Category Archives: Celebrities and Entertainment

The Walt Disney Company

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The Walt Disney Company

Mickey Mouse, the hero of the Walt Disney Company.

  • The Walt Disney Company is an American mass media company, and has become one of the largest film companies in all of the film industry.
  • The ‘Walt Disney Company’ is also known as ‘Disney’, and has number of divisions or segments within the company itself, which include Disney Media Networks, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, Disney Consumer products and Disney Interactive.
  • The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy Disney, although the company was originally named the ‘Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio’.
  • The first films produced by the Walt Disney Company were a series called the Alice Comedies, which were silent films.
  • The Walt Disney Company owns the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network, as well as other cable networks, a number of Disneyland theme parks and resorts, and a fleet of cruise ships.
The Walt Disney Company, Sign, Studio, Califronia, America, Betty White Tour, flickr, Ten Random Facts, Film
Disney
Image courtesy of Loren Javier/Flickr
  • The Disney cartoon character, ‘Mickey Mouse’ (originally ‘Mortimer’), was created in 1928, and is a popular mascot of the Walt Disney Company.
  • The first full-length animation film produced by the Walt Disney Company was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfsreleased in 1937, with production starting in 1934, and was a huge success at the box office.
  • In 2012, the Walt Disney Company had a total revenue of over $42 million USD.
  • The Walt Disney Company studio is located in Burbank California, United States.
  • The first Disneyland, a fun theme park created by the Walt Disney Company, opened in 1955 which eventually became a success for the company, and within a few years it also housed the first monorail system in America.
Bibliography:
Disney History, The Walt Disney Country, n.d, <http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/disney-history/1920-01-01–1929-12-31>
The Walt Disney Company, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walt_Disney_Company>

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Albert Einstein

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Albert Einstein

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein.

  • Albert Einstein was a German Jew who worked in the area of theoretical physics, teaching at many universities as a professor, and amongst other things, discovered the theory of relativity, the law of the photoelectric effect, and the equation: E = mc², meaning ‘energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared’.
  • Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Württemberg, Germany on the 14 March, 1879 and died in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, due to internal bleeding which he refused surgery for, on the 18 April, 1955.
  • Albert Einstein received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921, as well as a few other awards while he was alive, and has been honoured in numerous ways since his death.
  • When Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, Albert Einstein was touring the United States, and being a Jew he did not return to Germany and took America’s side, as well as eventually learning that he was a German assassination target.
  • Albert Einstein published over 450 documents, with the majority based on the topics of science and physics.

Albert Einstein. Person, Sitting, Thinking, Scientist, Black and White, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Einstein
Image courtesy of Sharon Doaner/Flickr
  • The term ‘Einstein’ has become a dictionary word meaning ‘genius’, due to Albert’s achievements and intellect, and he has been said to be ‘the greatest physicist of all time’.
  • Many believe Albert Einstein was left handed and had trouble speaking which are both incorrect beliefs, and due to his appearance, he has often been a symbol of an absent-minded or crazy scientist.
  • Albert Einstein married Mileva Marić in 1905, with whom he had at least two children by the names of Hans and Eduard, and a mentioned daughter ‘Lieserl’, and later married, Elsa Löwenthal, who was his first and second cousin, in June 1919.
  • Besides Germany and the United States, where he eventually settled, Albert Einstein lectured in and toured various countries around the world, most notably Singapore, Palestine and Japan, with Einstein liking the Japanese people the most.
  • Albert Einstein enjoyed music and learnt to play the violin from 5 years of age, but only gained interest in learning the instrument at 13 years when he heard Mozart’s music.
Bibliography:
Albert Einstein, 2013, Biography, <http://www.biography.com/people/albert-einstein-9285408>
Albert Einstein, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein>

Yo-yo

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Yo-yo

Spin, spin… Can you do tricks on a yo-yo?

