturist Lewis Baumer published a cartoon in Punch magazine entitled "Forecasts for 1907" in which he showed a man and a woman in London's Hyde Park each separately engaged in gambling and dating on wireless telephony equipment.[5] Then, in 1926, the artist Karl Arnold created a visionary cartoon about the use of mobile phones in the street, in the picture "wireless telephony", published in the German satirical magazine Simplicissimus.[6]

text: The Second World War made military use of radio telephony links. Hand-held radio transceivers have been available since the 1940s. Mobile telephones for automobiles became available from some telephone companies in the 1940s. Early devices were bulky, consumed high power, and the network supported only a few simultaneous conversations. Modern cellular networks allow automatic and pervasive use of mobile phones for voice and data communications.

text: In the United States, engineers from Bell Labs began work on a system to allow mobile users to place and receive telephone calls from automobiles, leading to the inauguration of mobile service on 17 June 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri. Shortly after, AT&T offered Mobile Telephone Service. A wide range of mostly incompatible mobile telephone services offered limited coverage area and only a few available channels in urban areas. The introduction of cellular technology, which allowed re-use of frequencies many times in small adjacent areas covered by relatively low powered transmitters, made widespread adoption of mobile telephones economically feasible.

text: In the USSR, Leonid Kupriyanovich, an engineer from Moscow, in 1957-1961 developed and presented a number of experimental models of handheld mobile phones. The weight of one model, presented in 19kdn61, was only 70 g and could fit on a palm.[7][8] However, in the USSR the decision at first to develop the system of the automobile "Altai" phone was made.[9]

text: In 1965, Bulgarian company "Radioelektronika" presented on the Inforga-65 international exhibition in Moscow the mobile automatic phone combined with a base station. Solutions of this phone were based on a system developed by Leonid Kupriyanovich. One base station, connected to one telephone wire line, could serve up to 15 customers.[10]

text: The advances in mobile telephony can be traced in successive generations from the early "0G" services like MTS and its successor Improved Mobile Telephone Service, to first-generation (1G) analog cellular network, second-generation (2G) digital cellular networks, third-generation (3G) broadband data services to the state-of-the-art, fourth-generation (4G) native-IP networks.

text: Early services[edit]

text: MTS[edit]

text: In 1949, AT&T commercialized Mobile Telephone Service. From its start in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1946, AT&T introduced Mobile Telephone Service to one hundred towns and highway corridors by 1948. Mobile Telephone Service was a rarity with only 5,000 customers placing about 30,000 calls each week. Calls were set up manually by an operator and the user had to depress a button on the handset to talk and release the button to listen. The call subscriber equipment weighed about 80 lb.[11]

text: Subscriber growth and revenue generation were hampered by the constraints of the technology. Because only three radio channels were available, only three customers in any given city could make mobile telephone calls at one time.[12] Mobile Telephone Service was expensive, costing 15 USD per month, plus 0.30 to 0.40 USD per local call, equivalent to about 176 USD per month and 3.50 to 4.75 per call in 2012 USD.[11]

text: In the UK, there was also a vehicle-based system called "Post Office Radiophone Service,"[13] which was launched around the city of Manchester in 1959, and although it required callers to speak to an operator, it was possible to be put through to any subscriber in Great Britain. The service was extended to London in 1965 and other major cities in 1972.

text: IMTS[edit]

text: AT&T introduced the first major improvement to mobile telephony in 1965, giving the improved service the obvious name of Improved Mobile Telephone Service. IMTS used additional radio channels, allowing more simultaneous calls in a given geographic area, introduced customer dialing, eliminating manual call setup by an operator, and reduced the size and weight of the subscriber equipment.[11]

text: Despite the capacity improvement offered by IMTS, demand outstripped capacity. In agreement with state regulatory agencies, AT&T limited the service to just 40,000 customers system wide. In New York City, for example, 2,000 customers shared just 12 radio channels and typically had to wait 30 minutes to place a call.[11]

text: Radio Common Carrier[edit]

text: Radio Common Carrier[14] or RCC was a service introduced in the 1960s by independent telephone companies to compete against AT&T's IMTS. RCC systems used paired UHF 454/459 MHz and VHF 152/158 MHz frequencies near those used by IMTS. RCC based services were provided until the 1980s when cellular AMPS systems made RCC equipment obsolete.

text: Some RCC systems were designed to allow customers of adjacent carriers to use their facilities, but equipment used by RCCs did not allow the equivalent of modern "roaming" because technical standards were not uniform. For example, the phone of an Omaha, Nebraska–based RCC service would not be likely to work in Phoenix, Arizona. Roaming was not encouraged, in part, because there was no centralized industry billing database for RCCs. Signaling formats were not standardized. For example, some systems used two-tone sequential paging to alert a mobile of an incoming call. Other systems used DTMF. Some used Secode 2805, which transmitted an interrupted 2805 Hz tone (similar to IMTS signaling) to alert mobiles of an offered call. Some radio equipment used with RCC systems was half-duplex, push-to-talk LOMO equipment such as Motorola hand-helds or RCA 700-series conventional two-way radios. Other vehicular equipment had telephone handsets and rotary dials or pushbutton pads, and operated full duplex like a conventional wired telephone. A few users had full-duplex briefcase telephones (radically advanced for their day)

text: At the end of RCC's existence, industry associations were working on a technical standard that would have allowed roaming, and some mobile users had multiple decoders to enable operation with more than one of the common signaling formats (600/1500, 2805, and Reach). Manual operation was often a fallback for RCC roamers.

text: Other services[edit]

text: In 1969 Penn Central Railroad equipped commuter trains along the 360 km New York-Washington route with special pay phones that allowed passengers to place telephone calls while the train was moving. The system re-used six frequencies in the 450 MHz band in nine sites.[12]

text: In the UK, Channel Islands and elsewhere the "Rabbit" phone system was briefly used, being a hybrid of "cell" base stations and handsets. One major limitation was that you had to be less than 300 feet (closer with buildings) from a base due to power limitations on a portable device. [15][better source needed] With modern technology a similar variant is being considered for Apple's new 4G "smart watch" so they can be used in large events in a broadly similar way to a femtocell.

text: European mobile radio networks[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: In Europe, several mutually incompatible mobile radio services were developed.

text: In 1966 Norway had a system called OLT which was manually controlled. Finland's ARP, launched in 1971, was also manual as was the Swedish MTD. All were replaced by the automatic NMT, (Nordic Mobile Telephone) system in the early 1980s.

text: In July 1971 Readycall was introduced in London by Burndept after obtaining a special concession to break the Post Office monopoly to allow selective calling to mobiles of calls from the public telephone system. This system was available to the public for a subscription of £16 month. A year later the service was extended to two other UK towns.[16]

text: West Germany had a network called A-Netz launched in 1952 as the country's first public commercial mobile phone network. In 1972 this was displaced by B-Netz which connected calls automatically.

text: The cellular concept[edit]

text: In December 1947, Douglas H. Ring and W. Rae Young, Bell Labs engineers, proposed hexagonal cells for mobile phones in vehicles.[17] At this stage, the technology to implement these ideas did not exist, nor had the frequencies been allocated. Two decades would pass before Richard H. Frenkiel, Joel S. Engel and Philip T. Porter of Bell Labs expanded the early proposals into a much more detailed system plan. It was Porter who first proposed that the cell towers use the now-familiar directional antennas to reduce interference and increase channel reuse (see picture at right)[18] Porter also invented the dial-then-send method used by all cell phones to reduce wasted channel time.

text: In all these early examples, a mobile phone had to stay within the coverage area serviced by one base station throughout the phone call, i.e. there was no continuity of service as the phones moved through several cell areas. The concepts of frequency reuse and handoff, as well as a number of other concepts that formed the basis of modern cell phone technology, were described in the late 1960s, in papers by Frenkiel and Porter. In 1970 Amos E. Joel, Jr., a Bell Labs engineer,[19] invented a "three-sided trunk circuit" to aid in the "call handoff" process from one cell to another. His patent contained an early description of the Bell Labs cellular concept, but as switching systems became faster, such a circuit became unnecessary and was never implemented in a system.

