Big Three

The big three is a term used to refer to three large powers or companies.

Political uses

• Big three leaders of the Allies during World War II: Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin
• Big three leaders of the Axis during World War II: Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Hideki Tojo
• Big three leaders of the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s: James L. Farmer, Jr., Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bayard Rustin
• Big three conferences of World War II: Big 3 Conferences
• Big three Powers after World War II: United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union
• Big three divided nations after World War II: Germany, Viet Nam, Korea
• Big three Powers after Cold War: United States, China, Russia

Business and economic uses

• Big three European economies: Germany, France, United Kingdom
• Big three American automakers: General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler, (All based in Detroit, MI)
• Big three Japanese automakers: Toyota, Honda, Nissan
• Big three German automakers: Mercedes-Benz (DaimlerChrysler), BMW, Volkswagen-Audi
• Big three Lighting Companies: General Electric, Sylvania, and Philips
• Big three beer brewers: Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors, SABMiller
• Big three American air transport companies (current): American Airlines, United Air Lines, Delta Air Lines
• Big three Canadian banks (formerly): Bank of Montreal, Royal Bank of Canada, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
• Big three Japanese banks: Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho, Sumitomo Mitsui
• Big three credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, TransUnion
• Big three Indian technology companies: Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant Technology Solutions
• Big three video game companies: Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. These are the companies who have survived to continue manufacturing consoles.

Entertainment uses

• Big three American broadcasting (Television) networks: CBS, NBC, ABC and their flagship newscasts, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight

• Big three (also principal, most popular) members of DC Comics' Justice League of America (JLA): Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman
• Big three comic companies of the 1990's DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Image Comics

• Big three professional wrestling promotions of the 1990s in North America: World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling

Educational uses

• Big three US universities: Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, three of the eight Ivy League universities. They are informally grouped together based on their iconic status and membership in the bygone Big Three athletic league, which although still in existence, has been superseded in most respects by the Ivy League.
• Big three Canadian universities: McGill, Queen's, and the University of Toronto. Often grouped together because of their age, reputation, and all-around high academic standards. All three schools have royal patronage. Selective recruiters universally go to these three schools first, and will often see candidates regardless of degree program.
  • Many U.S. states have their local "Big Three universities"

Sports uses

• Big three golfers born in 1912: Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, and Sam Snead
• Big three of the PGA Tour from the late 1950s to the early 1970s: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player
• Big three defensive line of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s: Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Larry Robinson
• Big three frontline of the Boston Celtics from 1980 to 1992: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish
• Big three for the best Chicago Bulls Lineup: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman
• Big three offensive stars of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s: Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith
• Big three player combination of the Dallas Mavericks in the early 2000s: Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Michael Finley
• Big three American professional sports leagues: NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball.
• Big three NBA Players: Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett (as advertised by adidas)
• Big three in Portuguese football: Benfica, Sporting and F.C. Porto
• Big three in football in the North East region of England: Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Sunderland
• Big three in football in England: Manchester United, Chelsea F.C. and Arsenal F.C.
• Big three in baseball: nickname given to Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito when all three pitched for the Oakland A's
• Big Three in Baseball: Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz as star pitchers for the Atlanta Braves in the 1990's.
• Big Three in the Dutch soccer: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord and AFC Ajax
• Big Three of the NBA's Washington Wizards: Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler.

Geography uses

• Big three U.S. cities (by population): New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago
• Big three Canadian cities: Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal
• Big Three World Financial Centers: New York City, London, Tokyo

Religious uses

• Big Three Christian Beings: The Father, Son and Holy Ghost
• Big Three Hindu Beings: Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva
• Big Three Religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam, the big three monotheistic religions of the world, not measured by population, but by world-presence.
• Big Three Views: Atheism, Agnosticism, and Deism

Other uses

• Big three diseases: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; as opposed to the Neglected Diseases.
• Big Three is sometimes used in reference to the three most dangerous sharks in the ocean; Great White (Carcharodon carcharias), Bull (Carcharhinus leucas) and Tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier).