Which American actor, who sadly passed on October 31st 1993 at the age of 23, was the older brother of Rain, Joaquin, Summer & Liberty?

Deathiversary- October 31st: The Funeral Source 1926- Harry Houdini, magician, died at 52. Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz in Budapest, later Ehrich Weiss or Harry Weiss) (b. 1874) was a Hungarian-American illusionist and stunt performer, noted for his sensational escape acts. He first attracted notice as "Harry Handcuff Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged different police forces to try to keep him locked up. This revealed a talent for gimmickry and for audience involvement that characterized all his work. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from 1983- George S. Halas, NFL coach (Chicago Bears), died at 88. George Stanley Halas, Sr. (b. 1895), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the National Football League's Chicago Bears. He was also lesser known as an inventor, jurist, producer, philanthropist, philatelist, and Major League Baseball player. 1984- Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, died at 66. Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi ( b. 1917) was the third Prime Minister of India and a central figure of the Indian National Congress party. Gandhi, who served from 1966 to 1977 and then again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984, is the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of India and the only woman to hold the office. As Prime Minister, Gandhi became known for her political ruthlessness and unprecedented centralisation of power. 1987- Joseph Campbell, mythologist (Mythic Image), died at 83. Joseph John Campbell (b. 1904) was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience. His philosophy is often summarized by his phrase: "Follow your bliss." 1988- John Houseman, actor (Paper Chase, Fog), died at 86. Houseman (born Jacques Haussmann; 1902) was a Romanian born British-American actor and film producer who became known for his highly publicized collaboration with director Orson Welles from their days in the Federal Theatre Project through to the production of Citizen Kane. He is perhaps best known for his role as Professor Charles Kingsfield in the film The Paper Chase (1973), for which he 1879- Joseph Hooker, American General, died at 64. Joseph Hooker (b. 1814) was a career U.S. Army officer, achieving the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although he served throughout the war, usually with distinction, Hooker is best remembered for his stunning defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. 1991- Joseph Papp, Broadway producer (Chorus Line), died at 70. Papp (b. 1921) was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in downtown New York. "The Public," as it is known, has many small theaters within it. There, Papp created a year-round producing home to focus on new creations, both plays and musicals. Among numerous examples of these creations were the works of David Rabe, Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Join The Funeral Source Email List Today NAME: Hooker became known as "Fighting Joe" following a journalist's clerical error reporting from the Battle of Williamsburg; however, the nickname stuck. His personal reputation was as a hard-drinking ladies' man, and his headquarters was known for parties and gambling, although the historical evidence discounts any heavy drinking by the general himself. His name is often associated with the slang term for prostitute, although the word "hooker" has been documented to appear with that meaning in print well before he became a public figure. After the war, Hooker led President Abraham Lincoln's Springfield funeral procession on May 4, 1865. His postbellum life was marred by poor health and he was partially paralyzed by a stroke. He was mustered out of the volunteer service on September 1, 1866, and retired from the U.S. Army on Oc


What was the name of the German Chancellor, the primary force behind the unification of Germany 1871, who also had a famous battleship named after him?

Germany – World Book INK worldbookblog Leave a comment In January 1945, late in World War II, the Soviet Red Army was driving back the forces of Nazi Germany in eastern Europe. As the Soviets freed eastern Poland from Nazi control, they discovered the remains of prisoner camps in Bełżec, Chełmno, Majdanek, Sobibór, Treblinka, and other towns and villages. The Nazis had used the camps for slave labor and to murder Jews and other people. Most of the camps had been abandoned, and the Nazis had made an effort to hide what had taken place in them. In some cases, it was several years before people learned the full extent of Nazi crimes in those camps. But on Jan. 27, 1945, Soviet troops of the 60th Army’s 100th and 322nd rifle divisions entered the gates of a sprawling prison camp complex surrounding the southern Poland city of Auschwitz (called Oświęcim in Polish). The Nazis had tried to clear the large Auschwitz camps, too, evacuating the complex and taking some 60,000 prisoners with them. Those too weak to walk, however, were left behind. And there was no time to dispose of the dead. On that cold January day, the Soviets found about 7,000 starving prisoners behind barbed wire at Auschwitz. They also found hundreds of corpses in piles about the camp complex. The Soviets had unwittingly stumbled upon the largest and most sinister of all the Nazi concentration camps. Auschwitz had opened much like other Nazi prison camps early in World War II, as detention and work centers for political prisoners, Jews, Poles, Roma (sometimes called Gypsies), and Soviet prisoners of war. As the war progressed, so did the Nazis’ fanatical drive to exterminate people they found troublesome or undesirable. Several camps were modified to include mass-killing processes. For the Auschwitz camp, the Nazis constructed a killing-only camp at nearby Birkenau (called Auschwitz II). For maximum efficiency, the Nazis built gas chambers and crematoriums (buildings with furnaces for burning dead bodies) at Birkenau. The Nazis destroyed these buildings before abandoning Auschwitz, but vast amounts of evidence and testimony brought the extent of the tragedy to light after the war. About 1 1/4 million people were murdered at the Auschwitz camp complex, most of them at Birkenau. worldbookblog Leave a comment Otto von Bismarck, a Prussian politician, soldier, and prince, was at the center of Prussian and German affairs during the second half of the 1800’s. As prime minister of Prussia, Bismarck provoked three wars to force the unification of several German states—with Prussia at the head—into the German empire in 1871. Then, as chancellor of Germany, he pursued treaties to balance the distribution of power among European nations. A staunch conservative monarchist, Bismarck declared that the great problems of his time must be settled by “blood and iron” instead of by speeches and resolutions. Yet, circumstances led him to create a national welfare state and introduce universal male suffrage. Bismarck’s aggressive yet pragmatic actions—and attitudes—heavily influenced Germany well into the 1900’s. Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck was born on April 1, 1815, in Schönhausen, in the Prussian province of Saxony. The son of a noble family, he studied law at the universities of Göttingen and Berlin. Bismarck served as an officer in the Prussian army before being elected to the Prussian Diet (national assembly). In 1849, his speeches against liberal revolutionaries gained him the favor of King Frederick William IV. Bismarck then represented Prussia in the Diet of the German Confederation from 1851 to 1859. He served as ambassador first to Russia and then to France. He was recalled to Prussia in 1862 to become prime minister and secretary of foreign affairs. To unify the German states, Bismarck fought a war against Denmark in 1864; the Seven Weeks’ War against Austria in 1866; and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Germany’s harsh peace treaty with France instilled a spirit of revenge among the French, a spirit that sped the path to war in later years. In January 1871, t


A Stephen King 1975 horror fiction novel which involves a writer (named Ben Mears) who returns to the town where he lived as a boy, to discover that the residents are all becoming vampires?

Stephen King - 'Salem's Lot (Audiobook) » Vector, Photoshop PSDAfter Effects, Tutorials, Template, 3D, Categories: E-Books & Audio Books » Audio Books English - Mp3 - AudioBook - Unabridged - 620 MB 'Salem's Lot is a 1975 horror fiction novel written by the American author Stephen King. It was his second novel to be published. The story involves a writer named Ben Mears who returns to the town where he lived as a boy between the ages of 9 through 13 (Jerusalem's Lot, or 'Salem's Lot for short) in Maine, New England, to discover that the residents are all becoming vampires. The town would be a location that would be revisited in the short stories "Jerusalem's Lot" and "One for the Road", both from King's 1978 short story collection Night Shift. Stephen King - 'Salem's Lot (Audiobook) HI-SPEED DOWNLOAD Free 300 GB with Full DSL-Broadband Speed! The title King originally chose for his book was Second Coming, but he later decided on Jerusalem's Lot. King stated the reason being that his wife, novelist Tabitha King, thought the original title sounded too much like a "bad sex story". King's publishers then shortened it to the current title, thinking the author's choice sounded too religious. 'Salem's Lot has been adapted into a television mini-series twice, first in 1979 and then in 2004. It was also adapted by the BBC as a seven part radio play in 1995. The novel was nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1976. In two separate interviews, King conceded that ‘Salem’s Lot was his personal favorite book of those which he has written. In his 1983 Playboy Interview the interviewer mentioned that because it was his favorite, King was planning a sequel, but he has more recently stated on his website that since his Dark Tower series picked up the story already, in the novels “Wolves of The Calla” and "Song of Susanna," he felt there was no longer a need for one.[3] In 1987 he told Phil Konstantin in "The Highway Patrolman" magazine: "In a way it is my favorite story, mostly because of what it says about small towns. They are kind of a dying organism right now. The story seems sort of down home to me. I have a special cold spot in my heart for it!" [4] The book is dedicated to King's daughter Naomi: "For Naomi Rachel King . . . promises to keep." Ben Mears, a successful writer who grew up in the town of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine, has returned home after twenty-five years. Once in town he meets local high school teacher Matt Burke and strikes up a romantic relationship with Susan Norton, a young college graduate. Ben starts writing a book about the Marsten House, an abandoned mansion where he had a bad experience as a child. Mears learns that the Marsten House--the former home of Depression-era hitman Hubert "Hubie" Marsten--has been purchased by Kurt Barlow, an Austrian immigrant who has arrived in the Lot to ostensibly open an antique store. Barlow is an apparent recluse; only his familiar, Richard Straker, is seen in public. The duo's arrival coincides with the disappearance of a young boy, Ralphie Glick, and the death of his brother Danny, who becomes the town's first vampire, infecting such locals as Mike Ryerson, Randy McDougall, Jack Griffen, and Danny's own mother, Marjorie Glick. Danny fails, however, to infect Mark Petrie, who resists him successfully. Over the course of several weeks almost all of the townspeople are infected. Ben Mears and Susan are joined by Matt Burke and his doctor, Jimmy Cody, along with young Mark Petrie and the local priest, Father Callahan, in an effort to fight the spread of the vampires, whose numbers increase as the new vampires infect their own families and others. Susan is captured by Barlow before Mark has a chance to rescue her. Susan becomes a vampire, but is eventually staked through the heart by Mears, the man who loved her. Father Callahan is caught by Barlow at the Petrie house after Barlow kills Mark's parents, but does not infect them, so they are later given a clean burial. Barlow holds Mark hostage, but Father Callahan has the up


In what year was George Washington inaugurated as the first president of the United States?

George Washington | whitehouse.gov Air Force One George Washington On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. "As the first of every thing, in our situation will serve to establish a Precedent," he wrote James Madison, "it is devoutly wished on my part, that these precedents may be fixed on true principles." Born in 1732 into a Virginia planter family, he learned the morals, manners, and body of knowledge requisite for an 18th century Virginia gentleman. He pursued two intertwined interests: military arts and western expansion. At 16 he helped survey Shenandoah lands for Thomas, Lord Fairfax. Commissioned a lieutenant colonel in 1754, he fought the first skirmishes of what grew into the French and Indian War. The next year, as an aide to Gen. Edward Braddock, he escaped injury although four bullets ripped his coat and two horses were shot from under him. From 1759 to the outbreak of the American Revolution, Washington managed his lands around Mount Vernon and served in the Virginia House of Burgesses. Married to a widow, Martha Dandridge Custis, he devoted himself to a busy and happy life. But like his fellow planters, Washington felt himself exploited by British merchants and hampered by British regulations. As the quarrel with the mother country grew acute, he moderately but firmly voiced his resistance to the restrictions. When the Second Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia in May 1775, Washington, one of the Virginia delegates, was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. On July 3, 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, he took command of his ill-trained troops and embarked upon a war that was to last six grueling years. He realized early that the best strategy was to harass the British. He reported to Congress, "we should on all Occasions avoid a general Action, or put anything to the Risque, unless compelled by a necessity, into which we ought never to be drawn." Ensuing battles saw him fall back slowly, then strike unexpectedly. Finally in 1781 with the aid of French allies--he forced the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Washington longed to retire to his fields at Mount Vernon. But he soon realized that the Nation under its Articles of Confederation was not functioning well, so he became a prime mover in the steps leading to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. When the new Constitution was ratified, the Electoral College unanimously elected Washington President. He did not infringe upon the policy making powers that he felt the Constitution gave Congress. But the determination of foreign policy became preponderantly a Presidential concern. When the French Revolution led to a major war between France and England, Washington refused to accept entirely the recommendations of either his Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who was pro-French, or his Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who was pro-British. Rather, he insisted upon a neutral course until the United States could grow stronger. To his disappointment, two parties were developing by the end of his first term. Wearied of politics, feeling old, he retired at the end of his second. In his Farewell Address, he urged his countrymen to forswear excessive party spirit and geographical distinctions. In foreign affairs, he warned against long-term alliances. Washington enjoyed less than three years of retirement at Mount Vernon, for he died of a throat infection December 14, 1799. For months the Nation mourned him. The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.gov are from “The Presidents of the United States of America,” by Frank Freidel  and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2006 by the White House Historical Association.


How many presidents have been assassinated?

How many U.S. presidents have been assassinated? - Do You Know at MuseumSpot.com Search MuseumSpot or Google |   Great Must-See sites   |   See Articles and Exhibits | Find answers | Did you know?   MuseumSpot > How many U.S. presidents have been assassinated? How many U.S. presidents have been assassinated? Four presidents have been killed in office: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy. Source: The American Presidency , an exhibit by the Museum of American History.


Which president's First Lady opened a clinic for drug and alcohol abusers?

Ex-first lady, advocate for substance abuse treatment Betty Ford dies - CNN.com Ex-first lady, advocate for substance abuse treatment Betty Ford dies By the CNN Wire Staff STORY HIGHLIGHTS NEW: Stevie Nicks: "As far as I'm concerned, Betty Ford saved my life." President Obama calls her "a powerful advocate" for health and women's rights Betty Ford was surrounded by family members, a relative says The widow of Gerald Ford was an advocate for substance abuse treatment (CNN) -- Betty Ford, the widow of late President Gerald Ford and a co-founder of an eponymous addiction center in California, has died at the age of 93, according to the director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. Ford died Friday evening with family at her bedside, according to a family member. Elaine Didier, the director of the Grand Rapids, Michigan, museum, confirmed Ford's death to CNN. No other details were immediately available. The family is expected to release a statement later Friday or Saturday, Didier said. Condolences began pouring in soon after news broke about her death -- including from celebrities who sought treatment at the Betty Ford Center. 'She was a great First Lady' Betty Ford dies Gerald Ford "As far as I'm concerned, Betty Ford saved my life," Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks said. Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, who revealed in his recent autobiography that he was treated at the Betty Ford Center for drug addiction, also praised Ford's work. "Betty Ford took a risk at one of the worst times of her life and came forward to share a message of recovery in order to serve others," Tyler said. "Her vision, passion and amazing heart led to the Betty Ford Center, the gold standard of treatment facilities. She will be missed, but her work in recovery will live on." President Barack Obama remembered the former first lady as a "powerful advocate for women's health and women's rights" and someone who "helped reduce the social stigma surrounding addiction." His predecessor, George W. Bush, added that "because of her leadership, many lives were saved." Some of the many others offering praise and sympathy included Nancy Reagan (calling Ford "an inspiration"), and former presidents George H. W. Bush (describing her as a "wonderful wife and mother, a great friend and a courageous first lady) and Jimmy Carter (saying she was "a close personal friend" and "a remarkable political spouse.") Born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in Chicago, she grew up in Grand Rapids. At the age of 21, she moved to New York City to work as a dancer and model. She returned to the Midwest two years later. One year after divorcing William Warren after five years of marriage, she wed Gerald Ford -- a former star football player at the University of Michigan, decorated U.S. Navy veteran and budding Republican politician -- in 1948. That year, the woman now known as Betty Ford campaigned with her new husband on his successful venture to become a U.S. congressman from Michigan. She gave birth to three sons and a daughter over the course of their 58-year marriage. The family moved to Washington, where Gerald Ford served in the Capitol for 25 years before being tapped in 1973 as then-President Richard Nixon's vice president in place of Spiro T. Agnew. Just over 10 months later, Betty Ford became first lady when her husband was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States. Gerald Ford took office after Nixon resigned in the wake of his pending impeachment following the crisis and cover-up of the break-in at the Democratic National Committee's headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington. Betty Ford soon made headlines, holding press conferences and publicly discussing her diagnosis with breast cancer. The first lady talked about abortion, pre-marital sex and equal rights in an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" in 1975 -- the same year Newsweek named her its "Woman of the Year." According to the Ford library and museum's website, her candidness initially drew some criticism, but in a short time, 75% of Americans approved of her in public opinion polls. But in


Which president served two non-consecutive terms and is counted chronologically as both the 22nd and 24th president?

Video shows US Presidents morph from George Washington to Barack Obama | Daily Mail Online comments As the country enjoys the annual Presidents Day holiday here’s an amazing video which morphs through the faces of all 43 people who have been sworn into the highest office in the land in under four minutes. The roll call of great leaders starts with George Washington and goes all the way through to current incumbent Barack Obama. Although there have been 44 presidencies, only 43 people have been sworn into office as Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and is counted chronologically as both the 22nd and 24th president. Scroll down for video From George W Bush into Barack Obama: An amazing video morphs through the faces of all 43 people who have been sworn into the highest office in the land in under four minutes Republican Dwight Eisenhower morphs into Democrat John F Kennedy, the only Roman Catholic president to date Of the individuals elected as president, four died in office of natural causes (William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt), four were assassinated (Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy) and one resigned (Richard Nixon). George Washington, the first president, was inaugurated in 1789 after a unanimous vote of the Electoral College. RELATED ARTICLES Share William Henry Harrison spent the shortest time in office with 32 days in 1841. Franklin D. Roosevelt spent the longest with over twelve years, but died shortly into his fourth term in 1945 and is the only president to have served more than two terms. Andrew Jackson, the seventh president, was the first to be elected by men of all classes in 1828 after most laws barring non-land-owners from voting were repealed.  The morphed image captures the moment that Bill Clinton morphs into his replacement George W Bush Warren Harding was the first elected after women gained voting rights in 1920. Four presidents – John Q. Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison and George W. Bush – lost the popular vote but assumed office. John F. Kennedy has been the only president of Roman Catholic faith, while Barack Obama is the first African American president. To date there have been 18 Republicans, 16 Democrats and in the early days a smattering of Whigs, Federalists and Democratic-Republicans who have held the position. As the video morphs through the vintage photographs there are no smiles until Jimmy Carter in 1977. Ronald Reagan emerges from a photo of his smiling predecessor Jimmy Carter Bill Clinton morphs out of an image of his predecessor George Bush Snr Presidents Day is celebrated on the third Monday of February in honor of country’s first president. It is also a state holiday in most states where it is known by a variety of names including Presidents Day and Washington's and Lincoln's Birthday and officially celebrates, depending upon the state, Washington alone, Washington and Lincoln, or some other combination of U.S. presidents. Some states celebrate Washington and the third president Thomas Jefferson but not Lincoln. Colloquially, the holiday is widely known as Presidents Day and is often an occasion to celebrate, or at least remember, all presidents and not just George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays are in February. In historical rankings of Presidents of the United States both Lincoln and Washington are frequently, but not always, the top two presidents.  Democrat Lyndon B Johnson morphs into his Republican replacement Richard Nixon


Who became president following the assination of John F Kennedy in 1963?