text: A cellular telephone switching plan was described by Fluhr and Nussbaum in 1973,[20] and a cellular telephone data signaling system was described in hipatitas by Hachenburg et al.[21]

text: Emergence of automated services[edit]

text: The first fully automated mobile phone system for vehicles was launched in Sweden in 1956. Named MTA (Mobiltelefonisystem A), it allowed calls to be made and received in the car using a rotary dial. The car phone could also be paged. Calls from the car were direct dial, whereas incoming calls required an operator to locate the nearest base station to the car. It was developed by Sture Laurén and other engineers at Televerket network operator. Ericsson provided the switchboard while Svenska Radioaktiebolaget (SRA) and Marconi provided the telephones and base station equipment. MTA phones consisted of vacuum tubes and relays, and weighed 40 kg. In 1962, an upgraded version called Mobile System B (MTB) was introduced. This was a push-button telephone, and used transistors and DTMF signaling to improve its operational reliability. In 1971 the MTD version was launched, opening for several different brands of equipment and gaining commercial success.[22][23] The network remained open until 1983 and still had 600 customers when it closed.

text: In 1958 development began on a similar system for motorists in the USSR.[24] The "Altay" national civil mobile phone service was based on Soviet MRT-1327 standard. The main developers of the Altay system were the Voronezh Science Research Institute of Communications (VNIIS) and the State Specialized Project Institute (GSPI). In 1963 the service started in Moscow, and by 1970 was deployed in 30 cities across the USSR. Versions of the Altay system are still in use today as a trunking system in some parts of Russia.

text: In 1959 a private telephone company in Brewster, Kansas, USA, the S&T Telephone Company, (still in business today) with the use of Motorola Radio Telephone equipment and a private tower facility, offered to the public mobile telephone services in that local area of NW Kansas. This system was a direct dial up service through their local switchboard, and was installed in many private vehicles including grain combines, trucks, and automobiles. For some as yet unknown reason, the system, after being placed online and operated for a very brief time period, was shut down. The management of the company was immediately changed, and the fully operable system and related equipment was immediately dismantled in early 1960, not to be seen again.[citation needed]

text: In 1966, Bulgaria presented the pocket mobile automatic phone RAT-0,5 combined with a base station RATZ-10 (RATC-10) on Interorgtechnika-66 international exhibition. One base station, connected to one telephone wire line, could serve up to six customers ("Radio" magazine, 2, 1967; "Novosti dnya" newsreel, 37, 1966).

text: One of the first successful public commercial mobile phone networks was the ARP network in Finland, launched in 1971. Posthumously, ARP is sometimes viewed as a zero generation (0G) cellular network, being slightly above previous proprietary and limited coverage networks.[citation needed]

text: Handheld mobile phone[edit]

text: Prior to 1973, mobile telephony was limited to phones installed in cars and other vehicles.[19] Motorola was the first company to produce a handheld mobile phone. On April 3, 1973, Martin Cooper, a Motorola researcher and executive, made the first mobile telephone call from handheld subscriber equipment, placing a call to Dr. Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs, his rival.[25][26] The prototype handheld phone used by Dr. Cooper weighed 1.1 kg (2.42 lb) and measured 23 cm long, 13 cm deep and 4.45 cm wide. The prototype offered a talk time of just 30 minutes and took 10 hours to re-charge.[27]

text: John F. Mitchell,[28][29][30] Motorola's chief of portable communication products and Cooper's boss in 1973, played a key role in advancing the development of handheld mobile telephone equipment. Mitchell successfully pushed Motorola to develop wireless communication products that would be small enough to use anywhere and participated in the design of the cellular phone.[31][32]

text: The early generations[edit]

text: Newer technology has been developed and rolled out in a series of waves or generations. The "generation" terminology only became widely used when 3G was launched, but is now used retroactively when referring to the earlier systems.

text: 1G – Analogue cellular[edit]

text: First automatic analogue cellular systems deployed were NTT's system first used in Tokyo in 1979, later spreading to the whole of Japan, and NMT in the Nordic countries in 1981.

text: The first analogue cellular system widely deployed in North America was the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS).[33] It was commercially introduced in the Americas in 13 October 1983, Israel in 1986, and Australia in 1987. AMPS was a pioneering technology that helped drive mass market usage of cellular technology, but it had several serious issues by modern standards. It was unencrypted and easily vulnerable to eavesdropping via a scanner; it was susceptible to cell phone "cloning" and it used a Frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) scheme and required significant amounts of wireless spectrum to support.

text: On 6 March 1983, the DynaTAC 8000X mobile phone launched on the first US 1G network by Ameritech. It cost $100m to develop, and took over a decade to reach the market.[34] The phone had a talk time of just thirty-five minutes and took ten hours to charge. Consumer demand was strong despite the battery life, weight, and low talk time, and waiting lists were in the thousands.[35][36]

text: Many of the iconic early commercial cell phones such as the Motorola DynaTAC Analog AMPS were eventually superseded by Digital AMPS (D-AMPS) in 1990, and AMPS service was shut down by most North American carriers by 2008.

text: In February 1986 Australia launched its Cellular Telephone System by Telecom Australia. Peter Reedman was the first Telecom Customer to be connected on 6 January 1986 along with five other subscribers as test customers prior to the official launch date of 28 February.

text: 2G – Digital cellular[edit]

text: In the 1990s, the 'second generation' mobile phone systems emerged. Two systems competed for supremacy in the global market: the European developed GSM standard and the U.S. developed CDMA standard. These differed from the previous generation by using digital instead of analog transmission, and also fast out-of-band phone-to-network signaling. The rise in mobile phone usage as a result of 2G was explosive and this era also saw the advent of prepaid mobile phones.

text: In 1991 the first GSM network (Radiolinja) launched in Finland. In general the frequencies used by 2G systems in Europe were higher than those in America, though with some overlap. For example, the 900 MHz frequency range was used for both 1G and 2G systems in Europe, so the 1G systems were rapidly closed down to make space for the 2G systems. In America the IS-54 standard was deployed in the same band as AMPS and displaced some of the existing analog channels.

text: In 1993, IBM Simon was introduced. This was possibly the world's first smartphone. It was a mobile phone, pager, fax machine, and PDA all rolled into one. It included a calendar, address book, clock, calculator, notepad, email, and a touchscreen with a QWERTY keyboard.[37] The IBM Simon had a stylus you used to tap the touch screen with. It featured predictive typing that would guess the next characters as you tapped. It had applications, or at least a way to deliver more features by plugging a PCMCIA 1.8 MB memory card into the phone.[38] Coinciding with the introduction of 2G systems was a trend away from the larger "brick" phones toward tiny 100 – 200 gram hand-held devices. This change was possible not only through technological improvements such as more advanced batteries and more energy-efficient electronics, but also because of the higher density of cell sites to accommodate increasing usage. The latter meant that the average distance transmission from phone to the base station shortened, leading to increased battery life while on the move.

text: The second generation introduced a new variant of communication called SMS or text messaging. It was initially available only on GSM networks but spread eventually on all digital networks. The first machine-generated SMS message was sent in the UK on 3 December 1992 followed in 1993 by the first person-to-person SMS sent in Finland. The advent of prepaid services in the late 1990s soon made SMS the communication method of choice among the young, a trend which spread across all ages.

text: 2G also introduced the ability to access media content on mobile phones. In 1998 the first downloadable content sold to mobile phones was the ring tone, launched by Finland's Radiolinja (now Elisa). Advertising on the mobile phone first appeared in Finland when a free daily SMS news headline service was launched in 2000, sponsored by advertising.

text: Mobile payments were trialed in 1998 in Finland and Sweden where a mobile phone was used to pay for a Coca-Cola vending machine and car parking. Commercial launches followed in 1999 in Norway. The first commercial payment system to mimic banks and credit cards was launched in the Philippines in 1999 simultaneously by mobile operators Globe and Smart.

text: The first full internet service on mobile phones was introduced by NTT DoCoMo in Japan in 1999.

text: 3G – Mobile broadband[edit]

text: As the use of 2G phones became more widespread and people began to use mobile phones in their daily lives, it became clear that demand for data (such as access to browse the internet) was growing. Further, experience from fixed broadband services showed there would also be an ever-increasing demand for greater data speeds. The 2G technology was nowhere near up to the job, so the industry began to work on the next generation of technology known as 3G. The main technological difference that distinguishes 3G technology from 2G technology is the use of packet switching rather than circuit switching for data transmission.[39] In addition, the standardization process focused on requirements more than technology (2 Mbit/s maximum data rate indoors, 384 kbit/s outdoors, for example).

