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January 7
Forty-nine drivers have suffered fatal accidents while driving Formula One cars since the creation of the Formula One World Championship in 1950. Thirty-two of the drivers died during World Championship Grand Prix race weekends, six during test sessions and eleven during non-championship Formula One events. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has seen the most fatalities; seven drivers have died there during the course of the Indianapolis 500. Fifteen drivers died in the 1950s; fourteen in the 1960s; twelve in the 1970s; four in the 1980s and two in the 1990s. No driver has suffered a fatal accident since 1994, making this the longest period in F1 history without a driver fatality. Only two Formula One Champions have died while racing or practicing in Formula One, Jochen Rindt in 1970, and Ayrton Senna (pictured) in 1994. Rindt is the only driver to win the championship posthumously. (Full list...)
January 14
Current sovereign monarchs (King of Swaziland pictured) are distinguished by their titles and styles, which in most cases are defined by tradition, and guaranteed under the state's constitution. A monarch is the head of a monarchy, a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled by an individual who normally rules for life or until abdication. In political and sociocultural studies, monarchies are normally associated with hereditary rule; most monarchs, in both historical and contemporary contexts, have been born and raised within a royal family. Some monarchies, however, are not hereditary, and the ruler is instead determined through an elective process. Most states only have a single monarch at any given time, although a regent may rule when the monarch is a minor, not present, or otherwise incapable of ruling. (Full list...)
January 21
The Grammy Award for Best Polka Album was presented to recording artists for quality polka albums at the Grammy Awards, an annual ceremony hosted by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences that recognizes "artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position". Originally called the Grammy Award for Best Polka Recording, the honor was first presented to Frankie Yankovic at the 28th Grammy Awards in 1987. The category was renamed in 1992 and retired in 2009. Jimmy Sturr holds the record for the most wins in this category, with eighteen (including six as the leader of the group known as Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra). Walter Ostanek (pictured) received the award three times consecutively, and the band Brave Combo was presented the award twice. (Full list...)
January 28
Players can recreate the lead guitar portions of many rock music songs in the music video game Guitar Hero II using a specially designed guitar-shaped controller (pictured), based on either a Gibson SG for the PlayStation 2 version, a Gibson Explorer for the Xbox 360 version, or else a standard console controller. There are 64 songs total in the PlayStation 2 version while there are 74 songs total for the later Xbox 360 version. The Xbox 360 version adds an additional 24 downloadable songs via Xbox Live Marketplace, bringing the total to 98 songs. The downloadable songs include songs from the original Guitar Hero for the PlayStation 2. Most songs in the game are covers of the original songs performed by WaveGroup Sound, but there are some master recordings. All bonus songs are master recordings that are unlockable by using in-game money within the game's store. The song "Raw Dog" by The Last Vegas was selected as part of the "Be a Guitar Hero" contest for the release of Guitar Hero II. (Full list...)