November 22, 1963: Death of the President - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum November 22, 1963: Death of the President November 22, 1963: Death of the President Shortly after noon on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as he rode in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas. By the fall of 1963, President John F. Kennedy and his political advisers were preparing for the next presidential campaign. Although he had not formally announced his candidacy, it was clear that President Kennedy was going to run and he seemed confident about his chances for re-election. At the end of September, the president traveled west, speaking in nine different states in less than a week. The trip was meant to put a spotlight on natural resources and conservation efforts. But JFK also used it to sound out themes—such as education, national security, and world peace—for his run in 1964. Campaigning in Texas A month later, the president addressed Democratic gatherings in Boston and Philadelphia. Then, on November 12, he held the first important political planning session for the upcoming election year. At the meeting, JFK stressed the importance of winning Florida and Texas and talked about his plans to visit both states in the next two weeks. Mrs. Kennedy would accompany him on the swing through Texas, which would be her first extended public appearance since the loss of their baby, Patrick, in August. On November 21, the president and first lady departed on Air Force One for the two-day, five-city tour of Texas.   President Kennedy was aware that a feud among party leaders in Texas could jeopardize his chances of carrying the state in 1964, and one of his aims for the trip was to bring Democrats together. He also knew that a relatively small but vocal group of extremists was contributing to the political tensions in Texas and would likely make its presence felt—particularly in Dallas, where US Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson had been physically attacked a month earlier after making a speech there. Nonetheless, JFK seemed to relish the prospect of leaving Washington, getting out among the people and into the political fray. The first stop was San Antonio. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Governor John B. Connally, and Senator Ralph W. Yarborough led the welcoming party. They accompanied the president to Brooks Air Force Base for the dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center. Continuing on to Houston, he addressed a Latin American citizens' organization and spoke at a testimonial dinner for Congressman Albert Thomas before ending the day in Fort Worth. Morning in Fort Worth A light rain was falling on Friday morning, November 22, but a crowd of several thousand stood in the parking lot outside the Texas Hotel where the Kennedys had spent the night. A platform was set up and the president, wearing no protection against the weather, came out to make some brief remarks. "There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth," he began, "and I appreciate your being here this morning. Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it." He went on to talk about the nation's need for being "second to none" in defense and in space, for continued growth in the economy and "the willingness of citizens of the United States to assume the burdens of leadership." The warmth of the audience response was palpable as the president reached out to shake hands amidst a sea of smiling faces. Back inside the hotel the president spoke at a breakfast of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, focusing on military preparedness. "We are still the keystone in the arch of freedom," he said. "We will continue to do…our duty, and the people of Texas will be in the lead." On to Dallas The presidential party left the hotel and went by motorcade to Carswell Air Force Base for the thirteen-minute flight to Dallas. Arriving at Love Field, President and Mrs. Kennedy disembarked and immediately walked toward a fence where a crowd of well-wishers had gathe


Which president was married to the actress Jane Wyman?

Jane Wyman - Biography - IMDb Jane Wyman Biography Showing all 168 items Jump to: Overview  (5) | Mini Bio  (1) | Spouse  (5) | Trade Mark  (5) | Trivia  (117) | Personal Quotes  (35) Overview (5) 5' 5½" (1.66 m) Mini Bio (1) Jane Wyman was born Sarah Jane Mayfield on January 5, 1917, in St. Joseph, Missouri (she was also known later as Sarah Jane Fulks). When she was only eight years old, and after her parents filed for divorce, she lost her father prematurely. After graduating high school she attempted, with the help of her mother, to break into films, but to no avail. In 1932, after attending the University of Missouri, she began a career as a radio singer, which led to her first name change to Jane Durrell. In 1936 she signed a contract with Warner Bros. Pictures and that led to another name change, the more familiar one of Jane Wyman. Under that name she appeared in "A" and "B" pictures at Warners, including two with her future husband, Ronald Reagan : Brother Rat (1938) and its sequel, Brother Rat and a Baby (1940). In the early 1940s she moved into comedies and melodramas and gained attention for her role as Ray Milland 's long-suffering girlfriend in The Lost Weekend (1945). The following year she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Ma Baxter in The Yearling (1946), and won the coveted prize in 1949 as deaf-mute rape victim Belinda MacDonald in Johnny Belinda (1948). She followed that with a number of appearances in more prestigious films, such as Alfred Hitchcock 's Stage Fright (1950), Frank Capra 's Here Comes the Groom (1951), Michael Curtiz 's The Story of Will Rogers (1952) and the first movie version of The Glass Menagerie (1950). She starred opposite Bing Crosby in the musical Just for You (1952). She was Oscar-nominated for her performances in The Blue Veil (1951) and Magnificent Obsession (1954). She also starred in the immensely popular So Big (1953), Lucy Gallant (1955), All That Heaven Allows (1955) and Miracle in the Rain (1956). In addition to her extensive film career, she hosted TV's Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre (1955) and starred in most of the episodes of the show, which ran for three seasons. She came back to the big screen in Holiday for Lovers (1959), Pollyanna (1960) and her final film, How to Commit Marriage (1969). Although off the big screen, she became a presence on the small screen and starred in two made-for-TV movies, including The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel (1979). In early 1981, in the 49th year of her career, she won the role of conniving matriarch Angela Channing Erikson Stavros Agretti in the movie "The Vintage Years", which was the unaired pilot for the prime-time soap opera Falcon Crest (1981), later in the year. For nine seasons she played that character in a way that virtually no other actress could have done, and became the moral center of the show. The show was a ratings winner from its debut in 1981, and made stars out of her fellow cast members Robert Foxworth , Lorenzo Lamas , Abby Dalton and Susan Sullivan . At the end of the first season the storyline had her being informed that her evil son, played by David Selby , had inherited 50% of a California newspaper company, and the conflicts inherent in that situation led to even bigger ratings over the next five years. Wyman was nominated six times for a Soap Opera Digest Award, and in 1984 she won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series Drama. By the show's eighth season, however, she was emotionally drained and the strain of constantly working to keep up the quality of a hit show took its toll on her. In addition, there was friction on the set among cast members. All of these events culminated in her departure from the show after the first two episodes of the ninth season (her character was hospitalized and slipped into a coma) for health reasons. After a period of recuperation, she believed that she had recovered enough to guest-star in the last three episodes of the season (her doctor disagreed, but she did it anyway). She then guest-starred as Jane


Who was the only president to resign from office?

Richard M. Nixon - U.S. Presidents - HISTORY.com Richard M. Nixon A+E Networks Introduction Richard Nixon (1913-94), the 37th U.S. president, is best remembered as the only president ever to resign from office. Nixon stepped down in 1974, halfway through his second term, rather than face impeachment over his efforts to cover up illegal activities by members of his administration in the Watergate scandal. A former Republican congressman and U.S. senator from California, he served two terms as vice president under Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969) in the 1950s. In 1960, Nixon lost his bid for the presidency in a close race with Democrat John F. Kennedy (1917-63). He ran for the White House again in 1968 and won. As president, Nixon’s achievements included forging diplomatic ties with China and the Soviet Union, and withdrawing U.S. troops from an unpopular war in Vietnam. However, Nixon’s involvement in Watergate tarnished his legacy and deepened American cynicism about government. Google Education and Early Political Career Richard Milhous Nixon was born on January 9, 1913, in Yorba Linda, California . He was the second of five sons of Francis Anthony Nixon (1878-1956), who struggled to earn a living running a grocery store and gas station, and his wife, Hannah Milhous Nixon (1885-1967). .Nixon absorbed his parents’ discontent with their working-class circumstances and developed a strong sense of ambition.. Did You Know? While serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Richard Nixon won large amounts of money playing poker. He used these winnings to help fund his first political campaign in 1946. He attended Whittier College, where he excelled as a debater and was elected president of the student body before graduating in 1934. Three years later, he earned a law degree from Duke University, where he was head of the student bar association and graduated near the top of his class. After Duke, he returned to Whittier, California, and began working as an attorney. In 1940, Nixon married Thelma Catherine “Pat” Ryan (1912-93), whom he met while participating in a local theater group. The couple had two daughters, Patricia (1946-) and Julie (1948-). When America entered World War II (1939-45), Nixon joined the U.S. Navy and served as an operations officer in the Pacific. Following the war, Nixon launched his political career in 1946 when he defeated a five-term Democratic incumbent to represent his California district in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a congressman, Nixon served on the House Un-American Activities Committee and rose to national prominence by leading a controversial investigation of Alger Hiss (1904-1996), a well-regarded former State Department official who was accused of spying for the Soviet Union in the late 1930s. Nixon was re-elected to Congress in 1948 and two years later, in 1950, won a seat in the U.S. Senate. An Unsuccessful Bid for the Presidency Although Nixon’s attacks on alleged Communists and political opponents alarmed some people, they increased his popularity among conservative Republicans. In 1952, General Dwight Eisenhower selected the 39-year-old first-term senator to be his vice presidential running mate. A few months after accepting the nomination, Nixon became the target of a negative campaign that raised questions about money and gifts he allegedly received from industry lobbyists. Nixon answered these charges in his famous “Checkers” speech, claiming that the only gift he ever accepted was a puppy named Checkers for his young daughter. The speech proved effective and preserved Nixon’s spot on the ticket. Eisenhower and Nixon won the election of 1952 and were re-elected in 1956. In 1960, Nixon claimed the Republican presidential nomination, but lost one of the closest elections in American history to U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts . The turning point of the campaign came in the first-ever nationally televised presidential debate. During the broadcast, Nixon appeared pale, nervous and sweaty compared with his tan, well-rested and vigorous opponent. The loss to Kennedy


Who was president for the duration of the First World War?