  • Yo-yos are essentially toys, generally composed of  two cylindrical discs connected by an axle, with an attached string.
  • Terracotta examples of yo-yos have been found in Ancient Greek art dating between 400 – 500 BC.
  • The first modern patent of a yo-yo was in 1866 by James Haven and Charles Hettrich, and it was named a ‘whirligig’ and a ‘bandalore’.
  • International yo-yo competitions, where performance is judged, are held all over the world every year, with contestants from many backgrounds.
  • The term ‘yo-yo’ possibly came from one of the languages spoken in the Philippines, from a word meaning ‘come back’ or ‘spring’, although its origins are uncertain.

Easing rebound, Yo-yo, Ned Boomerang, Brand, Trick, Special, Ten Random Facts

  • A yo-yo has also been called a ‘bandalore’ (a French term) and a ‘quiz’, and was named a ‘yo-yo’ in 1928 in the United States, by Pedro Flores, who was a Filipino immigrant.
  • Japan has some of the best yo-yo masters, most notably world champion Shinji Saito.
  • One of the most common yo-yo tricks is ‘walk the dog’, which is when the toy appears to be spinning along the ground in front of your feet.
  • Cheap yo-yos can spin approximately 10-20 seconds, with a record of nearly 4 minutes, while professional ball bearing yo-yos can spin for 1-4 minutes, with a record of just over 21 minutes.
  • Yo-yos are generally symmetrical, with weight distributed more on the edges of the discs, although this can vary.
Bibliography:
Behar, S & Yarham, R 2008, Great Inventions, Igloo Books Ltd, Cottage Farm, Sywell
Yo-yo, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo-yo>

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Leonardo da Vinci

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Leonardo da Vinci

The greatest inventor, Leonardo da Vinci.

  • Leonardo da Vinci’s full name is Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci.
  • Leonardo da Vinci was the son of a lawyer and a peasant woman, and was born on 15 April 1452, in Italy and died at the age of 67 on 2 May 1519 in France.
  • Leonardo da Vinci is known as a ‘polymath’, a person who has significant ability and knowledge in a wide variety of fields, with skills in art, mathematics, engineering and science, such as human anatomy, botany and geology.
  • Leonardo da Vinci became an apprentice under Verrocchio (Andrea di Cione) the artist, at fourteen years of age and became a qualified master artist at the age of 20.
  • Leonardo da Vinci is often thought to be one of the most outstanding painters in history and the most remarkable polymath of all time.

Leonardo, Sketch, Self-Portrait, Realistic, Beard, Old, Flickr, Ten Random Facts, da Vinci

Self-portrait by Leonardo da Vinci
Image courtesy of Erik Drost/Flickr
  • Leonardo da Vinci created notable invention concepts for vehicles, such as helicopters and bicycles, calculators and concentrated solar power.
  • On 5 August 1473, Leonardo da Vinci created an artwork named ‘Arno Valley’, with pen and ink mediums and this is his earliest known drawing.
  • Leonardo da Vinci was left handed and mostly wrote in mirror reversed cursive writing, and during his life-time he wrote and recorded 13,000 pages of notes and complex diagrams.
  • Leonardo da Vinci is known as an artist throughout the world for his famous paintings like the ‘Mona Lisa’, ‘The Last Supper’ and the ‘Virgin of the Rocks’.
  • Some of Leonardo da Vinci’s machine designs were physically constructed and tested for a documentary for the Channel Four British television station in 2003.
Bibliography:
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), 2013, BBC, <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/da_vinci_leonardo.shtml>
Leonardo da Vinci, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci>

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Paramount Pictures

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“Famous Players in Famous Plays” – Paramount’s slogan.

