• Elliot Grainge advised Northeastern University grads to embrace rejection in his commencement speech.
• The CEO of Atlantic Records said he set up his company, 10K Projects, after repeatedly hearing "no."
• Grainge was appointed to run the Warner Music division in 2024.

The CEO of Atlantic Music Group had some advice for new graduates of Boston's Northeastern University: don't give up when you're told "no."

Elliot Grainge, the son of Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge, gave a commencement speech at the university on Sunday.

He told the graduates he'd learned the power of resilience when he faced rejection.

"I'm here to tell you the two greatest things people have said to me: 'That's impossible' and 'no,'" Grainge said.

He graduated from Northeastern in 2016. During his time at the university, he started two businesses he was "certain would be massive successes." One was a promotion company, the other was a live music series.

"These companies made me a total of negative $3,500," Grainge said.

He didn't that the failures to heart and remained determined to make it in the music industry after graduation.

After leaving Northeastern Grainge said he tried to convince music execs that the artists he was listening to on SoundCloud were going to be big.

After "hearing 'no' — again and again" he said he started his own company called 10K Projects.

"I heard these things so many times, eventually I thought: screw it. I'll try and raise some money, and try to sign one or two of these artists, and launch my own label," Grainge said.

"That company, 10K Projects, was born from hearing 'no' — again and again. I bet on myself. I bet on the artists I believed in. And I was right, not always, but I was right more often than I was wrong."

10K Projects has since signed artists including Trippie Redd, 6ix9ine, Aitch, and Ice Spice.

"Looking back, if just one of those individuals had said yes, or even offered me a job, I probably wouldn't be standing here today in front of you guys," Grainge said. "It was hearing 'no' that drove me to follow my gut and build something of my own."

Grainge encouraged the graduates to embrace their failures because each of his own had taught him a valuable lesson.

"Success isn't one massive leap," he said. "It's little wins, a thousand setbacks, some detours, and eventually, a door opens."

Grainge was appointed CEO of Atlantic Music Group at Warner Music in 2024, overseeing Atlantic Records and 300 Elektra Entertainment.

Warner is one of the world's largest music groups, along with Universal and Sony.

Commenters on a Northeastern subreddit noted that Grainge's father is a member of the university's board of trustees. Elliot Grainge married Sofia Richie, the daughter of singer Lionel Richie, in 2023.

• A US Army officer broke the men's record for running a mile in a bomb suit.
• Chewning-Kulick, an explosive ordinance disposal officer, ran it in just over seven minutes in a 62-pound suit.
• He said the event demonstrated the importance of EODs remaining ready to quickly mitigate explosive threats.

A US Army explosive ordnance disposal officer has broken the world record for running a mile in a bomb suit by 20 seconds.

The Army said Wednesday that Capt. Travis G. Chewning-Kulick, wearing a heavy 62-pound bomb suit, ran the mile in an impressive seven minutes and four seconds last week at Phantom Warrior Stadium at Fort Cavazos in Texas. 

His run beat the previous record of 7:24:21 set by British soldier Mark Gibbs in 2017. Gibbs has also completed a half-marathon in a full bomb suit, running that in two hours and 23 minutes.

Chewning-Kulick's Guinness World Record is currently pending official verification, which can take months, but his time was marked by multiple witnesses.

He said he was motivated to break the record by soldiers in his unit. Bomb suits, like the one he wore, are hot and heavy and designed to protect bomb-disposal technicians from explosive blasts. 

Chewning-Kulick is currently the commander of the 752nd Ordnance Company, part of the US Department of Defense's larger EOD formation and the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command focused on identifying and safely eliminating explosives and other hazards. 

The physical fitness of EOD techs, he said, is critical for their roles. 

"The EOD Soldier must be able to easily keep pace with the conventional and nonconventional units they support so they can rapidly and safety mitigate any explosive threat to enable the uninterrupted completion of the mission," Chewning-Kulick said.

EOD techs have some of the most dangerous jobs in the military. The small, elite group tasked with disarming and disposing of explosives need to have immense technical knowledge and mental and physical fortitude.

"There's a lot of steps," an Air Force EOD technician previously told Business Insider. "When you mess one up, you die."

Explosive ordnance disposal is an extremely tough job that requires both physical and mental fortitude.

Another EOD tech from the Marines previously told BI "there's been times when I was standing over something that could kill me and I was there trying to picture all the choices I made in life that got me to that moment."

Bomb suit runs are not uncommon, but it's rare to set records.