text: Inevitably this led to many competing standards with different contenders pushing their own technologies, and the vision of a single unified worldwide standard looked far from reality. The standard 2G CDMA networks became 3G compliant with the adoption of Revision A to EV-DO, which made several additions to the protocol while retaining backwards compatibility:

text:
Introduction of several new forward link data rates that increase the maximum burst rate from 2.45 Mbit/s to 3.1 Mbit/s
Protocols that would decrease connection establishment time
Ability for more than one mobile to share the same time slot
Introduction of QoS flags

text: All these were put in place to allow for low latency, low bit rate communications such as VoIP.[40]

text: The first pre-commercial trial network with 3G was launched by NTT DoCoMo in Japan in the Tokyo region in May 2001. NTT DoCoMo launched the first commercial 3G network on 1 October 2001, using the WCDMA technology. In 2002 the first 3G networks on the rival CDMA2000 1xEV-DO technology were launched by SK Telecom and KTF in South Korea, and Monet in the US. Monet has since gone bankrupt. By the end of 2002, the second WCDMA network was launched in Japan by Vodafone KK (now Softbank). European launches of 3G were in Italy and the UK by Three/Hutchison group, on WCDMA. 2003 saw a further eight commercial launches of 3G, six more on WCDMA and two more on the EV-DO standard.

text: During the development of 3G systems, 2.5G systems such as CDMA2000 1x and GPRS were developed as extensions to existing 2G networks. These provide some of the features of 3G without fulfilling the promised high data rates or full range of multimedia services. CDMA2000-1X delivers theoretical maximum data speeds of up to 307 kbit/s. Just beyond these is the EDGE system which in theory covers the requirements for 3G system, but is so narrowly above these that any practical system would be sure to fall short.

text: The high connection speeds of 3G technology enabled a transformation in the industry: for the first time, media streaming of radio (and even television) content to 3G handsets became possible,[41] with companies such as RealNetworks[42] and Disney[43] among the early pioneers in this type of offering.

text: In the mid-2000s (decade), an evolution of 3G technology began to be implemented, namely High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA). It is an enhanced 3G (third generation) mobile telephony communications protocol in the High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) family, also coined 3.5G, 3G+ or turbo 3G, which allows networks based on Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) to have higher data transfer speeds and capacity. Current HSDPA deployments support down-link speeds of 1.8, 3.6, 7.2 and 14.0 Mbit/s.

text: By the end of 2007, there were 295 million subscribers on 3G networks worldwide, which reflected 9% of the total worldwide subscriber base. About two thirds of these were on the WCDMA standard and one third on the EV-DO standard. The 3G telecoms services generated over $120 billion of revenues during 2007 and at many markets the majority of new phones activated were 3G phones. In Japan and South Korea the market no longer supplies phones of the second generation.

text: Although mobile phones had long had the ability to access data networks such as the Internet, it was not until the widespread availability of good quality 3G coverage in the mid-2000s (decade) that specialized devices appeared to access the mobile web. The first such devices, known as "dongles", plugged directly into a computer through the USB port. Another new class of device appeared subsequently, the so-called "compact wireless router" such as the Novatel MiFi, which makes 3G Internet connectivity available to multiple computers simultaneously over Wi-Fi, rather than just to a single computer via a USB plug-in.

text: Such devices became especially popular for use with laptop computers due to the added portability they bestow. Consequently, some computer manufacturers started to embed the mobile data function directly into the laptop so a dongle or MiFi wasn't needed. Instead, the SIM card could be inserted directly into the device itself to access the mobile data services. Such 3G-capable laptops became commonly known as "netbooks". Other types of data-aware devices followed in the netbook's footsteps. By the beginning of 2010, E-readers, such as the Amazon Kindle and the Nook from Barnes & Noble, had already become available with embedded wireless Internet, and Apple had announced plans for embedded wireless Internet on its iPad tablet devices later that year.

text: 4G – Native IP networks[edit]

text: By 2009, it had become clear that, at some point, 3G networks would be overwhelmed by the growth of bandwidth-intensive applications like streaming media.[44] Consequently, the industry began looking to data-optimized 4th-generation technologies, with the promise of speed improvements up to 10-fold over existing 3G technologies. The first two commercially available technologies billed as 4G were the WiMAX standard (offered in the U.S. by Sprint) and the LTE standard, first offered in Scandinavia by TeliaSonera.

text: One of the main ways in which 4G differed technologically from 3G was in its elimination of circuit switching, instead employing an all-IP network. Thus, 4G ushered in a treatment of voice calls just like any other type of streaming audio media, utilizing packet switching over Internet, LAN or WAN networks via VoIP.[45]

text: Mobile device charger standards[edit]

text:
USB power standards for mobile charger

Port
Current
Voltage
Power (max)

Micro-USB
500 mA
5 V
2.5 W

1 A
5 V
5 W

2 A
5 V
10 W

Type-C[46]
100 mA to 3 A
5 V
15 W

1.7 A to 3 A
9 V
27 W

1.8 A to 3 A
15 V
45 W

2.25 A to 5 A
20 V
100 W

text: Before a universal charger standard was agreed upon in the late 2000s users needed an adaptor which was often the same brand as their phone to recharge the battery.

text: In China[edit]

text: As of 14 June 2007[update], all new mobile phones applying for a license in China are required to use a USB port as a power port for battery charging.[47][48] This was the first standard to use the convention of shorting D+ and D−.[49]

text: OMTP/GSMA Universal Charging Solution[edit]

text: In September 2007, the Open Mobile Terminal Platform group (a forum of mobile network operators and manufacturers such as Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and LG) announced that its members had agreed on Micro-USB as the future common connector for mobile devices.[50][51]

text: The GSM Association (GSMA) followed suit on 17 February 2009,[52][52][53][54][55] and on 22 April 2009, this was further endorsed by the CTIA – The Wireless Association,[56] with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announcing on 22 October 2009 that it had also embraced the Universal Charging Solution as its "energy-efficient one-charger-fits-all new mobile phone solution," and added: "Based on the Micro-USB interface, UCS chargers will also include a 4-star or higher efficiency rating—up to three times more energy-efficient than an unrated charger."[57]

text: EU smartphone power supply standard[edit]

text: In June 2009, many of the world's largest mobile phone manufacturers signed an EC-sponsored Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), agreeing to make most data-enabled mobile phones marketed in the European Union compatible with a common External Power Supply (common EPS). The EU's common EPS specification (EN 62684:2010) references the USB Battery Charging Specification and is similar to the GSMA/OMTP and Chinese charging solutions.[58][59] In January 2011, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) released its version of the (EU's) common EPS standard as IEC 62684:2011.[60]

text: Satellite mobile[edit]

text: As well as the now-common cellular phone, there is also the very different approach of connecting directly from the handset to an Earth-orbiting satellite. Such mobile phones can be used in remote areas out of reach of wired networks or where construction of a cellular network is uneconomic.

text: The Inmarsat system is the oldest, originally developed in 1979 for safety of life at sea, and uses a series of satellites in geostationary orbits to cover the majority of the globe. Several smaller operators use the same approach with just one or two satellites to provide a regional service. An alternative approach is to use a series of low Earth orbit satellites much closer to Earth. This is the basis of the Iridium and Globalstar satellite phone services.


document_title: A League of Their Own

question_text: who does madonna play in a league of their own

root

text: A League of Their Own

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1988, Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) attends the opening of the new All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame. She sees many of her former teammates and friends, prompting a flashback to 1943.

tag: p

text: When World War II threatens to shut down Major League Baseball, candy magnate and Cubs owner Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall) persuades his fellow owners to bankroll a women's league. Ira Lowenstein (David Strathairn) is put in charge, and Ernie Capadino (Jon Lovitz) is sent out to recruit players. Capadino attends an industrial-league softball game in rural Oregon and likes what he sees in Dottie, the catcher for a local dairy's team. Dottie turns down Capadino's offer, happy with her simple farm life while waiting for her husband Bob (Bill Pullman) to come back from the war. Her sister and teammate, Kit (Lori Petty), however, is desperate to get away and make something of herself. Capadino is not impressed by Kit's hitting performance, but agrees to take her along if she can change Dottie's mind. Dottie agrees, but only for her sister's sake.

text: Dottie and Kit head out to Harvey Field in Chicago for the tryout. There they meet a pair of New Yorkers, taxi dancer "All the Way" Mae Mordabito (Madonna) and her best friend, bouncer Doris Murphy (Rosie O'Donnell), along with soft-spoken right fielder Evelyn Gardner (Bitty Schram), illiterate, shy left fielder Shirley Baker (Ann Cusack), pitcher/shortstop and former Miss Georgia beauty queen Ellen Sue Gotlander (Freddie Simpson), gentle left field/relief pitcher Betty "Spaghetti" Horn (Tracy Reiner), homely second baseman Marla Hooch (Megan Cavanagh), who was scouted by Ernie, Dottie and Kit in Fort Collins, Colorado, first baseman Helen Haley (Anne Ramsay), and Saskatchewan native Alice "Skeeter" Gaspers (Renée Coleman). They and eight others are selected to form the Rockford Peaches, while 48 others are split among the Racine Belles, Kenosha Comets, and South Bend Blue Sox.

text: The Peaches are managed by Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), a former marquee Cubs slugger who initially treats the whole thing as a joke. The league attracts little interest at first. With a Life magazine photographer in the stands, Lowenstein begs the players to do something spectacular. Dottie obliges when a ball is popped up behind home plate, catching it while doing a split. The resulting photograph makes the magazine cover. A publicity campaign draws more people to the ballgames, but the owners remain unconvinced. Due to Kit's and Dottie's sibling rivalry, Kit is traded to the Peaches' rival, the Racine Belles.

text: The Peaches end the season qualifying for the league's World Series. In the locker room, Jimmy gives Betty a telegram that informs her her husband was killed in action in the Pacific Theater. The grief-stricken Betty leaves the team. Later that evening, Dottie receives a surprise when Bob, who was serving in Italy, shows up, having been discharged from the Army. The following morning, Jimmy discovers that Dottie is going home with Bob. Unable to persuade her to at least play in the World Series, he tells her she will regret her decision.

text: The Peaches and Belles meet in the World Series, which reaches a seventh and deciding game. Dottie, having reconsidered during the drive back to Oregon, is the catcher for the Peaches, while Kit is the starting pitcher for the Belles. With the Belles leading by a run in the top of the ninth, Dottie drives in the go-ahead run. Kit is the final batter. Under immense pressure, she gets a hit and, ignoring the third base coach's sign to stop, scores the winning run by knocking her sister over at the plate and dislodging the ball from Dottie's hand. The sellout crowd convinces Harvey to give Lowenstein the owners' support. After the game, the sisters reconcile before Dottie leaves.

text: Back in the present, Dottie is reunited with several other players, including Kit. The fates of several of the characters are revealed: Jimmy, Bob, and Evelyn have died, while Marla has been married to Nelson, a man she met in a bar, for over 40 years. The original Peaches sing a team song composed by Evelyn and pose for a group photo.

text: Cast[edit]

text: Rockford Peaches[edit]

text:
Geena Davis as Dorothy "Dottie" Hinson (#8, catcher/assistant manager)

Lynn Cartwright as Older Dottie

Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan (manager)
Madonna as "All the Way" Mae Mordabito (#5, center field)

Eunice Anderson as Older Mae

Lori Petty as Kit Keller (#23, pitcher)

Kathleen Butler as Older Kit

Rosie O'Donnell as Doris Murphy (#22, third base)

Vera Johnson as Older Doris

Anne Ramsay as Helen Haley (#15, first base)

Barbara Pilavin as Older Helen

Megan Cavanagh as Marla Hooch (#32, second base)

Patricia Wilson as Older Marla

Freddie Simpson as Ellen Sue Gotlander (#1, shortstop/pitcher)

Eugenia McLin as Older Ellen Sue

Tracy Reiner as Betty "Spaghetti" Horn (#7, left field/relief pitcher)

Betty Miller as Older Betty

Bitty Schram as Evelyn Gardner (#17, right field)
Renée Coleman (credited as Renee Coleman) – Alice "Skeeter" Gaspers (#18, left field/center field/catcher)

Shirley Burkovich as Older Alice

Ann Cusack as Shirley Baker (#11, left field)

Barbara Erwin as Older Shirley

Robin Knight as Linda "Beans" Babbitt (shortstop)
Patti Pelton as Marbleann Wilkinson (second base)
Kelli Simpkins as Beverly Dixon (#4, outfield)
Connie Pounds-Taylor as Connie Calhoun (Outfield)

tag: table

text: On MLB Network's Costas at the Movies in 2013, director Penny Marshall talked about her initial interest in Demi Moore for the part of Dottie Hinson, saying: "Demi Moore, I liked, but by the time we came around, she was pregnant."[3]

text: Others[edit]

text:
Jon Lovitz as Ernie Capadino, AAGPBL scout
David Strathairn as Ira Lowenstein, AAGPBL general manager

Marvin Einhorn as Older Ira

Garry Marshall as Walter Harvey, candy bar mogul and AAGPBL founder
Julie Croteau as Helen Haley (baseball double for Anne Ramsay)
Bill Pullman as Bob Hinson, Dottie's husband
Janet Jones as Racine pitcher
Téa Leoni as Racine first baseman
Don S. Davis as Charlie Collins, Racine coach
Eddie Jones as Dave Hooch, Marla's father
Justin Scheller as Stillwell Gardner, Evelyn's son

Mark Holton as Older Stillwell. He attends the Peaches' reunion at the Baseball Hall of Fame on behalf of his mother who had died.

Pauline Brailsford as Miss Cuthburt, Rockford chaperone

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: Director Penny Marshall was inspired to make the film after viewing the 1987 documentary about the AAGPBL entitled "A League of their Own", on television. She had never heard of the league before, and contacted the film's creators Kelly Candaele and Kim Wilson to collaborate with the scriptwriters Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz on producing a screenplay for 20th Century Fox.[4] Fox eventually passed on the script and Marshall signed with Sony Pictures, who were eager to produce the film.

text: Locations[edit]

text: Filming the game scenes involved many physical mishaps: Anne Ramsay (Helen Haley) broke her nose with a baseball mitt while trying to catch a ball and the huge bruise seen in the film on actress Renee Coleman's thigh was real.[5] Discussing the skirts they wore playing baseball in the film, Geena Davis said on MLB Network's Costas at the Movies in 2013, "Some of our real cast, from sliding into home, had ripped the skin off their legs. It was nutty."[6]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
A League of Their Own:
Music From The Motion Picture

Soundtrack album by various artists

Released
June 30, 1992

Genre
Soundtrack

Length
43:44

Label
Columbia Records

Producer
Various

Singles from A League of Their Own

"This Used to Be My Playground"
Released: June 16, 1992
"Now and Forever"
Released: July 1992

text: A League of Their Own soundtrack was released on CD and cassette tape by Columbia Records on June 30, 1992. The album peaked at #159 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart on July 25, 1992.[7] Although Madonna contributed "This Used to Be My Playground" to the film, featured over the closing credits, her recording was not included on the soundtrack album for contractual reasons.[8]

text:
"Now and Forever" – Performed by Carole King
"Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" – Performed by The Manhattan Transfer
"It's Only a Paper Moon" – Performed by James Taylor
"In a Sentimental Mood" – Performed by Billy Joel
"Two Sleepy People" – Performed by Art Garfunkel
"I Didn't Know What Time It Was" – Performed by James Taylor
"On the Sunny Side of the Street" – Performed by The Manhattan Transfer
"Flying Home" – Performed by Doc's Rhythm Cats
"Life Goes On" – Performed by Hans Zimmer
"The Final Game" – Performed by Hans Zimmer
"The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Song" – Performed by The Rockford Peaches

tag: ol

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The film was released on July 1, 1992, and grossed $13.2 million in its first weekend, finishing second at the box office behind Batman Returns. In its second weekend it dropped just 15%, making $11.5 million and finishing first. It ended up being a commercial success, making $107.5 million in the United States, and $24.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $132.4 million, against a production budget of $40 million budget.