Woodrow Wilson - U.S. Presidents - HISTORY.com Google Woodrow Wilson’s Early Years Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born on December 28, 1856, in Staunton, Virginia . (Because his mother said he arrived around midnight, some sources list Wilson’s birthday as December 29.) His father, Joseph Ruggles Wilson (1822-1903), was a Presbyterian minister, and his mother, Janet Woodrow Wilson (1826-1888), was a minister’s daughter and originally from England. Tommy Wilson, as he was called growing up, spent his childhood and teen years in Augusta, Georgia , and Columbia, South Carolina . During the American Civil War (1861-1865), Wilson’s father served as a chaplain in the Confederate army and used his church as a hospital for injured Confederate troops. Did You Know? Woodrow Wilson, who had an esteemed career as an academic and university president before entering politics, did not learn to read until he was 10, likely due to dyslexia. Wilson graduated from Princeton University (then called the College of New Jersey ) in 1879 and went on to attend law school at the University of Virginia. After briefly practicing law in Atlanta, Georgia, he received a Ph.D. in political science from Johns Hopkins University in 1886. (Wilson remains the only U.S. president to earn a doctorate degree.) He taught at Bryn Mawr College and Wesleyan College before being hired by Princeton in 1890 as a professor of jurisprudence and politics. From 1902 to 1910, Wilson was president of Princeton, where he developed a national reputation for his educational reform policies. In 1885, Wilson married Ellen Axson (1860-1914), a minister’s daughter and Georgia native. The couple had three daughters before Ellen died of kidney disease in 1914, during her husband’s first presidential term. The following year, Wilson married Edith Bolling Galt (1872-1961), a widow whose husband had owned a Washington , D.C., jewelry business. Woodrow Wilson’s Rise in Politics In 1910, Woodrow Wilson was elected governor of New Jersey, where he fought machine politics and garnered national attention as a progressive reformer. In 1912, the Democrats nominated Wilson for president, selecting Thomas Marshall (1854-1925), the governor of Indiana , as his vice presidential running mate. The Republican Party split over their choice for a presidential candidate: Conservative Republicans re-nominated President William Taft (1857-1930), while the progressive wing broke off to form the Progressive (or Bull Moose) Party and nominated Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), who had served as president from 1901 to 1909. With the Republicans divided, Wilson, who campaigned on a platform of liberal reform, won 435 electoral votes, compared to 88 for Roosevelt and eight for Taft. He garnered nearly 42 percent of the popular vote; Roosevelt came in second place with more than 27 percent of the popular vote. Woodrow Wilson’s First Administration At the age of 56, Woodrow Wilson was sworn into office in March 1913. He was the last American president to travel to his inauguration ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage. Once in the White House , Wilson achieved significant progressive reform. Congress passed the Underwood-Simmons Act, which reduced the tariff on imports and imposed a new federal income tax. It also passed legislation establishing the Federal Reserve (which provides a system for regulating the nation’s banks, credit and money supply) and the Federal Trade Commission (which investigates and prohibits unfair business practices). Other accomplishments included child labor laws, an eight-hour day for railroad workers and government loans to farmers. Additionally, Wilson nominated the first Jewish person to the U.S. Supreme Court, Louis Brandeis (1856-1941), who was confirmed by the Senate in 1916. When World War I broke out in Europe in the summer of 1914, Wilson was determined to keep the United States out of the conflict. On May 7, 1915, a German submarine torpedoed and sank the British ocean liner Lusitania , killing more than 1,100 people (including 128 Americans). Wilson continued to maintain U.S. neut


What do the 1st, 3rd, 16th and 26th presidents have in common?

Presidents' Day in the United States Home   Calendar   Holidays   the United States   Presidents' Day Presidents' Day in the United States Washington's Birthday, also known as Presidents' Day, is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of February. The day honors presidents of the United States, including George Washington, the USA's first president. George Washington was the first president of the United States of America. George Washington was the first president of the United States of America. ©iStockphoto.com/Jason DiLorenzo What Do People Do? Washington's Birthday officially honors the life and work of George Washington, the first president of the United States. The day commemorates past presidents of the USA. Washington's Birthday is sometimes known as Presidents' Day. This is because while most states have adopted Washington's Birthday, some states officially celebrate Presidents' Day. Some states pay particular attention to Abraham Lincoln, as his birthday was also in mid-February. In the weeks or days leading up to the holiday, schools often organize events and lessons for students about the presidents of the United States and George Washington in particular. It is a popular day for stores to start their sales. The US federal holiday is on the third Monday of February each year, but records show that George Washington's birthday is on February 22. Public Life Many businesses are open as usual and many stores hold sales on Washington's Birthday. Many delivery services, except for the Post Office, have a regular service and many, but not all, public transit systems operate on regular schedules. Some schools close for the whole week for a mid-winter recess. According to some government sources, Indiana observes the Washington's birthday holiday in December. Background George Washington was the first president of the United States of America. His first term as president was from 1789 to 1793 and his second term from 1793 to 1797. Before he became president, he played important roles in the military, leading the American Continental Army to victory over the British in 1783. Washington is often seen as the father of the United States and is probably the best known American politician ever. The likeness and name of George Washington can still be seen in many places in the United States. There is the portrait of him and three other American presidents carved into Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. His image is also used on the one-dollar bill and the quarter-dollar coin. The capital of the United States, Washington D.C., Washington State and at least three universities are named after him. Washington's Birthday was first celebrated as a holiday in the District of Columbia in 1880. It was made a federal holiday in 1885. The holiday was originally held on the anniversary of George Washington's birth, on February 22. In 1971, this holiday was moved to the third Monday in February. This holiday is legally designated as "Washington’s Birthday". Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is the federal government’s policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law.


Which book features the characters Passepartout, Mr Fix and Aouda?

Around the World in 80 Days Character Analysis Downloadable / Printable Version Character Analysis Phileas Fogg - This precise and intelligent man is one to the most memorable characters of Verne. When we are introduced to him, he is an English man who lives a very regularized life. He is impeccable in his manners and is very punctual as well as particular about what he wants. If it weren’t for the title we would never have guessed that he makes a plan to go around the world. What is most distinct about his character is his eccentricity and even his trip around the world results out of a stubborn quirk and not out of a greed for the wager money. While Fogg does travel around the world he does not really bother to find out more about the possible sources of tourist interest that he passes through. Surprisingly if anyone had a conversation with Fogg regarding the very same places, he would know a lot about them. It is the volatility and fire beneath the calm exterior that makes Fogg so very attractive. Your browser does not support the IFRAME tag. Another outstanding trait of Fogg is his large heartedness. He decides to help the sacrificial victim, Aouda and risks his own life in the bargain. The same attribute in Fogg enables him to pardon Passepartout despite the latter’s many blunders. Towards the end of the novel, Fogg even forgives the detective who had put so many hurdles in Fogg’s path. Fogg goes to the extent of giving Fix some money, while anyone else in Fogg’s place would have been livid with anger. As the protagonist of the story, Fogg demands a great deal of attention. It is he who sets most of the action rolling and it is he who initiates the entire adventure. He never gives up despite all odds and hires boats, captures ships, rides on a snow mobile and even hires a train in order to attain his goal. Verne adds an unexpected twist in the story when the precise Fogg slips up and mistakes the time. He thinks he has reached London late, when in fact, he reaches it a full day earlier. The entire England and the readers too cheer, when Fogg wins the wager and manages to go around the world in the stipulated period. Verne shows growth in Fogg’s character. While Verne celebrates Fogg’s rationality and his detachment at the end Verne maintains that Fogg attains nothing but love through his entire endeavor. He may have won a wager, which is good for his pride but more than anything else he finds lasting love, which is wonderful for his heart. Aouda would have kept Fogg very happy and we are glad that the ex-shipman marries the exotic Indian princess. Passepartout - Fogg’s valet, Passepartout is a foil to Fogg’s character. This interesting Frenchman is an integral part of the story, from the very first chapter. He is shown as a man, who is on the lookout for some peace and quiet after having had a very exciting and adventurous life. It is for this reason that he decides to serve the impeccable Fogg, who comes across as a meticulous man, who will not undertake travels. Passepartout soon realizes that he is completely wrong for Fogg suddenly plans a journey around the world and Passepartout is tugged along. This journey is not undertaken at a leisurely pace but is completed at a hectic gallop complete with many bumps. While Passepartout is very loyal, it is he who serves to delay his master several times. Passepartout is naïve to a certain extent and tends to get carried away at several occasions. While Fogg, Aouda and Passepartout are at Hong Kong, Passepartout gets opiated in the company of Fix and is unable to inform his master about the change in the departure time of the Carnatic. Fogg is thus forced to hire a special boat to Shanghai. Later in the story while the group is traversing America, Passepartout is taken captive by the Sioux. Fogg’s journey is delayed yet again, while he decides to rescue his menial-Passepartout. But the worst blow comes when Fogg is arrested by detective Fix in England. Passepartout can be greatly held blame for this arrest. He should have w


Who wrote the classic thriller The Thirty-Nine Steps?

The 39 Steps to writing a perfect thriller by author John Buchan's grandson | Daily Mail Online comments Even now, almost 100 years after it was first published, the story retains a modernity that is little short of astonishing 'The 39 Steps, in its language, its settings, its nods to contemporary technology and its characterisation, belongs firmly to the 20th century,' said John Buchan's grandson, Toby On a late-summer’s day in 1914, a man walks with his small daughter down a rickety flight of wooden steps leading to a private beach from a house on the clifftop. The girl, just turned six, is improving her counting by determinedly calling out the number of each step. ‘Thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-NINE!’ she says in triumph as they step off onto the sand. Thus Alice Buchan gave the title to her father’s, my grandfather’s, new novel, little knowing that it would prove to be one of the most enduring adventure stories ever to be published. John Buchan wrote The 39 Steps in a few weeks towards the end of 1914, while staying with his wife and children at Broadstairs in Kent, in a house on the cliffs overlooking Stone Bay. (The house is still there; indeed, anyone wishing to re-enact the novel’s finale may rent it as a holiday let.) While there, he became ill with the duodenal problems that plagued him all his life, and which had prevented him from joining the Army, Britain having declared war against Germany on August 4 that year. Two major elements among these facts – the clifftop setting and the coming of war – infuse what has come to be widely regarded as the first modern spy thriller. Buchan posted the manuscript to Blackwood & Sons in Edinburgh, publisher not only of books but of the famous literary magazine that bore its name. ‘It has amused me to write, but whether it will amuse you to read is another matter,’ he wrote. He need not have fretted. Blackwood’s accepted it at once and published it in the magazine, in serial form and pseudonymously, between July and September 1915, and as a book under Buchan’s name in October. It was an immediate success – and more than that, it has become a classic of its kind. Today, the principal charges levelled against the novel are that it is dated, and that it relies too heavily upon improbable circumstances or coincidences. Yet I would argue that even now, almost 100 years after it was first published, the story retains a modernity that is little short of astonishing. Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, released in 1935, is an extremely well-made comedy thriller that's widely and deservedly admired I am reminded of its place in our collective narrative by a cartoon I clipped from a newspaper a few years ago and pinned to my office wall. It shows a boy of about eight, standing in front of his parents. He is wearing a tweed Norfolk jacket, a tie, breeches, chequered shooting stockings and what are no doubt stout brogues. Eyes closed as in serious thought, he is drawing on a pipe clamped between his teeth, the bowl of which he’s holding in his left hand. In his right, half wedged beneath his arm, he holds a copy of The 39 Steps. Anxiously, his mother is saying to her husband, ‘Why doesn’t he read Harry Potter, like other kids?’ Why indeed? True, The 39 Steps isn’t read by the young (or old) in anything like the numbers that JK Rowling’s marvellous creation attracts, but it’s still in print nearly 100 years after its first publication; indeed, it has never been out of print, something that isn’t true of the works of, for instance, Jane Austen. John Buchan has quite often been called ‘the last Victorian’, but I have always found this a somewhat lazy description, especially when applied to his writing. He was, of course, a Victorian by birth and upbringing, but he was not stuck in the past. The storyline of The 39 Steps makes free use of the technology of its age: cars and a motorbike, radio and the telephone, a fleeting reference to a semi-automatic pistol and even a monoplane, at a time when all these were rarities – new-fangled, almost certainly dangerous and, to many, ar


Who wrote the novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang : The Magical Car?