In 2021, Army Capt. Kaitlyn Hernandez shattered the women's record, wearing what was said to be a 96-pound bomb suit. She ran a mile in 10 minutes and 23 seconds. The previous women's record was 11 minutes and six seconds in 2013. 

At the time, Hernandez said that overcoming the challenges of the suit were largely mental. "It's usually a split-second — any time I run and start feeling sorry for myself, I just have to get over it and say it's not that bad," she said.

• DonnaJean Wilde, 59, holds a Guinness World Record for planking for 4.5 hours.
• She built up to this record by strengthening her core over the course of a decade.
• Wilde said planking while doing other tasks was one of the ways she fit training into her day.

DonnaJean Wilde can plank for 4.5 hours. She built up to this over a decade, while juggling parenting, teaching, and studying for a master's degree.

She started planking with her children as part of a viral craze in the early 2010s — and never stopped. Now, the 59-year-old from Alberta, Canada, holds the Guinness World Record for the longest time spent by a woman in an abdominal plank position.

Not only are Wilde's capabilities impressive, planking is also great for her health. A 2023 study published in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation involving participants aged between 60 and 69 found that those who didn't regularly exercise, had improved strength and muscle endurance, better oxygen intake, and improved immune cell function after they planked on and off for 20-30 minutes, three times a week, for 12 weeks.

A strong core, which planking can contribute to, can also help us to stay mobile day to day and prevent injuries and aches like back pain.

Wilde shared with Business Insider how she worked toward planking for hours.

Plank while doing other tasks

When Wilde started planking, her wrist was broken and it was the only form of exercise she could do.

She planked for slightly longer each day, while reading or using her phone. She was impressed when she reached 10 minutes, so kept going.

"I found that I could put my computer on the floor, answer emails, plan my school lessons, and really enjoy planking knowing it was making me stronger. It made me feel so good and my time was improving all throughout the years," she said.

Deep, controlled breathing

Wilde used deep breathing to prepare for her world record attempt, which she said helped her stay calm and eased her anxiety.

She now does deep breathing as she goes about her day, not just while planking. For example, taking a deep breath and holding for ten, before releasing the breath slowly and repeating.

A 2022 study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that five to 10 minutes of breathing exercises a day for six weeks appeared to decrease blood pressure in participants whose levels were abnormally high. However, deep breathing isn't a replacement for regular exercise when it comes to lowering blood pressure, Daniel Craighead, the lead author of the study, previously told Business Insider.

Visualize yourself planking

Wilde worked on visualizing herself planking calmly in perfect form, she said, which helped her stay strong when she was in position.

Visualization is a "magical tool," she said.

A small 2016 study published in the journal Basic and Applied Social Psychology found that its 65 participants, who were all tennis players, were more likely to hit a target after they imagined themselves doing so every time.

• The 96th Academy Awards are on Sunday, March 2.
• Some of the recipients of the most Oscars in history never set foot in front of the camera.
• Walt Disney holds the record for the most wins, taking home 22 from 59 nominations.

When you think of Oscar winners, your mind might go to some of the biggest names in Hollywood, like Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, or Viola Davis.

But some of the winningest individuals in Oscars history actually made their impacts behind the scenes, bringing dinosaurs to life in "Jurassic Park," composing songs for "The Little Mermaid," and doing makeup for "Men in Black."

Edith Head, an eight-time Oscar winner — and the most awarded woman in Oscars history — famously said, "What a costume designer does is a cross between magic and camouflage. We create the illusion of changing the actors into what they are not. We ask the public to believe that every time they see a performer on the screen he's become a different person."

From costume designers like Head, to composers, sound engineers, and set designers, these individuals helped create the magic needed for movies to thrive.

As excitement builds for this year's nominees, get to know the achievements and contributions of the 12 people with the most competitive Academy Awards in history.

Gordon Hollingshead — 7 Oscars

Gordon Hollingshead — whose movie career spanned from 1916 to his death in 1952 — won his first competitive Oscar for best assistant director in 1933, a category that would only exist through 1937.

He also won three best short subject (two-reel) awards, two best short subject (one-reel) awards, and one best documentary (short subject) award.

These categories have also been redefined since his victories in the 1940s and 1950s; they are now known as the awards for best live action short film and best documentary short film.

Fred Quimby — 7 Oscars

"Tom and Jerry" producer Fred Quimby received his first Oscar nomination and trophy in 1944 for best short subject (cartoon) for "Yankee Doodle Mouse."

His other six wins would all come from the same category, which is now called best animated short film.

