"What brutal leader was called ""Uncle Joe"" in an attempt to soften his image?"

Joseph Stalin - Biography - IMDb Joseph Stalin Biography Showing all 95 items Jump to: Overview  (5) | Mini Bio  (1) | Spouse  (3) | Trade Mark  (3) | Trivia  (71) | Personal Quotes  (12) Overview (5) 5' 6" (1.68 m) Mini Bio (1) Joseph Stalin (a code name meaning "Man of Steel") was born Iosif (Joseph) Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili in 1879 in Gori, Georgia, the Transcaucasian part of the Russian Empire. His father was a cobbler named Vissarion Dzhugashvili, a drunkard who beat him badly and frequently and left the family when Joseph was young. His mother, Ekaterina Gheladze, supported herself and her son (her other three children died young and Jopseph was effectively an only child) by taking in washing. She managed, despite great hardship, to send Joseph to school and then on to Tiflis Orthodox Theological Seminary in Tbilisi, hoping he would become a priest. However, after three years of studies he was expelled in 1899, for not attending an exam and for propagating communist ideas and the books of Karl Marx . Since 1898, Stalin became active in the Communist underground as the organizer of a powerful gang involved in a series of armed robberies. After robbing several banks in southern Russia, Stalin delivered the stolen money to V.I. Lenin to finance the Communist Party. Stalin's gang was also involved in the murders of its political opponents; Stalin himself was arrested seven times, repeatedly imprisoned, and twice exiled to Siberia between 1902 and 1913. During those years he changed his name twice and became more closely identified with revolutionary Marxism. He escaped many times from prison and was shuttling money between Lenin and other communists in hiding, where his intimacy with Lenin and Bukharin grew, as did his dissatisfaction with fellow Communist leader Leon Trotsky . In 1912 he was co-opted on to the illegal Communist Central Committee. At that time he wrote propaganda articles, and later edited the Communist paper, "Pravda" (Truth). As Lenin's apprentice he joined the Communist majority (Bolsheviks), and was responsible for the consolidation of several secret communist cells into a larger ring. Stalin's Communist ring in St. Petersburg and across Russia played the leading role in the Russian Revolution of 1917. After the revolution the Bolsheviks Communists grabbed the power, then Communists murdered the Tsar and the Russian royal family. Stalin and Lenin took over the Tsar's palaces and used the main one in Kremlin as their private residence. Lenin appointed Stalin the People's Commissar for Nationalities in the first Soviet government and a member of the Communist Politburo, thus giving him unlimited power. Stalin led the "Reds" against anti-Communist forces known as the "Whites" and also in the war with Poland. He also organized "Red Terror" in Tsaritsin (later renamed Stalingrad). With his appointment as General Secretary to the Party Central Committee in 1922, a post he held for the next 30 years, until his death, he consolidated the power that would ensure his control of the country after Lenin's death in 1924. He also took, or gave himself, other key positions that enabled him to amass total power in the Party and Soviet government. Stalin was known for his piercing eyes and terrifying stare, which he used to cow his opponents into submission during private discussions. In 1927 Stalin requested medical help for his insomnia, anger and severe anxiety disorder. His doctors diagnosed him as having "typical clinical paranoia" and recommended medical treatment. Instead, Stalin became angry and summoned his secret service agents. The next day the chief psychiatrist, Dr. Bekhterev, and his assistants died of poisoning. In addition, before the doctors' diagnosis about Stalin's mental condition could become known, he ordered the executions of intellectuals, resulting in the murders of hundreds of thousands of doctors, professors, writers, and others. Stalin's policy of amassing dictatorial power under the guise of building "socialism in the country" resulted in brutal extermination of all real and perceive


What rebel without a cause died in a car crash?

James Dean - Bio, Facts, Family | Famous Birthdays James Dean Aquarius Actor#17 About Starred in Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden, then died in a 1955 car crash at a tragically young age. He became an icon of the disillusioned teenager. Before Fame He was successful at baseball, basketball and forensics in high school. He attended UCLA and became a cultural icon well before he died in a car crash at age 24. Trivia He became the first actor to have received multiple posthumous acting nominations. Family Life He became romantically involved with actress Pier Angeli after meeting her on his Warner Studios movie sets.


What was Norma Jeane Mortenson better known as?

Marilyn Monroe - Biography - IMDb Marilyn Monroe Biography Showing all 282 items Jump to: Overview  (5) | Mini Bio  (2) | Spouse  (3) | Trade Mark  (4) | Trivia  (133) | Personal Quotes  (116) | Salary  (19) Overview (5) 5' 5½" (1.66 m) Mini Bio (2) Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson at the Los Angeles County Hospital on June 1, 1926. Her mother Gladys Pearl Baker was a film-cutter at Consolidated Film Industries. Marilyn's father's identity was never known. Because Gladys was mentally and financially unable to care for young Marilyn, Gladys placed her in the care of a foster family, The Bolenders. Although the Bolender family wanted to adopt Marilyn, Gladys was eventually able to stabilize her lifestyle and took Marilyn back in her care when Marilyn was 7 years old. However, shortly after regaining custody of Marilyn, Gladys had a complete mental breakdown and was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and was committed to a state mental hospital. Gladys spent the rest of her life going in and out of hospitals and did not have contact with Marilyn ever again. Gladys outlived her daughter, dying in 1984. Marilyn was then taken in by Gladys' best friend Grace Goddard, who, after a series of foster homes, placed Marilyn into the Los Angeles Orphan's Home in 1935. Marilyn was traumatized by her experience there despite the Orphan's Home being an adequate living facility. Grace Goddard eventually took Marilyn back to live with her in 1937 although this stay did not last long as Grace's husband began molesting Marilyn. Marilyn went to live with Grace's Aunt Ana after this incident, although due to Aunt Ana's advanced age she could not care properly for Marilyn. Marilyn once again for the third time had to return to live with the Goddard's. The Goddard's planned to relocated and according to law, could not take Marilyn with them. She only had two choices: return to the orphanage or get married. Marilyn was only 16 years old. She decided to marry a neighborhood friend named James Dougherty; he went into the military, she modeled, they divorced in 1946. She owned 200 books (including Tolstoy, Whitman, Milton), listened to Beethoven records, studied acting at the Actors' lab in Hollywood, and took literature courses at UCLA downtown. 20th Century Fox gave her a contract but let it lapse a year later. In 1948, Columbia gave her a six-month contract, turned her over to coach Natasha Lytess and featured her in the B movie Ladies of the Chorus (1948) in which she sang three numbers : "Every Baby Needs a Da Da Daddy", "Anyone Can Tell I Love You" and "The Ladies of the Chorus" with Adele Jergens (dubbed by Virginia Rees) and others. Joseph L. Mankiewicz saw her in a small part in The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and put her in All About Eve (1950), resulting in 20th Century re-signing her to a seven-year contract. Niagara (1953) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) launched her as a sex symbol superstar. When she went to a supper honoring her in the The Seven Year Itch (1955), she arrived in a red chiffon gown borrowed from the studio (she had never owned a gown). That same year, she married and divorced baseball great Joe DiMaggio (their wedding night was spent in Paso Robles, California). After The Seven Year Itch (1955), she wanted serious acting to replace the sexpot image and went to New York's Actors Studio. She worked with director Lee Strasberg and also underwent psychoanalysis to learn more about herself. Critics praised her transformation in Bus Stop (1956) and the press was stunned by her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller . True to form, she had no veil to match her beige wedding dress so she dyed one in coffee; he wore one of the two suits he owned. They went to England that fall where she made The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) with Laurence Olivier , fighting with him and falling further prey to alcohol and pills. Two miscarriages and gynecological surgery followed. So did an affair with Yves Montand . Work on her last picture The Misfits (1961), written for her by departing husband Miller was interrupted by exhaust


Hawaii becomes 50th state - Aug 21, 1959 - HISTORY.com Hawaii becomes 50th state Publisher A+E Networks The modern United States receives its crowning star when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a proclamation admitting Hawaii into the Union as the 50th state. The president also issued an order for an American flag featuring 50 stars arranged in staggered rows: five six-star rows and four five-star rows. The new flag became official July 4, 1960. The first known settlers of the Hawaiian Islands were Polynesian voyagers who arrived sometime in the eighth century. In the early 18th century, American traders came to Hawaii to exploit the islands’ sandalwood, which was much valued in China at the time. In the 1830s, the sugar industry was introduced to Hawaii and by the mid 19th century had become well established. American missionaries and planters brought about great changes in Hawaiian political, cultural, economic, and religious life. In 1840, a constitutional monarchy was established, stripping the Hawaiian monarch of much of his authority. In 1893, a group of American expatriates and sugar planters supported by a division of U.S. Marines deposed Queen Liliuokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaii. One year later, the Republic of Hawaii was established as a U.S. protectorate with Hawaiian-born Sanford B. Dole as president. Many in Congress opposed the formal annexation of Hawaii, and it was not until 1898, following the use of the naval base at Pearl Harbor during the Spanish-American War, that Hawaii’s strategic importance became evident and formal annexation was approved. Two years later, Hawaii was organized into a formal U.S. territory. During World War II, Hawaii became firmly ensconced in the American national identity following the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. In March 1959, the U.S. government approved statehood for Hawaii, and in June the Hawaiian people voted by a wide majority to accept admittance into the United States. Two months later, Hawaii officially became the 50th state. Related Videos


For what disease did Jonas Salk create a vaccine?

