Tag Archives: Celebrity

Ludwig van Beethoven

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Ludwig van Beethoven

Have you heard Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies?

  • Ludwig van Beethoven has no recorded birth date, but was officially baptised on 17 December, 1770, and is believed to have been born the day before, on the 16th in the city of Bonn, in what is now known as Germany.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven was a German pianist and composer of many symphonies, concertos, sonatas and other musical pieces and first performed in 1778 at seven years of age.
  • In 1787, when Ludwig van Beethoven was 16, his mother died, leaving behind an alcoholic husband that became even more dependent on the substance, two younger boys and Ludwig, who became the main carer for his two siblings.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven began to lose his hearing in 1796, at 26 years of age, and became nearly totally deaf by 1814.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven died on 26 March, 1827, aged 56, and at the point of his death, a clap of thunder supposedly occurred.

Ludwig van Beethoven, Portrait, Painting, 1861 to 1897, L. Prang & Co, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Portrait of Beethoven
Image courtesy of Boston Public Library/Flickr
  • A statue of Ludwig van Beethoven was revealed in 1845 in Germany, as an acknowledgement of 75 years since he was born.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven loved a number of women during his life, but never married, although he fought for the custody of a nephew at one stage.
  • On the planet Mercury, there is a crater that has been named in honour of Ludwig van Beethoven.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most famous classical composers and musicians in history.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven’s father and grandfather were musicians, and Ludwig studied with the Austrian composer Joseph Hayden, often known as the ‘Father of Symphonies and String Quartets’ and was also influenced by the work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Bibliography:
Ludwig van Beethoven, 2013, Naxos, http://www.naxos.com/person/Ludwig_van_Beethoven/25976.htm
Ludwig van Beethoven, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven

 

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Neil Armstrong

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Neil Armstrong

“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong; spoken after the first step on the moon.

  • Neil Armstrong (born ‘Neil Alden Armstrong’) was born on 5 August, 1930 in Ohio, United States, and his parents were Stephen Koenig Armstrong and Viola Louise Engel.
  • Neil Armstrong was a NASA astronaut, who was famous for being the first person to set foot on the moon, where he moved around for approximately two and a half hours, on 21 July, 1969.
  • Neil Armstrong died at 82 years of age on 25 August, 2012, in Ohio, due to cardiovascular surgery complications; and his ashes were scattered at sea.
  • Neil Armstrong journeyed through many careers including engineering, aircraft, test piloting, university education and business.
  • Among other awards and honous, Neil Armstrong was awarded three significant medals: the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1969), Congressional Space Medal of Honour (1978), and Congressional Gold Medal (2009).

Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11, Space, Spacesuit, Moon, Astronaut, Ten Random Facts, Flickr, NASA

Armstrong in Apollo 11
Image courtesy of Recuerdos de Pandora/Flickr
  • Neil Armstrong married Janet Shearon in 1956, whom he met while she was studying, and subsequently had three children (one died at a young age), and then he married Carol Knight in 1994, after he divorced Janet.
  • Neil Armstrong was appointed to aircraft training in the navy, in 1949, performed 78 tasks in the Korean war, and retired in 1960.
  • Neil Armstrong participated in two major space projects of NASA’s: Project Gemini, for advancements in space travel, and Project Apollo, for the first person on the moon.
  • Neil Armstrong was involved in a few legal issues, which included Hallmark’s illegal use of his quotes and other information, and his barber selling his hair for $3,000.
  • In his whole life, Neil Armstrong spent only a little more than eight and a half days in space.
Bibliography:
Bibliography, 2012, NASA, http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/bios/neilabio.html
Neil Armstrong, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Armstrong

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Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I have a dream…” – Martin Luther King.

  • Martin Luther King was an African-American humanitarian and activist, as well as the leader of the African-American civil rights movements.
  • Martin Luther King was born on 15 January, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and was the second child in a family of three children.
  • It was originally believed that Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, United States on 4 April, 1968, by a bullet shot by James Earl Ray, a criminal, however a jury, in 1999, gave the verdict that the government and others were involved in a conspiracy, that had King assassinated.
  • Martin Luther King had a strong belief in Jesus, particularly focusing on a verse from the Book of Matthew in the Bible: “love your neighbour as yourself”.
  • Martin Luther King married Coretta Scott on 18 June, 1953, and had four children, one of which was named Martin Luther King III.

Martin Luther King Jr, Black and White Photograph, Speaking, Speech, American Civil Rights, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

 

Martin L King
Image courtesy of Family MWR/Flickr
  • Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a dream” is a 17 minute speech, and the most famously known one of King’s, and one of the most significant in the history of America.
  • ‘Martin Luther King’ was also known as ‘MLK’, and was originally named Michael King on his birth certificate.
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was first celebrated in 1986, and the public holiday is recognised throughout the United States on the 3rd Monday in January.
  • Martin Luther King was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in October 1964 for his involvement in civil rights, and at the time, he was the youngest to have received the prize.
  • Martin Luther King has had his house bombed in 1956, was arrested for his rebellion against racial unfairness in buses, and after his assassination, there were riots among much of the United States.
Bibliography:
Martin Luther King, Jr., 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr., 2013, Bio.com, http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086

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Thomas Edison

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Thomas Edison

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” – Thomas Edison

  • Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, United States on February 11, 1847, and his full name was ‘Thomas Alva Edison’ and was also known as the ‘Wizard of Menlo Park’.
  • Thomas Edison was an American inventor who invented the practical electrical light bulb, the phonograph and other communication items, including moving images, although these were only some of Edison’s 1000 inventions.
  • Many of Thomas Edison’s inventions shaped the way we live today which caused him to be dubbed ‘the greatest inventor ever’, and during his lifetime he was the most prolific inventor in known history, a position he held through the 1900s.
  • Thomas Edison became a telegraph operator as a young teenager, due to receiving the training as a reward for saving a young boy from death by a train, and he went on to become a successful businessman, founding 14 companies during his lifetime.
  • Thomas Edison caught scarlet fever when he was young, which contributed to poor hearing, and later, deafness.

