Big Three

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

Political uses

February 2: The "Big Three" of the WWII Allies at the Yalta Conference: Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin.

Big three powers that dictated the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles: United States, France and the United Kingdom
Big Three leaders that signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 after World War I: Woodrow Wilson, Georges Clemenceau and David Lloyd George.
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: Soviet Union, United Kingdom, United States
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 - EU3
Big three American automakers: General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler (DaimlerChrysler), (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 starting pitchers during much of the Atlanta Braves 14 year run as division champions: Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux
Big three drink companies: Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Cadbury-Schweppes
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, Mitsui Sumitomo
Big three credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, TransUnion
Big three Indian technology companies: Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro
Big three video game companies: Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. These are the companies who have survived to continue manufacturing consoles.
Big three Japanese airlines (formerly): Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, and Japan Air System
Big three financial companies: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch

Entertainment uses

Big three American broadcasting (Television) networks: CBS, NBC, ABC, their flagship newscasts, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, and these programs' longtime anchors: Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings.

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 Tampa Bay Lightning during the mid 2000's: Brad Richards, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis
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 1996-98 Chicago Bulls: 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 Turkish football: Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas
Big three in football in the North East region of England: Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Sunderland
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 Dutch football: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord and Ajax
Big three of the NBA's Washington Wizards: Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler.
Big three in the game of hurling: Cork, Kilkenny and Tipperary.

Big three of the New Jersey Nets: Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson

Geography uses

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

Religious uses

Big Three Christian Beings: The Father, Son and Holy Spirit; see also Trinity
Big Three Hindu Beings: Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh
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).
The Big Three of Science Fiction: Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Robert A. Heinlein.
Big Three is sometimes referring to the Lord of the Rings - Gimli, Aragorn and Legolas of the Fellowship
Big Three is sometimes referring the 3 strongest Greek Gods - Zeus, Poseidon and Hades