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 78% based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Sentimental and light, but still thoroughly charming, A League of Their Own is buoyed by solid performances from a wonderful cast."[9] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score 67 out of 100, based 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.[11]

text: The film was well received by critics, who praised the cast and their performances.[12][13][14][15][16]

text: AFI lists[edit]

text: The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

text:
2005: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:

Jimmy Dugan: "There's no crying in baseball!" – #54[17]

2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – Nominated[18]
2008: AFI's 10 Top 10:

Nominated Sports Film[19]

text: On December 19, 2012, it was announced that the film would be preserved as part of the United States National Film Registry.[20]

text: 20th anniversary[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: With 2012 marking the 20th year since the film's release, A League of Their Own was released as a 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray on October 16, 2012.

text: Forty-seven former players of the AAGPBL reunited in New York to celebrate the film and the real women who inspired it. Events included a trip to Cooperstown for a special program at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, reminiscent of the film's final scene depicting members of the AAGPBL and family coming together to witness the honoring of the Women's Professional Baseball League. The reunion wrapped up with a game of softball held at Alliance Bank Stadium in nearby Syracuse.[21]

text: Former players also made an appearance at Bosse Field in Evansville, Indiana, on June 6, 2012, where many of the film's game scenes were filmed. Bosse Field still retains many of the "Racine Belles" themes from the movie. The event included an outdoor screening of the film as well as a scene-setting display of cars featured in the film.[22] In addition to Bosse Field, the production used Huntingburg, Indiana's League Stadium, another Southwestern Indiana field older than Bosse that was renovated for the film.

text: Spin-offs[edit]

text: Television[edit]

text: A short-lived series of the same title based on the film aired on CBS in April 1993, with Garry Marshall, Megan Cavanagh, Tracy Reiner, and Jon Lovitz reprising their roles. Only five of the six episodes made were broadcast.


document_title: List of San Francisco 49ers starting quarterbacks

question_text: who is the starting quarterback for san francisco

text: Starting quarterbacks[edit]

text: The number of games they started during the season is listed to the right in parentheses.

text: Regular season[edit]

text:
Season(s)
Quarterback(s)

2017
Brian Hoyer (6) / C.J. Beathard (1)

2016
Blaine Gabbert (5) / Colin Kaepernick (11)

2015
Colin Kaepernick (8) / Blaine Gabbert (8)

2014
Colin Kaepernick (16)

2013
Colin Kaepernick (16)

2012
Alex Smith (9) / Colin Kaepernick (7)

2011
Alex Smith (16)

2010
Alex Smith (10) / Troy Smith (6)

2009
Alex Smith (10) / Shaun Hill (6)

2008
Shaun Hill (8) / J. T. O'Sullivan (8)

2007
Alex Smith (7) / Trent Dilfer (6) / Shaun Hill (2) / Chris Weinke (1)

2006
Alex Smith (16)

2005
Alex Smith (7) / Tim Rattay (4) / Ken Dorsey (3) / Cody Pickett (2)

2004
Tim Rattay (9) / Ken Dorsey (7)

2003
Jeff Garcia (13) / Tim Rattay (3)

2002
Jeff Garcia (16)

2001
Jeff Garcia (16)

2000
Jeff Garcia (16)

1999
Jeff Garcia (10) / Steve Stenstrom (3) / Steve Young (3)

1998
Steve Young (15) / Ty Detmer (1)

1997
Steve Young (15) / Jim Druckenmiller (1)

1996
Steve Young (12) / Elvis Grbac (4)

1995
Steve Young (11) / Elvis Grbac (5)

1994
Steve Young (16)

1993
Steve Young (16)

1992
Steve Young (16)

1991
Steve Young (10) / Steve Bono (6)

1990
Joe Montana (15) / Steve Young (1)

1989
Joe Montana (13) / Steve Young (3)

1988
Joe Montana (13) / Steve Young (3)

1987
Joe Montana (11) / Steve Young (3) / Bob Gagliano (1)

1986
Joe Montana (8) / Jeff Kemp (6) / Mike Moroski (2)

1985
Joe Montana (15) / Matt Cavanaugh (1)

1984
Joe Montana (15) / Matt Cavanaugh (1)

1983
Joe Montana (16)

1982
Joe Montana (9)

1981
Joe Montana (16)

1980
Steve DeBerg (9) / Joe Montana (7)

1979
Steve DeBerg (15) / Joe Montana (1)

1978
Steve DeBerg (11) / Scott Bull (5)

1977
Jim Plunkett (14)

1976
Jim Plunkett (12) / Scott Bull (2)

1975
Norm Snead (7) / Steve Spurrier (6) / Tom Owen (1)

1974
Tom Owen (7) / Joe Reed (4) / Dennis Morrison (2) / Norm Snead (1)

1973
John Brodie (6) / Steve Spurrier (5) / Joe Reed (3)

1972
Steve Spurrier (9) / John Brodie (5)

1971
John Brodie (14)

1970
John Brodie (14)

1969
John Brodie (10) / Steve Spurrier (4)

1968
John Brodie (14)

1967
John Brodie (10) / George Mira (2) / Steve Spurrier (2)

1966
John Brodie (13) / George Mira (1)

1965
John Brodie (13) / George Mira (1)

1964
John Brodie (12) / George Mira (2)

1963
Lamar McHan (9) / John Brodie (3) / Bob Waters (2)

1962
John Brodie (14)

1961
John Brodie (14)

1960
John Brodie (8) / Y. A. Tittle (4)

1959
Y. A. Tittle (10) / John Brodie (2)

1958
Y. A. Tittle (6) / John Brodie (6)

1957
Y. A. Tittle (11) / John Brodie (1)

1956
Y. A. Tittle (8) / Earl Morrall (4)

1955
Y. A. Tittle (12)

1954
Y. A. Tittle (11) / Jim Cason (1)

1953
Y. A. Tittle (10) / Jim Powers (2)

1952
Frankie Albert (7) / Y. A. Tittle (5)

1951
Frankie Albert (11) / Y. A. Tittle (1)

1950
Frankie Albert (12)

1949
Frankie Albert

1948
Frankie Albert

1947
Frankie Albert

1946
Frankie Albert

text: Postseason[edit]

text: In the NFL era (since 1950 season)

text:
Season
Quarterback(s)

1957
Y. A. Tittle (0-1)

1970
John Brodie (1-1)

1971
John Brodie (1-1)

1972
John Brodie (0-1)

1981
Joe Montana (3-0)

1983
Joe Montana (1-1)

1984
Joe Montana (3-0)

1985
Joe Montana (0-1)

1986
Joe Montana (0-1)

1987
Joe Montana (0-1)

1988
Joe Montana (3-0)

1989
Joe Montana (3-0)

1990
Joe Montana (1-1)

1992
Steve Young (1-1)

1993
Steve Young (1-1)

1994
Steve Young (3-0)

1995
Steve Young (0-1)

1996
Steve Young (1-1)

1997
Steve Young (1-1)

1998
Steve Young (1-1)

2001
Jeff Garcia (0-1)

2002
Jeff Garcia (1-1)

2011
Alex Smith (1-1)

2012
Colin Kaepernick (2-1)

2013
Colin Kaepernick (2-1)

text: Most games as starting quarterback[edit]

text: These quarterbacks have the most starts for the 49ers in regular season games in the NFL era (since 1950 season).

text:
Name

GP
Games played

GS
Games started

W
Number of wins as starting quarterback

L
Number of losses as starting quarterback

T
Number of ties as starting quarterback

Pct
Winning Percentage as starting quarterback

text:
Name
Period
GP
GS
W
L
T
 %

Brodie, John
1957-1973
201
159
74
77
8
.491

Montana, Joe
1979-1992
167
139
100
39
-
.719

Young, Steve
1987-1999
150
124
91
33
-
.734

Tittle, Y.A.
1951-1960
112
79
46
31
2
.595

Smith, Alex
2005-2012
80
75
38
36
1
.513

Garcia, Jeff
1999-2003
74
71
35
36
-
.493

text: Team career passing records[edit]

text: In the NFL era (since 1950 season)

text:
Name
Comp
Att
 %
Yds
TD
Int

Montana, Joe
2,929
4,600
63.7%
35,124
244
123

Brodie, John
2,469
4,491
55.0%
31,548
214
224

Young, Steve
2,400
3,648
65.8%
29,907
221
86

Garcia, Jeff
1,449
2,360
61.4%
16,408
113
56

Smith, Alex
1,290
2,177
59.3%
14,280
81
63

Tittle, Y.A.
1,226
2,194
55.9%
16,016
108
134


document_title: Dami Im

question_text: where did dami im come in eurovision 2017

text: Dami Im

text: Early life[edit]

text: Dami Im was born in Seoul on 17 October 1988 to Lee Hae-yun, a trained opera singer, and Im Dong-eal.[5] She is the elder of two children.[5] Im began learning the piano at the age of five,[5] and she taught herself to sing by recording herself copying her favourite artists.[6] Aged nine, Im emigrated to Australia with her mother and younger brother Kenny because their parents thought they would have more opportunity growing up in Australia.[5][7][8] They stayed with their uncle in Brisbane,[5] while her father stayed in South Korea to earn money to support them.[6][8] Im's parents now live together, spending part of the year in Australia and part in South Korea.[8]

text: Aged 11, Im began studying at the Young Conservatorium of Music program at Griffith University.[9] She was a national finalist in the Yamaha Youth Piano Competition, and won the Nora Baird Scholarship and the Queensland Piano Competition several times.[9] Im attended John Paul College in Daisy Hill, Queensland and graduated in 2005.[10] She never sang while at school and would only accompany the choir on piano, and play violin for the school's Silver Strings group.[11] In 2009, Im graduated from the University of Queensland with first class honours in a Bachelor of Music.[12] She subsequently completed a Masters of Arts degree in contemporary voice at Griffith University.[13] At Griffith University, Im was trained by Dr. Irene Bartlett,[14] lecturer and voice coach who also trained a number of other well-known Australian vocalists such as Katie Noonan, Megan Washington, Kristin Berardi,[15] and Elly Hoyt.[16][17] Prior to entering The X Factor, Im was a music and piano teacher.[18]

text: In 2016, Im appeared as a guest quiz master on Have You Been Paying Attention?.

text: Career[edit]

text: 2010–12: Early career[edit]

text: Im had a short career as a gospel singer in Korea,[6] performing at Christian youth camps.[13] In 2010, she released her debut studio album, Dream, which consisted of nine tracks and was recorded to raise money for church endeavours.[19] In July 2011, Im re-released the album with two extra tracks, which were both sung in English.[20] On 5 December 2011, Im released a Christmas extended play called Snow & Carol, which consisted of seven tracks.[21][22] On 9 July 2012, Im released her second extended play, Intimacy, which consisted of five tracks.[23]

text: 2013: The X Factor Australia[edit]

text: In 2013, Im successfully auditioned for the fifth season of The X Factor Australia, singing "Hero" by Mariah Carey.[7][24] She progressed to the super bootcamp round of the competition and was placed in the Under 25 Girls category.[7][25] On the first day of bootcamp, Im sang "I'm with You" by Avril Lavigne in front of her entire category and judges Redfoo, Ronan Keating and Dannii Minogue.[7][25] On the second day of bootcamp, she was put into an ensemble of 10 and they sang "Next to Me" by Emeli Sandé in front of the judges.[25] Im made it to the third day of bootcamp, where she sang "Jolene" by Dolly Parton to the judges and a live audience of one thousand.[26] After the judges made changes to the Boys, Girls and Overs categories, Im became part of the newly formed Over 24s category and was eliminated.[27] However, Im was called back for the home visits round in New York City to replace Matt Gresham who decided he could not commit to the competition.[28] During home visits, she sang "If I Were a Boy" by Beyoncé in front of her mentor Minogue and guest mentor Kylie Minogue.[28] Minogue later selected Im, along with Barry Southgate and Cat Vas, for the live finals—a series of ten weekly live shows in which contestants are progressively eliminated by public vote.[29]

text: For the Judges' Choice-themed first live show, Im sang "One" by U2 and received a standing ovation from the judges, with Natalie Bassingthwaighte saying she had "the best vocal of the night".[30] Im's performance of "One" peaked at number 42 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[31] For the Legends-themed second live show, she sang "Purple Rain" by Prince and received another standing ovation.[32] Keating told Im that the competition "at the moment, is yours".[32] Her performance of "Purple Rain" debuted at number 29 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[31] For the Top 10 Hits-themed third live show, Im sang Thelma Houston's version of "Don't Leave Me This Way",[33] and her performance of the song debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 67.[34] Following the eliminations of Vas in week two and Southgate in week three, Im became the last remaining contestant in Minogue's category. After her performance of Katy Perry's "Roar" in the Latest and Greatest-themed fourth live show, Im received her fourth consecutive standing ovation from the judges.[35] Im's performance of "Roar" debuted at number 44 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[31] For the Rock-themed fifth live show, she sang "Best of You" by the Foo Fighters and received her fifth standing ovation.[36] Im's performance of "Best of You" debuted at number 78 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[37]

text: Following Im's performance of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" during the Family Heroes-themed sixth live show, her mentor Minogue notably teared up as she dedicated Im's song choice to her parents and grandfather, following the death of her grandmother.[38] Im's performance of "Bridge over Troubled Water" debuted at number 15 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[31] For the Judges' Challenge-themed seventh live show, Im sang Zedd's "Clarity", which was chosen by Keating, and her performance debuted at number 77 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[39][40] Im received a mixed feedback from the judges following her performance of John Farnham's "You're the Voice" during the Aussie Week-themed eighth live show.[41] Keating said "it was pitchy and a weak performance" and Bassingthwaighte agreed.[41] For the Power and Passion-themed ninth live show, Im sang "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston and "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus.[42] Her performances of "Wrecking Ball" and "Saving All My Love for You" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at numbers 61 and 85, respectively.[43]

text: During the grand final performance show on 27 October, Im was required to perform three songs – her audition song ("Hero"), winner's single ("Alive") and last shot song ("And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going").[44] Her performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", which debuted at number 29 on the ARIA Singles Chart,[45] got all four judges standing on the judges table.[46] Redfoo said Im's performance was "the best thing I've ever seen in my life", while Minogue added that she is "world class".[46] Im's performance of "Hero" debuted at number 62.[47] During the grand final decider show the following day, Im was announced as the winner.[48]

text:
denotes a performance that entered the ARIA Singles
     denotes winner

text: Performances on The X Factor[edit]

text:
hideShow
Song choice
Theme
Result

Auditions
"Hero"
N/A
Through to Super bootcamp

Super bootcamp
"I'm with You"
Through to second day of bootcamp

"Next to Me"
Through to third day of bootcamp

"Jolene"
Was Eliminated but was called back after Matt Gresham's withdrawl

Home visits
"If I Were a Boy"
Through to Live shows

Week 1
"One"
Judges' Choice
Safe

Week 2
"Purple Rain"
Legends
Safe

Week 3
"Don't Leave Me This Way"
Top 10 Hits
Safe

Week 4
"Roar"
Latest and Greatest
Safe

Week 5
"Best of You"
Rock
Safe

Week 6
"Bridge over Troubled Water"
Family Heroes
Safe

Week 7
"Clarity"
Judges' Challenge
Safe

Week 8
"You're the Voice"
Aussie Week
Safe

Week 9
"Saving All My Love for You"
Power and Passion
Safe

"Wrecking Ball"

Week 10
"Hero"
Audition song
Winner

"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"
Last shot song

"Alive"
Winner's single

"Purple Rain"
Best moment of the live shows song

text: 2013–15: Dami Im and Heart Beats[edit]

text: After winning The X Factor, Im's debut and winner's single "Alive" was released on the iTunes Store.[49] She also received a recording contract with Sony Music Australia and a management deal.[50] Four days after release, "Alive" debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart.[31] It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for selling over 70,000 copies.[51] Im's self-titled second studio album was released on 15 November 2013 and featured studio recordings of songs she performed on The X Factor.[52] The album debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified platinum for shipments of more than 70,000 units.[53][54] Im became the first X Factor Australia contestant to follow up a number one single with a number one album on the ARIA Charts.[53] On 23 November 2013, Im toured alongside Third Degree, Taylor Henderson, Jiordan Tolli and Jai Waetford for The X Factor Live Tour, which ended on 2 December 2013.[55] In late December 2013, she signed on as an ambassador for the children's charity Compassion Australia.[56]

text: It was reported on 19 January 2014 that fashion label Alannah Hill had signed Im to be the face of their autumn and winter 2014 collection.[57] On 24 January 2014, Im released a cover of "I Am Australian" with Henderson, Jessica Mauboy, Justice Crew, Nathaniel Willemse and Samantha Jade, to coincide with the Australia Day celebrations.[58][59] The song peaked at number 51 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[60] Im's next single, an acoustic cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene", was released on 7 March 2014, but failed to chart.[61] In May 2014, she became an ambassador for Priceline Pharmacy's You Beauty campaign, which celebrates the diversity of Australian women.[62] The following month, Im became the ambassador of Nintendo's video game, Tomodachi Life.[63] On 3 September 2014, Im performed at The Marquee in Sydney as part of Nova FM's Red Room Global Tour.[64]