A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries: Salk produces polio vaccine Salk produces polio vaccine 1952 Poliomyelitis has been around since ancient times. There is still no cure for the disease. But at the peak of its devastation in the United States, Jonas Salk introduced a way to prevent it. This infectious viral disease attacks the nerve cells and sometimes the central nervous system, often causing muscle wasting and paralysis and even death. Since 1900 there had been cycles of epidemics, each seeming to get stronger and more disastrous. The disease, whose early symptoms are like the flu, struck mostly children, although adults, including Franklin Roosevelt, caught it too. As a medical student and later a researcher at the University of Michigan, Salk studied viruses, such as influenza, and ways to vaccinate against them. Successful vaccines already existed for diseases such as smallpox. For each virus, a vaccine must be custom-made, but the principles are the same: if your body is exposed to a very weak or small amount of the disease virus, it will produce antibodies, chemicals to resist and kill the virus. Then when a full-strength version of the disease virus comes along, your body is prepared to fight it. In 1947 Salk became head of the Virus Research Lab at the University of Pittsburgh. He began investigating the poliovirus. To start with, he had to sort the 125 strains of the virus. He found that they fell into three basic types and knew that a vaccine would have to include these three types to protect against all polio. One of the hardest things about working with poliovirus was manufacturing enough to experiment with�and to make vaccine production practical. In 1948 researchers at Harvard (J.F. Enders, T.H. Weller, and F.C. Robbins) made a breakthrough with this. They found that the virus could grow on scraps of tissue, without needing an intact organism like a chick embryo. Bacteria usually contaminated the tissue, but Enders' team was now able to get penicillin -- discovered 20 years earlier by Alexander Fleming and developed in the 1940s by Ernst Chain and Howard Florey -- and prevent the bacterial growth. Now viruses like mumps or polio could be created in large quantities for study. This team won the 1954 Nobel Prize in physiology/medicine. Now Salk could speed up his research. Using formaldehyde, he killed the polio virus but kept it intact enough to trigger the body's response. On July 2, 1952, Salk tried a refined vaccine on children who'd already had polio and recovered. After the vaccination, their antibodies increased. He then tried it on volunteers who had not had polio, including himself, his wife, and their children. The volunteers all produced antibodies, and none got sick. In 1953 Salk reported his findings in The Journal of the American Medical Association. A nationwide testing of the vaccine was launched in April 1954 with the mass inoculation of school children. The results were amazing -- 60-70 percent prevention -- and Salk was praised to the skies. But suddenly, some 200 cases of the disease were caused by the vaccine and 11 people died. All testing was halted. It seemed that people's hopes were dashed until investigators found that the disease-causing vaccine all came from one poorly made batch at one drug company. Higher production standards were adopted and vaccinations resumed, with over 4 million given by August 1955. The impact was dramatic: In 1955 there were 28,985 cases of polio; in 1956, 14,647; in 1957, 5,894. By 1959, 90 other countries used Salk's vaccine. Another researcher, Albert Sabin, didn't think Salk's killed-virus vaccine was strong enough. He wanted to mimic the real-life infection as much as possible; that meant using a weakened form of the live virus. He experimented with more than 9,000 monkeys and 100 chimpanzees before isolating a rare form of poliovirus that would reproduce in the intestinal tract but not in the central nervous system. In 1957 he was ready for human trials of an vaccine people could swallow, not get in a shot. It was tested in other countries,


"Who starred as Moses in ""The Ten Commandments""?"

Charlton Heston: Iconic film actor who played Moses in 'The Ten Commandments' and won an Oscar for 'Ben-Hur' | The Independent Charlton Heston: Iconic film actor who played Moses in 'The Ten Commandments' and won an Oscar for 'Ben-Hur' Sunday 6 April 2008 23:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Charlton Heston: Iconic film actor who played Moses in 'The Ten Commandments' and won an Oscar for 'Ben-Hur' Charlton Heston: Iconic film actor who played Moses in 'The Ten Commandments' and won an Oscar for 'Ben-Hur' 1/7 7/7 AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack Charlton Heston was one of the iconic film stars of the 20th century, a tall, rugged actor with patrician features who became associated with epic spectacles in which he played historical or biblical figures of influence and authority. He was Moses in The Ten Commandments, won an Oscar for the title role in Ben-Hur, and also played El Cid, John the Baptist, Michelangelo, General Gordon and Mark Antony. He did notable work too in such thrillers as the films noirs Dark City and Touch of Evil, the western Will Penny and the cult sci-fi movies Planet of the Apes and The Omega Man. Though many people were alienated by his right-wing politics and wholehearted embrace of the gun culture, his professionalism and dedication to his craft were duly acknowleged. In 1991 he was able to tell a journalist, "I have never missed a day's shooting or a day's rehearsal, or a performance on stage, a fact which I happen to be very proud of". Ever one of his own toughest critics, he commented, "You can spend a lifetime, and, if you're honest with yourself, never once was your work perfect." One of his last screen appearance, in Michael Moore's searing documentary Bowling for Columbine (2002), showed an ailing Heston, in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, defending his point of view regarding man's "God-given right" to own guns. He was born Charles Carter (Charlton was his mother's maiden name, Heston his stepfather's surname) in Evanston, Illinois, in 1923, but he was raised in the small town of St Helen (population 120) in Michigan timber country: "I recall a one-room school with 13 pupils in eight grades, three of whom were my cousins." He appeared in a school play at the age of five, and later said, 'I can't remember a time when I did not want to be an actor.' After graduating from New Trier High School, he enrolled at Northwestern University on an acting scholarship, to study speech and drama. He starred in a student production of Peer Gynt in 1942 (filmed in 16mm), and acted on radio in Chicago prior to serving three years with the air force as a radio operator on B-52 bombers. After the Second World War he and his wife Lydia Clark, whom he had met at university and married in 1944, acted and directed at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Theater in Asheville, North Carolina. He then moved to New York where he worked as a model while making the rounds of casting agents. Hired by the actress Katharine Cornell as part of her company, he made his Broadway début in her production of Antony and Cleopatra (1947). "I'm sure I got the job because I'm over six feet," he said. "Miss Cornell is a tall woman and likes tall actors around." During the play's run, he appeared in several "live" dramas on the prestigious television series Studio One. The film producer Hal Wallis was impressed by his performance in "Jane Eyre" for the series and signed him to a contract. He made his professional film début starring in Wallis' Dark City (1950), as a gambler who finds himself stalked by the brother of a man who committed suicide after losing at cards. In a role not entirely likeable, Heston exhibited charisma and elicited sympathy. With his muscular build, granite-like jaw and commanding physical presence, he bore some resemblance to another Wallis contractee, Burt Lancaster, and Heston's early roles were those of tough, unpretentious heroes. His second film was Cecil B. DeMille's Oscar-winning circus epic The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). Heston played the circus master, and later commented, "A lady wrote a let


"What rich chocolately product allowed kids to send in for ""secret decoder rings""?"

Villa Park and the chocolate factory - tribunedigital-chicagotribune Villa Park and the chocolate factory Former Ovaltine plant still stirs up memories of its close ties to the village July 24, 2009|By Vikki Ortiz The memories people share with Tanya Wetzel as she gives tours of the Lincoln at Ovaltine Court apartments in Villa Park aren't exactly the wholesome ones you'd expect from a factory where chocolate drink mix was once made. "You have a lot of people who actually come in and they'll tell us, 'I remember when I was a kid, we used to come in here and break in,'" said Wetzel, who manages the property. "They say, 'I remember when we used to throw rocks at the windows.'" That's what many of today's prospective renters remember of the expansive red-brick complex just off Villa Road: the long period from 1987 to 2001 when it sat vacant and vandalized. But before, Ovaltine was the company that helped Villa Park establish itself, said Joann vonNeupert, historian for the Villa Park Historical Society. In 1863, a researcher from Switzerland named George Wander began trying to create a nutritional food supplement. His son Albert Wander continued the search until 1904, when Ovomaltine was born. The mixture of whole milk, fresh eggs, barley malt extract and cocoa was first used in hospitals as a tasty way to give patients vitamins. By 1915, the Wander Co. was ready to manufacture its product in the United States, but here it was called Ovaltine. Villa Park was selected for the company headquarters because of the rich farmland, proximity to Chicago, access to two railroads and good water supply, vonNeupert said. Villa Park had incorporated only a year earlier, and the addition of such a major industry was a huge boon to the community. Many local residents took jobs making the chocolate drink mix at the factory, and others enjoyed the gifts the company bestowed upon local residents. "From the very beginning, Ovaltine became involved in the life of the community," said vonNeupert. "It became its greatest benefactor." During the Great Depression, the Wander Co., which later became the Ovaltine Co., provided milk and wafers to schoolchildren. As banks elsewhere closed, Villa Park Trust and Savings stayed open because Ovaltine chose to keep its resources there, according to the Villa Park Historical Society's archives. In the 1930s and '40s, Ovaltine's involvement with the popular radio programs "The Latest Adventures of Little Orphan Annie" and "Captain Midnight and the Secret Squadron" further influenced Villa Park. Radio announcers encouraged children to collect proof of Ovaltine purchases and send them to the factory in exchange for prizes, such as mugs and secret decoder rings. A larger Villa Park post office was built in 1935 to accommodate the deluge of mail from across the U.S., vonNeupert said. For decades, the Ovaltine factory remained a vital part of everyday life in Villa Park. Rob Braunshausen, 52, of West Chicago remembers timing his walks to grade school by the sound of the factory's morning whistle. Braunshausen said that if the wind blew just right, he could also smell the cocoa from the factory. It was a smell he knew well, because his family always had a jar of Ovaltine in the house, even though he preferred the taste of the competing chocolate powder drink, Nestle Quik (now marketed as Nesquik). "[Ovaltine] was just a little more gritty. You really had to mix it and mix it to get it to be really good," he said. Over the years, Ovaltine donated to numerous organizations in Villa Park, allowing for a new library, hospital and child-welfare charity. Then, in 1987, the company opted to move to Minneapolis for economic reasons, vonNeupert said. The drink is still made in Minneapolis by the Nestle company. The 14.4-acre site fell into disrepair after years without care and with no prospective developers. Finally, in 1999, village trustees approved a plan for Dallas-based Lincoln Properties Co. to build a 344-unit apartment complex with luxury loft and garden-style dwellings, a swimming pool, fitness and business cente


What rocker died in a plane crash along with the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens?

The Story of Rock's First Tragedy: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper Killed in Plane Crash REDDIT Hulton Archive, Getty Images Rock ‘n’ roll was still in its infancy when it suffered its first tragedy. On Feb. 3, 1959, three of its biggest stars — Buddy Holly , Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, known as the Big Bopper — were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. The three acts, along with Dion and the Belmonts, were on a package tour called the Winter Dance Party, which was to play 24 Midwestern cities in as many days. But the bus’ heating system was ill-equipped and broke down a few days later, which caused some musicians to catch the flu and Holly’s drummer Carl Bunch to be hospitalized for frostbite. By the time they reached the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake on Feb. 2, about a week and a half into the tour, Holly, after the show, decided to charter a plane from nearby Mason City to Fargo, N.D., just across the state line from their next gig in Moorhead, Minn. As a bonus, Holly would be able to do his laundry, which had been neglected since the tour began. The plane, a Beechwood Bonanza, had room for only three passengers — Holly and his band — and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Holly’s bass player, future country legend Waylon Jennings , gave up his seat to Richardson, who was ill. According to Jennings’ autobiography, Holly teased his bass player by saying, “Well, I hope your ol’ bus freezes up.” To which Jennings responded, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes.” There are conflicting stories as to how Valens wound up in the third seat. Tommy Allsup, Holly’s guitarist, claimed that he lost a coin flip to Valens in the dressing room. In 2010, Dion DiMucci, who had been silent about that night for 51 years, claimed that he, not Allsup, was slated for the third seat because he was one of the headliners. But after winning the coin toss, he balked at paying $36 for the flight — the amount his parents paid in monthly rent for the apartment where he grew up — and gave Valens the seat. Local DJ Bob Hale, who was the MC for the concert, agrees that it was between Allsup and Valens, but that he, not Allsup, flipped the coin. Regardless of the contradictions, around 12:55AM on Feb. 3, the plane carrying Holly, Richardson and Valens took off in a snowstorm with strong winds. But the plane traveled only a few miles before crashing, killing all four men instantly. The federal investigation ruled that even though the weather played a large role in the accident, the 21-year-old Peterson was too inexperienced to have been flying in such conditions. In addition, he had most likely misread the altitude indicator, which was different than the one on which he had trained, and inadvertently brought the plane down instead of up. At the time, Holly’s wife of six months, Maria Elena, was two weeks pregnant. The day after the crash, she suffered a miscarriage from the emotional trauma. In March 1980, a long-missing piece of the plane crash was discovered. Holly’s signature black-rimmed glasses had landed in a snow bank and were discovered in the spring of 1959, after the snow melted. They were brought to the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s office, sealed in a manila envelope and forgotten about for 21 years. Upon discovery, the glasses were returned to his widow and are currently on permanent display at the Buddy Holly Center in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas. Rockers Who Died at Age 27 Image of


What singer was managed by Colonel Tom Parker?

Colonel Tom Parker - Elvis Presley's Manager Home › Elvis Presley.News › Articles › Reviews › Interviews › FTD › Sitemap › Colonel Tom Parker : Elvis Presley's Manager Nearly as legendary as his famous client was Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager. He was mysterious and colorful, and, under his guidance, his one and only client -- Elvis -- reached unimaginable heights. Colonel Tom Parker's involvement in the music industry began as a music  promoter in the late 1940s, working with such country music stars as Minnie Pearl, Hank Snow, June  Carter and Eddy Arnold, as well as film star Tom Mix. During this time he received the honorary title of  'Colonel' in 1948 from Jimmie Davis, the governor of Louisiana. His involvement  with Elvis  Presley began when he booked Presley as the opening act for  Canadian singer Snow.On August 15, 1955 Elvis Presley was signed by 'Hank Snow Attractions'. Shortly thereafter, 'Colonel' Parker took full control and recognizing the  limitations of Sun Studios, negotiated a deal with RCA Victor Records who  acquired Elvis' Sun contract for $35,000 on November 21, 1955. Parker was a master promoter who wasted no time in furthering Presley's  image. Colonel Parker managed Elvis Presley from 1955  until the singer's death in 1977. Prior to managing Presley, Parker helped  transform Eddy Arnold into a country superstar with his own radio shows, movie  roles, Las Vegas bookings, and an unparalleled resume of #1 records. In steering  the careers of both men, Parker revolutionized the artist management role,  displaying an unprecedented marketing savvy while exercising near-total control.  His energetic, all-encompassing management style created a blueprint that is  still followed today. Parker, a purposeful, perceptive, and mysterious character, was born Andreas  Cornelis van Kuijk in Breda, Holland, and entered the United States illegally in  1929. After serving in the Army for three years in Hawaii, he moved to Florida,  where he joined the Johnny J. Jones and Royal American carnivals, passing  himself off as a native West Virginian under the name of his former commanding  officer, Thomas Parker. After several years of carnival life, Parker settled down and became director  of the Tampa Humane Society (he was, among other things, Tampa's chief dog  officer) where he developed a remunerative range of pet service-pitches that  translated seamlessly into showbiz promotion. He started off with Gene Austin, Roy Acuff, and Ernest Tubb, focusing at  first on Florida tours exclusively but gradually expanding his show-business  activities until in 1944 he met Eddy Arnold on a Jamup & Honey tent show. He  managed Arnold as his exclusive client from 1945 until 1953, developing a range  of unique promotions that helped make the singer one of the most prolific  hit-making artists of all time. By early 1955, Parker had set his sights on the emerging Elvis Presley, whom  he placed as an opening act on tours by his new client, Hank Snow. By August,  Parker had acquired a controlling interest in Presley's management contract, and  two months later set up a deal for RCA to purchase Presley's contract from Sun  Records for the unheard-of sum of $35,000. (With $5,000 going to Presley). Under Parker's exclusive guidance, Presley went on to become one of the most  influential cultural figures of the twentieth century - a tribute to a talent and  a gift for communication that continues to defy definition. Parker secured for  Presley broad national exposure through television at a time when other managers  feared that the new medium would undercut the value of personal appearances.  Calling the shots in Hollywood, Parker made Presley a #1 box-office star and  kept the entertainer's career alive during his two-year stint in the Army. Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley. Colonel Parker hard at work managing and looking after Elvis' Career :-). Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's Manager As Presley's fame grew, people became interested in Parker as well. For a  while he


What group of people wore berets and turtlenecks, played bongos, and smoked marijuana?

Jack Kerouac Novel Jack Kerouac Novel Last Edited: 23rd March, 2015 This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers. Jack Kerouac was an innovative storyteller in literature during the mid-twentieth century (Biographical).  His second novel, On the Road, inspires and justifies people who wander around, hitchhiking from car to car, place to place.  These wanderers are just lost in life and are on a search to find their inner free spirit (Maerz).  This novel is one of living life to the fullest, n exceptions and no excuses.  It's full of experience and adventure; always being on the road (Hasappi).  On the Road was published in 1957 and caused much discussion.  Kerouac once said, “I got sick and tired of the conventional English which seemed to me to be so ironbound in its rules, so inadmissible with reference to the actual format of my mind... If you don't stick to what you first thought, and to the words the thought brought, what's the sense of bothering with it anyway...?” (Miller 2049).  Kerouac's backbone to this novel was the idea of “The New Vision” which  introduced concepts that later became the start of the Beat movement.  Kerouac's creativeness in writing and his inspirations made him a key element of the Beat Generation.  Kerouac's search for an American identity is evident throughout his journeys in On the Road. Critic Dan Jacobson believes that Kerouac's On the Road is intriguing; not for its content, but for its writing style.  The simplicity and open mindedness is attractive, not the adventures and craziness (Nyren 267).  Kerouac believed in having a loose and lyrical formation of writing (Hicks).  He improvised like jazz musicians do, writing whatever came to mind without revision (Hicks).  Kerouac thought revision was somehow lying (Lelyveld).  He called his own writing style “spontaneous prose” (Miller 2049).  He didn't select his words or limit himself of anything.  He let his mind run free and wrote things down exactly as they came to him (2049). His book takes on similar qualities as jazz; looking for somewhere to be.  He would listen to jazz and take it as an inspiration.  Just like a jazz musician takes in a deep breath and plays high and low notes, Kerouac would breath and write on the spot.  If he messed up, so be it because that was the flow of thinking. A loving critic of Kerouac's, Gilbert Millstein brought him immediate attention by stating that Kerouac has produced “some of the most original work being done in this country.  It is a historic occasion... the exposure of an authentic work of art” (Biographical).  Kerouac's style was so unique that he even wrote an outlined paper of the process of free association called “Essentials of Spontaneous Prose” (Biographical).  He used many real life people as the characters in his novels.  His writing revolved around his and his friends' experiences (Miller 2049-50).  “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, desirous of everything at the same time,” was thought and written by Kerouac (Lelyveld).  On the Road is full of difficulty and simplicity according to the critic Phoebe Adams (Nyren 266). On the Road not only describes Kerouac's own behaviors and attitudes rejecting American values, but allows him to observe America (Jack Kerouac).  This book is based on the character Red Moultrie (Neal Cassady in real life) and his journey with Sal Paradise (Kerouac) searching for self in America (Watson 130).  Almost all of Kerouac's works were autobiographical.  His outlook on life was religious and tragic (Asher).  According to John Brooks from the New York Times, Kerouac tends to overwrite.  However, he uses a truthful thematic framework in his works.  Kerouac allows the flow of life to lead him (Nyren 266).  Cassady and Kerouac's drug-induced car rides across America were the inspiration for On the Road. The narrator, Sal Paradise's style describes a lifestyle based on alcohol, beauty, jazz, sex, drugs, and mysticism.  The key influence for t


"What type of ""miracle"" did West Germany have?"