Gary Rydstrom — 7 Oscars

Director and sound designer Gary Rydstrom was awarded best sound and best sound effects editing for "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Jurassic Park," and "Saving Private Ryan."

He also has a best sound award for "Titanic," bringing his total award count to seven.

Richard Day — 7 Oscars

Richard Day won seven awards for best art direction (now known as best production design), beginning in 1936 with "The Dark Angel" and concluding in 1954 with "On the Waterfront."

Rick Baker — 7 Oscars

Described by the Oscars as a "lifelong 'monster kid,'" makeup artist Rick Baker has made significant contributions to the world of movie makeup across genres, winning seven Academy Awards throughout his career.

In 1981, Baker received his first nomination and win for best makeup for "An American Werewolf in London."

In the '90s, he had multiple wins with "Ed Wood" (1995), "The Nutty Professor" (1997), and "Men in Black" (1998).

Another memorable contribution includes transforming Jim Carrey into the Grinch for the 2000 movie "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Edwin B. Willis — 8 Oscars

Working alongside esteemed art director Cedric Gibbons, set designer Edwin B. Willis won eight Oscars in 15 years for his contributions to set design within the art direction category.

His first win came in 1941 for his work in interior direction on "Blossoms in the Dust," and his final win came in 1956 for his work in Set Decoration on "Somebody Up There Likes Me."

Alan Menken — 8 Oscars

Disney fans can say a big thank you to composer Alan Menken, the mind behind the music in "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," and "Pocahontas."

Menken won two Academy Awards for each of these films, winning in the scoring and original song categories.

Dennis Muren — 8 Oscars

Dennis Muren won eight Academy Awards for his contributions to visual effects on iconic films like "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Jurassic Park."

Muren's work had a significant impact on popular films throughout the '80s and '90s, like "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," "Innerspace," and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day."

In addition to his competitive Oscars, Muren also won a technical achievement award in 1981.

Edith Head — 8 Oscars

The beautiful costumes worn by Audrey Hepburn in the classics "Roman Holiday" and "Sabrina" came from eight-time Oscar-winner Edith Head.

Known for her "distinctive personal style" and "forthright personality," according to the Oscars website, Head built a career dressing some of the most famous movie stars of her time, like Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly, and Steve McQueen. In all, she received 35 nominations and is the winningest woman in Oscars history.

Other winning films she designed costumes for include "The Heiress," "All About Eve," "Samson and Delilah," "A Place in the Sun," "The Facts of Life," and "The Sting."

Alfred Newman — 9 Oscars

Alfred Newman, who was known for films like "The King and I," won nine awards for his work as a composer.

He won his first Oscar in 1938 for scoring "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and his final Oscar in 1967 for "Camelot."

Cedric Gibbons — 11 Oscars

Cedric Gibbons won best art direction 11 times out of 38 nominations.

His first award came in 1930 at the second annual Academy Awards ceremony for "The Bridge of San Luis Rey." He won his final Oscar in 1957 for "Somebody Up There Likes Me"

Walt Disney — 22 Oscars

Walt Disney dominated the best short subject (cartoon) category (now awarded as best animated short film) throughout the 1930s with projects like "Flowers and Trees," "Ferdinand the Bull," and "The Ugly Duckling."

His films continued to win awards throughout his life, and he won his final competitive Oscar posthumously in 1969 for "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day," bringing his total to 22 awards from 59 nominations.

In addition to his competitive awards, Disney was also the recipient of four non-competitive special awards for the creation of Mickey Mouse, the significance of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in animation, the use of sound in "Fantasia," and his work as a creative producer, for which he won the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.

The race is on to build a new generation of healthcare software to replace legacy hospital systems that in some cases may not have been updated in decades. A startup out of Munich, Germany called Avelios has ambitions to build a new kind of end-to-end operating system, leaning into more modern tooling using AI and […]

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• Taylor Swift has set and broken numerous records throughout her career.
• She was once the youngest artist ever to receive the album of the year Grammy.
• Swift made history at the 2024 Grammys with her fourth album of the year win.

Taylor Swift made history at the 2024 Grammy Awards when she took home album of the year for the fourth time.

However, that's not the first time Swift has broken records … or smashed her own, for that matter. 

In 2010, Swift became the youngest artist ever to receive the album of the year award with "Fearless." She's since surpassed the likes of Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, and Paul Simon, to become the most-awarded album of the year winner in history.

Following the success of her record-breaking Eras Tour, which grossed a whopping $2 billion, Forbes put Swift's estimated net worth at $1.6 billion.

Here's every time Taylor Swift has broken records throughout her career.

After Swift released her single "Our Song" in 2006, she became the youngest artist in history to have written and performed a No. 1 song on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Swift was just 17 years old when the song charted, making her the youngest artist in history to achieve the top spot on the country charts.

"Our Song" peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, becoming the third consecutive Hot 100 top-40 single from Swift's debut album, "Taylor Swift." 

In 2009, Swift became the youngest person to ever win entertainer of the year at the Country Music Association Awards.

"I will never forget this moment because in this moment everything I have ever wanted has just happened to me," she said as she accepted the award, E! News reported.

She was 19 at the time.

At the 2010 Grammy Awards, Swift became the youngest artist ever to receive the album of the year award with "Fearless."

"Country music is my home," 20-year-old Swift later told reporters in the Grammys press room, Billboard reported. "Country music is my love. But to have it organically crossover this year? It's just been fantastic. I think the healthiest thing you can do when making music is [to] remove stereotypes from it."

Billie Eilish later beat Swift's record as the youngest recipient of the album of the year award. Eilish was 18 when she won the award in 2020.

When Taylor Swift won the Grammy for album of the year for "1989" in 2016, she became the first woman to win the coveted award twice.

Swift also won the award for best music video for "Bad Blood" and best pop vocal album for "1989."

At the 2021 Grammy Awards, Swift became the first woman to win album of the year three times.

At the 2021 Grammy Awards, Swift won album of the year for "Folklore," her ninth studio album, which she wrote and produced entirely during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The album is regarded as one of Swift's best works and became the best-selling album of 2020, Rolling Stone reported.

The only other artists who have won album of the year three times are Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, and Paul Simon.

Taylor Swift made history at the 2024 Grammy Awards as the first artist to win album of the year four times.

At the 2024 Grammy Awards, Swift made history when she took home the top award for her 10th studio album, "Midnights," becoming the first and only person to have won the award four times. 

In her acceptance speech, Swift thanked Jack Antonoff, her longtime collaborator and "Midnights" producer, and praised her fellow nominee Lana Del Rey.

"I would love to tell you that this is the best moment of my life, but I feel this happy when I finish a song or when I crack the code to a bridge that I love or when I'm shotlisting a music video or when I'm rehearsing with my dancers or my band or getting ready to go to Tokyo to play a show," Swift told the crowd.

Swift has won the most American Music Awards in history. She holds a whopping 40 awards.

Swift surpassed Michael Jackson, who holds 26 awards, and Whitney Houston, who holds 22.

Swift was also recognized with the "Artist of the Decade" award at the 2019 AMAs and performed a medley of some of her most popular songs.

Taylor Swift holds the record for most No. 1 hits on Billboard's US Digital Song Sales chart.

Swift broke the record, per Guinness World Records, with 29 hits, including recent releases like "Fortnight," featuring Post Malone, and classics like "Mine" and "Bad Blood."

Swift has been nominated for song of the year more times than any other artist in Grammy history.

She was nominated for six awards at the 2024 Grammys, including for song of the year for "Anti-Hero." This marked Swift's seventh nomination for song of the year, the most of any artist.

She broke the record again this year after she received a nomination for "Fortnight."

She has never won the award, but was previously nominated for "You Belong With Me," "Shake It Off," "Blank Space," "Lover," "Cardigan," and "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)."

Before 2024, she shared the record with Paul McCartney and Lionel Richie, who have six nominations in the category.

Following the release of "Red (Taylor's Version)," Swift broke Shania Twain's record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart.

Shania Twain previously held the record, spending 97 weeks at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. However, Swift broke the record in 2022, spending 99 weeks at the top of the country charts.

Taylor Swift's "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" is the longest song in history to reach No. 1.

The song, which is just over 10 minutes long, beat out longtime record holder Don McLean, whose eight-minute track "American Pie" held the top position for four weeks in 1972.

Swift's "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" is an extended version of her original song, which was released on "Red" in 2012.

Swift broke her own record for most video of the year wins at the 2024 VMAs.

She broke her own record after her "Fortnight" music video, which she also directed, won the top prize. In her acceptance speech, Swift talked about the energy on set while she was making the video and publicly acknowledged Chiefs player Travis Kelce as her boyfriend.

"Something that I'll always remember is that when, when I would finish a take, and I'd and I'd say cut, and we'd be done with that take, I would always just hear someone cheering from across the studio where we were shooting it, and that one person was my boyfriend, Travis," she said in the speech.

Swift is the only artist in history to claim all top 10 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 in a single week.