text: Im's third studio album, Heart Beats, was released on 17 October 2014 and debuted at number seven on the ARIA Albums Chart, becoming Im's second top-ten album.[31][65] The album was preceded by the release of its first two singles, "Super Love" and "Gladiator", both of which peaked at number 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[31] The former also reached the top-twenty on the South Korea Gaon Charts and was certified platinum, while the latter was certified gold for selling over 35,000 copies.[66][67][68] In December 2014, Im was the supporting act for John Legend's Australian leg of his All of Me Tour.[69] Im's sixth lead single "Smile" was released on 29 May 2015, and debuted at number 48.[70][71] In June 2015, it was confirmed that Im was working on her upcoming fourth studio album.[72]

text: 2016–2017: Eurovision Song Contest and Classic Carpenters[edit]

text: Im was invited to participate in the international cast BTV Global Spring Festival Gala presentation by the Chinese BTV television station which was broadcast on the second day of Spring Festival 10 February.[73] Im performed an acoustic rendition of "Close to You" in English and then teamed up with Chinese Kazakh singer, Tasiken (塔斯肯), to perform the popular "365 Mile Road" (三百六十五里路) as a duet, in Chinese. The pairing of Im with Tasiken in the duet performance is also notable in that they both share remarkably similar journeys in their music competition experiences. In the second series of The Voice of China competition in 2013, Tasiken was initially eliminated in the Blind Auditions round, but was later selected by coach A-mei in a second chance round.[74] Tasiken performed well and won the Battles and Knock Out rounds, only to ultimately lose to the eventual winner of the series Li Qi (李琦) in the Playoff round.[75] This almost mirrors Im's own experience of being eliminated in the super bootcamp round of 2013 The X-Factor Australia competition, only to be recalled to the home visits round. Im of course went on to perform very well in the subsequent Live Finals and eventually win the competition. The very popular Global Spring Festival event was reportedly one of the world's most watched TV program, broadcast to a global audience of over 200 million.[76]

text: On 3 March, it was announced Im would represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. Her song was "Sound of Silence". On 4 March, it also announced Im would release a new album in April called Classic Carpenters. The album is a collection of cover versions of some of The Carpenters' biggest songs.[77] It was released on 22 April 2016. Three music videos of her performing the songs "(They Long to Be) Close to You", "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" and "Yesterday Once More" were released on 14, 17 and 19 April, respectively.[78][79][80] Classic carpenters charted with massive success on the ARIA charts gaining the chart position of Number Three, Im's third studio also gained success on the South Korean charts achieving a position of 23 within the Top 25.

text: At an interview, Paul Clarke, Australia's head of delegation to the Eurovision Song Contest, was asked about the potential of Im's performance at the contest. Clarke remarked that Im's journey as a migrant to Australia at the age of nine and learning English from songs of Kylie Minogue was conducive to the multiculturalism and diversity of the European competition. Clarke adds that "Im is also a lightning rod of emotion when she performs", which is something he believes will resonate with the Eurovision audience. He further notes that "She can just feel an audience and be able to be the conductor of it, better than just about any performer I've ever seen, she just does it intuitively."[81]

text: In the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, Im was announced to perform in second semi-final. Im performed tenth in the running order and successfully progressed to the final with the highest score and top ranking of her semi-final.[82] As this was the first time Australia competed in the semi-final stage, Im became the first ever Australian representative to progress from the semi-final to the final. In the final, Im performed 13th in the running order and achieved the top score of 320 points from the national jury. Ultimately, she received 191 points from televoting and was announced to have gained 511 points in total, placing 2nd in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016.[83] Im's second place score is the highest score ever achieved by an Australian representative. Following the contest, Im's single "Sound of Silence" charted at number 3 on the ARIA charts and gained huge success across Europe with Im's single selling over fifty five thousand copies worldwide, and has also achieved two Gold certificated for her single from the ARIA Charts and the Swedish Recording Industry Association charts respectively. Also "Sound of Silence" charted within the top fifteen in Finland and Belgium – a first for Im in her singing career, the single also charted for the first time in Im's career on the UK Charts, the Spanish, German and Austrian charts. This single is Im's most successful in her career to date. In October 2016, Im released her first post-Eurovision single, "Fighting for Love". In 2017, it was announced through various social media that THE.mgmt has signed Im to a special arrangement modeling contract with the agency.[84]

text: On 7 April 2017, Im released a new recording of "Hold Me In Your Arms" with original Southern Sons singer, Jack Jones. On 9 April 2017, it was reported that Sony Music Australia CEO Denis Handlin was moved by Im's earlier live performance of the song on Australia Day with Guy Sebastian that he "spared no expense securing the original voice of the song Jack Jones (Irwin Thomas) to re-create is 1990 hit with Dami Im."[85] On 28 April 2017, Im posted on her social media photos of herself with Sony Australia CEO Denis Handlin receiving Gold certification for Classic Carpenters and her platinum certification for "Sound of Silence".[86]

text: 2018–present: I Hear a Song[edit]

text: On 16 February 2018, Im announced her fifth studio album I Hear a Song would be released on 23 March 2018. It reached number 3 in the ARIA album chart.

text: Artistry[edit]

text: Im credits her home influences, with her mother being an opera singer, and her own classical music training, as providing her the grounding and instilling in her the love for music and performance.[87] Im has also cited K-pop music as an inspiration in regard to her love and passion for singing.[5] Her musical influences are Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, Chris Tomlin and BoA.[7][13] She also cites BoA along with Lee Juck and Kim Dong-ryool as her favourite singers.[88] Aside from singing, Im also plays piano and violin and has co-written some of her material.[7][19] She co-wrote eight songs on her third studio album, Heart Beats.[89]

text: During a radio interview in 2016, Im credited Guy Sebastian as providing her with the initial impetus to dream that perhaps one day she could follow in his footsteps in competing and winning a reality music show.[90] Im described how watching Sebastian take first place in Australian Idol in 2003 as the beginning of her own dream for her own career as a professional singer. She also described how at the time, while still a teenager, that she would spend hours practicing in her bedroom, recording her own voice. She described singing to such songs as Stacie Orrico's "Stuck" as pivotal to her initial preparation as a singer. She explained that practicing doing the runs that Orrico and other singers execute in their songs helped her improve her own singing ability. Im eventually went on to master her craft by completing her voice training at post-graduate level at the Young Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University, under the tutelage of Dr Irene Bartlett.

text: Apart from Im's career as a musical performance artist, she is also recognized as a fashion trendsetter.[91] During the X Factor competition, she is known for the extravagant outfits that she wore for her performances. After winning The X Factor, Im was sought after by designers and fashion houses to showcase their creations, including Alannah Hill and Carla Zampatti. At Eurovision, Im's iconic dress was custom designed by well-known Australian designer Steven Khalil.[92]

text: Grease – The Arena Experience[edit]

text: On November 7, 2016, it was announced by Harvest Train, the Australian musical theatre company, that Im is going to be appearing in the Brisbane production of Grease: The Arena Experience.[93] The show is scheduled to play for three performances at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre from 7–8 April 2017. Im has been cast in the role of Teen Angel and will be performing a rendition of "Beauty School Dropout". This is the first time Im has taken part in a major musical production and also the first time that a female has been cast in the normally male role.[94]

text: The musical is directed and choreographed by Callum Mansfield. Along with Im, this production of Grease will also star Meghan O'Shea in the role of Sandy, Drew Weston as Danny, Tim Campbell as Johnny Casino, Brisbane radio station's 97.3FM's Terry Hansen as Vince Fontaine alongside a core cast of 30 professional performers as well as an amateur mass ensemble of over 800 performers from across South-East Queensland.[95]

text: Filmography[edit]

text: 2014: Paper Planes

text: In 2014, Im was invited to perform a rendition of Macy Gray's "Beauty in the World" for part of the soundtrack of Paper Planes, an Australian children's movie.[96] Paper Planes starred Sam Worthington, David Wenham, Deborah Mailman and Ed Oxenbould, and was co-written by Steve Worland and Robert Connolly. Connolly also directed the movie. The co-producers were Liz Kearney and Maggie Miles. The movie opened in cinemas on 15 January 2015. A version of "Beauty in the World" was also recorded for Im's Heart Beats album.