The Economic Miracle of Germany The Economic Miracle of Germany December 27, 2015 share The economic reforms and the new West German system received powerful support from a number of sources: investment funds under the European Recovery Program, more commonly known as the Marshall Plan; the stimulus to German industry provided by the diversion of other Western resources for Korean War production; and the German readiness to work hard for low wages until productivity had risen. But the essential component of success was the revival of confidence brought on by Erhard’s reforms and by the new currency. The West German boom that began in 1950 was truly memorable. The growth rate of industrial production was 25.0 percent in 1950 and 18.1 percent in 1951. Growth continued at a high rate for most of the 1950s, despite occasional slowdowns. By 1960 industrial production had risen to two-and-one-half times the level of 1950 and far beyond any that the Nazis had reached during the 1930s in all of Germany. GDP rose by two-thirds during the same decade. The number of persons employed rose from 13.8 million in 1950 to 19.8 million in 1960, and the unemployment rate fell from 10.3 percent to 1.2 percent. Labor also benefited in due course from the boom. Although wage demands and pay increases had been modest at first, wages and salaries rose over 80 percent between 1949 and 1955, catching up with growth. West German social programs were given a considerable boost in 1957, just before a national election, when the government decided to initiate a number of social programs and to expand others. In 1957 West Germany gained a new central bank, the Deutsche Bundesbank, generally called simply the Bundesbank, which succeeded the Bank Deutscher Länder and was given much more authority over monetary policy. That year also saw the establishment of the Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office), designed to prevent the return of German monopolies and cartels. Six years later, in 1963, the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany’s parliament, at Erhard’s urging established the Council of Economic Experts to provide objective evaluations on which to base German economic policy. The West German economy did not grow as fast or as consistently in the 1960s as it had during the 1950s, in part because such a torrid pace could not be sustained, in part because the supply of fresh labor from East Germany was cut off by the Berlin Wall, built in 1961, and in part because the Bundesbank became disturbed about potential overheating and moved several times to slow the pace of growth. Erhard, who had succeeded Konrad Adenauer as chancellor, was voted out of office in December 1966, largely–although not entirely–because of the economic problems of the Federal Republic. He was replaced by the Grand Coalition consisting of the Christian Democratic Union (Christlich Demokratische Union–CDU), its sister party the Christian Social Union (Christlich-Soziale Union–CSU), and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands–SPD) under Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger of the CDU. Under the pressure of the slowdown, the new West German Grand Coalition government abandoned Erhard’s broad laissez-faire orientation. The new minister for economics, Karl Schiller, argued strongly for legislation that would give the federal government and his ministry greater authority to guide economic policy. In 1967 the Bundestag passed the Law for Promoting Stability and Growth, known as the Magna Carta of medium-term economic management. That law, which remains in effect although never again applied as energetically as in Schiller’s time, provided for coordination of federal, Land , and local budget plans in order to give fiscal policy a stronger impact. The law also set a number of optimistic targets for the four basic standards by which West German economic success was henceforth to be measured: currency stability, economic growth, employment levels, and trade balance. Those standards became popularly known as the magisches Viereck, the “magic rectangle” or th


The Straight Dope: Why are vinyl record speeds 33, 45, and 78 RPM? And why the big hole in 45s? Search The Straight Dope A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's Storehouse of Human Knowledge Why are vinyl record speeds 33, 45, and 78 RPM? And why the big hole in 45s? March 12, 1976 Dear Cecil: What was so special about the record speeds 33, 45, and 78 RPM except that 33 plus 45 equals 78? How and why were these speeds chosen? And why did 45s have that big hole? — John L., Dallas Cecil replies: Like so many things in this world, John, the various record speeds were determined by chance and compromise. The compromise in this case was between playing time and fidelity. The slower a record revolves, the longer it plays and the worse it sounds. Slow speeds are acceptable for spoken-word recordings (many early "talking books" were recorded at 16-2/3 RPM), but not for music, where sound quality is critical. Thomas Edison's first phonographs were hand cranked, which made a single standard speed virtually impossible. The listener cranked the machine at whatever speed sounded right, which usually worked out to around 80 RPM. That was slow enough to get five minutes of material (then, as now, the average length of a popular song) onto one of Edison's five-inch cylinders, and fast enough to provide what passed in those days for decent fidelity. When Emile Berliner invented the disc record in 1888, he designed it to meet the loose standards of the Edison cylinder — five minutes of playing time at 70 to 80 RPM. Formal standardization — at 78.26 RPM — didn't come until 1925, when the phonograph was married to the electric motor. 78.26 happened to be the speed a common, mass-produced 3600 RPM motor would yield if fitted with an equally common 46:1 gear. Around this same time the original acoustic method of recording was made obsolete by a new, and far superior, electric system. The fidelity possible at 78 RPM could now be had at a much slower speed — 33-1/3. But the record manufacturers felt the fickle public — then deserting the phonograph in favor of a newer novelty, the radio — would be put off by the cost of converting from 78 to 33-1/3. So, through the twenties and thirties, the process was used only in studios and radio stations. In 1931, RCA Victor badly bungled an attempt to put a cheap, imperfect 33-1/3 system on the mass market, and no one tried it again until 1948, when Columbia Records introduced Dr. Peter Goldmark's new "microgroove" system. Columbia shrewdly pitched the new "LPs" to classical musical collectors, pointing out that the longhair listener could now settle back and enjoy an entire movement of a symphony without the annoyance of changing the disc every five minutes. Hoping to set 33-1/3 as the new standard, Columbia offered the process free to any company that cared to use it. But RCA Victor, still licking its corporate wounds after the 1931 debacle, would have none of it. The company insisted on making what looked like another bonehead move: dumping an entirely new system — 45 RPM — on the market. Just as Emile Berliner had adapted his disc to meet the standard of the Edison cylinder, RCA had designed the 45 to conform to the 78 — it offered the same playing time, somewhat improved fidelity, and the dubious advantage of being more "convenient" because the discs were smaller. In presenting the 45, RCA came up with some drivel about how 45 RPM was the optimum speed for sound reproduction. But it was revealed that in fact RCA had told its engineers to come up with any old speed so long as it wasn't compatible with Columbia's system. The big hole was apparently supposed to make the two types of records even more incompatible. Thus began the so-called "war of the speeds." Since 45s offered few real advantages over the old 78s, most of the smaller manufacturers opted for the Columbia system. RCA, though, held out for 18 months, during which time industry sales volume dropped 25 percent as consumers waited for the giants to fight it out between themselves. Finally, in 1950, RCA capitulated, sort of. It began making 33-1/


What was the world's largest corporation?

U.S., China have 6 of the biggest 15 employers Doug McIntyre of 24/7 Wall Street discusses the publicly traded companies with the most employees. A worker collects shopping carts in the parking lot at Wal-Mart in Bristol, Pa. (Photo: Matt Rourke, AP) Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) is the world's largest publicly traded employer, with approximately 2.2 million employees across the globe, a number greater than the population of cities such as Houston, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. In all, nearly 100 publicly-traded companies worldwide employ at least 175,000 workers each. These companies operate in a variety of industries, from fast food to energy to finance. They are also based throughout the world, from the United States to China to Russia to Germany. Based on figures from S&P Capital IQ, these are the largest employers in the world. Employee count is just one indicator of a company's size. The companies that employ the most workers are also extremely large by revenue. Of the top 15 global employers, five had revenues above $100 billion in their most recent fiscal year. Among these were Volkswagen, PetroChina (PTR) , and Wal-Mart Stores, which had more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in revenue each. Many of the largest publicly traded employers are in labor intensive sectors, relying more on their employees to drive the business than on such factors as technology and equipment. For instance, G4S and ISS are support service companies that outsource workers to various companies and institutions. These organizations rely on such workers to provide cleaning, security, and other services. Other companies, such as retailers and restaurants, rely on a large staff to run their stores. Wal-Mart Stores and McDonald's (MCD) are examples of such companies. MORE: See the top 15 biggest global employers Many of these companies have become large employers because they were once key government agencies. For example, the now private Deutsche Post was once the German government's postal service. Russia's Gazprom, as well as Industrial Commercial Bank of China and Agricultural Bank of China were also entirely government-owned until recently. The Russian government remains the majority owner of Gazprom. Chinese state-owned agencies still held majority stakes in ABC and ICBC, as well as oil and gas giant PetroChina, as of the end of last year. Many of these companies benefit from their location. Notably, three of the largest employers are based in China. The world's second largest economy has a total population of over 1.3 billion people, the most of any country in the world. Another three companies, including IBM (IBM) , McDonalds, and Wal-Mart Stores, are based in the U.S., also one of the world's most populous countries and the largest by GDP. Many of these companies benefit from a truly dominant presence in their home market. The majority of Wal-Mart Stores' 2.2 million employees are based in the U.S. Similarly, the majority of global service provider ISS's business is located in Western Europe, where the company has more than 200,000 employees and generates 51% of its revenue. Other top employers have a large global presence. Sodexo maintains operations in 80 countries. For companies like ISS and G4S, recent emerging market growth has driven revenue growth and increased headcount. A large global presence, especially in industries such as food, cleaning, and security, allows a company to provide easy outsourcing options for local employers. To determine the 15 publicly traded companies with the most employees worldwide, 24/7 Wall St. relied on employee figures from S&P Capital IQ. When companies provide specific figures, S&P Capital IQ counts part-time employees as half of a "full-time equivalent" worker. When companies do not provide specific information, all employees are treated as full-time. Capital IQ converted revenue figures for non-U.S. companies into dollars based on the date at the end of each company's filings. These are the biggest employers in the world: 1. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. > Country: United States > Industry: Retail Wal-Mart


In what (modern-day) country did The Mau Mau Uprising occur?

Mau Mau Uprising - definition of Mau Mau Uprising by The Free Dictionary Mau Mau Uprising - definition of Mau Mau Uprising by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Mau+Mau+Uprising Also found in: Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . Mau Mau (ˈmaʊ ˌmaʊ) n, pl Mau Maus or Mau Mau 1. (Historical Terms) a secret political society consisting chiefly of Kikuyu tribesmen that was founded in 1952 to drive European settlers from Kenya by acts of terrorism 2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a secret political society consisting chiefly of Kikuyu tribesmen that was founded in 1952 to drive European settlers from Kenya by acts of terrorism 3. slang E African a Ugandan motorcycle policeman who directs traffic Mau Mau A Kenyan black militant and terrorist movement 1952–60.


Johnny B. Goode | Futurepedia | Fandom powered by Wikia Marty busts out a song and style never heard of before. Marty gets erratic with the guitar. Johnny B. Goode was the signature song performed by Marty McFly and the Starlighters at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance on November 12 , 1955 . Marty introduced the song as "an oldie ", and instructed the band to play a blues riff for a backup. To the audience and the band it was like nothing they had ever heard of before, to which Marvin Berry called his cousin Chuck Berry and let him listen to the new sound. As Marty got more erratic with his guitar playing, the audience and band stopped dancing and covered their ears at his last high note. Marty then realized that the audience "wasn't ready for that yet, but their kids will be." Contents If you click on the microphone in the Speakeasy, Marty will start to sing "Johnny B. Goode" on-stage, only to stop before the first lyric. [1] Behind the scenes "Johnny B. Goode" was actually composed and first performed by Chuck Berry in March 1958. Michael J. Fox 's performance of the song is one of the signature moments of Back to the Future . Marty's singing was dubbed by Mark Campbell. Fox asked guitarist Paul Hanson to teach him the precise sequence of chords, so that it would appear that Marty's guitar playing would match with the soundtrack. However, guitarist Tim May, rather than Hanson, recorded the actual music. Hanson appeared on film as the bass guitarist for The Pinheads . During the part where Marvin is calling Chuck Berry, Marty starts doing Chuck's famous " duckwalk ". Afterwards he imitates three other famous guitarists: he taps the guitar like Eddie Van Halen , kicks the amplifier like Pete Townshend , and contorts himself on the ground like Angus Young . On the final guitar solo, we can hear riffs and melodic structures from some of the most important rock music genres made until mid 1980s on progressive sucesion: Rock 'n roll (late 1950s), Surf Rock (early 1960s), Hard Rock (late 1960s - early 1970s), Heavy Metal (mid 1970s) and Thrash Metal (early 1980s) Despite Marty's instructions, both Chuck Berry's original recording and the rendition heard in the film are actually played on a "B flat" blues scale, not "B". Nevertheless, Marty's fingers do appear to be playing the song on the "B" blues scale in the film (assuming the guitar is using standard tuning). On the commentary of the first film, Robert Zemeckis confirmed that the "Johnny B. Goode" scene was nearly cut from the finished film because according to him, it was the only place in the film where the storyline stopped for Michael J. Fox to do the performance. However, Arthur Schmidt , one of the editors of Back to the Future, suggested keeping the scene for the preview screening of the film, and it was finally left in the finished film. Technically speaking, since Marty performed the song before the actual song was written by Chuck Berry in 1958, yet Marty learned the song from Chuck Berry's recording of it, that makes this a Bootstrap Paradox . Despite the fact that "Johnny B. Goode" was not released as a single until 3 years after Marty played it at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, it is odd for the students at Hill Valley High School to find the song particularly groundbreaking, as rock and roll had already been a well-established presence on the mainstream pop charts for roughly a year by November 1955 , including Bill Hailey and His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" charting at #1 for several weeks the preceding summer. Even Chuck Berry himself was already famous by the time of the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, thanks to the recent success of his breakthrough hit "Maybellene," a rock and roll song like "Johnny B. Goode."


Dr. King is assassinated - Apr 04, 1968 - HISTORY.com Dr. King is assassinated Publisher A+E Networks Just after 6 p.m. on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. is fatally shot while standing on the balcony outside his second-story room at theLorraine Motelin Memphis, Tennessee. The civil rights leader was in Memphis to support a sanitation workers’ strike and was on his way to dinner when a bullet struck him in the jaw and severed his spinal cord. King was pronounced dead after his arrival at a Memphis hospital. He was 39 years old. In the months before his assassination, Martin Luther King became increasingly concerned with the problem of economic inequality in America. He organized a Poor People’s Campaign to focus on the issue, including an interracialpoor people’s marchon Washington, and in March 1968 traveled to Memphis in support of poorly treated African-American sanitation workers. On March 28, a workers’ protest march led by King ended in violence and the death of an African-American teenager. King left the city but vowed to return in early April to lead another demonstration. On April 3, back in Memphis, King gave his last sermon, saying, “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop…And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.” One day after speaking those words, Dr. King was shot and killed by a sniper. As word of the assassination spread, riots broke out in cities all across the United States and National Guard troops were deployed in Memphis and Washington, D.C. On April 9, King was laid to rest in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets to pay tribute to King’s casket as it passed by in a wooden farm cart drawn by two mules. The evening of King’s murder, a Remington .30-06 hunting rifle was found on the sidewalk beside a rooming house one block from the Lorraine Motel. During the next several weeks, the rifle, eyewitness reports, and fingerprints on the weapon all implicated a single suspect: escaped convict James Earl Ray. A two-bit criminal, Ray escaped a Missouri prison in April 1967 while serving a sentence for a holdup. In May 1968, a massive manhunt for Ray began. The FBI eventually determined that he had obtained a Canadian passport under a false identity, which at the time was relatively easy. On June 8, Scotland Yard investigators arrested Ray at a London airport. He was trying to fly to Belgium, with the eventual goal, he later admitted, of reaching Rhodesia. Rhodesia, now called Zimbabwe, was at the time ruled by an oppressive and internationally condemned white minority government. Extradited to the United States, Ray stood before a Memphis judge in March 1969 and pleaded guilty to King’s murder in order to avoid the electric chair. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Three days later, he attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming he was innocent of King’s assassination and had been set up as a patsy in a larger conspiracy. He claimed that in 1967, a mysterious man named “Raoul” had approached him and recruited him into a gunrunning enterprise. On April 4, 1968, he said, he realized that he was to be the fall guy for the King assassination and fled to Canada. Ray’s motion was denied, as were his dozens of other requests for a trial during the next 29 years. During the 1990s, the widow and children of Martin Luther King Jr. spoke publicly in support of Ray and his claims, calling him innocent and speculating about an assassination conspiracy involving the U.S. government and military. U.S. authorities were, in conspiracists’ minds, implicated circumstantially. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover obsessed over King, who he thought was under communist influence. For the last six years of his life, King underwent constant wiretapping and harassment by the FBI. Before his death, Dr. King was also monitored by U.S. milita


What type of hat was famously worn by Che Guevara?

What type of Hats are there? – part II of III | SuitUpp What type of Hats are there? – part II of III Written by Marco Raynault on April 28, 2009 As part of our 3 part series in talking about hats, we wrote briefly about the different parts of hats (i.e. hat nomenclature ) in our last post. This week, we are going to talk about the different types of hats there are. The following are some of the more common hats: Baseball Cap: Starting at the top of the list is the casual baseball cap. Most people are already familiar with this type of hat and so we won’t spend much time on it. The unique identifying characteristic here is the long, stiff, and sometimes slightly rounded peak. The following is a picture of Ashton Kutcher wearing a baseball cap. Beret: The beret usually has a soft round cap made of felt wool. The hat in itself is a french phenomenon and comes with a flat crown. One of the most common questions asked about a beret is which side it should be pushed to when wearing it. The answer is that it depends on local custom. For this reason, for the casual wear, which side you tip it towards does not matter. The beret in itself is interesting in terms of societal suggestions. It is worn as part of military uniform in many countries across the world. At the same time, it is also somewhat of revolutionary symbol. One of Che Guevara’s most famous pictures was taken while wearing a beret. Boater: This type of hat is also known as a basher, katie, skimmer, and even sennit. The hat was commonly worn by sailors and those who, as the name dictates, went boating. The hat itself is usually made of sennit straw and is known to be a summer hat. The expression, “It’s a straw hat day” exemplifies the context in which the hat would become appropriate accessory in earlier years. Nowadays the hat is still part of school uniforms (sometimes officially and other times not) in places like New Zealand and Australia. In modern day, in North America, the hat is still mostly worn while going sailing on a summer day. The following are some boater hats from a Marc Jacob’s collection: Bowler Hat: Also known as a coke hat, a name that comes from its inventor – Edward Coke, the bowler hat is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown (some also call it a billycock). The hat in itself peaked in popularity towards the ends of the 19th century. It was essentially a compromise between a top hat (worn by the wealthy) and flat caps worn by the working class. The following is a picture of Fergie wearing a bowler hat. Bucket Hat: Worn by men and women, the bucket hat has a downward sloping brim and is usually made of cotton. In the UK, it is also known as a fishing hat. In American Popular culture, the hat is famous for being exemplified in Gilligan’s Island and Indiana Jones (worn by Professor Henry Jones, Sr ). In modern day, some famous rappers such as LL Cool J have also been known to tout this accessory. Cowboy Hat: More commonly Worn in the Western United States, the hat is a common wear for a ranch worker. It is not uncommon for folks from the Western United States to wear the hat even with a suit when they are not in the West. The hat itself brings with it the connotation of the cowboy culture and attitude. Former President George W. Bush was often seen wearing a cowboy hat. Fedora: A more popular hat, it has a length wise crease and it is made of soft felt. There was a period in the 70′s and 80′s where the hat fell out of fashion amongst the young crowd; however, Hollywood is definitely bringing it back into style. The following is a picture of Hugh Jackman wearing a Fedora: Panama: A Panama is a straw hat originally made in Ecuador. This hat was made popular in movies such as Casablanca and works quite well with white linen suits. Top Hat: The top hat is a tall flat crowned hat with a broad brim that was popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In modern North American culture, this type of hat is commonly worn by doormen at Hotels. With that said, the hat in itself is also much of a symbol in Rock Culture. The following picture shows Angus Stone