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car up for auction - BBC News BBC News Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car up for auction 15 May 2011 Close share panel Media captionWatch: Peter Bowes test drives Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the most loved cars in the world, is going up for auction in Los Angeles. The star of the 1968 family movie was shipped to California from England to go under the hammer on Sunday. The unique vehicle, which is still in working order, is expected to fetch up to $2m (£1.2m). For the past four decades it has been kept in Stratford-upon-Avon by owner Pierre Picton, the man who looked after it on set. It has appeared at hundreds of shows and charity road races, but has never been auctioned until now. Magical being There were several Chitty Chitty Bang Bang cars made for the film, but this was the only one that actually worked. It was driven in the movie by Dick Van Dyke, who played the eccentric inventor who takes his children on the adventure of a lifetime. I think it's the most recognisable car in the world - this is a once in a lifetime opportunity Joe Maddalena, Profiles in History The vehicle was designed by Ken Adam and built by the Ford Racing Team. Its bonnet is crafted of polished aluminium; the boat deck is hand-crafted of red and white cedar, and the brass fittings taken from Edwardian cars. The car is powered by a Ford three-litre V6 engine and has a dashboard plate from a British World War I fighter plane. Chitty was completed in 1967 and registered with the number plate GEN 11, given to her by Ian Fleming, who wrote the novel the film was based on. The registration spells the Latin word "genii", meaning magical person or being. It is being sold by a Hollywood memorabilia company Profiles in History, which says the vehicle is attracting interest from around the world. "I think it's the most recognisable car in the world," said Joe Maddalena, the company's owner. "This car is the best of the best. It takes your breath away. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a car collector or museum."


Who wrote the novel Black Beauty, first published in 1877?

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, First Edition - AbeBooks Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, First Edition You Searched For: Results (1 - 30) of 272 1 Search Within These Results: Bookseller Image Published by London Jarrold and Sons (1877) Used Hardcover First Edition Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: London Jarrold and Sons, 1877. First Edition Of "Black Beauty" SEWELL, Anna. Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions. The Autobiography of a Horse. Translated from the Original Equine by Anna Sewell. London: Jarrold & Sons, [1877]. First edition. Octavo (6 7/16 x 4 1/8 inches; 164 x 105 mm). viii [9]-247, [1], [8] ads. Black and white wood-engraved frontispiece by C. Hewitt (included in pagination). Original publisher's cloth, Carter's variant "C" binding: terracotta cloth blocked in black and gilt. Brown coated endpapers. Spine lightly sunned and some minor rubbing at extremities. Re-cased with some professional restoration to top and bottom of spine. A few thumb marks to first few pages. This is a good copy of this enduring children's classic. "Sewell's only publication was Black Beauty, written intermittently from 1871 to 1877 at a time when her health further declined, and she was confined to the house and her sofa. In the early period of writing the novel she dictated to her mother from the sofa on which she lay; in 1876 she was able to write in pencil on slips of paper which her mother transcribed. The novel was sold to her mother's publishers, Jarrold & Sons, for an outright payment of £40 and published as Black Beauty: his grooms and companions; the autobiography of a horse, ï¿½Translated from the Original Equine, by Anna Sewellï¿½, on 24 November 1877 when Anna was fifty-seven. Now a children's classic, the novel was originally written for those who worked with horses, ï¿½its special aimï¿½, Sewell wrote, ï¿½being to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horsesï¿½ (Mrs Bayly, 272). It has been seen as instrumental in leading to the abolition of the bearing-rein." (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography). Carter, More Binding Variants, pp. 37 and 38. HBS 67529. $4,500. Bookseller Inventory # 67529 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Boston: American Humane Education Society, 1890, 1890. First Edition; publisher's printed boards; minute chipping at the top and bottom of the spine; extremely slight soiling and wear; an unusually fine and fresh copy. The front cover touts this as "The ÔUncle Tom's Cabin' of the Horse," a fair comment given the effect that this novel has had to this day. How far society has come in this regard is demonstrated by the short instruction manual following the text on the humane killing of a horse or dog, something taken for granted in these days of veterinary open-heart surgery. While the humane sentiments of the Boston Brahmin do-gooders was laudable, it should be noted that the condition and treatment of human beings at that time was not much better than that of animals. Bookseller Inventory # 13223 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Humane Education Society, Boston, 1890. Soft cover. Book Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 1st Edition. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. First American edition, first issue in original printed stiff boards. Publisher: Humane Education Society, Boston, (1890). First issue with Introductory Chapter dated February 12, 1890 and ads on endpapers dated March, 1890. Nice tight copy in very good plus condition, toning to spine, heavy toning to rear cover. Contents clean. Damp staining to corner of title-page getting lighter throughout the book until hard to notice unless looking for it. (fore-edge with the same damp stain but darker). 245 pages plus series of society articles in back. 4 ½ x 7 inches. Overall an excellent copy of a scarce item. Protected by Mylar. Inventory #15-220. Price: $1,750. Bookseller Inventory # 15-220 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1952. First edition. First edition. Illustrated throughout. 1 vols. Oblong 8vo. INSCRIBED TO EUGENE V. CONNETT, WITH DRAWI


Which author wrote the Foundation series of science fiction novels?

Foundation: Isaac Asimov: 9780553293357: Amazon.com: Books By J. Callen on November 22, 2013 Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase This review is specifically of the Kindle edition, published by Ballantine/Bantam. The Foundation Trilogy is a wonderful piece of work, but the Kindle edition butchers it! Someone has decided to water down Asimov's prose, eliminating some of the more enjoyable passages of the book. Here are some examples, found by comparison with an old Bantam Doubleday hardcover edition. Several pages into chapter 3, Salvor Hardin is arguing with the Encyclopedists about the decline of the Empire. Original: "If you ask me,", he cried, "THE GALAXY IS GOING TO POT!" Kindle: "If you ask me,", he cried, "THE GALACTIC EMPIRE IS DYING!" In chapter 5, Hardin is again meeting with the Encyclopedists and discussing the threat received from Anacreon. Original: The message from Anacreon ... boils down easily and straightforwardly to the unqualified statement ... "You give us what we want in a week, or we beat the hell out of you and take it anyway." Kindle: The message from Anacreon ... boils down easily and straightforwardly to the unqualified statement ... "You give us what we want in a week, or we take it by force." I'm going to be asking for a refund. By Alastair Browne on March 23, 2016 Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase This is Isaac Asimovâs masterpiece. This is about the fall of the Galactic Empire, consisting of the entire Milky Way galaxy. In the story, there are twenty five million inhabited planets, with a population in the quintillions, set 50,000 years in the future. The planet of origin had long been forgotten, and the citizens of the galaxy knew of no other form of government. Nobody in the galaxy was aware of what was to happen. Nobody, except one man, a psychologist named Hari Seldon. He invented the concept of psychohistory, predicting the behavior of human masses. The behavior of one human being is unpredictable, but the behavior of masses of people can be predicted in their reactions to any event. The greater the mass, the easier it is to predict their reactions. In predicting the fall of an empire, Dr. Seldon foresees 30,000 years of barbarism, a dark age, ahead for humanity. The fall of this empire could not be averted, but the period of barbarism could be reduced from 30,000 years down to 1,000 years, so Dr. Seldon sets up two foundations, âat opposite ends of the galaxyâ in order to observe and intervene when necessary when a major crisis arises, and for the Foundation, the First Foundation in this case, can deal with it and move on with its work. Dr. Asimov himself has stated that this trilogy is based on the book, âThe Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.â You can see the resemblances here. Rome itself was also known as Terminus back in the days of the empire. When Rome fell, it did split apart into feudal kingdoms before the Renaissance, and then the nation-state came into being. Donât forget the Barbarians, the Germanic tribes to the North of Europe. With this, you have an interesting book. Little kingdoms are formed as the empire falls apart, all trying to be the top power, with several battles taking place here and there. There are different planets with different physical features; one planet always faces its sun, with the inhabitants living on the border day/night (twilight) zone. Another planet being cold nine months of the year, and, of course, Trantor, the capital with one gigantic city covering the whole planet, until it gets sacked. What is different is that the two foundations, in the book, try to minimize the barbarous, or chaotic, era to 1,000 years, controlled by the First Foundation, which is openly displayed for all to see. The Second Foundation was a lot more mysterious, with no one knowing where it is. Terminus is a planet with no natural resources, so the people, especially the scientists, placed there have to use their ingenuity to come up with ways to control the masses in the galaxy by way of a religion, the Galactic Spirit (similar to


What is the first part of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy called?