text: 2016: Trolls

text: On 15 November 2016 multiple media sources announced that Im would be making her film debut in the Australian release of DreamWorks Animation's feature Trolls.[97] She is cast as the voice to the role of Grandma Rosiepuff. Im would share the role with Susanna Reid, who will be the voice of the character for the UK version and GloZell Green who will be the voice for the US version. Media also reported that Im joined Justin Timberlake at the Australian premiere of the film on 20 November at Hoyts Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park, Sydney.[98][99]

text: Carols in the Domain[edit]

text: Soon after winning The X Factor in 2013, Im was invited to her first appearance at Carols in the Domain.[100] An annual event that is broadcast live in Australia, the event consistently draws large crowds of in excess of 80,000.[101] The event is often hosted by media personalities with a diverse cast that is made up of musicians, performers, characters from popular media, choral groups and choirs. Im's has participated in this annual event every year since her first show in 2013. On 21 November 2016 it was announced that Im would once again be a part of the cast for the 2016 event to be held and telecast live on 18 December 2016.[102] The details of Im's performances at each year's shows are listed below:

text:
Year
Date
Songs
Ref

2013
21 Dec 2013
"Silent Night"
[103]

"Away in a Manger"
[104]

2014
20 Dec 2014
"O Holy Night"
[105]

"The Christmas Song"
[106]

2015
19 Dec 2015
"O Come, All Ye Faithful"
[107][108]

"Silent Night" (duet with Cyrus Villanueva)
[109]

"Away in a Manger"
[110]

2016
18 Dec 2016
"The First Noel"
[111]

"O Holy Night"
[112][113]

text: Carols By Candlelight[edit]

text: On Saturday, 24 December 2016, Im was among an ensemble cast of Australian performers who performed at the Vision Australia Carols By Candlelight at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Australia. The other performers include Anthony Callea, Tim Campbell, Kate Ceberano, Shane Jacobson, Lucy Durack, Marina Prior, Silvie Paladino, David Hobson, Denis Walter, Darren Percival, legally blind opera singer Michael Leonardi, and Ol'55, who celebrated their 40th anniversary at the event.[114] The event was broadcast live nationally by the Nine Network. Media reports of the event acclaimed Im's performance, "Dami Im stole the show -hands down- last night."[115]

text:
Year
Date
Songs
Ref

2016
24 Dec 2016
"All I Want for Christmas Is You"
[116]

"When a Child Is Born"
[117]

text: Personal life[edit]

text: Im is a Christian. She met Noah Kim, another Christian, at a church and in September 2012 they were married in Seoul, South Korea.[5][19] Im and her husband live in Daisy Hill, a suburb of Logan City in Queensland.[118] In October 2013, she was named the cultural ambassador for Logan City and was offered the key to the city by mayor Pam Parker.[119] Im was presented with the key at a ceremony on 4 December 2013.[120]

text: Dami is an avid foodie, and has a passion for sweets. She is often seen sharing the different foods while eating them on her Instagram account.[121] During a Facebook Live interview with New Idea magazine in 2016, Im shared that she likes cooking and relaxing at home. She said her favourite food is her mother's home-cooked food, especially Chijimi, a Korean pancake.[122] In another interview she also intimated that her 'go-to' comfort food is Korean fried chicken.

text: Compassion Australia[edit]

text: Im is an ardent supporter of Compassion Australia and one of their most active ambassadors.[123] After Eurovision 2016, against the advice of many in the industry, Im went ahead with a pre-planned trip to visit her eighth sponsor child, Jovi, in Uganda.[124][125] During the trip, Dami Im hosted a concert for the 200 children in Uganda and live broadcast on Facebook.[126] She is passionate about drawing attention to the poverty of people around the world and the need to help support people in these circumstances. She said that her trip to Uganda was grounding to her and gives purpose for what she does in her life and work.[127]

text: Notable performances[edit]

text: Dami Im is a highly sought after performance artist across Australia and beyond. She has appeared in numerous public performances marking special occasions and on live TV. Some of her most memorable performances include:

text:
15 December 2015 – Dami Im, accompanied by the NSW Public Schools Singers performed a rendition of "I Am Australian" at a special ceremony held on 15 December 2015 to commemorate the first anniversary of the 2014 Sydney hostage crisis.[128][129]
10 February 2016 – Dami Im performed on Beijing TV's Global Spring Festival Gala broadcast to celebrate the Spring Festival. Im performed a solo cover of "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and a duet with Chinese Kazakh singer, Tasiken, singing in Chinese the song, "365 Mile Road" (三百六十五里路) to a reported global audience of over 200 million.[130][131]
21 April 2016 – Dami Im performed a tribute to Prince by singing "Purple Rain" on live television broadcast during Channel 7's The Morning Show after learning of his death.[132]
12 May 2016 and 14 May 2016 – Im's performances of "Sound of Silence" at the Second Semi Final on 12 May and Grand Final on 14 May at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 at Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Im won the Second Semi Final and advanced to the Grand Final as the first Australian entrant to ever do so at the event.[133][134] She placed second at the Grand Final.[135]
1 November 2016 – Im performed at the 2016 Melbourne Cup to a worldwide television audience estimated at over 700 million.[136] Im was accompanied by the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic orchestra and choir. Im performed a cover of Celine Dion's "The Power of the Dream"[137] as well as the Australian National Anthem.[138][139]
7 December 2016 – At the 6th AACTA Awards Im performed a rendition of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" on a grand piano in front of a screen portraying scenes from Geoffrey Rush's Shine as a tribute to the iconic 1996 film. News reports described Im's performance as the one that "stole the show".[140][141]
26 January 2017 – At the Australia Day Concert[142] on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, that was broadcast live on television by Network Ten, Im reprised a solo performance of her Eurovision anthem "Sound of Silence".[143] She teamed up with Guy Sebastian in a duet cover rendition of "Hold Me in Your Arms" which reportedly is the first time the two artists collaborated in a live performance.[144] On 7 April 2017 Im recorded and released a studio single version of this song with Jack Jones (Irwin Thomas). It was reported on 9 April 2017, that [Im's] "performance was so powerful [that] Sony boss Denis Handlin commissioned the new version and spared no expense securing the original voice of the song Jack Jones (Irwin Thomas) to re-create the 1990 hit".[145] Together with Human Nature, the duo joined Russell Morris to perform a group rendition of "The Real Thing".[146] In the finale, Im joined the rest of the other concert performers in group renditions of the Australian National Anthem, "Advance Australia Fair", and "I Am Australian".[147]
15 April 2018, Im performed "Alive" at the 2018 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.

text: Discography[edit]

text:
Dream (2010)
Dami Im (2013)
Heart Beats (2014)
Classic Carpenters (2016)
I Hear a Song (2018)

text: Concert tours[edit]

text: Headlining

text: Supporting

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Year
Type
Award
Result

2013
Poprepublic.tv Awards[148]
Breakthrough Artist of 2013
Nominated

Favourite Album of 2013 (Dami Im)
Nominated

The X Factor Australia
First Prize
Won

2014
ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards
Number One Album (Dami Im)[149]
Won

Number One Single ("Alive")[149]
Won

World Music Awards
World's Best Female Artist[150]
Nominated

World's Best Live Act[151]
Nominated

World's Best Entertainer of the Year[152]
Nominated

World's Best Song ("Alive")[153]
Nominated

Cosmopolitan Fun, Fearless, Female Awards
Fun, Fearless, Female Woman of the Year[154]
Won

Singer[154]
Won

Channel [V] Awards[155]
[V] Oz Artist of the Year
Nominated

2016
Eurovision Song Contest 2016
First Prize
Runner-up

Griffith University
AEL (Arts, Education, Law) Young Alumnus of the Year Award[156]
Won

Cosmopolitan Australia Women of the Year Awards
Artist of the Year[157]
Won

2017
Queensland Music Award - BOQ People's Choice
Most Popular Female Artist[158]
Won

Australian Club Entertainment Awards
Club Performer of the Year[159][160]
Won

Female Vocalist of the Year[161][162]
Won