‘Avengers’ makes $250m in record weekend

“Avengers: Infinity War” took in $250 million in its opening weekend, the highest North America opening of all time, industry estimates showed on Sunday.

The film, which features more than two dozen superheroes fighting to save the universe, displaced “The Force Awakens,” the seventh instalment in the long-running “Star Wars” space saga that made $248 million in its opening weekend in 2015.

“Infinity War” is the 19th film in the so-called Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), combining a whopping nine franchises and a cast list that reads like a who’s who of Hollywood’s A-list.

Robert Downey Jr dons the red and gold metal suit once again as Iron Man; Benedict Cumberbatch is Doctor Strange; Scarlett Johansson is back as Black Widow; and Australia’s Chris Hemsworth is Thor.

Also back for more? Black Panther — the Marvel breakout of the year after the massive opening of the standalone pic in February, Captain America, the Hulk, Spider-Man, Hawkeye, the Guardians of the Galaxy and their assorted allies.

Their mission? To prevent the powerful purple alien Thanos (Josh Brolin) from destroying the universe.

(AFP)

AUGUST 16 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 16^th of August

 

1898: The patent for the roller coaster was given to Edwin Prescott

1904: The building of the Grand Central Station began in New York City

AUGUST 14 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 14^th of August

 

1894: France issued its 1st set of drivers’ licenses

1901: 70 people were killed after the SS Islander hit an iceberg near Alaska and sank

AUGUST 12 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 12^th of August

 

1831: Netherlands and Belgium signed a peace treaty

1851: The patent of the sewing machine was granted to Isaac Singer

AUGUST 8 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 8^th of August

 

1864: The Red Cross was formed in Geneva

1914: Montenegro declared war on Germany

AUGUST 5 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 5^th of August

 

1861: The United States’ Army abolished flogging

1914: Cuba, Uruguay, Mexico and Argentina proclaimed their neutrality in WW I

AUGUST 4 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 4^th of August

 

1862: The United States’ government collected its 1^st income tax

1886: Colombia adopted its constitution

AUGUST 2 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 2^nd of August

 

1875: The world’s 1st roller skating rink was opened in London

1914: Germany and Turkey signed a secret treaty

AUGUST 1 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 1^st of August

 

1876: Colorado became the 38^th state in the US

1902: Mine accident killed 100 in Wollongong, Australia

JULY 31 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 31^st of July

 

1914: Oil was discovered in Lake of Maracaibo, Venezuela

1925: The Unemployment Insurance Act was passed in England

JULY 30 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 30^th of July

 

 

1898: Corn Flakes was invented by Will Keith Kellogg

1909: The 1st military plane was delivered to the army by the Wright Brothers

JULY 28 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 28^th of July

 

1896: The US City of Miami was incorporated

1914: The World War I began when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia

JULY 26 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 26^th of July

1847: Liberia declared its independence from the American Colonization Society

1918: Race riot in Philadelphia left 4 dead

JULY 24 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 24^th of July

 

1870: The 1st trans-United State rail service began

1886: China took possession of the British protectorate of Burma

JULY 23 IN HISTORY

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1827: The 1^st swim school in the United States was opened

1877: Hawaii’s 1st telephone and telegraph line was completed

JULY 22 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 22^nd of July

 

1912: The 5th Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden closed

1916: 10 people were killed after a bomb went off during a parade in San Francisco

JULY 21 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 21^st of July

 

1866: Cholera epidemic killed hundreds of people in London

1880: A compressed air accident left 20 workers on the Hudson River tunnel in New York dead

JULY 20 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 20^th of July

1871: British Columbia became the 6th Canadian province

1878: 1st telephone was introduced in Hawaii

JULY 19 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 19^th of July

 

1870: France declared war on Prussia

1940: Hitler ordered Great Britain to surrender

JULY 18 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 18^th of July

 

1872: Britain introduced the secret ballot voting system

1931: The 1st air-conditioned ship known as Mariposa was launched