Thomas Edison, Image, Portrait, Many, Inventor, Lightbulb, Ten Random Facts, Ohio, America, Flickr

Portraits
Image courtesy of Intel Free Press/Flickr
  • In 2013, Thomas Edison ranked 4th for ‘the most prolific inventor in the world’, with 1093 patents.
  • Thomas Edison married Mary Stilwell in 1871, who died later in 1884, and had three children, and after Mary’s death, married Mina Miller in 1886, and had three more children.
  • Thomas Edison constructed a laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, named the ‘Menlo Park Laboratory’, which contained virtually every material available and he was the recipient of a number of various medals and awards during his lifetime.
  • Thomas Edison, the youngest of 7, was a very curious child, and ended up being schooled at home by his mother due to his wandering mind and many questions which weren’t welcome at the school he attended for 3 months.
  • Thomas Edison died aged 84, on 18 October 1931 from complications of diabetes, in the house that was his wedding gift to his wife Mina, in West Orange, New Jersey, United States.
Bibliography:
Beals G, The Bibliography of Thomas Edison, 1999, Thomas Edison.com, http://www.thomasedison.com/biography.html
Thomas Edison, 2013, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

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Mother Teresa

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Mother Teresa

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa

  • ‘Mother Teresa’ is also known as ‘Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, M.C’, MC being for ‘Missionaries of Charity’.
  • Mother Teresa was a Roman-catholic nun, whose real name was ‘Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu’.
  • Mother Teresa started a a charity, named Missionaries of Charity, in 1950, which helped the dejected and ‘poorest of the poor’, and can now be found in numerous countries throughout the world.
  • Mother Teresa was known for her work amongst poverty, receiving over 120 awards including the Noble Peace Prize in 1979.
  • Mother Teresa was born on 26 August, 1910, in what is now called the Republic of Macedonia, Europe, to Albanian parents, but spent most of her life in India.
Mother Teresa, Collage, Holding kid, Nun, White, Old, Pray, Books, Colour, Black and white, Ten Random Facts, FlickrBlessed Teresa
Image courtesy of Peta de Aztlan/Flickr
  • Mother Teresa suffered a number of heart attacks from 1983, before her death, caused by an attack, on 5 September 1997.
  • Mother Teresa left her family home at 18 years of age, and became a nun in 1931, choosing the name ‘Thérèse’, or ‘Teresa’ in Spanish after the patron saint of missionaries, Thérèse de Lisieux and became known as ‘Mother Teresa’ on the 24 May 1937, when she took her final vows.
  • Mother Teresa could clearly and confidently speak five languages, being English, Hindi, Albanian, Bengali and Serbon-Croatian.
  • Mother Teresa has a public holiday in Albania named after herself, celebrated on 19 October and known as ‘Mother Teresa Day’.
  • Mother Teresa was involved in a convent school in Calcutta for nearly 20 years, until 1948, being a teacher and later the principal at the school.
Bibliography:
Mother Teresa, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa
Short Biography, n.d, Mother Teresa of Calcutta Center, http://www.motherteresa.org/layout.html

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William Shakespeare

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William Shakespeare

“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” – William Shakespeare.

  • William Shakespeare has no known birth date, but was baptised on 26 April, 1564, and died on 23 April, 1616, and spent most of his life at Stratford-upon-Avon in England.
  • William Shakespeare was a tragic and romantic genre playwright and poet, most active in 1589 to 1613, and is commonly said to be one of the best English writers of all time.
  • ‘William Shakespeare’ is also known as the ‘Bard of Avon’, the ‘Swan of Avon’ and ‘England’s native poet’.
  • William Shakespeare married at the age of 18 to 26 year old Anne Hathaway, and later had three children (one died young), who all had children that didn’t have any offspring.
  • William Shakespeare officially wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets and many poems, and took part in writing many other works.

William Shakespeare, Portrait, Painting, Art, Playwrite, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Shakespeare
Image courtesy of Books18/Flickr
  • William Shakespeare’s birth date is celebrated on Saint George’s Day, 23 April, coincidentally the same day he died, due to a scholar’s mistake in the 1700s.
  • According to William Shakespeare’s will, most of Shakespeare’s property was given to his eldest child.
  • William Shakespeare’s works have influenced many authors, including Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy, and Shakespeare’s language has influenced the modern English language.
  • Famous works of William Shakespeare include Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet.
  • William Shakespeare’s works grew in significant popularity in the 1800s, although the work was popular in his time.
Bibliography:
William Shakespeare, 2013, Bio, http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323?page=1
William Shakespeare, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

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