All 10 entries were from Swift's latest album "Midnights."

At the top of the list the week that Swift broke the record was "Anti-Hero," the album's lead single.

Swift broke her own record for the most-streamed album in a single day in Spotify history with the release of "The Tortured Poets Department."

Swift previously broke the record for the most-streamed album in a single day in Spotify history upon the release of "Midnights" and "1989 (Taylor's Version)."

"Red (Taylor's Version)" also previously broke Spotify's record for the most-streamed album in a day by a female artist on the day it was released, as Business Insider reported, with 122.9 million streams.

Swift also broke a Spotify record as the most-streamed artist in a single day on the platform.

"On April 19th, 2024, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT became Spotify's most-streamed album in a single day, and Taylor Swift became the most-streamed artist in a single day in Spotify history," a post from Spotify on X wrote.

Swift had previously set this record with the release of "1989 (Taylor's Version)" and "Red (Taylor's Version)." Streams of Swift's catalog totaled over 122.9 million on the day "Red (Taylor's Version)" was released in 2021, about three-quarters of which came from the new album. 

Swift had also previously set the record for most streams in a single day by a female artist.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is the highest-grossing music tour ever.

In December 2024, The New York Times reported that Swift's groundbreaking Eras Tour earned a record $2 billion, making it the highest-earning tour of all time for any music artist.

She is also the highest-earning female musician in the world with a net worth of over $1 billion.

Forbes reported in October 2024 that Swift was worth $1.6 billion, making her the world's richest female musician.

The outlet reported that she became a billionaire in October 2023, in part due to The Eras Tour.

• Multiple records were broken at this year's Grammys.
• Kendrick Lamar became the first artist to win best rap performance seven times.
• Beyoncé finally won album of the year.

The 67th Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, February 2.

Music's biggest night was filled with high-energy performances, heartwarming speeches, more than a few tears, and some surprise wins.

A few records were broken this year, and Beyoncé finally won album of the year for "Cowboy Carter."

Until we do it all again next year, here are some of the current record-holders, including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, and U2.

In 2025, Post Malone became the most-nominated artist without a single win.

Malone has been nominated 18 times across various categories but has never won a Grammy. He lost this year in best pop duo/group performance, record of the year, song of the year, best music video, best country album, best recording package, best country duo/group performance, and best country song.

He took this record over from Snoop Dogg, who's been nominated 17 times across 22 years.

Kendrick Lamar became the first rapper to win best rap performance seven times.

With "Not Like Us," Lamar took home his seventh best rap performance Grammy Award. In the past, he's won for "Alright," "Humble," "King's Dead," "Family Ties," "The Heart Part 5," and "The Hillbillies."

At the 2024 Grammys, Taylor Swift became the first musical artist to win album of the year four times.

Swift has won album of the year four times: In 2010 for "Fearless," in 2016 for "1989," in 2021 for "Folklore," and most recently, in 2024 for "Midnights."

Before that night, she was in a four-way tie with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder with three wins each in the category. But now, she stands alone.

She also won best pop vocal album for "Midnights," her second win in that category after "1989."

Victoria Monét gave an inspirational speech about never giving up — she became the oldest best new artist winner at 34 years old.

Monét, whose career as a songwriter started in 2010, likened her career to a plant with roots that took years to sprout above ground.

"I just want to say to everybody who has a dream, I want you to look at this as an example," she said during her acceptance speech for best new artist in 2024. "My roots have been growing underneath the ground unseen for so long. And I feel like today I'm sprouting finally above ground."

At 34, Monét became the oldest artist to win best new artist. Before Monét, 33-year-old Sheryl Crow held the honor.

If the band Khruangbin wins the award on Sunday, its members, who are 38, 45, and 48, will be the new oldest winners.

Her daughter, Hazel, was the youngest nominee ever at 2 years old.

Monét's 2-year-old daughter, Hazel, is featured on her song "Hollywood," which was nominated in 2024 for best traditional R&B performance, making Hazel the youngest nominee ever.

"She understands she's done something really cool, but I don't think she understands the magnitude," Victoria Monét told People.

They ended up losing to PJ Morton and Susan Carol's song "Good Morning," but Hazel is still the record holder for her nomination.

At the 2021 Grammys, Beyoncé officially became the female artist with the most Grammys when she secured her 28th win.

When Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion won for their "Savage" collaboration (more on that later), host Trevor Noah announced Beyoncé was tied with Alison Krauss for female artist with the most Grammy wins.

A few moments later, she won her 28th Grammy, best R&B performance, for "Black Parade," and became the female artist with the most Grammys of all time.

She won her first Grammy in 2001 as part of Destiny's Child. They won for best R&B performance by a group and best R&B song for "Say My Name." She was 19.

And at the 2023 Grammys, she became the most-awarded artist in Grammys history with 32 wins.

Beyoncé took the crown from Georg Solti, the longtime conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, according to the Grammys website. He won 31 Grammys over 35 years, from 74 nominations.

After taking home her first three Grammys at 2023's event, the "Cuff It" singer made history when she accepted the best dance/electronic album for "Renaissance," her 32nd win overall.

She won another three this year — including album of the year — which brought her total to 35.

Beyoncé is also the most-nominated artist in Grammys history.

Beyoncé overtook her husband, Jay-Z, as the most nominated artist this year, with a career total of 99 nominations.

The "99 Problems" rapper has been nominated 89 times, making him the male artist with the most nominations.

In 2021, Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion became the first female performers to win best rap performance.

A woman had never won this award in its first 11 years of existence. But Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé ended that streak when they took home the award for "Savage." 

Beyoncé is also the most-nominated artist without a win in the record of the year category.

She was nominated for record of the year for "Say My Name," "Crazy in Love," "Irreplaceable," "Halo," "Formation," "Savage," "Black Parade," Break My Soul," and "Texas Hold 'Em."

Only two people have won the Big Four in one night: Billie Eilish and Christopher Cross.

In 1981, newcomer Cross became the first person to ever win record, song, and album of the year, along with best new artist.

This feat would not be replicated until 2020, when 18-year-old Eilish swept the night, becoming the first female artist to do so.

At 18, Eilish also became the youngest artist to win album of the year.

Eilish won the Grammy for her debut album, "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?"

The oldest person to win a Grammy was 97-year-old Pinetop Perkins in 2011.

Perkins was 97 years old when he won the best traditional blues album award for his album "Joined at the Hip" in 2011. He died just one month later.

But the oldest nominee is Jimmy Carter, who was 100 when he was nominated in November 2024.

The former president was nominated for his 10th Grammy last year, at the age of 100, making him the oldest nominee in history. He was nominated for best audiobook, narration & storytelling recording.

Carter died in December and won the award posthumously in February 2025.

The youngest person to win a Grammy was 8-year-old Leah Peasall, who won in 2001.

The Peasall Sisters were featured artists on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, which won album of the year in 2002 (the second soundtrack to ever do so), and the youngest, Leah, was just 8 years old at the time.

In 2021, 9-year-old Blue Ivy Carter won her first (of what we predict will be many) Grammys, making her the second-youngest winner ever.

The Grammys hit a ratings low in 2021, though numbers were up in 2024. By contrast, the most-watched Grammy ceremony was in 1984.

In 1984, around 51.67 million people watched the King of Pop take home eight trophies, including record and album of the year, Billboard reported.

That number is downright unimaginable today. Last year's ceremony was watched by 16.9 million viewers, a four-year high, per Forbes.

The band with the most Grammys is Irish export U2, with 22 wins.

U2 is the group with the most wins of all time — they're also the only group or duo to win album of the year twice (1987's "The Joshua Tree" and 2005's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb").

When Bruno Mars won song of the year for "That's What I Like," he shared the honor with a record-breaking seven other writers.

There were eight credited songwriters for "That's What I Like," which won song of the year in 2018.

They are Mars himself, Philip Lawrence, Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Johnathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves, and Ray McCullough II.

That's the most songwriters to win song of the year, ever.

Bad Bunny's "Un Verano Sin Ti" was the first Spanish-language album to be nominated for album of the year.

The album was nominated for the Grammy for best música urbana album, which it won, in 2023.

One of the album's songs, "Moscow Mule," was also up for best pop solo performance, but it lost to "Easy on Me" by Adele.

Kim Petras became the first trans woman to win best pop duo/group collaboration in 2023.

Petras shared the award with Sam Smith, who has five Grammys to their name. When "Unholy" won, Smith let Petras accept the award.

She went on to thank her friend and producer Sophie, one of the first trans women to be nominated for a Grammy, who died in January 2021.

She also shouted out Madonna and her mom, who "believed me that I was a girl."

The person with the most nominations across various categories is Quincy Jones, who has been nominated 80 times across 15 categories.

Jones was one of the most prolific producers, songwriters, composers, and musicians of all time, with a career that began over seven decades ago.

