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Ep390: 1930: The First Soccer World Cup · Kidcast Daily

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  Yeah, the ball rolls fast, like a shooting star chasing dreams.
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  We've come so far. The world 's our state.
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  Hey knowledge seekers, welcome to Kick Ass Daily where we
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  explore sports, science, nature, history, and so much more one
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  amazing episode at a time. So let's get on with today's
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  episode. Today we are heading back to the
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  year 1930 to learn about the very first Soccer World Cup, a
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  brand new tournament that brought teams from faraway
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  places together for a single event.
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  This was a time before jet airplanes carried teams across
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  oceans and ours. Most long distance travel
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  happened by ship, and planning an international sports event
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  took a lot of courage, organization and teamwork.
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  The idea of a world championship for soccer came from the
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  international soccer group called FIFA, which grew during
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  the 1920s and wanted a global tournament for national teams.
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  Uruguay was selected to host the first World Cup.
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  The choice made sense because its national team had been very
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  successful in the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games, and the country
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  was celebrating 100 years since its first constitution in 1830.
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  Uruguay also promised to help pay the travel costs for
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  visiting teams, which was a big help back then.
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  Getting to Uruguay was an adventure on its own.
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  European teams like France, Belgium, Romania and Yugoslavia
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  boarded ships, and it took a long journey across the Atlantic
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  Ocean. The trip could take about two
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  weeks, so players stretched their legs on deck, did light
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  training and tried to stay in shape while the ship rolled over
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  the waves. The South American teams had
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  shorter journeys, but even they had to plan carefully to arrive
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  rested and ready. Here's our first question.
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  Were any 1930 World Cup matches played outside the house city of
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  Montevideo? The answer is no.
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  Every single game took place in Uruguay's capital city
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  Montevideo, using 3 stadiums, Estadio, Centenario, Pasitos and
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  Parquet Central. Keeping all the games in one
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  city helped organizers manage schedules, referees and teams
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  more easily. The tournament started in July,
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  which is winter in Uruguay. That meant cooler temperatures
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  and some rain, but fans still filled the stands.
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  A Stadio Centenario was the largest venue and became the
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  Central stage. Did you know the name Centenario
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  marked Uruguay's 100 year celebration of its 1830
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  constitution. The stadium had tall concrete
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  stands and a tower that could be seen from far away in the city.
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  The stadium was so new that construction work continued very
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  close to opening day to get everything ready.
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  The format was simple but different from today. 13 teams
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  entered and were arranged into four groups.
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  Each group winner moved on to the semi finals and from there
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  the winners met in the final. There were no quarterfinals and
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  not every group had the same number of teams, which made
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  scheduling a little uneven. Still, the goal was clear when
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  your group and keep going. The list of teams showed how the
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  event pulled distant places together.
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  From South America came Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia,
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  Chile and Paraguay. From North America came Mexico
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  and the United States. From Europe came France,
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  Belgium, Romania and Yugoslavia. Did you know?
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  Egypt was invited but could not make the trip in time.
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  Their ship connections did not line up, and the long journey
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  made scheduling tricky. That is one example of how tough
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  international travel was in 1930.
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  Many fans tracked the tournament by reading newspapers and
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  listening to radio broadcasts. Reporters sent updates by
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  Telegraph from the stadium to newspapers and other countries.
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  In Montevideo and neighboring countries, people tuned into
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  live radio commentary that described each play.
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  Stadium tickets were sold locally and lines formed early
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  on match days. Time for a trivia challenge.
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  What was the official name of the trophy awarded to the
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  Champions in 1930? The trophy was officially called
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  the Jewels Rimmett Trophy, named after the FIFA president who
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  supported the creation of the World Cup.
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  The matches followed the standard rules of the time, but
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  there were some differences from modern soccer.
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  Here's a yes or no question. Were teams allowed to make in
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  game substitutions in 1930? No, they were not.
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  If a player was injured, the team had to continue with fewer
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  players. That made careful fitness and
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  discipline very important. Another detail from 1930 is the
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  look of the uniforms and the equipment.
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  Goalkeepers wore long sleeves. Players wore heavy leather
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  cleats with hard saws. The soccer balls were made of
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  leather panels tied at a lace. Did you know the 1930 final used
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  one ball for the first half and a different ball for the
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  second-half because each team wanted its preferred ball.
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  This unusual situation happened only in that final and is
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  remembered as a fun historical footnote.
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  Let's talk about the stadiums again with the construction
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  fact. Trivia time How many months did
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  it take to build a Stadio Centenario before the tournament
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  kicked off? About nine months.
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  Workers built it very quickly for such a large project.
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  Just in time for the July matches.
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  The group stage delivered surprises.
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  The United States topped its group and reached the semi
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  finals. Yugoslavia also advanced and
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  showed strong teamwork. Argentina and Uruguay won their
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  groups too, setting up big semi final matches.
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  Argentina beat the United States and Uruguay beat Yugoslavia,
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  both by large margins, which placed Argentina and Uruguay in
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  the final. The final took place at a Stadio
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  Centenario in front of a massive crowd.
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  Estimates put attendance at more than 68000 people.
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  Security staff kept order and the referee made sure the game
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  stayed on track. Uruguay scored four goals and
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  Argentina scored too. The match ended 4 to 2 and
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  Uruguay became the first World Cup champion.
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  The city celebrated with music, flags and parades.
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  Players rode through streets and waved to fans, and newspapers
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  printed special editions. Now, for a yes or no question
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  that brings in something brand new.
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  Was there live television coverage of the 1930 World Cup?
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  No, Television was not ready for international sports
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  broadcasting in 1930. Fans relied on radio, newspapers
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  and word of mouth. Some newspapers even printed
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  diagrams showing where shots were taken and how goals
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  happened so readers could imagine the action.
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  Here is another fresh yes or no question.
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  Did any team from Asia take part in the 1930 World Cup?
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  No. The first team from Asia to
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  appear in a World Cup was the Dutch E Indies in 1938.
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  In 1930, arranging long distance travel from Asia to South
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  America would have been especially difficult.
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  The 1930 World Cup also helped standardize certain parts of the
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  game. Referees and linesman used hand
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  signals, and teams lined up for formal introductions before
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  kickoffs. Did you know there was no
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  official yellow or red card system?
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  Yet? That method appeared decades
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  later. Instead, referees used voice and
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  notes to manage fouls and send offs.
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  Another engaging detail involves how information traveled.
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  Reporters used typewriters and sent news by Telegraph to Europe
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  and North America. Did you know some European
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  newspapers published results the very next day?
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  Despite the long distance thanks to cable telegrams, Readers
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  followed along almost in real time for the era.
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  For one more new angle, here's a quick question about match
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  scheduling. Were any games played at night
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  under stadium floodlights? In 1930, no matches were
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  scheduled during daytime because of winter daylight and stadium
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  equipment. At the time, afternoon kickoffs
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  were common, and that kept visibility good for referees and
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  players. The first World Cup did more
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  than crown a champion. It showed that teams could meet
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  from far apart, agree on rules and compete with respect.
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  It encouraged countries to organize stronger national
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  programs and set the stage for future tournaments every four
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  years. Did you know that after Uruguay
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  won, many young players in different countries joined local
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  clubs hoping to represent their nation one day?
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  Clubs reported more sign ups and coaches scheduled extra training
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  sessions. Let's wrap up with a quick
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  recap. In 1930, FIFA launched the first
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  soccer World Cup and Uruguay hosted it in Montevideo.
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  Teams traveled long distances, many by ship, and all matches
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  were held in three stadiums within the city.
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  The format had 13 teams in four groups, with the group winners
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  moving to the semi finals. Equipment and rules looked
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  different from today, including no in game substitutions.
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  Communication relied on radio and newspapers, not television.
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  The trophy was officially called the Jewels Remit Trophy, named
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  after the FIFA president who supported the creation of the
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  World Cup. A Stadio Centenario was built in
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  about nine months and the final drew a huge crowd.
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  Uruguay defeated Argentina 4:00 to 2:00 to become the first
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  world champion. Most importantly, the event
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  proved that a world tournament could unite distant teams
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  through shared effort, clear rules and a love of the game.
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  Thanks for listening to Kick Cast Daily.
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  Keep your curiosity active, look for true facts, and remember
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  that history comes alive when you explore how people work
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  together to achieve something new.
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  Grab. Your breakfast feelings, fine
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  adventures waiting. Don't be late.
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  Today's. The day we celebrate kid Cast
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  daily starts your day.