Is "Lord of the Rings" a trilogy of books in Tolkien's opinion? - Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange up vote 62 down vote accepted TL;DR Tolkien himself did NOT consider it a trilogy. It shouldn't even be called 3 books, since Tolkien didn't refer to them as books, but as volumes, and any time he used the word he air-quoted it as 'books'. Wikipedia gives us a good start: Tolkien regarded it as a single work and divided it into a prologue, six books, and five appendices. Because of post-World War II paper shortages, it was originally published in three volumes. To back that up, we can refer to Tolkien's letters: Letter 136 P.S. I have given some thought to the matter of sub-titles for the volumes, which you thought were desirable. But I do not find it easy, as the 'books', though they must be grouped in pairs, are not really paired; and the middle pair (III/IV) are not really related. Would it not do if the 'book-titles' were used: e.g. The Lord of the Rings: Vol. I The Ring Sets out and The Ring Goes South; Vol. II The Treason of Isengard, and The Ring goes East; Vol. III The War of the Ring, and The End of the Third Age'? If not, I can at the moment think of nothing better than : I The Shadow Grows II The Ring in the Shadow III The War of the Ring or The Return of the King. JRRT. . Letter 149 The (unavoidable) disadvantage of issuing in three pans has been shown in the 'shapelessness' that several readers have found, since that is true if one volume is supposed to stand alone. 'Trilogy', which is not really accurate, is partly to blame. There is too much 'hobbitry' in Vol. I taken by itself; and several critics have obviously not got far beyond Chapter I. And the most direct one: Letter 165 P.S. The book is not of course a 'trilogy'. That and the titles of the volumes was a fudge thought necessary for publication, owing to length and cost. There is no real division into 3, nor is any one pan intelligible alone. The story was conceived and written as a whole and the only natural divisions are the 'books' I-VI (which originally had titles). Further details can be found in this excellent article from The Tolkien Society: " The Lord of the Rings: The Tale of a Text ": The Lord of the Rings is not a trilogy: by the time it was being prepared for publication in 1950, Tolkien was thinking of it as a duology: a book of two parts, the other being The Silmarillion - a work concieved of as being of equal size to The Lord of the Rings (Letter 126 to Milton Waldon, 10/3/1950). ... Tolkien's publisher, Stanley Unwin, was not convinced by the idea of publishing The Silmarillion, and wanted to publish just The Lord of the Rings. In 1952 the publishers estimated the price for a single volume would be at least £3 10s, and were looking into the possibility of publishing the work in two volumes, as well as for a cheaper printer. As we know, Allen and Unwin decided that three volumes was the best number: an economic, not a literary decision: Tolkien at this point was still thinking of his work as six books (Letter 136 to Stanley Unwin, 24/3/1953) At least one of the editions of The Lord of the Rings that I have includes a Note on the Text written by Douglas A. Anderson, October 1986. It starts: The Lord of the Rings is often erroneously called a trilogy, when it is in fact a single novel, consisting of six books plus appendices,1 published for convenience in three volumes. And the footnote: 1 Tolkien's titles for the six books were not used. A contents listing with the manuscript of The Lord of the Rings at Marquette University gives them as follows: Volume I, "The First Journey" and "The Journey of the Nine Companions"; Volume II, "The Treason of Isengard" and "The Journey of the Ringbearers"; Volume III, "The War of the Ring" and "The End of the Third Age." A variant set of titles can be found in Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 167. A similar passage can be found here , but is dated April 1993.


Who wrote East of Eden, Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath?

John Steinbeck - Biographical John Steinbeck The Nobel Prize in Literature 1962 John Steinbeck Questions and Answers on John Steinbeck John Steinbeck (1902-1968), born in  Salinas, California, came from a family of moderate means. He  worked his way through college at Stanford University  but never graduated. In 1925 he went to New York, where he tried  for a few years to establish himself as a free-lance writer, but  he failed and returned to California. After publishing some  novels and short stories, Steinbeck first became widely known  with Tortilla Flat (1935), a series of humorous stories  about Monterey paisanos. Steinbeck's novels can all be classified as social novels dealing  with the economic problems of rural labour, but there is also a  streak of worship of the soil in his books, which does not always  agree with his matter-of-fact sociological approach. After the  rough and earthy humour of Tortilla Flat, he moved on to  more serious fiction, often aggressive in its social criticism,  to In Dubious Battle (1936), which deals with the strikes  of the migratory fruit pickers on California plantations. This  was followed by Of Mice and Men (1937), the story of the  imbecile giant Lennie, and a series of admirable short stories  collected in the volume The Long Valley (1938). In 1939 he  published what is considered his best work, The Grapes of  Wrath, the story of Oklahoma tenant farmers who, unable to  earn a living from the land, moved to California where they  became migratory workers. Among his later works should be mentioned East of Eden (1952), The Winter of Our Discontent (1961), and Travels with Charley (1962), a travelogue in which  Steinbeck wrote about his impressions during a three-month tour  in a truck that led him through forty American states. He died in  New York City in 1968. From Nobel Lectures , Literature 1901-1967, Editor Horst Frenz, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1969 This autobiography/biography was written  at the time of the award and first   published in the book series Les   Prix Nobel .   It was later edited and republished in Nobel Lectures . To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.


Who wrote Jurassic Park, which the Spielberg film was based on?

Michael Crichton, 66; wrote 'Jurassic Park', created 'ER' - The Boston Globe Obituaries Michael Crichton, 66; wrote 'Jurassic Park', created 'ER' Michael Crichton started writing professionally while a student at Harvard Medical School (above). (Julian Brown for The Boston Globe/ 1969 file) Globe Wires / November 6, 2008 | Text size – + LOS ANGELES - Michael Crichton, who wrote such best-selling novels as "The Andromeda Strain" and "Jurassic Park," directed such movies as "Coma" and "The Great Train Robbery," and created the long-running TV drama "ER," has died. He was 66. Dr. Crichton, who put himself through Harvard Medical School by writing potboilers under several pseudonyms before becoming a novelist whose books sold more than 150 million copies worldwide, died Tuesday in Los Angeles after what his family described as a "courageous and private battle against cancer." "Michael's talent outscaled even his own dinosaurs of 'Jurassic Park,' " filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who directed the movie version of that novel, said in a statement. "He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the Earth." That synthesizing of science and storytelling began at Harvard. After earning his undergraduate in anthropology in 1964 and spending a year on a teaching fellowship at Cambridge University, he entered the medical school. To help pay his tuition, he began writing paperback thrillers under the pen names John Lange and Jeffery Hudson. His 1968 medical thriller "A Case of Need," won an Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America. While still studying medicine at Harvard, he wrote his first best-seller: "The Andromeda Strain," a fast-paced scientifically and technologically detailed thriller about a team of scientists attempting to save humanity from a deadly microorganism brought to Earth by a military satellite. It was made into a movie in 1971. After getting his medical degree, Dr. Crichton moved to California and eventually abandoned medicine to become a full-time writer. "I don't like being locked into someone else's reality. People tend to be gladiators, with nets," he told The Boston Globe in 1988. "What I heard when I gave up doctoring for writing was: 'This is ridiculous!' 'You're nuts!' You're a fool!' " Instead, he became rich and famous. For the next four decades, the 6-foot-9 writer was a towering presence in the worlds of publishing and filmmaking. His novels in the '70s and '80s included "The Terminal Man," "The Great Train Robbery," "Eaters of the Dead," "Congo," and "Sphere." Dr. Crichton made his feature film directing debut in 1973 with "Westworld," which he also wrote, about a fantasy theme park for wealthy vacationers whose fun is spoiled when malfunctioning androids turn deadly. Yul Brynner was the leader of the marauding androids. Dr. Crichton directed five other movies in the '70s and '80s, including "Coma." For his adaptation of that Robin Cook novel, Dr. Crichton returned to his Boston ties. He filmed much of the movie in Eastern Massachusetts, including hospital scenes at Boston City Hospital. As a novelist, Dr. Crichton came back stronger than ever in the 1990s with bestsellers such as "Jurassic Park," "Rising Sun," "Disclosure," and "Timeline." During the same decade, he co-wrote the screenplay for "Jurassic Park," the 1993 Spielberg-directed blockbuster hit; and he co-wrote the screenplay for the 1996 action-thriller "Twister" with his fourth wife, actress Anne-Marie Martin, with whom he had a daughter, Taylor. Dr. Crichton also created "ER," the long-running NBC medical drama that debuted in 1994 and became the No. 1 series the next year. This season will be the series' last. Neal Baer, a physician who became an executive producer on "ER," was a fourth-year medical student at Harvard University when he was sent Dr. Crichton's script. "I said, 'Wow, this is like my life.' Baer said. John Wells, another executive producer of "ER," called the author "an extraordinary man. Brilliant, funny, erudite, gracious, exce


Three Men in a Boat (TV Movie 1975) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Three Men in a Boat ( 1975 ) 1h 4min One hot June day, three friends decide there is nothing they would like to do more than to get away from London. A boating holiday with lots of fresh air and exercise would be just the very... See full summary  » Director: Famous Directors: From Sundance to Prominence From Christopher Nolan to Quentin Tarantino and every Coen brother in between, many of today's most popular directors got their start at the Sundance Film Festival . Here's a list of some of the biggest names to go from Sundance to Hollywood prominence. a list of 196 titles created 06 Jun 2012 a list of 257 titles created 01 Jan 2013 a list of 39 titles created 04 Sep 2014 a list of 30 titles created 4 months ago a list of 50 titles created 3 months ago Title: Three Men in a Boat (TV Movie 1975) 7.4/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Add Image Add an image Do you have any images for this title? Three London gentlemen take vacation rowing down the Thames, encountering various mishaps and misadventures along the way. Director: Ken Annakin Griff Rhys Jones , Rory McGrath and Dara O'Briain embark on a series of boat journeys. Stars: Griff Rhys Jones, Rory McGrath, Dara O'Briain Two ill-matched teenage girls form a punk band and soon have New York City by its ears. Director: Allan Moyle James Penfield has made a career out of journalism. Now bankrupt, he finds himself with a group of other writers in the middle of the dispute-ridden British homeland at the time of the Falklands War. Director: Richard Eyre A corrupt television preacher and his congregation are held hostage by a woman, her lover, and her two cousins in an attempt to avenge the theft of her inheritance. A quirky look at the ... See full summary  » Director: David Beaird A traveler by the name of Crossley forces himself upon a musician and his wife in a lonely part of Devon, and uses the aboriginal magic he has learned to displace his host. Director: Jerzy Skolimowski Napoleon and Love (TV Mini-Series 1974) Biography | Drama | History A dramatized account of Napoleon's love life and his many women; from first-love, marriage, and betrayal with Josephine, liaisons with actresses, his love for the beautiful patriotic Marie ... See full summary  » Stars: Ian Holm, Billie Whitelaw, Peter Bowles Sammy and Rosie are an unconventional middle-class London married couple. They live in the midst of inner-city chaos, surround themselves with intellectual street people, and sleep with ... See full summary  » Director: Stephen Frears Will Shakespeare (TV Mini-Series 1978) Biography Blue Money (TV Movie 1985) Comedy | Crime Larry dreams of becoming a star entertainer, but until then he drives a cab and works as chauffeur for the shady Ramirez. One day he has a look in the suitcase that Ramirez is carrying ... See full summary  » Director: Colin Bucksey The comic adventures of three friends and a dog when they take a boating holiday on the River Thames. Director: Graham Cutts Edit Storyline One hot June day, three friends decide there is nothing they would like to do more than to get away from London. A boating holiday with lots of fresh air and exercise would be just the very thing, or so their doctors tell them. So, after debating the merits of hotel or camp beds and what to pack, they set off on their voyage - a trip up the Thames from Henley to Oxford - but very quickly find themselves ill-equipped for the trials of riverbank life. Written by Dabby 31 December 1975 (UK) See more  » Also Known As: Drei Mann in einem Boot See more  » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia Tom Stoppard had never read Jerome K. Jerome's famous novel when he was asked to adapt it for this TV movie. He claimed that this was actually a


Which broadsheet newspaper founded in 1821 as 'The New Observer' became the first to produce a colour supplement?

Concise History of the British Newspaper in the Nineteenth Century Concise History of the British Newspaper in the Nineteenth Century A Concise History of the British Newspaper, century by century, complied by our experts. The Cambrian Daily Leader 20 May 1861. British Library Newspaper Library. Copyright © The British Library Board 1801 - Sept 27 : Weekly Dispatch launched. Became Sunday Dispatch in 1928. Ceased publication in 1961. 1802 - Jan 1 : Cobbett's Annual Register founded, later Cobbett's Weekly Political Register. Ceased publication in 1836. 1803 : Globe launched. Merged with Pall Mall Gazette in 1921. 1804 : Cambrian launched in Swansea.  First newspaper published in Wales. 1806 - Jan 10 : First use of illustration in the Times: Nelson's funeral. 1808 - Jan 3 : Examiner launched. Editor Leigh Hunt imprisoned in 1813 for publishing criticism of the Prince Regent. Ceased publication in 1881. 1808 : North Wales Gazette launched in Bangor.  First newspaper published in North Wales. 1810 : Carmarthen Journal launched. 1814 - Jan 1 : Baptist Minister, Joseph Harrris launches Seren Gomer ['Star of Gomer'] in Swansea.  First Welsh-language newspaper. 1814 - Nov 24 : First issue of a newspaper - the Times - printed on a (Koenig) power press. 1815 : Stamp Duty increased to 4d per sheet. 1817 - Jan 25 : Scotsman launched. 1821 - Feb 18 : New Observer launched. Became the Sunday Times on 20 October 1822. 1821 - May 5 : Manchester Guardian founded by John Edward Taylor. 1822 : Stamp Office agrees to pass copies of all newspapers to British Museum. 1822 : Cardiff Weekly Reporter launched. 1822 - March 3 : Bell's Life in London adds and Sporting Chronicle to its title. First newspaper to include sport as a major component. Merged with Sporting Life in 1886. 1827 - May 21 : Standard launched, later Evening Standard. 1828 - July 5 : Spectator founded. 1832 : First recorded British newspaper cartoon, published in Bell's New Weekly Messenger. 1837 : Northern Star, major Chartist newspaper, founded in Leeds by Feargus O'Connor. 1841 - July 17 : Punch founded. Ceased publication in 1992; re-launched in 1996. 1841 - Nov 12 : Jewish Chronicle founded. Oldest Jewish newspaper in the world. 1842 - May 14 : Illustrated London News launched: first fully illustrated weekly. 1842 - Nov 27 : Lloyd's Illustrated London Newspaper launched, later Lloyd's Weekly News. Became Sunday News in 1923; incorporated with Sunday Graphic in 1931. 1843 : Yr Amserau ['The Times'] founded in Liverpool by John Jones and edited by William Rees.  Published in the Isle of Man between July and September 1848.  Merged with Baner Cymru ['Banner of Wales'] in 1859 under Thomas Gee to become Baner ac Amserau Cymru. 1843 - Sept 2 : Economist founded, to campaign for free trade. 1843 - Oct 1 : News of the World founded by John Browne Bell at 3d. Newsagents at first refused to handle it at such a low price. 1844 - Aug 6 : First story based on telegraphed news printed in the Times: birth of Queen's son at Windsor. 1846 : Mitchell's Newspaper Press Directory founded, later Benn's Media Directory. 1846 - Jan 21 : Daily News launched, edited by Charles Dickens. 1848 : William Howard Russell joins staff of the Times. Shortly to become first professional war correspondent. 1848 : First W.H. Smith station bookstall opened, at Euston. 1850 - May 5 : Reynold's Weekly Newspaper launched. Became Sunday Citizen in 1962; ceased publication in 1967. Charles Mitchell, The Newspaper Press Directory ... For the Year 1846 (London, [1846]) 1851 : Reuters News Agency opens in London. 1853 - Aug : Abolition of advertisement tax. 1855 : Yr Herald Cymraeg launched in Caernarfon. 1855 - June 29 : Daily Telegraph launched. 1855 - July 1 : Repeal of the Stamp Act opens the way for cheap, mass-circulation newspapers and modern newspaper design in terms of spacing and headlines. 1855 - Aug 4 : Colored News, first coloured newspaper, launched. Discontinued 29 September. 1855 : Clerkenwell News launched; became Daily Chronicle in 1872. 1855 - Sept 20 : Daily Telegraph becomes the first 1d London


What was the title of The Beatles' first film released in 1964?

Film History Milestones - 1964 Event and Significance 1964 The first feature-length made-for-TV movie,    an action film titled See How They Run (1964) and starring John Forsythe    and Senta Berger, was broadcast on NBC-TV for its world premiere. It was    the first broadcast of Project 120, an innovative deal between Universal    and NBC. 1964 By 1964, especially with the rise of television, theater     admission numbers had dropped dramatically to below 1 billion. The trend     started to reverse itself with the arrival of blockbusters and multi-plexes,     but Hollywood would never get back to its glory days in the 1940s and     1950s. 1964 Director/screenwriter Shirley Clarke's mainstream, fictional feature crime film The Cool World (1964), a cinema verite-style examination of the rise of the Black Power movement and street gangs among African-Americans in the inner-city, was the first commercial film venture to be shot on location in Harlem. The semi-documentary was also the first feature-length film credit produced by legendary documentary director Frederick Wiseman. 1964 Michelangelo Antonioni's and cinematographer    Carlo DiPalma's visually-impressive French-Italian co-production Red    Desert (1964, It.) (Il Deserto Rosso) made spectacular use of the recently-perfected telephoto lens,    to create a shallow depth-of-field. It was also Antonioni's first film in    color, used in extreme and expressive ways. 1964 Director Teinosuke Kinugasa's Japanese     historical period drama Gate      of Hell (1953/1954, Jp.) (aka Jigokumon), released     during the wave of influential Japanese cinema in mid-century, was the     first color film from Japan to be released outside of the country. It     also won the Palme d'Or (Grand Prize) at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival,     and the Best Costume Design (Color) Oscar. Its tale was about a brave      12th Century samurai named Moritoh Enda (Kazuo Hasegawa) who hopelessly      longed for the beautiful but married Lady Kesa (Machiko Kyo). 1964 The mockumentary A Hard Day's Night (1964),     the first Beatles film, premiered. The behind-the-scenes lives of the     Fab Four were highlighted as Beatlemania erupted worldwide. The Beatles     had made their first live TV appearance in the US on "The Ed Sullivan     Show" on February 9, 1964. 1964 Sony began marketing the first reel-to-reel    (video tape recorder) VTR designed specifically for home use in 1964 --    however, widescale consumer use of video tape recorders didn't really take    off until the mid-1970s. 1964 Director Stanley Kubrick's brilliant, satirical, provocative   black comedy/fantasy regarding doomsday and Cold War politics was released, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) . The landmark   film - the first commercially-successful political satire about nuclear war,    was a cynically-objective, Monty Python-esque, humorous, biting   response to the apocalyptic fears of the 1950s. 1964 To obtain film rights to the intellectual property My Fair Lady (1964) , to be directed by George Cukor and starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, Warners paid a record sum of $5.5 million in February 1962. (See Annie (1982) when the record was broken.) 1964 The Cockney flower   vendor character, Eliza Doolittle, played by little-known Julie Andrews on the Broadway stage for My Fair Lady was replaced   by well-known, non-singing 'Cinderella' actress Audrey Hepburn in the big-screen 1964 version. Ironically, Julie Andrews was awarded a Best Actress Academy Award (presented in 1965) for her   role in Disney's competing film Mary Poppins (1964) as the title character British nanny, and Hepburn failed to   receive a nomination for her part. 1964 Mary Poppins (1964) blended live-action and animation.     It received 13 Academy Award nominations and won five Oscar statues,     including Best Actress for Julie Andrews. She was the first Disney star


Which member of the Royal family divorced on April 23rd 1992 and married again 8 months later?

The Royal House Of Windsor - British Monarchy Family History British Monarchy Family History The Royal House Of Windsor     The Royal House of Windsor has been the ruling royal house of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for ninety six years, from 1917 until the present day, by way of four monarchs. The house officially stems from the Royal House of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, but this name was changed in 1917, by King George V, owing to the war history between Germany and Great Britain.  The name Windsor was chosen after the royal family's oldest and favourite royal residence, Windsor Castle in Berkshire.     GEORGE V      King George V came to the throne upon the death of his father in 1910 and was crowned on the 22nd of June 1911 at Westminster Abbey.  George was born on the 3rd of June 1865 at Marlborough House in London. He was the second child and second son of King Edward VII and Queen Consort Alexander. During his young adult life he was a naval officer, and as he was never born to be king, saw much active service.However, with the death of his elder brother Prince Albert from pneumonia in 1892, his naval career was halted as he became Prince of Wales and heir apparent to the throne of Great Britain.  George was crowned king at Westminster Abbey on the 22nd of June 1911 and is best remembered as the king whose reign oversaw the first World War and for changing the British Royal House name from the Royal House of Saxe Coburg - Gotha to the Royal House of Windsor. This was done because of widespread anti-German feelings due to the two country's war history. His twenty six year reign was fraught with problems for the country in the aftermath of the war years and also saw a rise in socialism, communism and fascism.   George V's reign also oversaw the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) which resulted in partition of Ireland, with the formation of the Irish Free State in December 1922 and the region of Northern Ireland unified with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.    During his later life he was dogged by ill health and suffered from a multitude of ailments including emphysema, bronchitis, pleurisy and pulmonary disease, probably brought on by his heavy smoking and stress due to the country's problems in the wake of the war. George died at Sandringham House in Norfolk on the 20th of January 1936 and was interred at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on the 29th of January.        MARY OF TECK  George married Mary of Teck  on the 6th of July 1893 at the Chapel Royal at St James' Palace in London.   Mary was born at Kensington Palace on the 26th of May 1867 and was the daughter of Francis, Duke of Teck and Mary Adelaide of Cambridge.    Mary had originally been engaged to George's elder brother Albert, but their engagement lasted only six weeks due to Albert's untimely death. Mary is probably best remembered for her regal propriety, her wearing of many jewels on state occasions and, during and after the war years, of her staunch loyalty and support of her husband. Known as May to her family and friends, because of her birth month, she was officially known as the Duchess of York and Cornwall during her early married years, The Princess of Wales from 1901 - 1910, The Queen from 1910 - 1936 and finally as Queen Mary during her time as the King's mother, until her death on the 24th of March, 1953 from lung cancer, at the age of eighty five.  During the last year of her life  - 6th of February 1952 - 24th of March 1953 - was the only time in British history that three British queens were alive at the same time, Queen Mary, her daughter - in - law Queen Elisabeth and the as yet uncrowned Queen Elisabeth II. Mary was interred beside her husband at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on the 31st of March 1953. The royal couple had six children, two of which would go on to be kings of Great Britain. They were: Edward, Prince of Wales - (1894 - 1972). Future King Edward VIII. Abdicated in 1936 in order to marry American commoner and divorcee, Wallis Simpson. Albert, Duke of York - (1895


What did 15 men led by Bruce Reynolds do on August 8th, 1963 in Ledburn, Buckinghamshire?

BBC ON THIS DAY | 8 | 1963: Train robbers make off with millions 1963: Train robbers make off with millions Thieves have ambushed the Glasgow to Euston mail train and stolen thousands of pounds. Banks estimate they have lost over £2m in used, untraceable banknotes in the biggest ever raid on a British train. The Post Office train - known as the Up Special - had run every night, without interference, for 125 years until it was brought to a halt by a red light at 0315 GMT in Buckinghamshire. This was obviously a brilliantly planned operation
 Det Supt Buckinghamshire CID
 Driver Jack Mills, 58, has been detained in hospital in Aylesbury with head injuries after being coshed by the raiders, who police believe were masked and armed with sticks and iron bars. But most of the 75 mail sorters working on the train were unaware of the 20 minute incident as the thieves uncoupled the engine and front two carriages of the train and drove them up to Bridego Bridge a mile away. There they broke into the second carriage - restraining the four postal workers inside - and loaded 120 mail and money bags into a lorry waiting on the road beneath. Investigators - including Buckinghamshire Police, the British Transport Police and the Post Office - were on the scene, near Cheddington, in the early hours of the morning and found signals had been tampered with and telephone wires cut. The Detective Superintendent of Buckinghamshire CID said: "This was obviously a brilliantly planned operation." Rewards totalling a record £260,000 have already been offered by insurers, banks and the Post Office for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the gang and return of the money. The Postmaster-General Mr Bevins explained the robbery may have been an "inside job" and has called for a "full and urgent" inquiry into security on Royal Mail trains. He was concerned the money on board had not been defaced, since much of it was en route to be destroyed. Labour MP for Burnley Dan Jones proposed a bill to improve security on mail trains two years ago and in the House of Commons today expressed outrage that the matter had still not been addressed. In Context The total amount stolen was put at £2.6m in a heist that became known as the Great Train Robbery.
 After a massive police operation the gang's abandoned hideout was found at Leatherslade Farm in Bedfordshire.
 Just over six months later 12 - of a gang of 15 - thieves were sentenced to jail-terms totalling more than 300 years.
 The robbery's mastermind, Bruce Reynolds, evaded capture until 1969, when he was given a 10 year sentence.
 In the meantime two of his accomplices - Charlie Wilson and Ronnie Biggs - escaped.
 Biggs only returned to the UK in 2001 for medical treatment and was imprisoned to serve the remainder of his 28 year sentence. He was released in August 2009 on compassionate grounds after suffering several strokes.
 Jack Mills never worked again and died in 1970.


'Live Aid' pop concerts are staged on July 13th 1985 in London and which other US city?

Live Aid concert - Jul 13, 1985 - HISTORY.com Live Aid concert Publisher A+E Networks On July 13, 1985, at Wembley Stadium in London, Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially open Live Aid, a worldwide rock concert organized to raise money for the relief of famine-stricken Africans. Continued at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and at other arenas around the world, the 16-hour “superconcert” was globally linked by satellite to more than a billion viewers in 110 nations. In a triumph of technology and good will, the event raised more than $125 million in famine relief for Africa. Live Aid was the brainchild of Bob Geldof, the singer of an Irish rock group called the Boomtown Rats. In 1984, Geldof traveled to Ethiopia after hearing news reports of a horrific famine that had killed hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians and threatened to kill millions more. After returning to London, he called Britain’s and Ireland’s top pop artists together to record a single to benefit Ethiopian famine relief. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was written by Geldof and Ultravox singer Midge Ure and performed by “Band Aid,” an ensemble that featured Culture Club, Duran Duran, Phil Collins, U2, Wham!, and others. It was the best-selling single in Britain to that date and raised more than $10 million. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was also a No. 1 hit in the United States and inspired U.S. pop artists to come together and perform “We Are the World,” a song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie. “USA for Africa,” as the U.S. ensemble was known, featured Jackson, Ritchie, Geldof, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, and many others. The single went to the top of the charts and eventually raised $44 million. With the crisis continuing in Ethiopia, and the neighboring Sudan also stricken with famine, Geldof proposed Live Aid, an ambitious global charity concert aimed at raising more funds and increasing awareness of the plight of many Africans. Organized in just 10 weeks, Live Aid was staged on Saturday, July 13, 1985. More than 75 acts performed, including Elton John, Madonna, Santana, Run DMC, Sade, Sting, Bryan Adams, the Beach Boys, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Queen, Duran Duran, U2, the Who, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Eric Clapton. The majority of these artists performed at either Wembley Stadium in London, where a crowd of 70,000 turned out, or at Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium, where 100,000 watched. Thirteen satellites beamed a live television broadcast of the event to more than one billion viewers in 110 countries. More than 40 of these nations held telethons for African famine relief during the broadcast. A memorable moment of the concert was Phil Collins’ performance in Philadelphia after flying by Concorde from London, where he performed at Wembley earlier in the day. He later played drums in a reunion of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin. Beatle Paul McCartney and the Who’s Pete Townsend held Bob Geldof aloft on their shoulders during the London finale, which featured a collective performance of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Six hours later, the U.S. concert ended with “We Are the World.” Live Aid eventually raised $127 million in famine relief for African nations, and the publicity it generated encouraged Western nations to make available enough surplus grain to end the immediate hunger crisis in Africa. Geldof was later knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his efforts. In early July 2005, Geldof staged a series of “Live 8″ concerts in 11 countries around the world to help raise awareness of global poverty. Organizers, led by Geldof, purposely scheduled the concert days before the annual G8 summit in an effort to increase political pressure on G8 nations to address issues facing the extremely poor around the world. Live 8 claims that an estimated 3 billion people watched 1,000 musicians perform in 11 shows, which were broadcast on 182 television networks and by 2,000 radio stations. Unlike Live Aid, Live 8 was intentionally not billed as a fundraiser–Geldof’s slogan was


At the 84th Academy Awards in 2012, which silent French film received ten nominations, winning five awards, including Best Picture?

Oscars 2012: Complete Winners List | Hollywood Reporter Oscars 2012: Complete Winners List 5:30 PM PST 2/26/2012 by THR Staff Getty Images "The Artist" and "Hugo" topped the 84th annual Academy Awards with five wins apiece. The 84th annual Academy Awards took place Sunday, Feb. 26 with Billy Crystal hosting for a ninth time. Martin Scorsese's 3D film Hugo and silent movie The Artist topped the night with five wins apiece . The Artist took home several of the top awards, including best picture, director (Michel Hazanavicius) and actor (Jean Dujardin). The Iron Lady was the only other film to take home multiple awards with two honors, including Meryl Streep's third Oscar. Other films represented with wins include The Descendants, The Help, A Separation, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Undefeated, Beginners, The Muppets, Midnight in Paris and the short films The Shore, Saving Face and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Below are the winners in the 24 motion picture categories: Best Picture