According to the Grammys, he's been nominated in 15 categories, with 28 wins from 80 nominations. Those categories are the general category (like album of the year), spoken word, arranging, music video/film, jazz, pop, rap, R&B, children's, musical theater, disco, composition, gospel/contemporary Christian music, music for visual media, and production, non-classical.

He also holds the record for the most-awarded producer (28 wins) and is tied for fourth for most wins in a single night, winning six Grammys in 1991.

Jones died in November 2024. He was 91.

Paul McCartney set the record for most nominations in one night without a win almost 60 years ago.

McCartney's nominations came primarily from two Beatles songs, "Yesterday" and "Help!"

He was nominated for record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, best original score written for a motion picture or TV show, best performance by a vocal group, best contemporary single, best contemporary performance by a group (vocal or instrumental, best vocal performance by a male, and best contemporary vocal performance by a male.

He lost each one, a record that stands to this day.

• Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank founded Home Depot in 1978 after they were fired from retailer Handy Dan.
• FBI records show the pair were investigated over claims they tried to bribe Handy Dan workers to decertify their union.
• The investigation ended in 1983 when a prosecutor determined the case was too old and the evidence was "insufficient."

The Home Depot cofounders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank were investigated by the FBI in the 1970s and '80s over claims they used a $140,000 "slush fund" to try to bribe employees at a California home-improvement retailer to decertify their union, newly public records show.

The investigation spanned from 1978 to 1983 and focused on their time as executives at Handy Dan Home Improvement Centers. Marcus, who died at 95 in 2024 with a net worth of more than $10 billion, served as Handy Dan's president. Blank, now 82 and worth over $9 billion, was the company's treasurer.

Marcus and Blank were fired in 1978 after Handy Dan's corporate parent said in securities filings that it found "unauthorized and unacceptable business practices" at the company, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time. Handy Dan's corporate parent later said the two men used company funds to pay employees to favor union decertification, the Journal reported.

The FBI began investigating in late 1978 after a lawyer for a retail workers labor union filed a complaint to federal authorities based on The Wall Street Journal story.

Federal agents said their investigation substantiated the claim, according to the records. No charges were ever brought; the records cited "insufficient" evidence and "statute of limitations problems." The effort to decertify the union was ultimately unsuccessful.

"Investigation revealed that from early 1977 through early 1978 approximately $140,000 in corporate funds" were paid to workers to influence them, an FBI agent wrote in a memo. "Numerous employees have admitted receiving cash (over and above wages) usually received in plain envelopes."

The FBI interviewed at least eight witnesses, whose names were largely redacted in the records. One anti-union employee told investigators that money "was only furnished to those whom the company thought would eventually vote for the decertification." Clinton Doolen, a manager who died in 1992, recalled Marcus saying that "money was no object" when it came to dislodging the union, the records show.

"Marcus was strictly against the unions and highly obsessed with getting the union completely out," another witness told the FBI. The witness said Marcus told them he was willing to use any means to break the union, and the witness "could see that Marcus really meant it."

Marcus offered a different version of events. In the 1999 book "Built From Scratch," he said he learned some Handy Dan employees wanted to disband their union. He said he hired a lawyer and "directed our personnel department to do whatever fell within the legal guidelines" to support them.

He said that the chairman of Handy Dan's parent company twisted the truth and used an internal investigation "as a tool to eliminate me," and that "neither the Justice Department nor the SEC instigated investigations."

FBI records show Marcus testified in a Securities and Exchange Commission proceeding in July 1978, about three months after he was fired. He declined, through a lawyer, to be interviewed by the FBI. It's not clear if Blank was a subject of inquiry by the SEC.

The SEC and two top-ranking officials at the Marcus Foundation didn't reply to comment requests, nor did Marcus' son Frederick Marcus, who is a director of the foundation. Representatives for Blank, Home Depot, the Justice Department, and the FBI declined to comment.

Business Insider obtained the FBI records in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Blank's name was redacted, but his job title matched that of the subject in question. A third person whose name was redacted was also a subject of the investigation.

The FBI submitted a "prosecutive report" to the Justice Department in March 1982. A year later, a federal prosecutor decided not to move forward with the case. The prosecutor didn't believe there was enough evidence against Marcus, Blank, and the third person to indict them, and the union election at the center of the investigation was more than five years old, an FBI memo said.

Marcus and Blank founded Home Depot in 1978, eventually transforming it into the world's largest home-improvement retail company. Its stores aren't unionized; in 2022, the last time a petition was filed at a store for a union election, union advocates suffered a resounding defeat.

Marcus' anti-union sentiments were well known. In 2008, he called a bill that would make it easier for employees to form unions "the demise of civilization," and in 2010, he founded the Job Creators Network, which has opposed bills that would increase union power.

Both men have been significant political donors. Blank has primarily supported Democratic candidates, while Marcus gave millions to Republican candidates, and once said that retail executives who weren't helping Republicans "should be shot."

Read the documents here:

Over the last 24 hours or so, the major organizations that keep track of global temperatures have released figures for 2024, and all of them agree: 2024 was the warmest year yet recorded, joining 2023 as an unusual outlier in terms of how rapidly things heated up. At least two of the organizations, the European Union's Copernicus and Berkeley Earth, place the year at about 1.6° C above pre-industrial temperatures, marking the first time that the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5° has been exceeded.

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration both place the mark at slightly below 1.5° C over pre-industrial temperatures (as defined by the 1850–1900 average). However, that difference largely reflects the uncertainties in measuring temperatures during that period rather than disagreement over 2024.

It’s hot everywhere

2023 had set a temperature record largely due to a switch to El Niño conditions midway through the year, which made the second half of the year exceptionally hot. It takes some time for that heat to make its way from the ocean into the atmosphere, so the streak of warm months continued into 2024, even as the Pacific switched into its cooler La Niña mode.

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• MrBeast said his Amazon show "Beast Games" broke 40 world records.
• It comes amid allegations of poor conditions and a class-action lawsuit filed by some contestants.
• MrBeast finally addressed a lot of the accusations this week, but questions remain.

MrBeast said his upcoming $100 million Amazon reality show "Beast Games" broke 40 Guinness World Records.

"Guinness just dropped off some of the world records we broke while filming Beast Games lol," MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, wrote on X on Wednesday. "IM SO EXCITED TO DROP THIS SHOW IN 22 DAYS 🥰"

While he didn't reveal the full details of the records, he hinted at a few, including the largest cash prize in a game show, the most cables for a show, and the "largest island given away in a show."

It's not been smooth sailing

Donaldson, 26, is YouTube's biggest creator, with 332 million subscribers. He rose to fame with his ambitious stunts, including recreating Netflix's "Squid Game."

"Beast Games" is along the same vein, featuring at least 1,000 contestants.

Amazon has promoted it as "the world's largest live gameshow" with the "biggest single prize in the history of television and streaming" of $5 million.

Amazon announced the reality competition in March. It was supposed to kick-start Amazon's video ad sales efforts, attracting a wide audience and appealing to advertisers.

However, coverage of the show has not been entirely smooth sailing.

As well as complaints from contestants about inadequate living conditions, some have also said they were injured, not given access to hygiene products and medical care, and subjected to sexism in a New York Times report, and a class-action lawsuit five of them filed in September.

Amazon declined to comment on the lawsuit to BI. A spokesperson for Donaldson previously told BI that Amazon was not involved in the Las Vegas round of the show, where many of the allegations surfaced, which was "a promotional video shoot."

The spokesperson also said that this shoot was "unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, extreme weather, and other unexpected logistical and communications issues."

Much of the rumors and allegations directed at Donaldson and the show went unanswered for months until Donaldson appeared on YouTube Oompaville's channel to address everything at once on November 23.

Donaldson said he could not address some of the allegations due to legal proceedings, but he described some of the claims about injuries on set as "disinformation."

Since then, Donaldson has also been more outspoken on his social media.

"We have tons of behind-the-scenes dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were," he wrote on X in response to a user who enquired about the "terrible conditions" on the show. "Just can't release it now because it would spoil the games."

None of the above has tempered production of "Beast Games," with Donaldson releasing a teaser on November 25, saying he had "poured everything I have into this show."

"I'll see you December 19th," he said, confirming the show's release date.

Future projects could be more difficult

Donaldson previously revealed he'd "spent way more than $100 million" on "Beast Games." He didn't clarify if this was the budget for one season, but the show has only been commissioned for one so far.

The move lines up with Amazon's strategy of increasing spending on entertainment and sports content, which "Beast Games" was supposed to be a benchmark for.

Donaldson has largely shrugged off bad press over the years, but partnering with a giant like Amazon has put more eyes on him than ever.

Creator economy experts previously told BI that "Beast Games" would not be going anywhere despite the negative headlines. But they warned that the top YouTuber may find it harder to fund his next big project because of the headache it caused Amazon.

"They'll still do partnerships with him," Diana D'Angelo, the CEO of Breaking Creatives Agency, told BI. "But maybe they'll put a bigger check on what he's actually doing and how it's being done."