BBC ON THIS DAY | 30 | 1966: Football glory for England 1966: Football glory for England England have won football's World Cup for the first time since the tournament began in 1930. A crowd of 93,000 spectators - including the Queen and Prince Phillip - filled London's Wembley Stadium to watch the host nation play West Germany in the final game of the 1966 championships. Another 400 million people around the world watched the keenly fought match on television. In the final moments of extra time Geoff Hurst powered home his third goal to give England a 4-2 victory and to become the first man ever to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. After Germany had taken an early lead, Hurst levelled the score for England by half time with a header from a free kick taken by captain Bobby Moore. Victory in sight England came out with courage and determination after the break and glimpsed glory thirteen minutes from time as Martin Peters took their second goal. But a free kick to Germany 15 seconds from full time gave Wolfgang Weber a close-range shot into Gordon Banks' goal and took the score to 2-2. In the crucial minutes before the decisive half hour of extra time England manager Alf Ramsey was heard to rally his team, saying: "All right. You let it slip. Now start again." A dubious goal by Hurst - glanced off the line by Weber and only given after consultation between the Swiss referee and Soviet linesman - put England ahead in the last 15 minutes, before the striker's third goal put the game out of Germany's reach. Bobby Moore went up to the royal box to collect the solid gold Jules Rimet trophy from Queen Elizabeth. In the largest World Cup ever - numbering 70 countries - England were among the favourites and got as far as the semi-final, against newcomers Portugal, before conceding a goal.


"What pesticide was criticized by the book ""Silent Spring""?"

Legacy of Rachel Carsons Silent Spring National Historic Chemical Landmark - American Chemical Society American Chemical Society Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring Legacy of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring National Historic Chemical Landmark Commemorative Booklet (PDF) Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, published in 1962, was a landmark in the development of the modern environmental movement. Carson’s scientific perspective and rigor created a work of substantial depth and credibility that sparked widespread debate within the scientific community and the broader public about the effect of pesticides on the natural world. These discussions led to new policies that protect our air, our water, and, ultimately, our health and safety. Carson’s book promoted a paradigm shift in how chemists practice their discipline and helped to establish a new role for chemists in investigating the impact of human activity on the environment. The legacy of Silent Spring continues today in the chemistry community’s increased focus on green chemistry practices and the public’s heightened support for sustainability in all areas of our lives. Contents Cite this Page Science and Progress after WWII If a civilization is judged by the wisdom of its ways, the 21st century owes considerable gratitude to one woman, Rachel Carson, whose book Silent Spring, published in 1962, revolutionized how people understand their relationship with the natural environment. Specifically, Silent Spring explained how indiscriminate application of agricultural chemicals, pesticides, and other modern chemicals polluted our streams, damaged bird and animal populations, and caused severe medical problems for humans. But her treatise did much more. Silent Spring introduced a paradigm shift in how chemists practice their discipline and how society at large relates to science. To understand how radically her book changed the modern mindset, we have to go back to the time between World War II and the late 1950s when Carson first decided to write Silent Spring. New technologies flourished during the war as biologists, chemists, physicists, andothers were enlisted to aid the military. After the war, science and industry translated these developments and others into commercial products aimed at improving the quality of life for civilians. DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-di(4-chlorophenyl)ethane, also known as dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) is one such example. A potent insecticide, DDT was effective at preventing the spread of typhoid, malaria, and other diseases transmitted by insects, and it saved countless lives during the war. After the war, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and corporations promoted DDT and other powerful chemicals to increase domestic productivity and combat a variety of ills. DDT’s widespread use is reflected by the range of products in which it was sold, from large-scale aerial sprays to insecticidal paint and wallpaper. U.S. production of DDT leaped from 4,366 tons in 1944 to a peak of 81,154 tons in 1963. Carson, who was employed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) from 1936 until 1952 as a field scientist and writer, was acutely aware of the policies and practices of the day. In her view, government leaders and industry were eager to create sweeping change, but advanced new technologies without knowing the full implications of their decisions. Carson was moved by the relationship between humans and the natural world and worried about the effects of scientific interventions on the environment. Back to top "The Legacy of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring" commemorative booklet produced by the National Historic Chemical Landmarks program of the American Chemical Society in 2012 (PDF). It is not my contention that chemical insecticides must never be used. I do contend that we have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals indiscriminately into the hands of persons largely or wholly ignorant of their potentials for harm. ... “...we have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advance investigation of their effect on soil, water, wildlife, and ma


"Who said ""We're more popular than Jesus now""?"

50 Years Ago: John Lennon's 'Beatles More Popular Than Jesus' Comment Published Subscribe to Ultimate Classic Rock on On March 4, 1966, an article appeared in the London Evening Standard that would cause an uproar and ripple for some time. Journalist Maureen Cleave was doing a series titled “How Does a Beatle Live?” and her encounter with John Lennon provided controversy that spread far beyond the London paper. “Christianity will go,” Lennon said. “It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that. I’m right and I’ll be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now. I don’t know which will go first, rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.” The comments generated little response in Britain, but after U.S. teen mag Datebook reprinted the quote out of context months later, the controversy boiled over. Alabama disc jockeys Doug Layton and Tommy Charles of WAQY initiated a “Beatle Boycott” urging people to take their Beatles “records and paraphernalia” to designated places to burn them. The Beatles, and Lennon in particular, were momentarily the devil incarnate to the Bible Belt and beyond, just as they were about to begin a U.S. tour. “John is deeply concerned and regrets that people with certain religious beliefs should have been offended in any way whatsoever,” said Beatles manager Brian Epstein at a press conference. “I’m not anti-Christ or anti-religion or anti-God,” Lennon said in a separate press conference. “I’m not saying we’re better or greater, or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person, or God as a thing or whatever it is. I just said what I said and was wrong, or was taken wrong, and now it’s all this.” He continued his explanation. “If I’d have said television is more popular than Jesus, I might have got away with it,” he said. “In reference to England, we meant more to kids than Jesus did, or religion at that time. I wasn’t knocking it or putting it down I was just saying it as a fact and it’s true more for England than here.” Lennon and the band survived the ordeal, and the tour went on as planned. But the controversy as a result of his statements, which included death threats, was one of the reasons why the Beatles decided to give up the road upon the tour’s completion. Beatles Albums Ranked Worst to Best Image of


What gang provided security for the Rolling Stones at the Altamont Free Concert?

The Story of the Rolling Stones' Altamont Speedway Concert Subscribe to Ultimate Classic Rock on The Rolling Stones were trying to prove their critics wrong by booking a free festival to wrap up their tour at Altamont Speedway on Dec. 6, 1969. But what they intended as a way for their fans to come together for a day of music and celebration turned into a tragic debacle that ended with a homicide — effectively bringing the peace-and-love ethos of the ’60s to a jarring end. During the Stones’ American tour in 1969, they faced repeated criticism from fans and journalists who accused the band of being mercenary, claiming that ticket prices were far too high. In response, the band decided to end the tour with a free concert in San Francisco. But the event was plagued with errors from the start, with the venue being moved multiple times before settling on Altamont Speedway on Dec. 4 — just two days before the concert. With such little time to prepare, the site was sorely lacking in such basic needs as portable toilets and medical tents. In addition, the lay of the land meant the stage — which had been designed to be at the top of a rise — would be situated at the bottom of a slope, creating serious security and logistical problems. The Stones and their management made a key mistake when they hired the San Francisco chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang to provide event security — reportedly paying them with $500 worth of free beer. The move was reportedly made at the suggestion of the Grateful Dead , who were also scheduled to play on a show that included Santana , the Flying Burrito Brothers ,  and Crosby, Stills & Nash before the Stones were to take the stage at the end of the night. The day of the show turned into an unmitigated disaster almost from the start, as 300,000 fans swarmed the area, straining the unprepared resources well past their breaking point. The Hells Angels got progressively drunker on free beer as the day went on, and as the crowd was also fueled by a combination of alcohol, LSD and amphetamines, the mood turned ugly early on and got worse throughout the day. There were fights and general chaos most of the day, and after the crowd tipped over one of the bikers’ motorcycles, the Angels turned even more aggressive, to the point where Jefferson Airplane singer Marty Balin was punched and knocked unconscious by one of the bikers during the group’s set. Seeing the situation rapidly degenerating, the Grateful Dead refused to perform and left the scene, leaving the crowd even more restless until the Stones took the stage after dusk. Their set was plagued by turmoil from the very start; Mick Jagger had been punched by a fan upon disembarking from the band’s helicopter, and in the documentary Gimme Shelter he is visibly shaken and nervous, repeatedly pleading with the crowd, “Just be cool down in the front there, don’t push around.” The Stones stopped their set during the third song, “Sympathy for the Devil,” while Jagger admonished the crowd again, then re-started the song and plowed ahead despite numerous fights and distractions in the audience. It was during the band’s performance of “Under My Thumb” that an 18-year-old concertgoer named Meredith Hunter tried to get onstage with a group of other fans, and having been punched and pushed back into the crowd by the Hells Angels, he reacted with violence. Reportedly so intoxicated from drugs that he could barely keep on his feet, Hunter drew a long-barreled revolver from his jacket, apparently intending to aim it either at one of the Angels, or the band onstage. A Hells Angel member named Alan Passaro surged forward, pushed the gun aside and stabbed Hunter repeatedly, killing him. The band played on, unaware of the homicide and completed their set with the hope that it would avoid a full-on riot. The incident was inadvertently caught on film by both a photographer who was shooting the event, and a camera man for the documentary crew. It subsequently aired as part of the Gimme Shelter footage. Passaro was tried in court on charges of murder in 1971, but after


"What artist's studio was called ""The Factory""?"

The Factory: Andy Warhol's Studio and Hip Hangout · Lomography 2013-02-21 1 13 Share Tweet Ever wondered where Andy Warhol conceptualized and made his iconic Pop art masterpieces? Allow us to take you back in time and into The Factory, Warhol’s New York City studio and hip haven where all the action happened and his so-called Superstars inspired him. Andy Warhol, the boss of the Factory. Photo via Dear Dear Chicago on Wordpress Between 1962 and 1984, Andy Warhol had three different locations for his studio: the fifth floor at 231 East 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan, the sixth floor of the Decker Building at 33 Union Square West, and 22 East 33rd Street. It was where his workers would make lithographs and assemble silkscreens, making its moniker as “The Factory” very apt. However, these weren’t the only things Warhol’s studio was used for. While silkscreening was being done in one area, screen testing and filming would be done in another. These screen tests, a series of silent film portraits, featured Factory regulars, celebrities, friends, guests, or anyone else Warhol thought had “star potential.” Warhol at work in the Factory. Photo via Artpedia on Tumblr The original Factory was called by its frequent visitors as the Silver Factory for its tin foil wrappings, silver paint, and also the silver balloons Warhol brought in and left floating around the ceiling. It was decorated by Warhol’s friend, Billy Name, whose apartment was decorated the same way. The Pop artist liked how it was done and asked his friend to do the same for his studio. The Factory was more than just the place where Warhol worked; it was also his breeding ground of ideas, where he surrounded himself with a menagerie of people who served as his inspirations, collaborators, and movie stars: fellow artists, musicians, actresses, socialites, drug addicts, drag queens, free thinkers, and many others. All of them later came to be known as Warhol’s Superstars. Party at The Factory. Warhol’s studio was also often called The Silver Factory by his frequent visitors because of its silver paint and tin foil decorations. Photo via Crushable.com Warhol would also often hold parties in The Factory, much to the dismay of his landlord . Even so, these parties gained his studio its reputation as a hip hangout, one of the places to be in the 1960s. If you were invited in one of these Factory parties, you were probably close to the famed artist or someone with “star quality.” You must be curious about what a busy day (or night) was like for Andy Warhol, his Factory, and his Superstars, so without further ado, allow us to walk you through some photos of the renowned Pop artist’s equally iconic studio:


What African-American winter holiday was first celebrated in 1966?

American celebrations of winter holidays | ShareAmerica 536 A red Christmas tree ornament glows against the snow-covered branches of a fir tree. (Shutterstock) The U.S. winter holiday season, running from late November through early January, is when Americans take extra time to gather with family and friends — and express gratitude for life’s abundance. A season of giving thanks and gifts Thanksgiving, observed on the fourth Thursday in November, marks the official start of the season. It’s a day for catching up with far-flung family members, sharing traditional American foods and taking a break from hectic work schedules. Each year, millions of Americans travel thousands of kilometers to sit down with family and friends for a meal that usually includes roast turkey, with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. And in households across the country, sports fans gather after dinner to watch televised, U.S.-style football games played on Thanksgiving Day. Members of the Atlanta Hawks basketball team get ready to serve Thanksgiving dinner at a homeless shelter in Atlanta. (© 2010 NBAE; Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) But Thanksgiving is also a day when thousands of Americans volunteer to help the needy. From the tall to the small, from professional athletes to schoolchildren, Americans from all walks of life help those in need on Thanksgiving Day. Jasmyn Lauchu, age 5, helps serve Thanksgiving dinner at a community event in California’s San Fernando Valley. (© Getty Images) Mindful of their own good fortune, Americans from coast to coast — including President Obama and his family — prepare and serve traditional Thanksgiving meals at community centers and churches. Others donate to charities that feed the hungry, or compete in fundraising marathons that benefit local food banks. As with Thanksgiving, the approach of Christmas, celebrated on December 25, spurs many Americans — even those who are not religious — to give to others. Each year, Americans contribute millions of dollars and millions of volunteer hours to help the disadvantaged during the winter holidays. A grandmother helps her grandson light candles during a Christmas service at Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church in Kodiak, Alaska. (© Design Pics Inc./Alamy Stock Photo) For Christians, the holiday marks the anniversary of Jesus’ birth some 2,000 years ago, and in the United States — as in other countries — the faithful attend church services. Most Americans, including non-Christians, exchange gifts, such as homemade cookies and other baked treats. In many U.S. cities, Christmas carolers stroll residential neighborhoods or gather in public squares, singing traditional carols and spreading cheer. And every December, the president lights the National Christmas Tree in Washington in a ceremony open to the public. During December, the White House is bedecked with evergreen wreaths and several Christmas trees — each trimmed with ornaments handmade by artisans from every region of the United States. The National Christmas Tree (with the White House partly visible in the background) is a festive sight in Washington during the month of December. (© Getty Images) The White House also opens its doors to Americans from all walks of life to tour the specially decorated public rooms. Those who cannot travel to Washington can view the holiday decorations via webcam . Americans: People of many faiths and traditions Americans are adherents of many faiths, and the U.S. winter holiday season embraces that diversity. The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which falls in late November to late December (varying from year to year), commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago. Hanukkah is celebrated over a period of eight nights and days, and observed by kindling the lights on a nine-branched candelabrum called a menorah. A colorful menorah and other items, including a bright blue dreidel, signal the arrival of Hanukkah. (© Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Hanukkah


What, according to the media, did feminists burn?

Feminists burn $20 bills to 'end male dominance in currency' Feminists burn $20 bills to 'end male dominance in currency' 5/15/2015, 3:45 pm TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK CITY- The feminist group "Radical Feminists of America" rallied in Times Square today to protest "False male dominance on American currency" by burning $100,000 in twenty dollar bills throughout the day. Feminist activists were seen burning single bills and even handfuls of them at a time, while spitting at male passers by who walked by the scene on their daily routine. There have been several outbreaks of fighting between the feminists and some homeless men who attempted to salvage the burning cash from burn-buckets and the hands of protesters. The protest was intended to popularize the long-standing idea of removing Andrew Jackson from the twenty dollar bill in favor of a historical feminist figure, Harriet Tubman, a 19th century abolitionist. However, instead of succeeding in raising awareness about the feminist goals, the cash-burning protest seemed to have sent the wrong message, sparking anger and confusion among the public and donors to feminist organizations. The money was received through donations from wealthy individuals who wished to support the group's cause but were not informed about how the money was going to be used. Contributors were outraged when they saw their donations go up in flames. Crowds of onlookers watched in disbelief as hundreds of dollars at a time were being tossed into flames, with the protesters shouting in unison, "Female yell!" Big Red, the leader of the group, screamed into her megaphone while waving a large wad of twenties in her other hand. "Look in your purses, sisters, and you will see that there is not one bill that bears the face of a female, not one!" At one point Big Red was seen removing her bra from under the shirt, using it to wrap up the large lump of cash in her hand, and tossing it into the flames of the closest burn-bucket at her feet. "Check your male privilege," she continued to yell at the gathered crowd. "The days of chauvinism and female oppression are at an end! No longer will we allow any male to be worshiped and raised in social standing just because they have a horrific weapon of domination dangling from between their legs!" With a loud high-pitched roar, the protesters took a break from burning the money and began to burn their bras, designer shoes, clutches, and other items of traditional female clothing. Around 2:00pm, as the feminists burned the last twenty dollar bill, their anger turned onto the crowd. Eyewitnesses saw activists tear down a stand erected by the Boy Scouts of America, violently ripping sashes and hats off of the terrified boys before burning those items as well. Still not satisfied, they took the money raised by the scouts throughout the day and tossed it into the flames along with their burning uniforms, as Big Red shouted into the megaphone, "You're just another elitist male entity that needs to be destroyed." Bob Turman, the scout leader, later spoke about the incident to reporters. "We were the only ones with a permit to hold an event in the square that day," he complained. "We spent months in preparation for our fundraiser in support of local shelters for abused women. Now all that money is gone, my scouts have lost parts of their uniforms, and they'll probably be traumatized for life. They're not old enough to understand even if I were to explain to them what happened, and I'm not sure I fully understand it myself. One thing I know, these boys may have a deep-seated fear of women for the rest of their lives." Police arrived on the scene shortly, responding to several 911 calls, but made no arrests.   We burned our bras way back in the day. Look where that got us! Nowhere.Talk about a way to devalue our currency! Ha! It's in the bag!   Chedoh - Ivan's image is on the three dollar bill! . I wonder whose hand is holding that match?! . Administration offers response to feminazis feministas feminists clamoring for equality:   Pamalinsky obviously knows what she is talking about


Who was Jackie Kennedy's second husband?