  • Paramount Pictures is a motion picture film company and has its film studio in Hollywood, California, United States.
  • ‘Paramount Pictures’ is also known as ‘Paramount Pictures Corporation’ and ‘Paramount’.
  • Paramount Pictures was founded by Adolph Zukor, a Hungarian, in 1912, originally named the ‘Famous Players Film Company’ which merged to form Paramount in 1916.
  • Paramount Pictures bought DreamWorks SKG, in 2005, for $1.6 billion, although DreamWorks became independent only a few years later.
  • The mountain featured on the Paramount Pictures’ logo, has been used in some form in the company’s logo since it was founded, and is the longest, existing, original icon in Hollywood film industry.
Paramoutn Pitures, 100th Years, Logo, Background, Website, Ten Random Facts
Logo
Image courtsey of Paramount Pictures
  • There are only four other studios on earth that are older than Paramount Pictures, that are still in operation.
  • Paramount Pictures hold two-hour tours every day of the week, with visits around the studio premises, and four and a half hour tours are also offered with a more extensive look into its history and current production processes.
  • Paramount Pictures celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012, which is a milestone that no other significant Hollywood studio had obtained by that time.
  • Since the economic difficulties of Paramount Pictures in the 1960s, the film company has produced some of the best films, including Titanic (1997) and the Transformers series.
  • The first Paramount Pictures film was a French silent film named The Loves of Queen Elizabeth, in 1912.
Bibliography:
2012 Years of Paramount, 2013, Paramount Pictures, <http://www.paramount.com/100-years-paramount>
Paramount Pictures, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount_Pictures>

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Paramount Picture Motion Films

Michael Jackson

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Michael Jackson

“It’s a thriller, thriller night,” – Thriller, Michael Jackson

  • Michael Jackson’s full name was ‘Michael Joseph (Joe) Jackson’ and he was also known as ‘MJ’ or the ‘King of Pop’.
  • Michael Jackson was a vocalist who sang pop, rock, soul, R&B, funk and disco genres as well as becoming a vocal instrument musician, a song-writer and a popular dancer, inventing moves including the ‘moonwalk’ and the ‘robot’.
  • Michael Jackson was born in United States’ Indiana on 29 August 1958 and died at 50 years of age in Los Angeles, California, during a tour, on the 25 June 2009, and is said to have died by involuntary manslaughter by his personal physician, Dr Conrad Murray.
  • Michael Jackson was lead singer of the family band of five, The Jackson 5, which he joined at the age of five and he became a soloist at age 13, releasing ten albums during his life and travelled the world on tour many times.
  • Michael Jackson’s album Thriller is the biggest selling album ever, with estimations ranging from 51 to 65 million.

Michael Jackson, Sing, Spotlight, stage, Black, Real, Madison Sqaure Garden, 2001, Hair, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Michael Jackson
Image courtesy of Allar Janssen/Flickr

  • Michael Jackson suffered from child abuse, even being whipped, by his father, and Jackson himself was charged with multiple offenses during his lifetime, including child abuse, in mid 1990s and mid 2000s, with both accusations proving false.
  • During the 1980s, Michael Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo, a disease that lightened his dark skin, although some said that Jackson had purposely bleached it, and even though he had nose surgery, others believed he had facial surgeries that were denied by the vocalist.
  • Approximately 31.1 million US residents viewed the memorial of Michael Jackson, which was not far behind the memorial of Lady Princess Diana’s views of an estimated 33.1 million and 40th US President Ronald Reagan’s memorial views of approximately 35.1 million and many websites including Google, Wikipedia and Twitter crashed due to usage amounts around the time of his death.
  • Michael Jackson divorced both of his wives after two years of being married, firstly to Elvis Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, and later his dermatologist nurse, Deborah Rowe with whom he had two children, and later on he had a third child born to a surrogate mother.
  • Michael Jackson is estimated to have earned $750 million and won hundreds of awards in his lifetime, most notably 26 American Music Awards and 13 Grammy Awards (US Music Awards) including the tough Grammy Legend and Grammy Lifetime Awards as well as some Guinness World Records.
Bibliography:
Michael Jackson Bibliography, 2013, Bio.com, < http://www.biography.com/people/michael-jackson-38211>
Michael Jackson, 2013, Wikipedia, < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson>

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Michael Jackson Albums

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