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis | American first lady | Britannica.com Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Alternative Titles: Jackie Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Lee Harvey Oswald Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, née Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, later (1953–68) Jacqueline Kennedy, byname Jackie (born July 28, 1929, Southampton , New York , U.S.—died May 19, 1994, New York City ), American first lady (1961–63), the wife of John F. Kennedy , 35th president of the United States , who was noted for her style and elegance. Her second husband, Aristotle Onassis , was one of the wealthiest men in the world. Jacqueline Kennedy, 1961. White House photo/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Jacqueline was the elder of two daughters of Janet Lee and John (“Black Jack”) Bouvier III, a stock speculator. As a child she developed the interests she would still relish as an adult: horseback riding, writing , and painting. In 1942, after her parents had divorced and her mother married Hugh D. Auchincloss, Jr., a wealthy lawyer, Jacqueline divided her time between the family’s Merrywood estate in Virginia and Hammersmith Farm in Newport , Rhode Island . From age 15 she attended boarding school; she enrolled at Vassar College in 1947. During her junior year abroad, while studying at the Sorbonne, she polished her French and solidified her affinity for French culture and style, which she sometimes associated with her adored father. She graduated from George Washington University in 1951 and took a job as a reporter-photographer at the Washington Times-Herald. In 1951 Jacqueline met John F. Kennedy, a popular congressman from Massachusetts. On September 12, 1953, they wed in St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Newport, Rhode Island. The early years of their marriage included considerable disappointment and sadness. John underwent spinal surgery, and she suffered a miscarriage and delivered a stillborn daughter. Their luck appeared to change with the birth of a healthy daughter, Caroline Bouvier Kennedy, on November 27, 1957. John Kennedy was elected president in 1960, just weeks before Jacqueline gave birth to a son, John F. Kennedy, Jr . Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy tossing her bridal bouquet, as was the custom, on the occasion of her … Toni Frissell /Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital. id. cph 3g11913) John and Jackie Kennedy with their children, Caroline and John, Jr., at the White House, … Abbie Rowe—National Park Service/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library The youngest first lady in nearly 80 years, Jacqueline left a distinct mark on the job. During the 1960 election campaign she hired Letitia Baldrige , who was both politically savvy and astute on matters of etiquette , to assist her as social secretary. Through Baldrige, Jacqueline announced that she intended to make the White House a showcase for America’s most talented and accomplished individuals, and she invited musicians, actors, and intellectuals—including Nobel Prize winners—to the executive mansion. Jacqueline Kennedy, 1961. Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent Her most enduring contribution was her work to restore the White House to its original elegance and to protect its holdings. She established the White House Historical Association, which was charged with educating the public and raising funds, and she wrote the foreword to the association’s first edition of The White House: An Historic Guide (1962). To catalog the mansion’s holdings, Jacqueline hired a curator from the Smithsonian Institution , a job that eventually became permanent. Congress, acting with the first lady’s support, passed a law to encourage donations of valuable art and furniture and made White House furnishings of “artistic or historic importance” the “inalienable property” of the nation, so that residents could not dispose of them at will. After extensive refurbishing, Jacqueline led a nationally televised tour of the White House in February 1962. Pres. John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, in the Blue Room of the White House at … Robert Knudsen—Official White House Ph


On what holiday did North Vietnam launch a major offensive?

Tet Offensive - Vietnam War - HISTORY.com Tet Offensive A+E Networks Introduction On January 31, 1968, some 70,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched the Tet Offensive (named for the lunar new year holiday called Tet), a coordinated series of fierce attacks on more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. General Vo Nguyen Giap, leader of the Communist People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN), planned the offensive in an attempt both to foment rebellion among the South Vietnamese population and encourage the United States to scale back its support of the Saigon regime. Though U.S. and South Vietnamese forces managed to hold off the Communist attacks, news coverage of the offensive (including the lengthy Battle of Hue) shocked and dismayed the American public and further eroded support for the war effort. Despite heavy casualties, North Vietnam achieved a strategic victory with the Tet Offensive, as the attacks marked a turning point in the Vietnam War and the beginning of the slow, painful American withdrawal from the region. Google Goals of the Tet Offensive As the celebration of the lunar new year, Tet was the most important holiday on the Vietnamese calendar. In previous years, the holiday had been the occasion for an informal truce in South Vietnam’s long-running conflict with North Vietnam and their Communist southern allies, derisively known as Viet Cong. In early 1968, however, the North Vietnamese military commander General Vo Nguyen Giap chose January 31 as the occasion for a coordinated offensive of surprise attacks aimed at breaking the stalemate in Vietnam. Giap believed that the attacks would cause Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces to collapse and foment discontent and rebellion among the South Vietnamese population, leading them to rise up against the regime in Saigon. Futhermore, Giap believed the alliance between South Vietnam and the United States was unstable; he hoped the offensive would drive the final wedge between them and convince American leaders to give up their defense of South Vietnam. Did You Know? In February 1968, in the wake of the Tet Offensive, the respected TV journalist Walter Cronkite, who had been a moderate and balanced observer of the war's progress, announced that it seemed "more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate." In preparation for the planned offensive, Communist troops launched a series of attacks in the fall of 1967 on isolated American garrisons in the highlands of central Vietnam and along the Laotian and Cambodian frontiers. On January 21, 1968, PAVN forces began a massive artillery bombardment of the U.S. Marine garrison at Khe Sanh, located on the principal road from northern South Vietnam into Laos. As President Lyndon Johnson and General William Westmoreland focused their attention on the defense of Khe Sanh (a battle whose importance was compared to that of the doomed French struggle for Dien Bien Phu in 1954), Giap’s 70,000 poised to begin their real objective: the Tet Offensive. Tet Offensive Begins On the early morning of January 30, 1968, Viet Cong forces attacked 13 cities in central South Vietnam, just as many families began their observances of the lunar new year. Twenty-four hours later, PAVN and Viet Cong forces struck a number of other targets throughout South Vietnam, including cities, towns, government buildings and U.S. or ARVN military bases throughout South Vietnam, in a total of more than a hundred attacks. In a particularly bold attack on the U.S. embassy in Saigon, a Viet Cong platoon got inside the complex’s courtyard before U.S. forces destroyed it. The attack’s audacity, and its initial success, stunned U.S. and international observers, who saw images of the carnage broadcast on television as it occurred. Though Giap had succeeded in achieving surprise, his forces were spread too thin in the ambitious offensive, and U.S. and ARVN forces managed to successfully counter most of the attacks and inflict heavy Viet Cong losses. Particularly intense fighting took place in the city of Hue, l


"What Eastern European city had a ""spring"" that was crushed by Soviet tanks?"

Milestones: 1989–1992 - Office of the Historian Milestones: 1989–1992 Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, 1989 On November 9, 1989, thousands of jubilant Germans brought down the most visible           symbol of division at the heart of Europe—the Berlin Wall. For two generations,           the Wall was the physical representation of the Iron Curtain, and East German           border guards had standing shoot-to-kill orders against those who tried to           escape. But just as the Wall had come to represent the division of Europe, its           fall came to represent the end of the Cold War. In the White House, President           George H. W. Bush and his National Security Advisor, Brent Scowcroft, watched           the unfolding scene on a television in the study, aware of both the historical           significance of the moment and of the challenges for U.S. foreign policy that           lay ahead. Germans celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 10, 1989. (AP             Photo/File) Not even the most optimistic observer of President’s Ronald Reagan’s 1987 Berlin           speech calling on Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this           wall” would have imagined that two years later the communist regimes of Eastern           Europe would collapse like dominoes. By 1990, the former communist leaders were           out of power, free elections were held, and Germany was whole again. The peaceful collapse of the regimes was by no means pre-ordained. Soviet tanks           crushed demonstrators in East Berlin in June 1953, in Hungary in 1956, and again           in Czechoslovakia in 1968. Soviet military planners were intimately involved in           the Polish planning for martial law in 1980, and Soviet troops remained           stationed throughout Eastern Europe, as much a guarantee for Soviet security as           an ominous reminder to Eastern European peoples of Soviet dominance over their           countries. The Reagan administration’s strong rhetoric in support of the political           aspirations of Eastern European and Soviet citizens was met, following 1985,           with a new type of leader in the Soviet Union. Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies of perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (transparency) further legitimized popular calls for reform           from within. Gorbachev also made clear—at first secretly to the Eastern European           leaders, then increasingly more public—that the Soviet Union had abandoned the           policy of military intervention in support of communist regimes (the Brezhnev           Doctrine). On February 6, 1989, negotiations between the Polish Government and members of           the underground labor union Solidarity opened officially in Warsaw. Solidarity           was formed in August 1980 following a series of strikes that paralyzed the           Polish economy. The 1981 Soviet-inspired imposition of martial law drove the           organization underground, where it survived due to support from Western labor           organizations and Polish émigré groups. The results of the “Round Table Talks,”           signed by government and Solidarity representatives on April 4, included free           elections for 35% of the Parliament (Sejm), free           elections for the newly created Senate, a new office of the President, and the           recognition of Solidarity as a political party. On June 4, as Chinese tanks           crushed student-led protests in Beijing, Solidarity delivered a crushing           electoral victory. By August 24, ten years after Solidarity emerged on the           scene, Tadeusz Mazowiecki became the first non-communist Prime Minis