- go to the top
- About WN
- Contact
- Feedback
- Privacy Policy
- © 2012 World News Inc., all Rights Reserved
1949
Loading suggestions ...
-
Abdolhossein Hazhir
Abdolhosein Hazhir (1899 – November 5, 1949) was a Prime Minister of Iran.
http://wn.com/Abdolhossein_Hazhir -
Ahmad Rashad
http://wn.com/Ahmad_Rashad -
Aiswarya
http://wn.com/Aiswarya -
Alan Garcia Perez
http://wn.com/Alan_Garcia_Perez -
Alan Lancaster
Alan Lancaster (born Alan Charles Lancaster, 7 February 1949 in Peckham, London, England) is a bassist and a founding ex-member of the English rock band, Status Quo. As well as contributing to songwriting, he was also one of the lead vocalists on albums and live concerts taking the lead on tracks such as "Backwater", "Bye Bye Johnny", "High Flyer" and "Roadhouse Blues", etc.
http://wn.com/Alan_Lancaster -
Alan Menken
Alan Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.
http://wn.com/Alan_Menken -
Alan Osmond
Alan Ralph Osmond (born on June 22, 1949 in Ogden, Utah, United States) was a member of the family musical group The Osmonds. He was the oldest of the seven siblings who could sing, as the two oldest brothers, Virl and Tom, are hearing impaired although Tom is currently under treatment. During much of the Osmonds' career, Alan was the leader of the group. Today he performs only rarely because he has multiple sclerosis.
http://wn.com/Alan_Osmond -
Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE DL (born 2 May 1949) is an English broadcaster and novelist, particularly famous in the field of gardening programmes on British television.
http://wn.com/Alan_Titchmarsh -
Albert Guay affair
http://wn.com/Albert_Guay_affair -
Alex Higgins
Alexander "Alex" Gordon Higgins (18 March 1949 – 24 July 2010), also known by his nickname of Hurricane Higgins, was a Northern Irish professional snooker player who was twice World Champion and twice runner-up. Higgins earned the nickname The Hurricane because of his speed of play. Higgins was also a former World Doubles champion with Jimmy White and won the World Cup three times with the All Ireland team. He also came to be known as the ''People's Champion'' because of his popularity. Higgins made 46 century breaks during his career.
http://wn.com/Alex_Higgins -
Alexander Godunov
Alexander Borisovich Godunov (Russian: ; November 28, 1949May 18, 1995) was a Russian-American ballet dancer and film actor, whose defection caused a diplomatic incident between the USA and the USSR.
http://wn.com/Alexander_Godunov -
Alla Pugacheva
Alla Borisovna Pugacheva () or Pugachova (more accurately reflecting ), born 15 April 1949), is а Soviet and Russian musical performer. Her career started in 1965 and continues to this day. For her clear mezzosoprano and a full display of sincere feelings, she enjoys an iconic status across the former Soviet Union as the most successful Soviet performer in terms of record sales and popularity. She became the Meritorious Artist of the RSFSR in 1980, People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1985 and People's Artist of the USSR in 1991.
http://wn.com/Alla_Pugacheva -
Andrei Fursenko
Andrei Aleksandrovich Fursenko (; born July 17, 1949 in Leningrad) is a Russian politician, scientist and businessman. Currently he is the Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
http://wn.com/Andrei_Fursenko -
Andy Kaufman
Andrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman (January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself one.He is quoted in [http://movies.nytimes.com/person/37092/Andy-Kaufman/biography The New York Times] as saying: "I am not a comic, I have never told a joke...The comedian's promise is that he will go out there and make you laugh with him...My only promise is that I will try to entertain you as best I can. I can manipulate people's reactions. There are different kinds of laughter. Gut laughter is where you don't have a choice, you've got to laugh. Gut laughter doesn't come from the intellect. And it's much harder for me to evoke now, because I'm known. They say, 'Oh wow, Andy Kaufman, he's a really funny guy.' But I'm not trying to be funny. I just want to play with their heads." He disdained telling jokes and engaging in comedy as it was traditionally understood, referring to himself instead as a "song-and-dance man".
http://wn.com/Andy_Kaufman -
Ann Druyan
Ann Druyan (born June 13, 1949) is an American author and producer specializing in productions about cosmology and popular science. She made substantial contributions to the PBS documentary series and is perhaps best known as the wife of late scientist and educator Carl Sagan.
http://wn.com/Ann_Druyan -
Annie Leibovitz
Anna-Lou "Annie" Leibovitz (; born October 2, 1949) is an American portrait photographer.
http://wn.com/Annie_Leibovitz -
Antonio Carpio
Antonio T. Carpio (born October 26, 1949) is an incumbent Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was appointed to the Court by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and assumed office on October 26, 2001, his 52nd birthday.
http://wn.com/Antonio_Carpio -
Armand Assante
Armand Anthony Assante, Jr. (born October 4, 1949) is an American actor.
http://wn.com/Armand_Assante -
Armin Shimerman
Armin Shimerman (born November 5, 1949) is an American actor. Shimerman is best known for playing the Ferengi bartender Quark in the television series , Principal Snyder in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kramer's caddy Stan on Seinfeld, Voicing Dr. Nefarious in the Ratchet and Clank series and Andrew Ryan, the antagonist of BioShock.
http://wn.com/Armin_Shimerman -
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE (; born 22 October 1949 in Strasbourg) is a French football manager who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996. He is the most successful manager in the history of Arsenal in terms of trophies and is also the club's longest-serving manager.
http://wn.com/Arsène_Wenger -
Arthur Fielder
Arthur Fielder (19 July 1877, Plaxtol, Tonbridge, Kent, England – 30 August 1949, Lambeth, London, England) was the leading fast bowler in English cricket for the decade before World War I and one of the key contributors to Kent's four County Championship successes between 1906 and 1913.
http://wn.com/Arthur_Fielder -
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini (; March 25, 1867 – January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th century and 20th century, he was renowned for his brilliant intensity, his restless perfectionism, his phenomenal ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory. As music director of the NBC Symphony Orchestra he became a household name through his radio and television broadcasts and many recordings of the operatic and symphonic repertoire. He is widely considered to have been one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century.
http://wn.com/Arturo_Toscanini -
August Krogh
Schack August Steenberg Krogh (November 15, 1874 – September 13, 1949) was a Danish professor with partly Romani background (Romani mother ) at the department of zoophysiology at the University of Copenhagen from 1916-1945. He contributed a number of fundamental discoveries within several fields of physiology, and is famous for developing the Krogh Principle.
http://wn.com/August_Krogh -
Beijing
| style="float:right;"
http://wn.com/Beijing -
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (, also Binyamin Netanyahu, born 21 October 1949) is the ninth and current Prime Minister of Israel, serving since March 2009. Netanyahu also serves as the current Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.
http://wn.com/Benjamin_Netanyahu -
Bernd Eichinger
Bernd Eichinger (born 11 April 1949) is a German film producer and director.
http://wn.com/Bernd_Eichinger -
Beverly Lynn Burns
Captain Beverly Lynn Burns was the first woman to captain the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. On the afternoon of July 18, 1984, Burns made her maiden voyage as Captain when she commanded People Express aircraft 604 from Newark International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport.
http://wn.com/Beverly_Lynn_Burns -
Bill Buckner
William Joseph Buckner (born December 14, 1949 in ) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. Despite winning a batting crown in , representing the Chicago Cubs at the All-Star Game the next season and accumulating over 2,700 career hits in his twenty year career, he is best remembered for a crucial fielding error during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, a play that has since been prominently entrenched into American sports lore.
http://wn.com/Bill_Buckner -
Bill Hudson (singer)
William Louis "Bill" Hudson (born 17 October 1949 in Portland, Oregon) is an American musician most famous for being in the band The Hudson Brothers.
http://wn.com/Bill_Hudson_(singer) -
Bill Robinson
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (May 25, 1878 - November 25, 1949) was an American tap dancer and actor of stage and film. Audiences enjoyed his understated style, which eschewed the frenetic manner of the jitterbug in favor of cool and reserve; rarely did he use his upper body, relying instead on busy, inventive feet and an expressive face.
http://wn.com/Bill_Robinson -
Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar known as Pearly Gates. Gibbons has a bass vocal range, spanning E1 to E♭5, one of the widest ranges in Rock. He is noted for using a Mexican peso coin as a guitar pick and uses many pinch harmonics in his solos.
http://wn.com/Billy_Gibbons -
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to the RIAA.
http://wn.com/Billy_Joel -
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt (born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer-songwriter, born in Burbank, California. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially accessible recordings in the 1990s including "Nick of Time", "Something to Talk About", "Love Sneakin' Up on You", and the slow ballad "I Can't Make You Love Me". Raitt has received nine Grammy Awards in her career and is a lifelong political activist.
http://wn.com/Bonnie_Raitt -
Brandon Tartikoff
Brandon Tartikoff (January 13, 1949 – August 27, 1997) was a television executive who was credited with turning around NBC's low prime time reputation with such hit series as Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, ALF, Family Ties, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Seinfeld, Miami Vice, The Golden Girls, Knight Rider, The A-Team, St. Elsewhere, Night Court, Hunter, Highway to Heaven, Matlock, Remington Steele, A Different World, 227 and Empty Nest.
http://wn.com/Brandon_Tartikoff -
Brenda Russell
Brenda Russell (born Brenda Gordon, April 8, 1949, Brooklyn, New York) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Known for her eclectic musical style, her recordings have encompassed several different genres, including pop, soul, jazz and adult contemporary. As well as composing and recording her own material, Russell's songwriting and vocal talents are often in demand by many other artists who, over the years, have included Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire, Joni Mitchell, Donna Summer and Sting.
http://wn.com/Brenda_Russell -
Brent Spiner
Brent Jay Spiner (born February 2, 1949) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television series ' and four subsequent films. His portrayal of Data in ' and of Dr. Brackish Okun in Independence Day, both in 1996, earned him a Saturn Award and Saturn Award nomination respectively. He has also enjoyed a career in the theatre and as a musician.
http://wn.com/Brent_Spiner -
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949), nicknamed "The Boss", is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band. Springsteen is widely known for his brand of Heartland rock infused with pop hooks, poetic lyrics, and Americana sentiments centered on his native New Jersey.
http://wn.com/Bruce_Springsteen -
Bruno Kirby
Bruno Kirby (April 28, 1949 – August 14, 2006) was an American film and television actor. He was perhaps best known for his roles in the Hollywood films City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally..., Good Morning, Vietnam, and The Godfather Part II.
http://wn.com/Bruno_Kirby -
Buck Freeman
John Frank "Buck" Freeman (October 30, 1871 – June 25, 1949) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball at the turn of the 20th century. Freeman was one of the top sluggers of his era, his most famous feat being the 25 home runs he hit during the 1899 season.
http://wn.com/Buck_Freeman -
Buddhism
Buddhism (Pali/Sanskrit: बौद्ध धर्म Buddha Dharma) is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha (Pāli/Sanskrit "the awakened one"). The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. He is recognized by adherents as an awakened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end suffering (or dukkha), achieve nirvana, and escape what is seen as a cycle of suffering and rebirth.
http://wn.com/Buddhism -
Buddy Clark
Buddy Clark (July 26, 1911 - October 1, 1949) was a popular American singer in the 1930s and 1940s.
http://wn.com/Buddy_Clark -
Carl Bildt
, Honorary KCMG (born 15 July 1949) is a Swedish politician, diplomat and nobleman. Formerly Prime Minister of Sweden from 1991 to 1994 and leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party from 1986 to 1999, Bildt has served as Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs since 6 October 2006. He has also been noted internationally as a mediator in the Balkan conflict, serving as the European Union's Special Envoy to the Former Yugoslavia from June 1995, co-chairman of the Dayton Peace Conference in November 1995 and as High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina from December 1995 to June 1997 immediately after the Bosnian War. From 1999 to 2001, he served as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Balkans.
http://wn.com/Carl_Bildt -
Carlos the Jackal
Carlos the Jackal (born Ilich Ramírez Sánchez on ) is a Venezuelan convicted in France. After several bungled bombings, he achieved notoriety for a 1975 raid on the OPEC headquarters in Vienna, resulting in the deaths of three people. This was followed by a string of attacks against Western targets. For many years he was among the most wanted international fugitives. Arrested in Sudan in 1994 and flown to France, he is now serving a life sentence in the Clairvaux Prison for the murder of two French agents of the DST (counter-intelligence) and an alleged informant.
http://wn.com/Carlos_the_Jackal -
Caroline Munro
Caroline Munro (born 16 January 1949) is an English actress and model known for her many appearances in horror, science fiction and action films of the 1970s and 1980s.
http://wn.com/Caroline_Munro -
Charles B. Middleton
Charles B. Middleton (October 3, 1874 – April 22, 1949) was an American stage and film actor. During a film career that began at age 46 and lasted almost 30 years, Charles Middleton appeared in nearly two hundred films as well as numerous plays, including the 1946 Broadway production, "January Thaw".
http://wn.com/Charles_B_Middleton -
Charles Rocket
Charles Rocket (August 24, 1949 – October 7, 2005) was an American film and television actor, notable for his tenure as a cast member on Saturday Night Live as well as for his appearances as the villain Nicholas Andre in the film Dumb and Dumber; as Dave Dennison, the father in Disney's Hocus Pocus; and as Adam, the Angel of Death in Touched by an Angel.
http://wn.com/Charles_Rocket -
Charlie Steiner
http://wn.com/Charlie_Steiner -
Chavo Guerrero, Sr.
Salvador Guerrero III (born on January 7, 1949), better known as Chavo Guerrero or Chavo Guerrero, Sr., is a former professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), American Wrestling Association (AWA) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and for being the father of current superstar Chavo Guerrero, Jr. He is the oldest son of Salvador "Gory" Guerrero, and part of the Guerrero wrestling family.
http://wn.com/Chavo_Guerrero_Sr -
Claudia Jennings
Claudia Jennings (born Mary Eileen Chesterton, 20 December 1949, Saint Paul, Minnesota — died October 3, 1979, Malibu, California) was an American model and actress. Jennings was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month in November 1969 and later Playmate of the Year 1970. Her original pictorial was photographed by Pompeo Posar.
http://wn.com/Claudia_Jennings -
Dan Bunten
http://wn.com/Dan_Bunten -
Daniel Mangeas
Daniel Mangeas, (born 10 April 1949) is a former baker who has been the commentator of the Tour de France and other important cycle races in France and Belgium since 1974. He commentates on 200 events a year, but tries to never speak for the rest of the day after races, to preserve his voice.
http://wn.com/Daniel_Mangeas -
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye (January 18, 1913 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian.
http://wn.com/Danny_Kaye -
David Ben-Gurion
(, born David Grün on 16 October 1886, died 1 December 1973) was the first Prime Minister of Israel and a Zionist leader. Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, culminated in his instrumental role in the founding of the state of Israel. After leading Israel to victory in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Ben-Gurion helped build the state institutions and oversaw the absorption of vast numbers of Jews from all over the world. Upon retiring from political life in 1970, he moved to Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev desert, where he lived until his death. Posthumously, Ben-Gurion was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.
http://wn.com/David_Ben-Gurion -
David Rubinstein
David Rubinstein (born 1949 in New York, New York) is a pianist. He has given concerts featuring the works of American composers such as Charles Griffes and Aaron Copland at the American Landmark Festivals, as well as performing his own works. Additional career highlights include the 1971 world premiere recording of several of Sibelius' piano works on the Musical Heritage Society label, currently re-issued on the Musicus Recordings label.
http://wn.com/David_Rubinstein -
Dennis Green
Dennis "Denny" Green (born February 17, 1949 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is an American football head coach for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. During his National Football League career, Green coached the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals.
http://wn.com/Dennis_Green -
Dennis Taylor
Dennis Taylor (born Denis Taylor, 19 January 1949 in Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland) is a retired snooker player, and current BBC snooker commentator. Winner of two ranking events, he is best known for winning the 1985 World Snooker Championship final, beating the heavily favoured Steve Davis on the black ball in a final often described as one of the sport's greatest. Taylor is also well known for his sense of humour and his trademark over-sized glasses.
http://wn.com/Dennis_Taylor -
Don Johnson
Donald Wayne "Don" Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor known for his work in television and film. He played the lead role of Sonny Crockett in the 1980s TV cop series, Miami Vice, which led him to huge success and fame. He also played the lead role in the 1990s cop series, Nash Bridges. Johnson is a Golden Globe winning actor for his role in Miami Vice, a winner of the APBA Offshore World Cup, and has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is also a singer, songwriter, producer, and director.
http://wn.com/Don_Johnson -
Don Quixote
(; , see spelling and pronunciation below), fully titled The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha (), is a novel written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. Cervantes created a fictional origin for the story by inventing a Moorish chronicler for Don Quixote named Cide Hamete Benengeli. Published in two volumes a decade apart (in 1605 and 1615), Don Quixote is the most influential work of literature from the Spanish Golden Age in the Spanish literary canon. As a founding work of modern Western literature, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published.
http://wn.com/Don_Quixote -
Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th century urban foibles.
http://wn.com/Dorothy_Parker -
Duncan Bannatyne
Duncan Walker Bannatyne, OBE (born 2 February 1949) is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist and best selling author. His business interests include health clubs, hotels, media, TV, stage schools, property and transport. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons' Den. He has written four books; Anyone Can Do It sold more than 250,000 copies and Wake Up and Change Your Life quickly entered the Sunday Telegraph top selling books list, as did How to be Smart With Your Money which was followed by How to be Smart With Your Time. He was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his contribution to charity.
http://wn.com/Duncan_Bannatyne -
Dusty Hill
Joseph Michael "Dusty" Hill (born May 19, 1949) is the bassist and vocalist with the American rock group ZZ Top.
http://wn.com/Dusty_Hill -
Ed Begley, Jr.
:For his father, see Ed Begley.
http://wn.com/Ed_Begley_Jr -
Eddie Money
Eddie Money (born Edward Joseph Mahoney, March 21, 1949 in New York City, New York) is an American rock guitarist, saxophonist and singer-songwriter who found success in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits and platinum albums. Rock impresario Bill Graham said of Money "Eddie Money has it all...Not only can he sing, write and play, but he is a natural performer."
http://wn.com/Eddie_Money -
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.
http://wn.com/Edgar_Allan_Poe -
Edwin Alonzo Boyd
Edwin Alonzo Boyd (April 2, 1914—May 17, 2002) was a Canadian criminal and leader of the Boyd Gang. His career made him a notorious Canadian folk hero.
http://wn.com/Edwin_Alonzo_Boyd -
Eikichi Yazawa
is an influential Japanese singer-songwriter, and important figure in Japanese popular music.
http://wn.com/Eikichi_Yazawa -
Elijah Harper
Elijah Harper (born March 3, 1949) is an Aboriginal Cree Canadian politician and band chief. He was a key player in the rejection of the Meech Lake Accord, an attempt at Canadian constitutional reform.
http://wn.com/Elijah_Harper -
Ellery Harding Clark
Ellery Harding Clark (March 13, 1874 – February 17, 1949) was an American athlete. He was the first modern Olympic champion in high jump and long jump.
http://wn.com/Ellery_Harding_Clark -
Elliott Murphy
Elliott James Murphy (born March 16, 1949 on Long Island, New York) is an American rock singer-songwriter, novelist, producer and journalist living in Paris.
http://wn.com/Elliott_Murphy -
Elmer Clifton
Elmer Clifton, (March 14, 1890, Toronto - October 15, 1949, Los Angeles) was an American writer, director, and actor from the early silent days. A collaborator of D. W. Griffith, he appeared in The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916) before giving up acting in 1919 to concentrate on work behind the camera.
http://wn.com/Elmer_Clifton -
Emanuel Ax
Emanuel Ax (born 8 June 1949) is a Grammy-winning American-Jewish classical pianist. He is currently a teacher on the faculty of the Juilliard School. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 21st century.
http://wn.com/Emanuel_Ax -
English people
The English (from ) are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens.
http://wn.com/English_people -
Erik Estrada
Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada (born March 16, 1949) is an American actor, known for his co-starring lead role in the 1977–1983 United States police television series CHiPs. He later became known for his work in Spanish language telenovelas, and in more recent years, his appearances in reality television shows and infomercials and as a regular voice on the Cartoon Network show Sealab 2021.
http://wn.com/Erik_Estrada -
Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza (May 18, 1892 - May 9 1957) was an Italian basso opera singer with a rich, smooth and sonorous voice. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas. Pinza also sang to great acclaim at La Scala, Milan, and at the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden.
http://wn.com/Ezio_Pinza -
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an American expatriate poet and critic, and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry, known in particular for his role in developing Imagism, which favored clear language, a lack of rhetoric, and precision of imagery. His best-known works include Ripostes (1912), Hugh Selwyn Mauberley (1920), and his epic poem The Cantos (1925–1964).
http://wn.com/Ezra_Pound -
Fanny Ardant
Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant (born 22 March 1949 in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire) is a French actress. She has appeared in more than fifty motion pictures since 1976. Ardant won the César Award for Best Actress in 1997 for her performance in Pédale douce.
http://wn.com/Fanny_Ardant -
Felix Bressart
Felix Bressart (March 2, 1892 – March 17, 1949) was a German-American actor of stage and screen.
http://wn.com/Felix_Bressart -
Fernand Braudel
Fernand Braudel (August 24, 1902 – November 27, 1985) was a French historian and a leader of the Annales School. His scholarship focused on three main projects, each representing several decades of intense study: The Mediterranean (1923–49, then 1949–66), Civilization and Capitalism (1955–79), and the unfinished Identity of France (1970–85). His reputation stems in part from his writings, but even more from his success in making the Annales School the most important engine of historical research in France and much of the world after 1950. As the dominant leader of the Annales School of historiography in the 1950s and 1960s, he exerted enormous influence on historical writing in France and other countries.
http://wn.com/Fernand_Braudel -
Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film The Wizard of Oz.
http://wn.com/Frank_Morgan -
Fred Hoyle
Sir Fred Hoyle FRS (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) was an English astronomer and mathematician noted primarily for his contribution to the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis and his often controversial stance on other cosmological and scientific matters—in particular his rejection of the "Big Bang" theory, a term originally coined by him as a jocular, perhaps disparaging, name for the theory which was the main rival to his own. In addition to his work as an astronomer, Hoyle was a writer of science fiction, including a number of books co-written with his son Geoffrey Hoyle. Hoyle spent most of his working life at the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge and served as its director for a number of years. He died in Bournemouth, England, after a series of strokes.
http://wn.com/Fred_Hoyle -
Fredric March
Fredric March (August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American stage and film actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1932 for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and in 1946 for The Best Years of Our Lives.
http://wn.com/Fredric_March -
Friedrich Bergius
Friedrich Karl Rudolf Bergius (October 11, 1884 – March 30, 1949) was a German chemist known for the Bergius process for producing synthetic fuel from coal, Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1931, together with Carl Bosch) in recognition of contributions to the invention and development of chemical high-pressure methods. Having collaborated with IG Farben during World War Two and committed to Nazi victory, his citizenship came into question following the war, where he ultimately fled to Argentina, advising the Ministry of Industry.
http://wn.com/Friedrich_Bergius -
Fritz Hart
Fritz Bennicke Hart (11 February 1874 – 9 July 1949) was an English composer, conductor, teacher and unpublished novelist, who spent considerable periods in Australia and Hawaii.
http://wn.com/Fritz_Hart -
Fritz Leiber, Sr.
:This article refers to the actor. For his son, the science fiction writer, see Fritz Leiber.
http://wn.com/Fritz_Leiber_Sr -
Gary Ridgway
Gary Leon Ridgway (born February 18, 1949), known as the Green River Killer, is an American serial killer. Ridgway murdered numerous women in Washington during the 1980s and 1990s. He strangled them, mostly with his arm, but he would also use ligatures. After strangling the women, he would dump their bodies throughout King County.
http://wn.com/Gary_Ridgway -
Gates McFadden
Cheryl Gates McFadden (born March 2, 1949) usually credited as Gates McFadden, is an American actress and choreographer. She is best known for portraying the character of Dr. Beverly Crusher in the television series and subsequent films.
http://wn.com/Gates_McFadden -
Geezer Butler
Geezer Butler (born Terence Michael Joseph Butler on 17 July 1949 in Birmingham, England) is an English musician and songwriter. Butler is best known as the bassist and co-lyricist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He was also involved in Heaven & Hell from 2006 to 2010.
http://wn.com/Geezer_Butler -
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz [, ] on August 25, 1949 is an Israeli-American rock bassist, vocalist, musician, actor, and businessman. He is well known as "The Demon", the bassist in the hard rock band Kiss, a group he co-founded in the early 1970s.
http://wn.com/Gene_Simmons -
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur.
http://wn.com/George_Foreman -
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was a British author and journalist. His work is marked by keen intelligence and wit, a profound awareness of social injustice, an intense, revolutionary opposition to totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language and a belief in democratic socialism.
http://wn.com/George_Orwell -
George Shiels
George Shiels (24 June 1881 - 19 September 1949) was an Irish dramatist whose plays were a success both in his native Ulster and at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. His most famous plays are The Rugged Path, The Passing Day, and The New Gossoon.
http://wn.com/George_Shiels -
Gerard P. Kuiper
http://wn.com/Gerard_P_Kuiper -
Ghulam Nabi Azad
Ghulam Nabi Azad (born March 7, 1949 in Jammu and Kashmir, India) is an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress and the current Minister of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India.
http://wn.com/Ghulam_Nabi_Azad -
Ginette Neveu
Ginette Neveu (August 11, 1919 – October 28, 1949) was a French violinist.
http://wn.com/Ginette_Neveu -
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century. His works are frequently performed in opera houses throughout the world and, transcending the boundaries of the genre, some of his themes have long since taken root in popular culture - such as "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto, "Va, pensiero" (The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves) from Nabucco, "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" (The Drinking Song) from La traviata and the "Grand March" from Aida. Although his work was sometimes criticized for using a generally diatonic rather than a chromatic musical idiom and having a tendency toward melodrama, Verdi’s masterworks dominate the standard repertoire a century and a half after their composition.
http://wn.com/Giuseppe_Verdi -
Glenn Dunnaway
Henry Glenn Dunaway (1915 – March 15, 1964) was an American auto racer noted for initially winning, and then being disqualified from, what is today recognized as NASCAR's first-ever race. He lived in Gastonia, North Carolina.
http://wn.com/Glenn_Dunnaway -
Glenn McCarthy
Glenn Herbert McCarthy (December 25, 1907 - December 26, 1988) was a wildcatter and a flamboyant oil tycoon. Within the oil industry and the media he was sometimes referred to as "Diamond Glenn" and "The King of the Wildcatters". McCarthy was noted as an oil prospector and entrepreneur who owned many businesses in diverse fields. McCarthy founded the Shamrock Hotel in Houston, which gained him brief national fame and inspired the fictional character Jett Rink in Edna Ferber's 1952 novel Giant along with its 1956 film adaptation which starred James Dean in the role.
http://wn.com/Glenn_McCarthy -
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor (born Gloria Fowles on September 7, 1949) is an American singer, best-known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" (Hot 100 number 1, 1979), "Never Can Say Goodbye" (Hot 100 number 9, 1974), "Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (Hot 100 number 42, 1980) and "I Am What I Am" (R&B; number 82, 1983).
http://wn.com/Gloria_Gaynor -
Gregg Popovich
Gregg Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American basketball coach, and is currently the head coach of the National Basketball Association's San Antonio Spurs. He is often referred to as "Coach Pop" or simply "Pop."
http://wn.com/Gregg_Popovich -
Gregorio Perfecto
Gregorio Perfecto (November 28, 1891 – August 17, 1949) was a Filipino journalist, politician and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 1945 to 1949. A controversial figure who was described as an “apostle of liberal causes”, Perfecto was notable for his libertarian views, his colorful writing style, and the frequency of his dissenting opinions while on the Supreme Court.
http://wn.com/Gregorio_Perfecto -
Grigoraş Dinicu
Grigoraş Ionică Dinicu (; April 3, 1889–March 28, 1949 [or August 5, 1948]) was a Romanian composer and violinist or violin virtuoso. He is most famous for his often-played virtuoso violin showpiece "Hora staccato" (1906) and for making popular the tune Ciocârlia, composed by his grandfather Angheluș Dinicu for "nai" (the Romanian pan flute). It is rumored that Jascha Heifetz once said that Grigoraş Dinicu was the greatest violinist he had ever heard. In the 1930s he was involved in the political movement of the Romanian Roma and was made honorary president of the "General Union of the Romanian Roma".
http://wn.com/Grigoraş_Dinicu -
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (; ; jyutping: Gwong²zau¹; Cantonese Yale: Gwóngjàu), also known as Canton or Kwangchow, is a sub-provincial city and the capital of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. It is one of the five National Central Cities. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key transportation hub and trading port.
http://wn.com/Guangzhou -
Gustavus M. Blech
Dr. Gustavus M. Blech, November 28, 1870, in Riga (then Russia, now Latvia) to August 9, 1949, in Chicago, IL, was a Chicago, Illinois, physician, surgeon, and medical educator. He was the son of Johann (Jwe, Israel) and Johanna (Haya-Sara Wulffahrt) Blech (Bljach).
http://wn.com/Gustavus_M_Blech -
Gérard Mestrallet
Gérard Mestrallet (born 1 April 1949, in Paris) is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of GDF Suez.
http://wn.com/Gérard_Mestrallet -
Göran Persson
: See Göran Persson (born 1960) for the politician born in 1960.
http://wn.com/Göran_Persson -
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the 33rd President of the United States (1945–1953). As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice-president and the 34th Vice President of the United States, he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his historic fourth term.
http://wn.com/Harry_S_Truman -
Harry Stack Sullivan
Harry Stack Sullivan (February 21, 1892, Norwich, New York – January 14, 1949, Paris, France) was a U.S. psychiatrist whose work in psychoanalysis was based on direct and verifiable observation (versus the more abstract conceptions of the unconscious mind favored by Sigmund Freud and his disciples).
http://wn.com/Harry_Stack_Sullivan -
Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.
http://wn.com/Harry_Turtledove -
Haruki Murakami
is a Japanese writer and translator. His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered him critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Franz Kafka Prize for his novel Kafka on the Shore.
http://wn.com/Haruki_Murakami -
Hassan al Banna
http://wn.com/Hassan_al_Banna -
Hassan Shehata
Hassan Shehata () (born 19 June 1949) is an Egyptian football coach and former player, currently the head coach of the Egyptian national team. He led Egypt to three successive titles at the African Cup of Nations in the years 2006, 2008 and 2010 to become the first African nation to achieve this streak/record.
http://wn.com/Hassan_Shehata -
Heather Couper
: ''For the Canadian artist and graphic designer see Heather Cooper
http://wn.com/Heather_Couper -
Heinrich Nordhoff
Heinz Heinrich Nordhoff (born in Hildesheim, died in Wolfsburg) was a German engineer famous for his leadership of the Volkswagen company as it was rebuilt after World War II.
http://wn.com/Heinrich_Nordhoff -
Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
http://wn.com/Helen_Keller -
Helena Fibingerova
http://wn.com/Helena_Fibingerova -
Hennie Kuiper
Hennie Kuiper (born 3 February 1949) is a Dutch former professional road racing cyclist. His career includes a gold medal in the Olympic road race at Munich in 1972, becoming world professional road race champion in 1975, as well as winning four of the five “Monument” classics. He rode the Tour de France 12 times, finishing second twice and winning the stage to Alpe d'Huez on two occasions. Kuiper, Ercole Baldini and Paolo Bettini are the only riders to have won both the Olympic road race and the world professional road race.
http://wn.com/Hennie_Kuiper -
Henri Giraud
Henri Honoré Giraud (18 January 1879 – 11 March 1949) was a French general who fought in World War I and World War II. Captured in both wars, he escaped each time. After his second escape, he joined the Free French Forces.
http://wn.com/Henri_Giraud -
Herbert Stothart
Herbert Stothart (September 11, 1885 – February 1, 1949) was a song writer, arranger, conductor, and composer. He was also nominated for nine Oscars, winning for his background music for The Wizard of Oz.
http://wn.com/Herbert_Stothart -
Hervey Allen
William Hervey Allen (December 8, 1889 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – December 28, 1949 Coconut Grove, Florida) was an American author.
http://wn.com/Hervey_Allen -
Hirofumi Hirano
is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). He is a native of Katsuragi, Wakayama and he started working for Panasonic Corporation in 1971 after graduating from Chuo University. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1996 as an independent. He is currently the Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan in the new Minshuto administration.
http://wn.com/Hirofumi_Hirano -
Horst Ludwig Störmer
Horst Ludwig Störmer (born April 6, 1949 in Frankfurt, Germany) is a German physicist who shared the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics with Daniel Tsui and Robert Laughlin. The three shared the prize "for their discovery of a new form of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations" (the fractional quantum Hall effect). He and Tsui were working at Bell Labs at the time of the experiment cited by the Nobel committee, though the experiment itself was carried out in a laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Laughlin did not participate in the experiment but was later able to explain its results).
http://wn.com/Horst_Ludwig_Störmer -
Howard Unruh
Howard Barton Unruh (January 21, 1921 – October 19, 2009) was an American spree killer who killed 13 people on September 6, 1949, in Camden, New Jersey, when he was 28 years old. Unruh is considered the first single-episode mass murderer in U.S. history. He died in 2009 after a lengthy illness at the age of 88.
http://wn.com/Howard_Unruh -
Ilene Graff
Ilene Graff (born February 28, 1949) is an American actress and singer.
http://wn.com/Ilene_Graff -
Inshan Ali
Inshan Ali (25 September 1949 - 24 June 1995) was a West Indian cricketer who played in 12 Tests from 1971 to 1977.
http://wn.com/Inshan_Ali -
Irene Vanbrugh
Dame Irene Vanbrugh DBE (2 December 1872–30 November 1949), born Irene Barnes, was an English actress.
http://wn.com/Irene_Vanbrugh -
Isaac Bonewits
Phillip Emmons Isaac Bonewits (October 1, 1949 – August 12, 2010) was an influential American Druid who published a number of books on the subject of Neopaganism and magic. He was also a liturgist, singer and songwriter, and founded the Druidic organisation Ár nDraíocht Féin, as well as the Neopagan civil rights group, the Aquarian Anti-Defamation League. Born in Royal Oak, Michigan, Bonewits had been heavily involved in occultism since the 1960s, prior to his passing in 2010.
http://wn.com/Isaac_Bonewits -
Ivana Trump
Ivana Trump (born Ivana Marie Zelníčková Winklmayr (; February 20, 1949) is a former Olympic athlete, socialite, and fashion model noted for her marriage to mogul Donald Trump.
http://wn.com/Ivana_Trump -
Jack Lovelock
John ("Jack") Edward Lovelock (5 January 1910 – 28 December 1949) was a New Zealand athlete, and the 1936 Olympic champion in the 1500 metres.
http://wn.com/Jack_Lovelock -
James Forrestal
James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense.
http://wn.com/James_Forrestal -
Jan Smithers
Karin Jan Smithers (born July 3, 1949) is an American television and film actress, who is best known for playing Bailey Quarters on the television series WKRP in Cincinnati.
http://wn.com/Jan_Smithers -
Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley (born September 26, 1949) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist.
http://wn.com/Jane_Smiley -
Jane Urquhart
Jane Urquhart, OC (born June 21, 1949) is a Canadian author.
http://wn.com/Jane_Urquhart -
Jean-Pierre Wimille
Jean-Pierre Wimille (26 February 1908 – 28 January 1949) was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.
http://wn.com/Jean-Pierre_Wimille -
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor and musician. His most notable films include The Last Picture Show, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Tron, Starman, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Fisher King, Fearless, The Big Lebowski, The Contender, Iron Man, and Crazy Heart, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 82nd Academy Awards.
http://wn.com/Jeff_Bridges -
Jerry Lawler
'''Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949) is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler'''. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), working and wrestling on its Raw brand as the color commentator. He also wrestles and occasionally commentates for the Memphis Wrestling promotion.
http://wn.com/Jerry_Lawler -
Jesse Duplantis
Jesse Duplantis (born July 9, 1949) is an Evangelical Charismatic Christian minister based in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., and the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries.
http://wn.com/Jesse_Duplantis -
Jessica Lange
Jessica Phyllis Lange (born April 20, 1949) is an American stage and screen actress. With a career that has spanned thirty-five years with 2 academy awards won and 6 nominations, she may be most notable for her performances in Frances, Tootsie, Sweet Dreams, Blue Sky, and Grey Gardens.
http://wn.com/Jessica_Lange -
Jim Roper
Christian David "Jim" Roper (August 13, 1916 – June 23, 2000) was a NASCAR driver. He lived in Halstead, Kansas. He is most known as the winner of the first NASCAR Strictly Stock (now Sprint Cup) race. He is the father of Dean Roper and grandfather of the late Tony Roper.
http://wn.com/Jim_Roper -
Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish film director. A six-time Academy Award nominee, Sheridan is perhaps best known for his films My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, Get Rich or Die Tryin' and In America.
http://wn.com/Jim_Sheridan -
Jim Varney
James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. (June 15, 1949 – February 10, 2000) was an American actor, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P. Worrell, who was used in numerous television commercial campaigns and movies in the following years, giving Varney fame worldwide.
http://wn.com/Jim_Varney -
Jimmie Spheeris
Jimmie Spheeris (in Greek: Τζιμη Σφηρης) November 5, 1949 – July 4, 1984) was an American singer-songwriter who released four albums in the 1970s on the Columbia Records and Epic Records labels.
http://wn.com/Jimmie_Spheeris -
Jo Ann Harris
Jo Ann Harris (born on May 27, 1949) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, California she is known for her role in the film The Beguiled as the sultry 17-year-old Carol who seduces Clint Eastwood's character. Harris had a small singing role in Newsies as "Patrick's mother", the woman searching for her son in the first part of the song "Carrying the Banner". She also performed various voices in The Simpsons animated television series and was the voice of Tina in the 1973 Hanna-Barbera series Goober and the Ghost Chasers. She also had a co-starring role in the short-lived 1977 ABC police series Most Wanted (starring Robert Stack).
http://wn.com/Jo_Ann_Harris -
Joaquín Turina
Joaquín Turina (December 9, 1882January 14, 1949) was a Spanish composer of classical music.
http://wn.com/Joaquín_Turina -
Joe Barton
Joseph Linus "Joe" Barton (born September 15, 1949) is a Republican politician, representing () in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1985. The district includes Arlington, part of Fort Worth and several rural areas south of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. During a Congressional hearing, Barton apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward for the White House's investigation of the Gulf oil spill, calling it a "shakedown", which promptly raised controversy.
http://wn.com/Joe_Barton -
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981), better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis helped elevate boxing from a nadir in popularity in the post-Jack Dempsey era by establishing a reputation as an honest, hardworking fighter at a time when the sport was dominated by gambling interests. Louis's championship reign lasted 140 consecutive months, during which he participated in 27 championship fights, including 25 successful title defenses – all records for the heavyweight division. In 2005, Louis was named the greatest heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization,
http://wn.com/Joe_Louis -
Joe Theismann
Joseph Robert "Joe" Theismann (born September 9, 1949 in ) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
http://wn.com/Joe_Theismann -
Johan Derksen
Johannes Gerrit (Johan) Derksen (born January 31, 1949 in Heteren, Gelderland) is a Dutch sports journalist and former football player. He played professional football between 1966 and 1978 for five clubs: Go Ahead Eagles, Cambuur Leeuwarden, BV Veendam, HFC Haarlem and MVV Maastricht. During and after his active career he became well-known as a sports journalist, specializing in football (soccer). He is the current editor-in-chief of Voetbal International, the country's most prominent football magazine. Furthermore, he is seen weekly as a television expert football pundit on RTL7's Voetbal International.
http://wn.com/Johan_Derksen -
John Akii-Bua
John Akii-Bua (December 3, 1949 – June 20, 1997) was a Ugandan hurdler and the first Olympic champion from his country.
http://wn.com/John_Akii-Bua -
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi (; January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live and for his roles in the films ''National Lampoon's Animal House and The Blues Brothers''. He was the older brother of James Belushi.
http://wn.com/John_Belushi -
John Boyd Orr
http://wn.com/John_Boyd_Orr -
John Force
John Force (born May 4, 1949 in Bell Gardens, California) is an NHRA drag racer, a 14-time Funny Car champion driver, and a 16-time champion car owner. Force owns and drives for John Force Racing. He is one of the most dominant drag racers in the sport with 129 career victories. He graduated from Bell Gardens High School and briefly attended Cerritos Junior College to play football. He is the father of drag racers Ashley Force Hood, Brittany Force, and Courtney Force. His oldest daughter Adria is the CFO of John Force Racing.
http://wn.com/John_Force -
John Garfield
John Garfield (March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor. Garfield was especially adept at playing brooding, rebellious, working-class character roles. Garfield is acknowledged as the predecessor of such Method actors as Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Montgomery Clift.
http://wn.com/John_Garfield -
John Oates
John William Oates (born April 7, 1949) is an American rock, R&B; and soul guitarist, musician, songwriter and producer best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates (with founder/lead vocalist/occasional instrumentalist Daryl Hall). Though he was a primary guitarist, he also co-wrote 8 Billboard Number One songs such as: "Sara Smile" (with Daryl Hall - a song that was referenced by Hall's ex-girlfriend), "You Make My Dreams" (with Sara Allen & Daryl Hall), "She's Gone" (with Daryl Hall), "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" (with Sara Allen & Daryl Hall), "Maneater" (with Sara Allen & Daryl Hall), "Out of Touch" (with Daryl Hall), and "Adult Education" (with Daryl Hall & Sara Allen). He also sang lead vocals and has written or co-written a few less popular singles that did not make it to the Billboard's Top 10 such as: "How Does It Feel to Be Back", "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" (which was a remake of the 1965 song performed by The Righteous Brothers, it was written by Phil Spector, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil that it peaked #12 in November 1980, and shared lead vocals with Hall) and "Possession Obsession" (with Sara Allen & Daryl Hall). In addition to his work with Hall, Oates co-wrote and sang back-up on the song "Electric Blue" by the band Icehouse which was a Billboard Top Ten hit.
http://wn.com/John_Oates -
John Riggins
Robert John Riggins, nicknamed "The Diesel", (born August 4, 1949 in Seneca, Kansas) is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. Riggins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
http://wn.com/John_Riggins -
John Shea
John Victor Shea III (born April 14, 1949) is an American actor and director who has starred on stage, television and in film. He is best known for his role as Lex Luthor in the 1990s TV series and also starred in the short lived 1990s TV series WIOU as Hank Zaret. Later on in the 2000s he starred on the series Mutant X as Adam Kane.
http://wn.com/John_Shea -
John W. Henry
| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 25em; text-align: left; font-size: 90%;"
http://wn.com/John_W_Henry -
Johnnie Wilder, Jr.
Johnnie Wilder, Jr. (Johnnie James Wilder Jr. 3 July 1949 – 17 May 2006) was the co-founder and lead vocalist of the international R&B;/funk group Heatwave. Heatwave was a popular group during the late 1970s, with hits such as "Boogie Nights", "Mind Blowing Decisions", "Always and Forever" and "The Groove Line", on which Wilder sang co-lead vocals.
http://wn.com/Johnnie_Wilder_Jr -
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (18 December 1878 – 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and head of state who served as the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953. After the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, Stalin rose to become the leader of the Soviet Union, which he ruled as a dictator.
http://wn.com/Joseph_Stalin -
José Clemente Orozco
José Clemente Orozco (November 23, 1883 – September 7, 1949) was a Mexican social realist painter, who specialized in bold murals that established the Mexican Mural Renaissance together with murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and others. Orozco was the most complex of the Mexican muralists, fond of the theme of human suffering, but less realistic and more fascinated by machines than Rivera. Mostly influenced by Symbolism, he was also a genre painter and lithographer. Between 1922 and 1948, Orozco painted murals in Mexico City, Orizaba, Claremont, California, New York City, Hanover, New Hampshire, Guadalajara, Jalisco, and Jiquilpan, Michoacán. His drawings and paintings are exhibited by the Carrillo Gil Museum in Mexico City, and the Orozco Workshop-Museum in Guadalajara. Orozco was known for being a politically committed artist. He promoted the political causes of peasants and workers.
http://wn.com/José_Clemente_Orozco -
José Ramos-Horta
José Manuel Ramos-Horta (), GCL (born 26 December 1949) is the second President of East Timor since independence from Indonesia, taking office on 20 May 2007. He is a co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize and a former Prime Minister, having served from 2006 until his inauguration as President after winning the 2007 East Timorese presidential election.
http://wn.com/José_Ramos-Horta -
Joyce DeWitt
Joyce Anne DeWitt (born April 23, 1949) is an American actress most famous for playing Janet Wood on the ABC sitcom ''Three's Company''.
http://wn.com/Joyce_DeWitt -
Juanin Clay
Juanin Clay (born Juanin Clay de Zalduondo; November 26, 1949 - March 12, 1995) was an American actress who appeared in the 1983 drama-thriller film WarGames. She was one of the contenders for the role of Wilma Deering in the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century TV series, but lost the role when Erin Gray returned to reprise her role from the theatrical release. Clay later guest starred in the Buck Rogers episode "Vegas in Space", playing a character very similar to Deering named Marla Landers, who is briefly partnered with Rogers.
http://wn.com/Juanin_Clay -
Judi Bari
Judi Bari (November 7, 1949 – March 2, 1997) was an American environmentalist and labor leader, a feminist, and the principal organizer of Earth First! campaigns against logging in the ancient redwood forests of Northern California in the 1980s and '90. She also organized efforts through Earth First! - Industrial Workers of the World Local 1 to bring timber workers and environmentalists together in common cause.
http://wn.com/Judi_Bari -
Judith Light
Judith Ellen Light (born February 9, 1949) is an American actress. Her television roles include Karen Wolek on the soap opera One Life to Live, Angela Bower on the sitcom ''Who's the Boss?'', Claire Meade on ABC's TV series Ugly Betty and Judge Elizabeth (Liz) Donnelly on Law & Order Special Victims Unit.
http://wn.com/Judith_Light -
Julia Migenes
Julia Migenes (born March 13, 1949) is an American soprano working primarily in musical theatre repertoire. She was born on the Lower East Side of New York to a family of Greek and Irish-Puerto Rican descent. She is sometimes credited as Julia Migenes-Johnson.
http://wn.com/Julia_Migenes -
Katha Pollitt
Katha Pollitt (born October 14, 1949) is an American feminist poet, essayist and critic.
http://wn.com/Katha_Pollitt -
Kathy Fiscus
Kathryn Anne Fiscus (August 21, 1945 - April 8, 1949) was a three-year-old girl who died after falling into a well in San Marino, California. The attempted rescue, broadcast live on KTLA, was a landmark event in American television history.
http://wn.com/Kathy_Fiscus -
Kene Holliday
Kenneth Earl "Kene" Holliday (born June 25, 1949) is a prolific American character actor of stage, film, and television, best known for his role as Andy Griffith's original private investigator, Tyler Hudson, on the hit television series Matlock.
http://wn.com/Kene_Holliday -
Kerry O'Keeffe
'''Kerry James "Skull" O'Keeffe''' (born 25 November 1949, Hurstville, New South Wales) is a former Australian cricketer and now a commentator for ABC Radio. O'Keeffe played 24 Tests and 2 ODIs between 1971 and 1977.
http://wn.com/Kerry_O'Keeffe -
Klaus Mann
Klaus Mann (November 18, 1906 – May 21, 1949) was a German writer.
http://wn.com/Klaus_Mann -
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman who took Germany from the ruins of World War II to the most prosperous nation in Europe. He was the first chancellor (top official) of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, called West Germany), 1949–63. He was the founder and leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a coalition of Catholics and Protestants that since 1946 has often dominated German politics. A devout Catholic, he belied his age as the oldest elected leader in world history by his intense work habits and his uncanny political instinct. He displayed a strong dedication to a broad vision of democracy, capitalism, and anti-Communism. A stern patriarch and shrewd politician, Adenauer was deeply committed to the traditional values of Christianity and pursued a single-mindedly Western-oriented foreign policy. He restored the West Germany economy to dominance in Europe, rebuilt its army, came to terms with France, helped establish European unity, fought relentlessly against the Communists in rival East Germany, made his nation a pillar of NATO and a firm ally of the United States and commenced the long process of reconciliation with the Jewish people and Israel after the Holocaust. He brought Germany prosperity, democracy, stability and respect. To a large extent Adenauer's policies still dominate Germany.
http://wn.com/Konrad_Adenauer -
Kurt Schmoke
Kurt L. Schmoke (born December 1, 1949) is the Dean of the Howard University School of Law and a former mayor of Baltimore, Maryland. The son of Murray (a civilian chemist for the US Army) and Irene B. Reid (a social worker), he attended the public schools of Baltimore. He was Baltimore's first elected black mayor.
http://wn.com/Kurt_Schmoke -
Larry Holmes
Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is a former professional boxer. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, hence his boxing nickname, "The Easton Assassin."
http://wn.com/Larry_Holmes -
Larry Wall
Larry Wall (born September 27, 1954) is a programmer and author, most widely known for his creation of the Perl programming language in 1987.
http://wn.com/Larry_Wall -
Lasse Viren
http://wn.com/Lasse_Viren -
Laszlo Rajk
http://wn.com/Laszlo_Rajk -
Lawrence Kasdan
Lawrence Kasdan (born January 14, 1949) is an American movie producer, director and screenwriter.
http://wn.com/Lawrence_Kasdan -
Leadbelly
http://wn.com/Leadbelly -
Lee McGeorge Durrell
Lee McGeorge Durrell (née Wilson) (born September 7, 1949) is a naturalist, author, zookeeper and television presenter, best known for her work at the Jersey Zoological Park in the British Channel Island of Jersey with her late husband Gerald Durrell, and for co-authoring books with him.
http://wn.com/Lee_McGeorge_Durrell -
Lene Lovich
Lene Lovich (born 30 March 1949) is an American singer based in England, who first gained attention as part of the New Wave music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her most popular hit single was "Lucky Number", first released in 1979.
http://wn.com/Lene_Lovich -
Leopoldo Luque
Leopoldo Jacinto Luque (born May 3, 1949 in Santa Fe) is a former Argentine football striker.
http://wn.com/Leopoldo_Luque -
Linda Arvidson
Linda Arvidson (12 July 1884 – 26 July 1949) was an American actress in silent films.
http://wn.com/Linda_Arvidson -
Linda Lovelace
Linda Susan Boreman (January 10, 1949 – April 22, 2002), better known by her stage name Linda Lovelace, was an American pornographic actress who was famous for her performance of deep throat fellatio in the enormously successful 1972 hardcore porn film Deep Throat. She later denounced her pornography career, claimed that she had been forced into it by her sadistic first husband, and for a while became a spokeswoman for the anti-pornography movement.
http://wn.com/Linda_Lovelace -
Loretta Devine
http://wn.com/Loretta_Devine -
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín (February 18, 1898April 30, 1980) was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader. Following the death of his father, he began writing poetry, eventually publishing two books. After a brief involvement with the Socialist Party, he began developing an ideology based on independence. In 1932, he joined the newly-formed Liberal Party of Puerto Rico and ran a successful bid for senator. In 1937, Muñoz Marín was expelled from the Liberal Party and created a group known as Acción Social Independentista. One year later, he took part in the foundation of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico. This party won a majority in the Senate of Puerto Rico, with Muñoz Marín serving as its president. In 1947, the United States Congress passed legislation that allowed Puerto Rico to elect its own governor. Consequently, Muñoz Marín ran a successful campaign for the position, taking office on January 2, 1949.
http://wn.com/Luis_Muñoz_Marín -
Lyn Paul
Lyn Paul (born Lynda Susan Belcher on 16 February 1949) is an English pop singer and actress. She came to fame as a member of the successful pop group The New Seekers in the early 1970s. She has more recently worked as an actress, starring in the long running West End musical, Blood Brothers.
http://wn.com/Lyn_Paul -
Marcel Cerdan
Marcellin "Marcel" Cerdan (July 22, 1916 – October 28, 1949 ) was a French pied noir world boxing champion who was considered by many boxing experts and fans to be France's greatest boxer, and beyond to be one of the best to have learned his craft in Africa. His life was marked by his sporting achievements, social lifestyle and ultimately, tragedy.
http://wn.com/Marcel_Cerdan -
Marcia Ball
Marcia Ball (born March 20, 1949, Orange, Texas) is an American blues singer and pianist, born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in Vinton, Louisiana. She was described in USA Today as "a sensation, saucy singer and superb pianist... where Texas stomp-rock and Louisiana blues-swamp meet." The Boston Globe described her music as "as irresistible celebratory blend of rollicking, two-fisted New Orleans piano, Louisiana swamp-rock and smoldering Texas blues from a contemporary storyteller."
http://wn.com/Marcia_Ball -
Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell (November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949) was an American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her epic novel Gone with the Wind, her only major publication. This novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than 30 million copies (see list of best-selling books). The film adaptation of it, released in 1939, became the highest-grossing film in the history of Hollywood, and it received a record-breaking ten Academy Awards. Mitchell has been honored by the United States Postal Service with a 1¢ Great Americans series postage stamp.
http://wn.com/Margaret_Mitchell -
Maria Ouspenskaya
Maria Alekseyevna Ouspenskaya (; July 29, 1876 – December 3, 1949) was a Russian actress who achieved success as a stage actress as a young woman in Russia, and as an elderly woman in Hollywood films.
http://wn.com/Maria_Ouspenskaya -
Mark B. Cohen
Mark B. Cohen (born June 4, 1949) is a Democratic politician from Northeast-Northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has represented the 202nd legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 1974, making him one of the most senior members in the chamber. Cohen has been in House Democratic leadership since 1990, and has served as Caucus Chairman since 1994.
http://wn.com/Mark_B_Cohen -
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer.
http://wn.com/Mark_Knopfler -
Martin Amis
Martin Louis Amis (born 25 August 1949) is a British novelist, the author of some of Britain's best-known modern literature, including Money (1984) and London Fields (1989). He is currently Professor of Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester. The Times named him in 2008 as one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.
http://wn.com/Martin_Amis -
Martin Buchan
Martin McLean Buchan (born 6 March 1949 in Aberdeen) was a Scottish football player. Buchan was a central defender for Manchester United in 1972–1983, and captained the late 1970s teams for six years. He was signed from Aberdeen by Manchester United manager Frank O'Farrell on 29 February 1972 for £120,000, and was the club's record signing then.
http://wn.com/Martin_Buchan -
Mary Gordon (writer)
Mary Catherine Gordon (born December 8, 1949) is an American writer and is the McIntosh Professor of English at Barnard College. She is best known for her novels, memoirs and literary criticism. They constitute an important contribution to Irish-American literature.
http://wn.com/Mary_Gordon_(writer) -
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989.
http://wn.com/Mary_Martin -
Maxime Le Forestier
Maxime Le Forestier (born February 10, 1949 as Bruno Le Forestier) is a French singer.
http://wn.com/Maxime_Le_Forestier -
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film. She is widely regarded as one of the most talented and respected actors of the modern era.
http://wn.com/Meryl_Streep -
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame in 2007.
http://wn.com/Michael_Brecker -
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt (; born September 27, 1949 in Dayton, Ohio) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman who played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies.
http://wn.com/Mike_Schmidt -
Mo Mowlam
Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam (18 September 1949 – 19 August 2005) was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Redcar from 1987 to 2001, and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
http://wn.com/Mo_Mowlam -
Mohandas Gandhi
http://wn.com/Mohandas_Gandhi -
Mu Tiezhu
Mu Tiezhu ( (literally meaning "Mu Iron Pole); 1949 - September 14, 2008) was a prominent Chinese basketball player and coach. At a height of 2.28m, he was one of the largest and tallest players in China.
http://wn.com/Mu_Tiezhu -
Nanjing
(Chinese: 南京; Romanizations: Nánjīng (Pinyin), Nan-ching (Wade-Giles), Nanking (Postal map spelling); ) is the capital of Jiangsu Province, China, and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture. The spellings 'Nanjing' and 'Nanking' both correspond to the Chinese name '南京' which means "southern capital". 'Nanking' was widely used until the Pinyin language reform; then 'Nanjing' became the international standard spelling of the city's name.
http://wn.com/Nanjing -
Naomi Sims
Naomi Ruth Sims (March 30, 1948 - August 1, 2009) was an African Peckham model, businesswoman and author., who is widely credited as being the first African Peckham supermodel.
http://wn.com/Naomi_Sims -
Narayan Apte
Narayan Dattatraya Apte (191115 November 1949) was a Hindu activist and enterpreneur who was executed for his role in the assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (commonly known by the reverential title Mahatma Gandhi).
http://wn.com/Narayan_Apte -
Natalia Kuchinskaya
Natalia Alexandrovna Kuchinskaya (; alternative transliteration '''Natal'ja Alieksandrovna Kutchinskaja), also known as Natasha Kuchinskaya''' (Russian: Наташа Кучинская) (born March 12, 1949, St. Petersburg, Russia) is a retired Soviet Olympic gymnast.
http://wn.com/Natalia_Kuchinskaya -
Nathuram Godse
Nathuram Vinayak Godse () (19 May 1910 – 15 November 1949), a Hindu Bramhin from the city of Pune, India was the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. Along with his brother Gopal Godse and six other co-conspirators, he executed a plot to murder MK Gandhi.
http://wn.com/Nathuram_Godse -
Nelson Doubleday
Nelson Doubleday (June 16, 1889 in Brooklyn - January 11, 1949 at Oyster Bay, Long Island) was a U.S. book publisher. He was the nephew of author Russell Doubleday, the son of Frank Nelson Doubleday and Neltje Blanchan, and the father of Nelson Doubleday Jr.
http://wn.com/Nelson_Doubleday -
Nick Ainger
'''Nicholas Richard 'Nick' Ainger''' (born 24 October 1949) is a British politician. A member of the Labour Party, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Pembrokeshire from 1992 to 1997 and then, following boundary changes, as MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire from 1997 to 2010.
http://wn.com/Nick_Ainger -
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949, Walton-on-Thames), better known as Nick Lowe, is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.
http://wn.com/Nick_Lowe -
Nigel Havers
The Hon. Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1950) is a BAFTA nominated English actor. He is probably best known for his BAFTA-nominated role as Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film Chariots of Fire, and for his role as Dr. Tom Latimer in the British TV comedy series ''Don't Wait Up. He portrayed the role of Lewis Archer in Coronation Street'' from 2009 to 2010.
http://wn.com/Nigel_Havers -
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe (born 9 July 1949) is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as creating, executive producing and being a regular judge for So You Think You Can Dance. He was also creator of the 2009 competition Superstars of Dance.
http://wn.com/Nigel_Lythgoe -
Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (born February 22, 1949 in Vienna) is an Austrian former Formula One (F1) racing driver and three-time F1 World Champion. More recently an aviation entrepreneur, he has founded and run two airlines and was manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team for two years.
http://wn.com/Niki_Lauda -
Orapin Chaiyakan
http://wn.com/Orapin_Chaiyakan -
Pamela Stephenson
Pamela Helen Stephenson Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand born Australian clinical psychologist and writer best known for her work as an actress and comedian during the 1980s. She has written several books, which include a biography of her husband Billy Connolly, and presents a psychology-based interview show called Shrink Rap on British television.
http://wn.com/Pamela_Stephenson -
Pat Rice
Patrick James Rice (born March 17, 1949 in Belfast) is a Northern Ireland football player and coach. As a player he made over 400 appearances for Arsenal, winning the Double, and later made a hundred more appearances for Watford. He also won 49 caps for Northern Ireland. He is currently assistant manager of Arsenal, a position he has held since the appointment of Arsène Wenger in 1996, and has helped the club to two more Doubles, amongst other silverware, in that time.
http://wn.com/Pat_Rice -
Patrick Süskind
Patrick Süskind (born 26 March 1949) is a German writer and screenwriter.
http://wn.com/Patrick_Süskind -
Patti Lupone
http://wn.com/Patti_Lupone -
Paul Muni
Paul Muni (September 22, 1895 – August 25, 1967) was an Austrian-Hungarian-born American stage and film actor. During the 1930s, he was considered the most prestigious actor at Warner Brothers studios, and one of the rare actors who was given the privilege of choosing which parts he wanted.
http://wn.com/Paul_Muni -
Paul Rodgers
Paul Bernard Rodgers (born 17 December 1949, Middlesbrough) is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for being a member of Free and Bad Company. Both bands experienced international success in the 1970s. Before establishing a career as a solo artist, he was also a member of The Firm and The Law. He has recently toured and recorded with Queen. Rodgers goes by the nickname "The Voice". He is ranked number 55 on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rodgers was also ranked by Hit Parader as the ninth greatest heavy metal singer of all time.
http://wn.com/Paul_Rodgers -
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer, best known for his work alongside comedian David Letterman. He is the bandleader and sidekick on the Late Show with David Letterman, and has appeared on Letterman's shows since 1982.
http://wn.com/Paul_Shaffer -
Peter Agre
Peter Agre (pronounced "ahg-ray") (born January 29, 1949) American medical doctor, professor, and molecular biologist who was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (which he shared with Roderick MacKinnon) for his discovery of aquaporins. Aquaporins are water-channel proteins that move water molecules through the cell membrane. In February 2009, Peter Agre was inducted as the 163rd president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the nation's largest scientific organization.
http://wn.com/Peter_Agre -
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton, OBE (born Leicester, England, 18 September 1949) is a former football goalkeeper who holds the record for playing more games for England than any other player. His international career earned him 125 caps, making him England's most capped player.
http://wn.com/Peter_Shilton -
Philip Lynott
http://wn.com/Philip_Lynott -
Philippe Starck
Philippe Patrick Starck (born January 18, 1949, Paris) is a French product designer and probably the best known designer in the New Design style. His designs range from spectacular interior designs to mass produced consumer goods such as toothbrushes, chairs, and even houses.
http://wn.com/Philippe_Starck -
Poe Toaster
The Poe Toaster is the unofficial nickname given to a mysterious figure who, from approximately 1949 until 2009, paid an annual tribute to American author Edgar Allan Poe by visiting the author's original grave marker on Poe's birthday, January 19. Eyewitnesses reported that the person, dressed in black with a wide-brimmed hat and a white scarf, would leave three roses and a partially-filled bottle of French cognac then steal away. Though many gathered annually to watch for the toaster, and his yearly visit is unofficially supported by the Edgar Allan Poe Society, he was rarely seen or photographed.
http://wn.com/Poe_Toaster -
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI (; ), born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini (26 September 1897 – 6 August 1978), reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 1963 to 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it. He fostered improved ecumenical relations with Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants, which resulted in many historic meetings and agreements.
http://wn.com/Pope_Paul_VI -
Raimond Valgre
Raimond Valgre (born as Raimond Tiisel; 7 October 1913 – 31 December 1949) was an Estonian composer and musician, whose songs have become some of the most well-known in Estonia. During the World War II, he became a member of the orchestra of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps. In the horrors of the Eastern Front, the composer suffered from alcoholism and collapsed morally after the war. His music was banned from 1948 by the Soviet authorities. Raimond Valgre died in an accident on 31 December 1949.
http://wn.com/Raimond_Valgre -
Randy Neugebauer
Robert Randolph "Randy" Neugebauer (born December 24, 1949) is a politician from the state of Texas, currently representing the state's 19th congressional district. The district includes a large swath of West Texas, including Lubbock and Abilene. He was sworn in on June 5, 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.
http://wn.com/Randy_Neugebauer -
Randy Owen
Randy Owen (born December 13, 1949 in Fort Payne, Alabama) is an American country music artist. He is known primarily for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band which saw considerable mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Although Alabama only records new albums on occasion, Owen himself has maintained a career in country music as a solo performer. He released his solo debut One on One in late 2008 and charted two singles from it.
http://wn.com/Randy_Owen -
Rasim Delic
http://wn.com/Rasim_Delic -
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well known professional wrestlers in the world.
http://wn.com/Ric_Flair -
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek (born Richard T Otcasek on March 23, 1949 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American of Czechoslovakian heritage, and is a musician, and music producer. Raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Ocasek graduated secondary school, followed by Bowling Green State University. He is arguably best known to the public as the former lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist for the new wave band, The Cars, although he plays keyboard instruments and guitar on a professional level as well.
http://wn.com/Ric_Ocasek -
Richard Dix
Richard Dix (July 18, 1893 – September 20, 1949) was an American motion picture actor who achieved popularity in both silent and sound film. His standard on-screen image was that of the rugged and stalwart hero.
http://wn.com/Richard_Dix -
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere (, ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, and came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol. He went on to star in several hit films including Days of Heaven, An Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, Primal Fear, and Chicago, for which he won a Golden Globe Award as Best Actor, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the Best Cast.
http://wn.com/Richard_Gere -
Richard Hell
Richard Hell (born Richard Meyers; October 2, 1949) is a singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, and writer.
http://wn.com/Richard_Hell -
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known particularly for his operas, Lieder, and tone poems. Strauss, along with Gustav Mahler, represents the extraordinary late flowering of German Romanticism after Richard Wagner, in which pioneering subtleties of orchestration are combined with an advanced harmonic style. Strauss's music had a profound influence on the development of music in the twentieth century. Strauss was also a prominent conductor.
http://wn.com/Richard_Strauss -
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboard player, composer, and songwriter. He is known for being the keyboardist for progressive rock band Yes, his solo career, and latterly as a contributor to the BBC Television comedy show Grumpy Old Men.
http://wn.com/Rick_Wakeman -
Rob Cohen
Robert "Rob" Cohen (born March 12, 1949) is an American film director, producer and writer.
http://wn.com/Rob_Cohen -
Robert L. Ripley
http://wn.com/Robert_L_Ripley -
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, (20 December 1894 – 15 May 1978), Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia.
http://wn.com/Robert_Menzies -
Robin Gibb
Robin Hugh Gibb, CBE (born 22 December 1949) is a singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice (1949–2003), and elder brother Barry.
http://wn.com/Robin_Gibb -
Ronnie Hellström
Ronnie Carl Hellström (born February 21, 1949 in Malmö) is a former Swedish football goalkeeper.
http://wn.com/Ronnie_Hellström -
Russell Doubleday
Russell Doubleday (May 26, 1872 in Brooklyn – June 14, 1949 at Glen Cove, Long Island) was an American author, editor and publisher, the brother of Frank Nelson Doubleday and son of William Edwards Doubleday and Ellen Maria "Ella" Dickinson.
http://wn.com/Russell_Doubleday -
Saint Peter
Simon Peter (, Pétros, "stone, rock"; c. 1 BC – AD 67), sometimes called Simon Cephas (, Symōn Kēphas; ; , Sëmʻān Kêfâ) after his name in Hellenized Aramaic, was a leader of the early Christianity, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Peter was the son of John or of Jonah, and was from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee. His brother Andrew was also an apostle. Simon Peter is venerated in multiple churches and regarded as the first Pope by the Roman Catholic Church.
http://wn.com/Saint_Peter -
Salvatore Giuliano
Salvatore Giuliano (November 16, 1922 – July 5, 1950) was a Sicilian peasant. The subjugated social status of his class led him to become a bandit and separatist who has been mythologised during his life and after his death. He is commonly compared to the legend of Robin Hood in popular culture, due to stories pertaining to him helping the poor villagers in his area by taking from the rich.
http://wn.com/Salvatore_Giuliano -
Sam Wood
Samuel Grosvenor (Sam) Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director, and producer, who was best known for directing such Hollywood hits as A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and The Pride of the Yankees. He was also involved in a few acting and writing projects.
http://wn.com/Sam_Wood -
Sammy Nelson
Samuel "Sammy" Nelson (born April 1, 1949 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Ireland former football player, who joined London club Arsenal on his 17th birthday in 1966.
http://wn.com/Sammy_Nelson -
Samuel Putnam
Samuel Whitehall Putnam (1892-1950) was an American translator and scholar of Romance languages.
http://wn.com/Samuel_Putnam -
Sandra Scheuer
Sandra Lee Scheuer (; August 11, 1949 - May 4, 1970) was a student at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, when she was killed by Ohio National Guardsmen in the Kent State shootings.
http://wn.com/Sandra_Scheuer -
Sandy Hawley
Desmond Sanford "Sandy" Hawley, CM (born April 16, 1949 in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada) is a Hall of Fame jockey.
http://wn.com/Sandy_Hawley -
Seymour Hicks
Arthur Seymour Hicks, better known as Seymour Hicks (30 January 1871 – 6 April 1949), was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, screenwriter, theatre manager and producer. He married the actress Ellaline Terriss in 1893. Hicks was the first British actor to perform in France during both World War I and World War II, and he received the Croix de Guerre twice for his services. Hicks was knighted in 1934.
http://wn.com/Seymour_Hicks -
Shaukat Aziz
Shaukat Aziz (lang-ur|), (born March 6, 1949 in Karachi, Pakistan) was the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2004 to 2007. He became Finance Minister in November 1999 and was named by the Pakistan Muslim League for the position of Prime Minister after the resignation of Zafarullah Khan Jamali on June 6, 2004. He became Prime Minister on August 28, 2004 and served until November 15, 2007. He became the first Prime Minister of Pakistan to complete a full term in office.
http://wn.com/Shaukat_Aziz -
Shaun Garnett
Shaun Garnett (born 22 November 1969, Wallasey, Cheshire) is a former English professional footballer who played as a defender. He played in The Football League for six clubs and is now a coach at Tranmere Rovers.
http://wn.com/Shaun_Garnett -
Shelley Duvall
Shelley Alexis Duvall (born July 7, 1949) is an American film and television actress. She began her career in the 1970s films of Robert Altman, followed by roles in movies by Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick, Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton. She is also an Emmy-nominated producer, responsible for Faerie Tale Theatre and other kid-friendly programming.
http://wn.com/Shelley_Duvall -
Shlomo Artzi
Shlomo Artzi () is an Israeli folk rock singer-songwriter and composer. He was born on November 26, 1949 in Moshav Alonei Abba. In the course of his career, he has sold over 1.5 million albums, making him one of Israel's most successful male singers.
http://wn.com/Shlomo_Artzi -
Sidney Olcott
Sidney Olcott (September 20, 1873 - December 16, 1949) was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter.
http://wn.com/Sidney_Olcott -
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver (born Susan Alexandra Weaver; October 8, 1949) is an American actress best known for her role as Ellen Ripley in the Alien film series, a role for which she has received worldwide recognition. She is also known for her roles in the Ghostbusters films, Gorillas in the Mist, The Ice Storm, Working Girl, Holes, and Avatar.
http://wn.com/Sigourney_Weaver -
Sigrid Undset
Sigrid Undset (20 May 1882 – 10 June 1949) was a Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928.
http://wn.com/Sigrid_Undset -
Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek (born Mary Elizabeth Spacek; December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She won the Best Actress Oscar for her role as country star Loretta Lynn in ''Coal Miner's Daughter'' (1980). She has been nominated a total of six times. She is also known for her role as Carrie White in Brian de Palma's 1976 horror film Carrie, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress.
http://wn.com/Sissy_Spacek -
Solomana Kante
Soulemayne Kante or Solomana Kante (1922-1987) was an African writer and inventor of the N'Ko alphabet for the Mande languages of West Africa. N'Ko means 'I say' in all Mande languages.
http://wn.com/Solomana_Kante -
Stan Rogers
Stanley Allison "Stan" Rogers (November 29, 1949 – June 2, 1983) was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.
http://wn.com/Stan_Rogers -
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was the first President of Indonesia.
http://wn.com/Sukarno -
Suthep Po-ngam
Suthep Po-ngam (; ), also known by his stage name Thep Po-ngam, is a Thai comedian, actor, film director and screenwriter. He played the leader of a gang of inept hitmen in Killer Tattoo. A popular comedian in Thailand, Thep at one time led a comedy troupe that included Petchtai Wongkamlao, whom he co-starred with in Killer Tattoo.
http://wn.com/Suthep_Po-ngam -
Svetislav Pešić
Svetislav Pešić (Светислав Пешић) (born August 28, 1949 in Novi Sad, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is former Serbian professional basketball player and a present day Serbian basketball coach.
http://wn.com/Svetislav_Pešić -
Sylvia Likens
Sylvia Marie Likens (January 3, 1949 - October 26, 1965) was an American murder victim from Indiana. She was tortured to death by Gertrude Baniszewski (née Van Fossan), Gertrude's children, and other young people from their neighborhood. Her parents, carnival workers, had left Likens and her sister Jenny in the care of the Baniszewski family three months before her death in exchange for $20 a week. Baniszewski, two of her children, Paula and John, and two neighbor youths, Coy Hubbard and Richard Hobbs, were charged and convicted of the crime. Her torture and murder were described by the prosecutor in Baniszewski's trial as "the most terrible crime ever committed in the state of Indiana."
http://wn.com/Sylvia_Likens -
Taiwan
Taiwan, also known (especially in the past) as Formosa (from , "Beautiful Island"), is an island situated in East Asia in the Western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. It comprises most (99%) of the territory of the Republic of China (ROC) since the 1950s. The term "Taiwan" is also a common name to refer to the entire country of the Republic of China.
http://wn.com/Taiwan -
Tan Malaka
Tan Malaka (1894 - February 21, 1949) was an Indonesian nationalist activist and communist leader. A staunch critic of both the colonial Dutch East Indies government and the republican Sukarno administration that governed the country after the Indonesian National Revolution, he was also frequently in conflict with the leadership of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), Indonesia's primary radical political party in the 1920s and again in the 1940s.
http://wn.com/Tan_Malaka -
Tapani Kansa
Aarne Tapani Kansa (born March 9, 1949 in Hamina, Finland) is a Finnish singer.
http://wn.com/Tapani_Kansa -
Thai female
http://wn.com/Thai_female -
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra (, ; ; born 26 July 1949) is a Thai billionaire politician and businessman who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was deposed in a military coup.
http://wn.com/Thaksin_Shinawatra -
Tom Berenger
Tom Berenger (born May 31, 1949) is an American actor known mainly for his roles in action films.
http://wn.com/Tom_Berenger -
Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949, in Morristown, New Jersey) is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best-known as the frontman for the New York rock band Television.
http://wn.com/Tom_Verlaine -
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car." With this trademark growl, his incorporation of pre-rock music styles such as blues, jazz, and vaudeville, and experimental tendencies verging on industrial music, Waits has built up a distinctive musical persona. He has worked as a composer for movies and musical plays and as a supporting actor in films, including Down By Law and ''Bram Stoker's Dracula. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his soundtrack work on One from the Heart''.
http://wn.com/Tom_Waits -
Tomaž Pisanski
Tomaž (Tomo) Pisanski (b. May 24, 1949 in Ljubljana, Slovenia) is a Slovenian mathematician working mainly in graph theory.
http://wn.com/Tomaž_Pisanski -
Traicho Kostov
http://wn.com/Traicho_Kostov -
Twiggy
Twiggy (born Lesley Hornby; 19 September 1949) is an English model, actress, and singer, now also known by her married name of Twiggy Lawson. At 16, she became the first prominent teenage model. She was known for her androgynous looks, large eyes, long eyelashes, and thin build. In 1966, she was named the “The Face of 1966” by the Daily Express and voted British Woman of the Year. By 1967, Twiggy had modelled in France, Japan, and the U.S., and landed on the covers of Vogue and The Tatler. Her fame had spread worldwide.
http://wn.com/Twiggy -
Valeriy Borzov
http://wn.com/Valeriy_Borzov -
Vera Wang
Vera Ellen Wang (; born June 27, 1949) is an American fashion designer based in New York. She is known for her wedding gown collection.
http://wn.com/Vera_Wang -
Veronica Cartwright
Veronica A. Cartwright (born 20 April 1949) is an English-born actress who has worked mainly in American film and television.
http://wn.com/Veronica_Cartwright -
Veronique Sanson
http://wn.com/Veronique_Sanson -
Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence (born Vicki Ann Axelrad in March 26, 1949) is an American actress, comedienne, and singer, who was frequently a game show panelist in the 1970s and 1980s. She is best known for her co-starring role on The Carol Burnett Show, alongside Carol Burnett, from 1967 to 1978, and as the sharp-tongued matriarch, Thelma Harper (the main character on ''Mama's Family, airing from 1983 to 1990, which was spun off from The Carol Burnett Show's The Family'' sketches). She has also been credited as Vicki Lawrence Schultz.
http://wn.com/Vicki_Lawrence -
Victor Garber
Victor Joseph Garber (born March 16, 1949) is a Canadian film, stage and television actor and singer. Garber is perhaps best known for playing Jesus in Godspell, Jack Bristow in the television series Alias and Thomas Andrews in James Cameron's Titanic.
http://wn.com/Victor_Garber -
Vítězslav Novák
Vítězslav Novák (December 5, 1870 – July 18, 1949) was one of the most well-respected Czech composers and pedagogues, almost singlehandedly founding a mid-century Czech school of composition. Stylistically, he was a leading figure in the Neo-Romanticism movement, and his music has been occasionally considered an early example of Czech modernism.
http://wn.com/Vítězslav_Novák -
Walid Jumblatt
Walid Jumblatt () (born August 7, 1949) is the current leader of the Progressive Socialist Party "PSP" of Lebanon, and the most prominent leader of the Druze community.
http://wn.com/Walid_Jumblatt -
Wallace Beery
Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in Min and Bill opposite Marie Dressler, his titular role in a series of films featuring the character Sweedie, and his titular role in The Champ, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Beery appeared in some 250 movies over a 36-year span.
http://wn.com/Wallace_Beery -
Wiley Rutledge
http://wn.com/Wiley_Rutledge -
Will Cuppy
William Jacob "Will" Cuppy (August 23, 1884 – September 19, 1949) was an American humorist and literary critic, known for his satirical books about nature and historical figures.
http://wn.com/Will_Cuppy -
Will Hay
William Thomson "Will" Hay (6 December 1888 – 18 April 1949) was an English comedian, actor, film director and amateur astronomer.
http://wn.com/Will_Hay -
William C. Faure
http://wn.com/William_C_Faure -
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was a Nobel Prize-winning American novelist and short story writer. One of the most influential writers of the 20th century, his reputation is based mostly on his novels, novellas, and short stories. He was also a published poet and an occasional screenwriter.
http://wn.com/William_Faulkner -
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War (WWII). He is widely regarded as one of the great wartime leaders. He served as prime minister twice (1940–1945 and 1951–1955). A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, writer, and an artist. To date, he is the only British prime minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the first person to be recognised as an honorary citizen of the United States.
http://wn.com/Winston_Churchill -
Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Johannes Puck (born Wolfgang Johannes Topfschnig on July 8, 1949) is an Austrian-American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and businessman based in Los Angeles. Wolfgang Puck restaurants, catering services, cookbooks and licensed products are run by Wolfgang Puck Companies, with three divisions.
http://wn.com/Wolfgang_Puck -
Yukawa Hideki
http://wn.com/Yukawa_Hideki -
Zoë Wanamaker
Zoë Wanamaker CBE (born 13 May 1949) is an American-British actor. She has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company; in films, including the Harry Potter series; and in a great number of television productions, including a long-time role as Susan Harper in the sitcom My Family.
http://wn.com/Zoë_Wanamaker -
Émerson Leão
“Leão” redirects here. For other uses, see Leão (disambiguation).
http://wn.com/Émerson_Leão -
Şemsettin Günaltay
Mehmet Şemsettin Günaltay (; 1883 – 1961) was a Turkish historian, politician and prime minister of Turkey.
http://wn.com/Şemsettin_Günaltay
-
Australia
{{Infobox country
http://wn.com/Australia -
Beijing
{| style="float:right;"
http://wn.com/Beijing -
Bhutan
The Kingdom of Bhutan () (Dzongkha: ; Wylie: '' 'drug yul; Tibetan pinyin: ''), is a small landlocked country in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China . Bhutan is separated from the nearby state of Nepal to the west by the Indian state of Sikkim, and from Bangladesh to the south by West Bengal.
http://wn.com/Bhutan -
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 large professional theatres with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan, New York City.Although theater is the preferred spelling in the U.S.A. (see further at American and British English Spelling Differences), the majority of venues, performers, and trade groups for live dramatic presentations use the spelling theatre. Along with London's West End theatre, Broadway theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world.
http://wn.com/Broadway_theatre -
Bulgaria
Bulgaria ( , Balgariya, ), officially the Republic of Bulgaria (, Republika Balgariya, ), is a country in Southern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north (mostly along the Danube), Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south. The Black Sea defines the extent of the country to the east.
http://wn.com/Bulgaria -
Canada
Canada () is a country in North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area. Canada's common border with the United States to the south and northwest is the longest in the world.
http://wn.com/Canada -
Cape Horn
Cape Horn island (Dutch: , ; named after the city of Hoorn in the Netherlands) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile.
http://wn.com/Cape_Horn -
Ceylon
http://wn.com/Ceylon -
Charlotte
http://wn.com/Charlotte -
Charlotte Speedway
''For the current NASCAR track in Charlotte, North Carolina, see Lowe's Motor Speedway.''
http://wn.com/Charlotte_Speedway -
Chicago
Chicago ( or ) is the largest city in the state of Illinois. With over 2.8 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous city in the country. Its metropolitan area, commonly named "Chicagoland," is the 26th most populous in the world, home to an estimated 9.7 million people spread across the U.S. states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County.
http://wn.com/Chicago -
Colorado
Colorado (pronounced or, chiefly by outsiders, ) is a U.S. state that encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains. Colorado is part of the Western United States, the Mountain States, and the Southwestern United States.
http://wn.com/Colorado -
Costa Rica
:For the plant genus Costarica, see its synonym Sicyos.
http://wn.com/Costa_Rica -
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe () is one of the oldest international organisations working towards European integration, having been founded in 1949. It has a particular emphasis on legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation. It has 47 member states with some 800 million citizens. It is distinct from the European Union (EU) which has common policies, binding laws and only twenty-seven members. The two do however share certain symbols such as their flag.
http://wn.com/Council_of_Europe -
East Germany
The German Democratic Republic (GDR; German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik or DDR), informally called East Germany by the West, was the socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany and in the East Berlin portion of the Allied-occupied capital city. The German Democratic Republic, which consisted geographically of northeast Germany rather than all of eastern Germany, had an area of 107,771 km2. (41,610 mi.2), bordering Czechoslovakia in the south, West Germany (officially: Federal Republic of Germany) in the south and west, the Baltic Sea to the north, and Poland in the east.
http://wn.com/East_Germany -
East Timor
East Timor, officially named Timor-Leste, (Tetum: Timór-Leste; officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor. The small country of 15,410 km² (5,400 sq mi) is located about 640 km (400 mi) northwest of Darwin, Australia.
http://wn.com/East_Timor -
Ecuador
Ecuador (), officially the Republic of Ecuador (, ), literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border with Brazil. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about west of the mainland.
http://wn.com/Ecuador -
England
England () is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
http://wn.com/England -
Finland
Finland (pronounced ), officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden on the west, Norway on the north and Russia on the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.
http://wn.com/Finland -
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the seventeenth-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city within the state of Texas. Located in and the western edge of the American South, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and Wise counties, serving as the seat for Tarrant County. According to the 2010 census estimates, Fort Worth had a population of 727,575. It has been estimated that by 2030 it will have 1,211,665 residents. The city is the second-largest cultural and economic center of the region.
http://wn.com/Fort_Worth_Texas -
Germany
Germany (), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (, ), is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The territory of Germany covers 357.021 km2 and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state of the European Union, and home to the third-largest number of international migrants worldwide.
http://wn.com/Germany -
Greece
Greece (; , Elláda, ; , Hellás, ), also known as Hellas and officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Ellīnikī́ Dīmokratía, ), is a country in southeastern Europe. Situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula, Greece has land borders with Albania, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of mainland Greece, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the tenth longest coastline in the world at in length, featuring a vast number of islands (approximately 1400, of which 227 are inhabited), including Crete, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, and the Ionian Islands among others. Eighty percent of Greece consists of mountains, of which Mount Olympus is the highest at .
http://wn.com/Greece -
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (; ; jyutping: Gwong²zau¹; Cantonese Yale: Gwóngjàu), also known as Canton or Kwangchow, is a sub-provincial city and the capital of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. It is one of the five National Central Cities. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key transportation hub and trading port.
http://wn.com/Guangzhou -
Guatemala
Guatemala (; , ) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast. Its area is 108,890 km² (42,043 mi²) with an estimated population of 13,276,517.
http://wn.com/Guatemala -
Houston, Texas
http://wn.com/Houston_Texas -
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States.
http://wn.com/Howard_University -
Hungary
Hungary ( ), officially the Republic of Hungary (Magyar Köztársaság ), is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin in Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, and is a Schengen state. The official language is Hungarian, the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in Europe, being part of the Finno-Ugric family.
http://wn.com/Hungary -
Iceland
:
http://wn.com/Iceland -
India
India (), officially the Republic of India ( ; see also official names of India), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.18 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Mainland India is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east; and it is bordered by Pakistan to the west; Bhutan, the People's Republic of China and Nepal to the north; and Bangladesh and Burma to the east. In the Indian Ocean, mainland India and the Lakshadweep Islands are in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share maritime border with Thailand and the Indonesian island of Sumatra in the Andaman Sea. India has a coastline of .
http://wn.com/India -
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), often abbreviated Indy (), is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. The United States Census estimated the city's population, excluding the included towns, at 807,584 in 2009. It is Indiana's largest city and is the 14th largest city in the U.S., the third largest city in the Midwest (behind Chicago and Detroit), the second most populous state capital (after Phoenix, Arizona), and the most populous state capital east of the Mississippi River. Indianapolis is also the fastest growing region in the Midwest.
http://wn.com/Indianapolis -
Indonesia
Indonesia ( or ), officially the Republic of Indonesia (), is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands. With a population of around 238 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, and has the world's largest population of Muslims. Indonesia is a republic, with an elected legislature and president. The nation's capital city is Jakarta. The country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia. Other neighboring countries include Singapore, Philippines, Australia, and the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indonesia is a founding member of ASEAN and a member of the G-20 major economies.
http://wn.com/Indonesia -
Israel
Israel (, ''Yisrā'el; , Isrā'īl), officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: , Medīnat Yisrā'el; , Dawlat Isrā'īl''), is a parliamentary republic in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, Egypt and Gaza on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel is the world's only predominantly Jewish state, and is defined as A Jewish and Democratic State by the Israeli government.
http://wn.com/Israel -
Italy
Italy (; ), officially the Italian Republic (), is a country located in south-central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia — the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea — and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, whilst Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.4 million inhabitants, it is the sixth most populous country in Europe, and the twenty-third most populous in the world.
http://wn.com/Italy -
Japan
Japan (日本 Nihon or Nippon), officially the State of Japan ( or Nihon-koku), is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin" (because it lies to the east of nearby countries), which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
http://wn.com/Japan -
Joe 1
http://wn.com/Joe_1 -
Jordan
{{Infobox Country
http://wn.com/Jordan -
Kashmir
Kashmir (Kashmiri: कॅशीर, کٔشِیر; Dogri: कश्मीर; Ladakhi: ཀཤམིར; Balti: کشمیر; Gojri: کشمیر; Poonchi/Chibhali: کشمیر; Shina: کشمیر; Uyghur: كەشمىر) is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range.
http://wn.com/Kashmir -
Korea
Korea ( Hanguk or Joseon – South and North Korea, respectively (cf. etymology)) is a territory of East Asia that was formerly unified under one state, but now divided into two separate states and a region in northeastern Asia. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it is bordered by China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait and the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
http://wn.com/Korea -
Latvia
Latvia (; ), officially the Republic of Latvia () is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia (343 km), to the south by Lithuania (588 km), to the east by the Russian Federation (276 km), and to the southeast by Belarus (141 km). Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden. The territory of Latvia covers and it has a temperate seasonal climate.
http://wn.com/Latvia -
Lithuania
Lithuania (, U.S. usually ; ), officially the Republic of Lithuania () is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the southwest.
http://wn.com/Lithuania -
Mark B. Cohen
Mark B. Cohen (born June 4, 1949) is a Democratic politician from Northeast-Northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has represented the 202nd legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 1974, making him one of the most senior members in the chamber. Cohen has been in House Democratic leadership since 1990, and has served as Caucus Chairman since 1994.
http://wn.com/Mark_B_Cohen -
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco (; Monégasque: Principatu de Múnegu; ; ), is a small sovereign city-state located in South Western Europe on the northern central coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is surrounded on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with an estimated population of almost 33,000.
http://wn.com/Monaco -
Nagasaki, Japan
http://wn.com/Nagasaki_Japan -
Nanjing
(Chinese: 南京; Romanizations: Nánjīng (Pinyin), Nan-ching (Wade-Giles), Nanking (Postal map spelling); ) is the capital of Jiangsu Province, China, and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture. The spellings 'Nanjing' and 'Nanking' both correspond to the Chinese name '南京' which means "southern capital". 'Nanking' was widely used until the Pinyin language reform; then 'Nanjing' became the international standard spelling of the city's name.
http://wn.com/Nanjing -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO ( ; ), also called the "(North) Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The NATO headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, and the organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.
http://wn.com/NATO -
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, is the common name for the country of Germany while governed by Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) from 1933 to 1945. Third Reich () denotes the Nazi state as a historical successor to the medieval Holy Roman Empire (962–1806) and to the modern German Empire (1871–1918). Nazi Germany had two official names, the Deutsches Reich (German Reich), from 1933 to 1943, when it became Großdeutsches Reich (Greater German Reich).
http://wn.com/Nazi_Germany -
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha.
http://wn.com/Nebraska -
Nevada
Nevada is a state located in the western and southwestern region of the United States. Nevada is also part of the Mountain States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there. "Sagebrush State" and "Battle Born State" are its alternative nicknames. In 1864, Nevada became the 36th state to enter the union, and the phrase "Battle Born" on the state flag reflects the state's entry on the Union side during the American Civil War. Its first nonnative settlement was called Mormon Station.
http://wn.com/Nevada -
New York
New York (; locally or ) is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east. The state has a maritime border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario to the north and west, and Quebec to the north. New York is often referred to as New York State to distinguish it from New York City.
http://wn.com/New_York -
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.
http://wn.com/Nobel_Peace_Prize -
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the Southern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte. North Carolina is now ranked as one of the top 3 leading States for Green Technology, Bio-Chemical Engineering, Medical Sciences, and Computer Engineering through the long-range research and development programs of Research Triangle Park (RTP), UNC Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State .
http://wn.com/North_Carolina -
Oakland, California
Oakland () is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of California. It is a major West Coast port, located on San Francisco Bay, about 8 miles (13 km) east of San Francisco. Oakland is a major hub city for the Bay Area subregion collectively called the East Bay, and it is the county seat of Alameda County. Based on United States Census Bureau estimates for 2010, Oakland is the 41st-largest city in the USA with a population of 446,901.
http://wn.com/Oakland_California -
opera
http://wn.com/opera -
Palermo
Palermo (, Sicilian: Palermu, , from , Panormos, , Balharm) is a historic city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its rich history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old. Palermo is located in the northwest of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
http://wn.com/Palermo -
Portugal
Portugal (, ), officially the Portuguese Republic (; ), is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east. The Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are also part of Portugal.
http://wn.com/Portugal -
Quebec
Quebec or ( ) is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.
http://wn.com/Quebec -
Republic of China
The Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia located off the east coast of mainland China. Subject to an ongoing dispute with the People's Republic of China (PRC) that has left it with limited formal diplomatic relations, the government of the Republic of China currently governs the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor islands. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south.
http://wn.com/Republic_of_China -
Republic of Ireland
Ireland (, , , ), described as the Republic of Ireland (), is a state in northwest Europe with a population of almost 4.5 million people. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional republic occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned into two jurisdictions in 1921. It is bordered to the northeast by Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom, and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Irish Sea to the east, St George's Channel to the southeast, and the Celtic Sea to the south.
http://wn.com/Republic_of_Ireland -
Shamrock Hotel
The Shamrock was a hotel constructed between 1946 and 1949 by wildcatter Glenn McCarthy southwest of downtown Houston, Texas next to the Texas Medical Center. It was the largest hotel built in the United States during the 1940s. The grand opening of the Shamrock is still cited as one of the biggest social events ever held in Houston. Sold to Hilton Hotels in 1955 and operated for over three decades as the Shamrock Hilton, the facility endured financial struggles throughout its history. In 1985, Hilton Hotels donated the building to the Texas Medical Center and the structure was demolished on June 1, 1987.
http://wn.com/Shamrock_Hotel -
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; while Lesotho is an independent country wholly surrounded by South African territory.
http://wn.com/South_Africa -
South Dakota
South Dakota () is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over 800,000. Pierre is the state capital and Sioux Falls, with a population of nearly 160,000, is South Dakota's largest city.
http://wn.com/South_Dakota -
Southampton
Southampton () is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest. It lies at the northernmost point of Southampton Water at the confluence of the River Test and River Itchen, with the River Hamble joining to the south of the urban area. The local authority is Southampton City Council, which is a unitary authority.
http://wn.com/Southampton -
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR, , abbreviated СССР, SSSR), informally known as the Soviet Union () or Soviet Russia, was a constitutionally socialist state that existed on the territory of most of the former Russian Empire in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991.
http://wn.com/Soviet_Union -
Syria
Syria ( ; ' or '), officially the Syrian Arab Republic (), is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
http://wn.com/Syria -
Taipei
Taipei City (; literally "Northern Taiwan City") is the largest city of Taiwan and the capital of the Republic of China (commonly known as "Taiwan"). Situated at the tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Danshui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean. Another coastal city, Danshui, is about 20 km northwest at the river's mouth on the Taiwan Strait. It lies in the two relatively narrow valleys of the Keelung (基隆河) and Xindian (新店溪) rivers, which join to form the Danshui River along the city's western border. The city proper (Taipei City) is home to an estimated 2,607,428 people. Taipei City, Taipei County, and Keelung City together form the Taipei metropolitan area with a population of 6,776,264. However, they are administered under different local governing bodies. "Taipei" sometimes refers to the whole metropolitan area, while "Taipei City" refers to the city proper.
http://wn.com/Taipei -
Taiwan
Taiwan, also known (especially in the past) as Formosa (from , "Beautiful Island"), is an island situated in East Asia in the Western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. It comprises most (99%) of the territory of the Republic of China (ROC) since the 1950s. The term "Taiwan" is also a common name to refer to the entire country of the Republic of China.
http://wn.com/Taiwan -
Thailand
Thailand ( or ; Ratcha Anachak Thai, ), formerly Siam (, ), is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.
http://wn.com/Thailand -
Toronto
Toronto (, colloquially or ) is the largest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America. Toronto is at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and is part of a densely populated region in Southern Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe, which is home to over 8.1 million residents—approximately 25% of Canada's population. The census metropolitan area (CMA) had a population of 5,113,149, and the Greater Toronto Area had a population of 5,555,912 in the 2006 Census.
http://wn.com/Toronto -
Turkey
Turkey (), known officially as the Republic of Turkey (), is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Eastern Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.
http://wn.com/Turkey -
U.S.
http://wn.com/US -
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a country and sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island nation, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border with another sovereign state, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Great Britain is linked to continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel.
http://wn.com/United_Kingdom -
United States
The United States of America (also referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.
http://wn.com/United_States -
USSR
http://wn.com/USSR -
Utah
Utah ( or ) is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,784,572 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the sixth most urbanized in the U.S. The name "Utah" is derived from the name of the Ute tribe and means "people of the mountains" in the Ute language. Utah is bordered by Arizona on the south, Colorado on the east, Wyoming on the northeast, Idaho on the north and Nevada on the west. It also touches a corner of New Mexico.
http://wn.com/Utah -
Vatican City
Vatican City or Vatican City State, officially Stato della Città del Vaticano (), which translates literally as "State of the City of the Vatican", is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, the capital city of Italy. It has an area of approximately , and a population of just over 800.
http://wn.com/Vatican_City -
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. (), formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790. Article One of the United States Constitution provides for a federal district, distinct from the states, to serve as the permanent national capital. The City of Washington was originally a separate municipality within the federal territory until an act of Congress in 1871 established a single, unified municipal government for the whole District. It is for this reason that the city, while legally named the District of Columbia, is known as Washington, D.C. The city shares its name with the U.S. state of Washington, which is located on the country's Pacific coast.
http://wn.com/Washington_DC -
Wusong
Wusong (; also Woosung) was port town located fourteen miles downriver from Shanghai. It is the site of China's first telegraph wires and first railroad; running from Shanghai. Tongji University was founded here in 1909. During World War II, this town was the site of an internment camp for Marines captured on Wake Island. The Woosung area was abolished in 1964 and incorporated into the Baoshan District of Shanghai.
http://wn.com/Wusong -
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is mostly covered by the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest U.S. state by area, Wyoming is the least populous, with a U.S. Census estimated population of 544,270 in 2009. This is a 5.9% increase since 2000. The capital and the most populous city of Wyoming is Cheyenne.
http://wn.com/Wyoming -
Yale University
Yale University is a private Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
http://wn.com/Yale_University -
Yogyakarta
The Special Region of Yogyakarta (, or DIY), on the island of Java is the smallest province of Indonesia (excluding the capital Jakarta). Yogyakarta is the only province in Indonesia that is still governed by that area's pre-colonial monarchy; the Sultan of Yogyakarta serves as the hereditary governor of the province. In Javanese it is pronounced .
http://wn.com/Yogyakarta -
Yukon, Oklahoma
Yukon is a city in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 21,043 at the 2000 census.
http://wn.com/Yukon_Oklahoma
- 1860
- 1861
- 1862
- 1864
- 1866
- 1870
- 1871
- 1872
- 1873
- 1874
- 1875
- 1876
- 1877
- 1878
- 1879
- 1882
- 1883
- 1884
- 1885
- 1886
- 1888
- 1889
- 1890
- 1891
- 1892
- 1893
- 1894
- 1899
- 1900
- 1901
- 1906
- 1908
- 1910
- 1911
- 1913
- 1916
- 1919
- 1945
- 1948
- 1965
- 1969
- 1970
- 1979
- 1982
- 1983
- 1984
- 1986
- 1990
- 1995
- 1997
- 1998
- 1999
- 2000
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2005
- 2006
- 2007
- 2008
- 2010
- 2011
- 21st Academy Awards
- Abdolhossein Hazhir
- Ahmad Rashad
- Aida
- Aiswarya
- Alan Garcia Perez
- Alan Lancaster
- Alan Menken
- Alan Osmond
- Alan Titchmarsh
- Albert Guay affair
- Alex Higgins
- Alexander Godunov
- Alla Pugacheva
- American Civil War
- American football
- Anchor Books
- Andrei Fursenko
- Andy Kaufman
- Ann Druyan
- Annie Leibovitz
- Antonio Carpio
- Apartheid
- April 1
- April 10
- April 11
- April 14
- April 15
- April 16
- April 18
- April 19
- April 20
- April 21
- April 22
- April 23
- April 24
- April 26
- April 27
- April 28
- April 29
- April 3
- April 4
- April 6
- April 7
- April 8
- Archie Manning
- Armand Assante
- Armin Shimerman
- Arsène Wenger
- Arthur Fielder
- Arturo Toscanini
- astronomer
- atomic bomb
- August 11
- August 12
- August 14
- August 15
- August 16
- August 17
- August 18
- August 2
- August 20
- August 21
- August 22
- August 23
- August 24
- August 25
- August 28
- August 29
- August 30
- August 31
- August 4
- August 5
- August 6
- August 7
- August 8
- August 9
- August Krogh
- Aurora Quezon
- Aurum Press
- Australia
- Azores
- B-50 Superfortress
- bank
- Battle of Kuningtou
- BBC News
- BBC Third Programme
- Beijing
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Berlin Airlift
- Bernd Eichinger
- Beverly Lynn Burns
- Bhutan
- Big Bang
- Bill Buckner
- Bill Hudson (singer)
- Bill Robinson
- Billy Gibbons
- Billy Joel
- Bollingen Foundation
- Bollingen Prize
- Bonnie Raitt
- Boston Red Sox
- Bradbury Robinson
- Brandon Tartikoff
- Brenda Russell
- Brent Spiner
- Broadway theatre
- Bruce Springsteen
- Bruno Kirby
- Buck Freeman
- Buddhism
- Buddy Clark
- Bulgaria
- California Zephyr
- Canada
- Cape Horn
- Carl Bildt
- Carlos the Jackal
- Caroline Munro
- catacombs
- Cathy Wayne
- Ceylon
- Charles B. Middleton
- Charles Rocket
- Charlie Steiner
- Charlotte
- Charlotte Speedway
- Chavo Guerrero, Sr.
- Chicago
- Christopher Durang
- Civil war
- Claudia Jennings
- Cold War
- Colorado
- Communist Party
- Costa Rica
- Council of Europe
- Cunard Line
- Dan Bunten
- Daniel Mangeas
- Danny Kaye
- Dave Thomas (actor)
- David Ben-Gurion
- David Rubinstein
- de Havilland Comet
- Dean (education)
- Death of a Salesman
- Decca Records
- December 1
- December 10
- December 11
- December 12
- December 13
- December 14
- December 15
- December 16
- December 17
- December 19
- December 20
- December 22
- December 24
- December 25
- December 26
- December 27
- December 28
- December 3
- December 30
- December 31
- December 4
- December 6
- December 7
- December 8
- Dennis Green
- Dennis Taylor
- Deportivo Saprissa
- Dire Straits
- Don Johnson
- Don Quixote
- Dorothy Parker
- Douglas DC-3
- Douglas Hyde
- Duncan Bannatyne
- Dusty Hill
- earthquake
- East Germany
- East Timor
- Ecuador
- Ed Begley, Jr.
- Eddie Money
- Edgar Allan Poe
- EDSAC
- Edward G. Robinson
- Edwin Alonzo Boyd
- Eikichi Yazawa
- Elijah Harper
- Ellery Harding Clark
- Elliott Murphy
- Elmer Clifton
- Emanuel Ax
- Emmy Award
- England
- English people
- Erik Estrada
- Ernest Fourneau
- Estonia
- Ezio Pinza
- Ezra Pound
- Fair Deal
- Fanny Ardant
- February 1
- February 10
- February 12
- February 13
- February 15
- February 16
- February 17
- February 18
- February 19
- February 2
- February 20
- February 21
- February 22
- February 25
- February 28
- February 3
- February 4
- February 6
- February 7
- February 8
- February 9
- Felix Bressart
- Fernand Braudel
- Finland
- fixed-wing aircraft
- flood
- fly fishing
- Fort Worth, Texas
- forward pass
- Francis Rossi
- Frank Morgan
- Fred Hoyle
- Fredric March
- Friedrich Bergius
- frigate
- Fritz Hart
- Fritz Leiber, Sr.
- Garry Shandling
- Gary Ridgway
- Gates McFadden
- Gatling gun
- Geezer Butler
- Gene Simmons
- Geoff Bodine
- George Foreman
- George Orwell
- George Shiels
- Gerard P. Kuiper
- Germany
- Ghulam Nabi Azad
- Gil Scott-Heron
- Ginette Neveu
- Giuseppe Verdi
- Glenn Dunnaway
- Glenn McCarthy
- Gloria Gaynor
- Grady the Cow
- Greece
- Greek Civil War
- Gregg Popovich
- Gregorian calendar
- Gregorio Perfecto
- Grigoraş Dinicu
- Guangzhou
- Guatemala
- Gustavus M. Blech
- Gérard Mestrallet
- Göran Persson
- H. David Politzer
- H. Rochester Sneath
- Hank Williams, Jr.
- Harry S. Truman
- Harry Stack Sullivan
- Harry Turtledove
- Haruki Murakami
- Hassan al Banna
- Hassan Shehata
- Heather Couper
- Heinrich Nordhoff
- Helen Keller
- Helena Fibingerova
- Hennie Kuiper
- Henri Giraud
- Herbert Stothart
- Hermes project
- Hervey Allen
- Hirofumi Hirano
- HMS Amethyst (U16)
- Hopalong Cassidy
- Horst Ludwig Störmer
- Houston, Texas
- Howard University
- Howard Unruh
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ilene Graff
- India
- Indianapolis
- Indonesia
- Ingrid Newkirk
- Inshan Ali
- interracial marriage
- Irene Vanbrugh
- Isaac Bonewits
- Israel
- Italy
- Ivana Trump
- Jack Kapp
- Jack Lovelock
- James Forrestal
- Jan Frans De Boever
- Jan Smithers
- Jane Smiley
- Jane Urquhart
- January 1
- January 10
- January 11
- January 12
- January 13
- January 14
- January 16
- January 17
- January 18
- January 19
- January 2
- January 20
- January 22
- January 24
- January 25
- January 26
- January 28
- January 3
- January 30
- January 31
- January 4
- January 5
- January 6
- January 7
- January 8
- Japan
- Jarosław Kaczyński
- Jean-Pierre Wimille
- Jeff Bridges
- Jerome F. Donovan
- Jerry Lawler
- Jesse Duplantis
- Jesse Jefferson
- Jessica Lange
- Jim Roper
- Jim Sheridan
- Jim Varney
- Jimmie Spheeris
- Jo Ann Harris
- Joaquín Turina
- Joe 1
- Joe Barton
- Joe Louis
- Joe Louis Walker
- Joe Theismann
- Johan Derksen
- John Akii-Bua
- John Belushi
- John Boyd Orr
- John Force
- John Garfield
- John Oates
- John Riggins
- John Shea
- John W. Henry
- Johnnie Wilder, Jr.
- Jordan
- Joseph C. Wilson
- Joseph Stalin
- José Clemente Orozco
- José Ramos-Horta
- Joyce DeWitt
- JPR Williams
- Juanin Clay
- Judi Bari
- Judith Light
- Julia Migenes
- July 1
- July 11
- July 12
- July 13
- July 15
- July 17
- July 18
- July 2
- July 20
- July 22
- July 26
- July 27
- July 3
- July 30
- July 31
- July 7
- July 9
- June 10
- June 11
- June 13
- June 14
- June 15
- June 17
- June 18
- June 19
- June 2
- June 21
- June 22
- June 24
- June 25
- June 27
- June 29
- June 4
- June 5
- June 6
- June 8
- Kashmir
- Katha Pollitt
- Kathy Fiscus
- Katy Manning
- KDKA-TV
- Ken Wilber
- Kene Holliday
- Kerry O'Keeffe
- Kingsway Hall
- Kinmen
- Kiss (band)
- Klaus Mann
- Konrad Adenauer
- Korea
- Kuomintang
- Kurt Schmoke
- Larry Holmes
- Larry Wall
- Lasse Viren
- Laszlo Rajk
- Latvia
- Lawrence Kasdan
- Leadbelly
- Lech Kaczyński
- Lee McGeorge Durrell
- Legal_aid
- Lene Lovich
- Leopoldo Luque
- Linda Arvidson
- Linda Lovelace
- Lithuania
- London Declaration
- Loretta Devine
- Lucky Lady II
- Luger P08 pistol
- Luis Muñoz Marín
- Lyn Paul
- M61 Vulcan
- Mahabodhi Temple
- Malta Labour Party
- Manuel L. Quezon
- Marcel Cerdan
- March 1
- March 10
- March 11
- March 12
- March 13
- March 16
- March 17
- March 18
- March 19
- March 2
- March 20
- March 22
- March 23
- March 24
- March 25
- March 26
- March 28
- March 29
- March 3
- March 30
- March 31
- March 6
- March 7
- March 9
- Marcia Ball
- Margaret Mitchell
- Maria Ouspenskaya
- Mark B. Cohen
- Mark Knopfler
- martial law
- Martin Amis
- Martin Buchan
- Mary Gordon (writer)
- Mary Martin
- mass murder
- Maurice Gibb
- Maurice Maeterlinck
- Maxime Le Forestier
- May 1
- May 11
- May 12
- May 13
- May 18
- May 19
- May 2
- May 20
- May 22
- May 23
- May 24
- May 26
- May 27
- May 29
- May 3
- May 31
- May 4
- May 5
- May 6
- May 9
- Mayor of Baltimore
- Meryl Streep
- Michael Brecker
- Mike Schmidt
- military coup
- Mo Mowlam
- Mohandas Gandhi
- Monaco
- Mu Tiezhu
- Musical theatre
- Myanmar
- N'Ko
- Nagasaki, Japan
- Nanjing
- Naomi Sims
- Narayan Apte
- NASCAR
- Natalia Kuchinskaya
- Nathuram Godse
- NATO
- Nazi Germany
- NBC
- Nebraska
- Nelson Doubleday
- Neptune
- Nereid (moon)
- Nevada
- New York
- Nick Ainger
- Nick Lowe
- Nigel Havers
- Nigel Lythgoe
- Niki Lauda
- Nikolaos Skalkottas
- Nineteen Eighty-Four
- Nobel Peace Prize
- North Carolina
- November 15
- November 19
- November 2
- November 22
- November 24
- November 25
- November 26
- November 27
- November 28
- November 29
- November 3
- November 30
- November 5
- November 6
- November 7
- November 8
- Oakland, California
- October 1
- October 12
- October 13
- October 14
- October 15
- October 16
- October 17
- October 2
- October 20
- October 21
- October 22
- October 26
- October 27
- October 31
- October 4
- October 7
- October 8
- opera
- Orapin Chaiyakan
- Ottmar Hitzfeld
- Palermo
- Pamela Stephenson
- Pamir (ship)
- Paris
- Pat Rice
- Patrick Süskind
- Patti Lupone
- Paul Mares
- Paul Muni
- Paul Rodgers
- Paul Shaffer
- Peter Agre
- Peter Shilton
- Philip Lynott
- Philippe Starck
- Pierre Buyoya
- Poe Toaster
- pope
- Pope Paul VI
- Portugal
- pound sterling
- President of Brazil
- President of Burundi
- President of Chile
- President of Ireland
- President of Peru
- President of Poland
- primate
- Quebec
- Queen (band)
- Raimond Valgre
- Rajinikanth
- Randy Neugebauer
- Randy Owen
- Rasim Delic
- Rationing
- Republic of China
- Republic of Ireland
- Rhesus Macaque
- Ric Flair
- Ric Ocasek
- Richard Dix
- Richard Gere
- Richard Hell
- Richard Strauss
- Rick Springfield
- Rick Wakeman
- RMS Caronia
- Rob Cohen
- Robert L. Ripley
- Robert Menzies
- Robin Gibb
- Rockefeller Center
- rocket
- Roger Meddows-Taylor
- Roman numerals
- Ronnie Hellström
- Ronnie Mund
- Royal Navy
- Russell Doubleday
- sailing ship
- Saint Peter
- Salvatore Giuliano
- Sam Wood
- Sammy Nelson
- Samuel Putnam
- Sandra Scheuer
- Sandy Hawley
- Sebastian Pinera
- Second Red Scare
- Selhurst College
- September 10
- September 13
- September 14
- September 15
- September 16
- September 17
- September 18
- September 19
- September 20
- September 22
- September 23
- September 24
- September 25
- September 26
- September 27
- September 29
- September 6
- September 7
- September 8
- September 9
- Seymour Hicks
- Shamrock Hotel
- Shaukat Aziz
- Shaun Garnett
- Shelley Duvall
- Shelley Long
- Shlomo Artzi
- Sicily
- Sidney Olcott
- Sigourney Weaver
- Sigrid Undset
- Sissy Spacek
- snow
- Solomana Kante
- South Africa
- South Dakota
- Southampton
- Soviet Jews
- Soviet Union
- SS Noronic
- Stan Hansen
- Stan Rogers
- Status Quo (band)
- Studio 8H
- suicide
- Sukarno
- Suthep Po-ngam
- Svetislav Pešić
- Syed Zafarul Hasan
- Sylvia Likens
- Syria
- Taipei
- Taiwan
- Tan Malaka
- Tapani Kansa
- television
- Television (band)
- Television Westerns
- Thai female
- Thailand
- Thaksin Shinawatra
- The Bee Gees
- The Guess Who
- Tokyo Rose
- Tokyo Stock Exchange
- Tom Berenger
- Tom Verlaine
- Tom Waits
- Tomaž Pisanski
- Toronto
- Traicho Kostov
- Transjordan
- Trevor Horn
- Turkey
- Twiggy
- Typhoon
- U.S.
- Ulrich Salchow
- UN
- United Kingdom
- United Nations
- United States
- United States dollar
- USSR
- Utah
- V-2 rocket
- Valeriy Borzov
- Vatican City
- Vehbi Akdağ
- Vera Wang
- Veronica Cartwright
- Veronique Sanson
- Vicki Lawrence
- Victor Fleming
- Victor Garber
- Volkswagen Beetle
- Vítězslav Novák
- Walid Jumblatt
- Wallace Beery
- Walter Rudolf Hess
- Washington, D.C.
- Wayne Wang
- Wiley Rutledge
- Will Cuppy
- Will Hay
- William C. Faure
- William Faulkner
- Winston Churchill
- Wolfgang Puck
- World War II
- Wusong
- Wyoming
- Yale University
- Yangtze River
- Yogyakarta
- Yukawa Hideki
- Yukon, Oklahoma
- Zoë Wanamaker
- ZZ Top
- Éire
- Émerson Leão
- Şemsettin Günaltay
Send this Playlist by SMS
Email this Page
1949 Ford - Design and Testing
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:46
- Published: 24 Oct 2006
- Uploaded: 02 Jan 2012
- Author: RetroRacer13
Design and testing of the new 1949 Ford automobile.
http://wn.com/1949_Ford__Design_and_Testing
Dating: Do's and Don'ts (1949) - Teen Dating Educational Film
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 12:26
- Published: 30 May 2011
- Uploaded: 02 Jan 2012
- Author: TheLoverOfMovies
Download the entire film here: www.archive.org
http://wn.com/Dating_Do's_and_Don'ts_1949__Teen_Dating_Educational_Film
"Premakes" Forrest Gump (1949)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:41
- Published: 12 Aug 2009
- Uploaded: 02 Jan 2012
- Author: whoiseyevan
Subscribe to my channel for more premake trailer fun! What if... Forrest Gump was directed by Frank Capra instead of Robert Zemeckis? In an alternate reality version of the year 1949 (not 1994), it actually did happen. Starring Jimmy Stewart, in the lovable title role, Forrest Gump is the story of how a simple man from Greenbow, Alabama changes the course of history and the world around him. This is a fan trailer made from bits and pieces found all over YouTube. Here's the recipe: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Harvey, To Kill A Mockingbird, Forrest Gump, Horse Feathers, Its A Wonderful Life, Mountain Road, The Shopworn Angel, The Stratton Story, You Can't Take It With You, Thunder Bay, Top Ten Elusive Runners, Table Tennis Action Classics 1930s-1950s, I Feel Like a Feather in the Breeze, Woodrow Wilson at the Labor Convention, Fancy Curves, The Men, Captains Courageous, The Making of Forrest Gump Hope you enjoyed it! ....................... The following clip is fake, independent, and not for profit. It is not endorsed or connected to Universal or Paramount. It was made as a purely technical exercise, and as a reflective deconstruction of elements in modern cinema.
http://wn.com/Premakes_Forrest_Gump_1949
President Truman 1949 Inauguration
www.c-spanarchives.org Newsreel footage of President Truman's first inaugural address on January 20, 1949.
http://wn.com/President_Truman_1949_Inauguration
How to Be Well Groomed (1949)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:40
- Published: 13 Jun 2007
- Uploaded: 01 Jan 2012
- Author: shaggylocks
This film details the grooming rituals of brother "Don" and sister "Sue". Both are incredibly neat; in fact, grooming seems to occupy their entire day, while their evenings are spent ironing outfits and polishing shoes. The work load is so heavy it requires two narrators! Features some excellent voice over lines, including: "Sue avoids red nail polish since it would call attention to her stubby hands." "Mother too keeps up a good appearance even around the house, for that keeps up her spirits." "Their good grooming habits help them in friendships and business. For your success depends a great deal on how you look." Producer: Coronet Instructional Films
http://wn.com/How_to_Be_Well_Groomed_1949
I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY (1949) by Hank Williams
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:01
- Published: 03 Nov 2009
- Uploaded: 05 Jan 2012
- Author: wilsonmcphert
One of my favourite Hank Williams songs. Hank recorded this track on 30 August 1949 in Ohio. With him were ace studio musicians: Zeke Turner (electric guitar), Louis Innes (rhythm guitar), Jerry Byrd (steel guitar), Ernie Newton (bass), and Tommy Jackson (fiddle). They were known as the Nashville A-Team, and were not part of the Drifting Cowboys who toured with Hank at that time (although a couple did do stints with them). The Drifting Cowboys did record with Hank on many other sessions. According to Colin Escott who wrote a biography on Hank "Here is the chill of the void that would become one of the hallmarks of Hank's writing. It is the most oft cited example of Hank Williams the hillbilly poet, but its poetic form comes from the fact that it was originally intended to be spoken, not sung. Acuff-Rose staff writer Vic McAlpin said that Hank had written it for his first session of recitations slated for January 1950, but at some point he changed his mind. "I think ol' Hank needs to record this," he told McAlpin. Hank was concerned that some of the lines might sound self-consciously artsy and alienate his audience, but, as he so often did, he tried out the song on friends, fellow performers, and Fred Rose, and let them convince him that he had excelled". Veteran Nashville songwriter Jimmy Rule recalls: "One day I was over at Acuff-Rose, our mutual publisher, and Hank handed me a piece of paper and said, "Do you think people will understand what I'm trying to say when I <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/I'M_SO_LONESOME_I_COULD_CRY_1949_by_Hank_Williams
Eskimo Hunters 1949
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 19:52
- Published: 31 May 2008
- Uploaded: 04 Jan 2012
- Author: travelfilmarchive
A visit with Eskimos in 1949. Footage from this subject is available for licensing from www.globalimageworks.com
http://wn.com/Eskimo_Hunters_1949
Howdy Doody - 1949 - (1/3)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:05
- Published: 26 May 2009
- Uploaded: 04 Jan 2012
- Author: hwy61media
It's Howdy Doody time, "with A Circus of Fun for everyone." A wonderful ground breaking childrens' show from the early days of television, this episode is from August 3rd, 1949. This movie brought to you by hwy61media. Please take a moment to rate this movie and add your comments. You can see all of my movies at: www.youtube.com Please take a look and subscribe to my channel. If you would like to comment on my channel as well, please do so. Your feedback is important to me. Thanks for watching.
http://wn.com/Howdy_Doody__1949__1/3
Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:45
- Published: 17 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 05 Jan 2012
- Author: TheThinkingAtheist
Christopher Eric Hitchens was an English author and journalist whose books, essays, and journalistic career spanned more than four decades. He was a columnist and literary critic at The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Slate, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry, and became a media fellow at the Hoover Institution in September 2008. He was a staple of talk shows and lecture circuits and in 2005 was voted the world's fifth top public intellectual in a Prospect/Foreign Policy poll. He was a champion for atheism, skepticism, science, history and common sense. He will be sorely missed.
http://wn.com/Christopher_Hitchens_1949-2011
Vintage Motorcycle Racing Daytona Beach 1949
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:30
- Published: 20 Nov 2008
- Uploaded: 02 Jan 2012
- Author: Smuckatelli45
Video clip from home movies taken in 1949 of motorcycle racing on Daytona Beach. This was before the construction of the Daytona Speedway and both auto and cycle racing was done using the beach and highway adjacent to the beach. Note the lack of homes and condos in 1949. Also note at the end of the video a cyclist is injured and they have to remove him using a stretcher. Video courtesy of Mario Levetto.
http://wn.com/Vintage_Motorcycle_Racing_Daytona_Beach_1949
Orphée, 1949, by Jean Cocteau
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:07
- Published: 10 Mar 2008
- Uploaded: 30 Dec 2011
- Author: prlosolvidados
Through the Looking-Glass.
http://wn.com/Orphée,_1949,_by_Jean_Cocteau
Sikorsky S-52 First Helicopter Loop - 1949
HE "Tommy" Thompson loops the Sikorsky S-52 helicopter in 1949. First recorded helicopter loop from 8mm movie and stills. Thompson also set an international speed record of 129.616 mph in this craft. Describing looping the S-52 from my Dad's memoir - "At about two hundred feet I put the helicopter in a dive and picked up airspeed to approximately 120 miles per hour; by this time at the bottom of the loop we were only twenty or thirty feet above the ground. Then the ordeal of raising the pitch stick, applying more power, gradually easing back on the azimuth stick more and more until as you look over backward and see the horizon and ground as the helicopter is now upside down in reference to the ground. Just before going over I backed off on power and pitch and by all means didn't allow the rotor RPM to exceed it's red line. Gingerly continuing to hold back on the azimuth stick allowed us to begin our descent down to the landmark from which we started. As we were coming down, we felt a thump or thud which shook the helicopter. This thump or thud was rewarding in that it signified our loop was next to perfect in that we reentered our prop or blade wash." Tommy was flying that day with Adolph Plenefisch, the S-52 crew chief. Prior to the flight. he had asked Adolph to adjust the aircraft for maximum fore and aft control that was allowable without mast bumping. Adolph was a little suspicious and wanted to accompany him if he was going to try anything aggressive. Thompson <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Sikorsky_S-52_First_Helicopter_Loop__1949
China in revolution 1911-1949 (part1/10)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:57
- Published: 08 Aug 2008
- Uploaded: 03 Jan 2012
- Author: chrisyang001
China in revolution 1911-1949 (part1/10)
http://wn.com/China_in_revolution_1911-1949_part1/10
Dating Do's and Don'ts (1949) Part 1
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:55
- Published: 08 Jun 2007
- Uploaded: 28 Dec 2011
- Author: shaggylocks
This social guidance "how-to" film has received more camp accolades than any other, and deserves it. Alan Woodruff ("Woody") receives a ticket to admit one couple to the upcoming Hi-Teen Carnival. "One couple," Woody reflects. "That means a date! Not like just going around with the crowd!" Woody decides to ask Ann Davis, who, the narrator points out, "knows how to have a good time." With her perpetual squint and chipmunk cheeks, Ann (pronounced "Ay-yun" by the actors in this film) is the perfect companion for super-nerd Woody. At crucial moments in the date, the narrator stops the action and presents Woody with several possible options for his actions. Happily, Woody makes all the correct decisions and ends up walking home from Ann's doorstep whistling with satisfaction at a job well done. "Thanks so much," says Ann with a toothy grin. "I had LOADS of fun." Classic Coronet! Rare (but incomplete) Kodachrome version.
http://wn.com/Dating_Do's_and_Don'ts_1949_Part_1
Christopher Hitchens: 1949 - 2011
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:58
- Published: 16 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 04 Jan 2012
- Author: TheAmazingAtheist
www.vanityfair.com
http://wn.com/Christopher_Hitchens_1949__2011
Marty Reisman vs Victor Barna (1949 English Open)
Excerpt from "Legends of Table Tennis." - And here is Reisman 60 years later: www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/Marty_Reisman_vs_Victor_Barna_1949_English_Open
THE HEIRESS (1949) Final scene
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:00
- Published: 15 Feb 2009
- Uploaded: 04 Jan 2012
- Author: sutherland9
Olivia de Havilland as Catherine Sloper, Montgomery Clift as Morris Townsend and Miriam Hopkins as Aunt Lavinia in William Wyler's "The Heiress".
http://wn.com/THE_HEIRESS_1949_Final_scene
KING OF THE ROCKET MEN 1949 SERIAL TRAILER
Re-release theatrical trailer for the 1949 Republic serial, KING OF THE ROCKETMEN, starring Tris Coffin, Mae Clarke and House Peters Jr. The eye-defying flying sequences were accomplished by Republc's ace special effects team of Howard and Theodore Lydecker, who used aa life-sized dummy against natural backgrounds with the camera undercranking at the appropriate speed. Combined with stuntman David Sharpe's spectacular leaps and effective sound effects, the scene of Rocketman in flight still awe today. So popular was the serial, that two additional serials -- RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON (1952) and ZOMBIES OF THE STARTOSPHERE (1952) were built around the Lydecker footage as was the the COMMANDO CODY (1953) series of featurettes, which later sold to television. Tobuy classic movies, serials, westerns and vintage television shows on DVD -- plus original movie posters, golden & silver age comics, celebrity autographs and collectibles, be sure to visit www.captainbijou.com.
http://wn.com/KING_OF_THE_ROCKET_MEN_1949_SERIAL_TRAILER
Dating Do's and Don'ts (1949) Part 2
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:30
- Published: 08 Jun 2007
- Uploaded: 25 Dec 2011
- Author: shaggylocks
This social guidance "how-to" film has received more camp accolades than any other, and deserves it. Alan Woodruff ("Woody") receives a ticket to admit one couple to the upcoming Hi-Teen Carnival. "One couple," Woody reflects. "That means a date! Not like just going around with the crowd!" Woody decides to ask Ann Davis, who, the narrator points out, "knows how to have a good time." With her perpetual squint and chipmunk cheeks, Ann (pronounced "Ay-yun" by the actors in this film) is the perfect companion for super-nerd Woody. At crucial moments in the date, the narrator stops the action and presents Woody with several possible options for his actions. Happily, Woody makes all the correct decisions and ends up walking home from Ann's doorstep whistling with satisfaction at a job well done. "Thanks so much," says Ann with a toothy grin. "I had LOADS of fun." Classic Coronet! Rare (but incomplete) Kodachrome version.
http://wn.com/Dating_Do's_and_Don'ts_1949_Part_2
(1/3) RARE 1949 NBC TV 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL - WNBT Channel 4 New York (WNBC)
Part 1 of 3. Now this is a piece of television history. A rarely seen complete half hour as broadcast live on Channel 4 New York, then known as WNBT (now WNBC) on April 30, 1949 (aired 8-8:30 pm ET): the WNBT 10th Anniversary Show hosted by Ben Grauer. Ben Grauer is seen outside sutdio 3H where he says the first WNBT-TV show was broadcast 10 years ago from experimental station W2XBS. Scenes from the 1939 World's Fair include: The GM Building, the Trylon & Perisphere, Avenue of Nations, and RCA Building. Exteriors of the Empire State Building and RCA Building at Rockefeller Center are shown. Earl Wrightson sings "There's a Great Day Coming". Kyle MacDonnell & Wrightson sing "The Alphabet Song" accompanied by The Norman Paris Trio. See signs on floor of 1944 Democratic Convention in Chicago and results come in to the NBC Studios on Election Night. Ben Grauer gives on-air election results. Later see early video footage off a WWII aircraft carrier. More music and song with The Three Flames. This is a kinescope recording from a very early CRT monitor. You can see how good the original video probably was even so early in TV history. Enjoy some TV over 60 years old!
http://wn.com/1/3_RARE_1949_NBC_TV_10th_ANNIVERSARY_SPECIAL__WNBT_Channel_4_New_York_WNBC
Rapid Transit (1949)
From the New York Transit Museum Archives, a 1949 film about daily subway operations.
http://wn.com/Rapid_Transit_1949
Family Life (1949)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:48
- Published: 05 Jun 2007
- Uploaded: 29 Dec 2011
- Author: shaggylocks
Impossible drama proving that proper management of schedules, responsibilities, privileges, and finances leads to a happier home. Another winner from Coronet Instructional Films! Get a little organized and you too will be able to afford those major medical expenses and finally get your hair under control!
http://wn.com/Family_Life_1949
Sade Lover's Rock
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:14
- Published: 26 Jan 2007
- Uploaded: 03 Jan 2012
- Author: vicioustomato
One of my favorites! Enjoy.
http://wn.com/Sade_Lover's_Rock
Creative Commons / Joe
Creative Commons / The Voice of Hassocks
Creative Commons / Kudak
Creative Commons / Masti![Children in the classroom. The literacy rate in Costa Rica is 94.9%,[95] one of the highest in Latin America. When the army was abolished in 1949, it was said that the](http://web.archive.org./web/20120122004943im_/http://cdn0.wn.com/pd/d8/65/046b34d6efafdb764ad7f6ebb9f9_small.jpg "Children in the classroom. The literacy rate in Costa Rica is 94.9%,[95] one of the highest in Latin America. When the army was abolished in 1949, it was said that the")
Creative Commons / Mscnln
Creative Commons
Creative Commons / Wouter Hagens
Creative Commons / Jasabella
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons / Terje Rodland
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons / File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske)
Creative Commons / BArchBot
Creative Commons / BArchBot
Public Domain / BetacommandBot
Public Domain / Wikistar2
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons / 44penguins
Creative Commons / Peregrine981
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons / Nirvanafanatic619
![Children in the classroom. The literacy rate in Costa Rica is 94.9%,[95] one of the highest in Latin America. When the army was abolished in 1949, it was said that the](http://web.archive.org./web/20120122004943/http://cdn4.wn.com/pd/d8/65/046b34d6efafdb764ad7f6ebb9f9_medium.jpg "Children in the classroom. The literacy rate in Costa Rica is 94.9%,[95] one of the highest in Latin America. When the army was abolished in 1949, it was said that the")
photo: AP / Wally Santana
16 Jan 2012
CLIFFORD COONAN in Beijing TAIWAN'S BEIJING-friendly president Ma Ying-jeou has won a second four-year term in office in a victory welcomed by China. He was challenged by Tsai Ing-wen, from a...
size: 2.8Kb
size: 2.8Kb
photo: AP / Wally Santana
14 Jan 2012
PETER ENAV Associated Press= TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwanese voted Saturday in a closely fought presidential election that pits incumbent Ma Ying-jeou's vision of better relations with China against...
size: 7.2Kb
size: 7.2Kb
Most Popular
-
Cruise Ship Threatens Marine Paradise Off Italy
Jakarta Globe
-
Major powers divided on approach to Iran
Zeenews
-
France suspends Afghan troop training
Al Jazeera
-
Scientists to Pause Research on Deadly Strain of Bird Flu
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
-
Crews face test on Italy cruise ship as weather worsens
The Star
RELATED LINKS
A speech for 1949 ... or for 2012?
21 Jan 2012
The Tribune San Luis Obispo
In the interest of sharing something that I ran across while looking for something else, I found a speech that President Harry Truman delivered on Nov. 3, 1949, in St. Paul, Minn. I offer it under the rubric: “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” • • •...
size: 3.6Kb
size: 3.6Kb
Classic film review: Lost Boundaries (1949)
21 Jan 2012
The Examiner
In 1922, Scott Carter (Mel Ferrer) graduates from Chase Medical School in Chicago. That afternoon, Scott marries his girlfriend, Marcia Mitchell (Beatrice Pearson), and they leave for his internship at a Georgia hospital. Though Scott and Marcia are black, they are both light-skinned enough to look...
size: 7.3Kb
size: 7.3Kb
Opinion: 1949 Redivivus
14 Jan 2012
Joy Online
Following his breakaway from the rump-Convention Peoples Party last December, and his recent creation of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) earlier this month, his jilted political bedfellows of the rump-CPP have signaled their intention to vigorously contest the right of their former major...
size: 4.9Kb
size: 4.9Kb
Wired News
A 45-rpm record, with its one-song-per-side format, was the perfect medium for rock and roll. Image: 1949: The 45-rpm record is introduced by RCA. Can rock ‘n’ roll be far behind? Flat disc records began replacing the cylinder for reproducing recorded sound as early as 1887. The original...
size: 6.3Kb
size: 6.3Kb
m&c;
Taipei - Fifteen years ago, China was lobbing missiles into the Taiwan Strait to intimidate voters before Taiwan's first presidential election. Now, relations are at the warmest since the island separated from mainland Chinese control in 1949 after a civil war. President Ma Ying-jeou's Nationalist...
size: 17.4Kb
size: 17.4Kb
Samuel Kiendrebeogo - 1949-2012
09 Jan 2012
__NOTOC__
Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar.
January 1 – UN sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues to this day.
January 2 – Luis Muñoz Marín becomes the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.
January 4 – RMS ''Caronia'' of the Cunard Line departs Southampton for New York on her maiden voyage.
January 4–February 22 – Series of winter storms in Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado and Nevada – winds of up to 72 mph – tens of thousands of cattle and sheep perish.
January 5 – U.S. President Harry S. Truman unveils his Fair Deal program.
January 11
* Los Angeles, California receives its first recorded snowfall.
* KDKA-TV becomes the first local, on-air television station in the US.
January 16 – Şemsettin Günaltay forms the new government of Turkey. (18 th government, last single party government of CHP)
January 17 – The first VW Type 1 to arrive in the United States, a 1948 model, is brought to New York by Dutch businessman Ben Pon. Unable to interest dealers or importers in the Volkswagen, Pon sells the sample car to pay his travel expenses. Only two 1949 models will be sold in America that year, convincing Volkswagen chairman Heinrich Nordhoff the car has no future in the U.S. (The Type 1 goes on to become an automotive phenomenon.)
January 19 – The Poe Toaster first appears at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe.
January 20 – U.S. President Harry S. Truman begins his full term.
January 25
* Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA or COMECON) established by Soviet Union and other communist nations.
* The first Emmy Awards are presented at the Hollywood Athletic Club.
* In the first Israeli election, David Ben-Gurion becomes Prime Minister.
January 26 – Australian citizenship comes into being and Constitution of India was prepared.
January 31 – Forces from the Communist Party of China enter Beijing.
February 1 – Rationing of clothes ends in Britain.
February 10 – ''Death of a Salesman'' opens in the Morosco Theatre and runs for 742 performances.
February 13 – António Óscar Carmona is re-elected president of Portugal for lack of an opposing candidate.
February 19 – Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University.
February 22 – Grady the Cow, a 1,200-pound cow, gets stuck inside a silo on a farm in Yukon, Oklahoma and garners national media attention in the United States.
March 1
* World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis retires.
* Indonesia seizes Yogyakarta from the Dutch.
March 2 – The B-50 Superfortress ''Lucky Lady II'' under Captain James Gallagher lands in Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight (it was refueled in flight 4 times).
March 17 – The Shamrock Hotel in Houston, Texas, owned by oil tycoon Glenn McCarthy, has its grand opening.
March 20 – The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Denver & Rio Grande Western, and Western Pacific railroads inaugurate the ''California Zephyr'' passenger train between Chicago and Oakland, California, as the first long distance train to feature Vista Dome cars as regular equipment.
March 25 – An extensive deportation campaign is conducted in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Soviet authorities deport more than 92,000 people from the Baltics to remote areas of the Soviet Union.
March 26 – The first half of Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''Aida'', conducted by legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini, and performed in concert (i.e. no scenery or costumes), is telecast by NBC, live from Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center. The second half is telecast a week later. This is the only complete opera that Toscanini ever conducts on television.
March 28
* United States Secretary of Defense James Forrestal resigns suddenly.
English astronomer Fred Hoyle coins the term ''Big Bang'' during a BBC Third Programme radio broadcast.
March 29 – The 21st Academy Awards ceremony is held.
March 31 – The former British colony of Newfoundland joins Canada as its 10th province.
April 1
* Éire leaves the British Commonwealth and becomes the Republic of Ireland.
* The Tokyo Stock Exchange is founded.
April 4 – The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., creating the NATO defense alliance.
April 7 – Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''South Pacific'', starring Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza, opens on Broadway and goes on to become R&H;'s second longest-running musical. It becomes an instant classic of the musical theatre. The score's biggest hit is the song "Some Enchanted Evening".
April 8 – Kathy Fiscus, 3½ years old, dies from falling down an abandoned well in San Marino, California.
April 14 – The day the N'Ko alphabet is held to have been completed by Solomana Kante.
April 18 – Éire formally becomes the Republic of Ireland.
April 20 – The Royal Navy frigate ''Amethyst'' goes up the Yangtze River to evacuate British Commonwealth refugees escaping the advance of Mao's Communist forces. Under heavy fire, she grounds off Rose Island. After an abortive rescue attempt on April 26, she anchors 10 miles upstream. Negotiations with the Communists to let the ship leave drag on for weeks.
April 23 – Chinese Communist troops take Nanjing.
April 27 – British Commonwealth of Nations renamed The Commonwealth.
April 28
* India issues the London Declaration, enabling it (and, thereafter, any other nation) to remain in the British Commonwealth despite becoming a republic, creating the position of 'Head of the Commonwealth', and renaming the organisation as the 'Commonwealth of Nations'.
* Former Philippine First Lady Aurora Quezon, 61, is assassinated while en route to dedicate a hospital in memory of her late husband; her daughter and 10 others are also killed.
April 29 – The ''News Review'' reveals neither Selhurst College nor its headmaster H. Rochester Sneath exist.
May 1 – Nereid, a moon of Neptune, is discovered by Gerard P. Kuiper.
May 5 – The Council of Europe is founded by the signing of the Treaty of London.
May 6 – EDSAC, the first practicable stored-program computer, runs its first program at Cambridge University.
May 9 – Rainier III of Monaco becomes Prince of Monaco, upon the death of his maternal grandfather Louis II.
May 11
* Israel is admitted to the United Nations as its 59th member.
* Siam officially changes its French name to "Thaïlande" (English name to "Thailand"), having officially changed its Thai name to "Prated Thai" since 1939.
May 12 – Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its Blockade of Berlin.
May 20
* The AFSA (predecessor of the NSA) is established.
* The Kuomintang regime declares Taiwan under martial law.
May 22 – After two months in Bethesda Naval Hospital, James Forrestal commits suicide, under circumstances that seem suspicious to many.
May 23 – The Federal Republic of Germany is established.
June 2 – Transjordan becomes the Kingdom of Jordan.
June 5 – Thailand elects Orapin Chaiyakan, the first Thai female member of Thailand's Parliament.
June 6 – With the passage of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act by the Indian government, Mahabodhi Temple is restored to partial Buddhist control.
June 8
* Red Scare: Celebrities including Helen Keller, Dorothy Parker, Danny Kaye, Fredric March, John Garfield, Paul Muni and Edward G. Robinson are named in an FBI report as Communist Party members.
* George Orwell's book ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' is published.
June 14 – Albert II, a rhesus monkey, becomes the first primate to enter space, on U.S. Hermes project V-2 rocket ''Blossom IVB'', but is killed on impact at return.
June 19 – Glenn Dunnaway wins the inaugural NASCAR race at Charlotte Speedway, a 3/4 mile oval in Charlotte, North Carolina, but is disqualified due to illegal springs. Jim Roper is declared the official winner.
June 24 – The first television western, ''Hopalong Cassidy'', airs on NBC.
June 29
* Dock workers strike in the UK.
* Apartheid: The ''South African Citizenship Act'' suspends the granting of citizenship to British Commonwealth immigrants after 5 years and imposes a ban on mixed marriages.
July 1 – The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India was established
July 11 – ''Pamir'' is the last ''commercial'' sailing ship to round Cape Horn under sail alone.
July 20 – Israel and Syria sign a truce to end their 19-month war.
July 27 – The de Havilland Comet, the Worlds First Jet-Powered Airliner, makes its first flight.
July 30 – Birth of legal aid in England and Wales.
July 31 – Captain Kerans of the ''HMS Amethyst'' decides to make a break after nightfall, under heavy fire from the Chinese People's Liberation Army on both sides of the Yangtze River, and successfully rejoins the fleet at Woosung the next day.
August 5 – A 6.75 Richter scale earthquake in Ecuador kills 6,000 and destroys 50 towns.
August 8 – Bhutan becomes independent
August 12 – The Fourth Geneva Convention is agreed to.
August 14
* The Salvatore Giuliano Gang explodes mines under a police barracks outside Palermo, Sicily.
* A military coup in Syria ousts the president.
August 21 – Deportivo Saprissa enters Costa Rica – soccer's first division.
August 22 – The Queen Charlotte earthquake is Canada's largest earthquake since the 1700 Cascadia earthquake.
August 24 – North Atlantic Treaty Organization established.
August 28 – The last 6 surviving veterans of the American Civil War meet in Indianapolis.
August 29
* The Council of Europe meets for the first time.
* The Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb, code named "Joe 1". Its design imitates the American plutonium bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in 1945.
August 31 – The retreat of the Greek Democratic Army in Albania after its defeat at Mount Grammos marks the end of the Greek Civil War.
September 6
* Howard Unruh, a World War II veteran, kills thirteen neighbors in Camden, New Jersey with a souvenir Luger to become America's first single-episode mass murderer.
* Allied military authorities relinquish control of former Nazi Germany assets back to Germany.
September 7 – The Federal Republic of Germany is officially founded. Konrad Adenauer is the first federal chancellor.
September 9
* Albert Guay affair: A dynamite bomb destroys Canadian Pacific Airlines Douglas DC-3 in Quebec.
* Notorious World War II veteran Edwin Alonzo Boyd commits his first career bank robbery in Toronto.
September 13 – The Soviet Union vetoes United Nations membership for Ceylon, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Jordan and Portugal.
September 17 – The Canadian steamship ''SS Noronic'' burns in Toronto Harbour with the loss of over 118 lives.
September 19 – The United Kingdom government devalues the pound sterling from $4.03 to $2.80, leading to many other currencies being devalued.
September 23 – U.S. Harry S. Truman announced that the USSR had the atomic bomb
September 24 – Laszlo Rajk, ex-foreign minister of Hungary, is sentenced to death.
September 29
* The First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference approves a design for the Flag of the People's Republic of China.
* Iva Toguri D'Aquino is found guilty of broadcasting for Japan as "Tokyo Rose" during World War II.
October 1 – The People's Republic of China is officially proclaimed.
October 7 – The Democratic Republic of Germany DDR is established officially
October 13 – Severe flooding hits Guatemala.
October 16 – Civil war ends in Greece with a communist surrender.
October 17 – Chinese communist troops take Guangzhou
October 27
* Chinese communist troops fail to take Kinmen in the Battle of Kuningtou; their advance towards Taiwan is halted.
* An airliner flying from Paris to New York crashes in the Azores island of São Miguel. Among the victims are violinist Ginette Neveu and French boxer Marcel Cerdan.
November 15 – Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte are executed for assassinating Mohandas Gandhi.
November 24 – The ski resort in Squaw Valley, California officially opens.
November 26 – The Indian Constituent Assembly adopts India's constitution .
November 27 – Indonesia is recognized.
November 28 – Winston Churchill makes a landmark speech in support of the idea of a European Union at Kingsway Hall, London.
December 7 – The government of the Republic of China finishes its evacuation to Taiwan, and declares Taipei its temporary capital city.
December 8 – United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) established as a UN agency.
December 10 – Robert Menzies elected prime minister of Australia.
December 14 – Traicho Kostov, ex-vice prime minister of Bulgaria, is sentenced to death.
December 15 – A typhoon strikes a fishing fleet off Korea, killing several thousand.
December 16 – Sukarno is elected president of the Republic of Indonesia.
December 17 – Burma recognizes the People's Republic of China.
December 27 – Queen Juliana of the Netherlands grants Indonesia sovereignty.
December 30 – India recognizes the People's Republic of China.
The Malta Labour Party is founded.
The Vatican announces that bones uncovered in its subterranean catacombs could be the apostle Peter; 19 years later, Pope Paul VI announces confirmation that the bones belong to this first pope.
The first 20 mm M61 Vulcan Gatling gun prototypes are completed.
1949 was the first year in which no African-American was reported lynched in the USA.
Joseph Stalin launches a savage attack on Soviet Jews, accusing them of being pro-Western and antisocialist.
Samuel Putnam publishes his new translation of ''Don Quixote'', the first in what we would consider modern English. It is instantly acclaimed and, in 2008, is still in print.
Fernand Braudel's ''La Méditerranée et le Monde Méditerranéen à l'Epoque de Philippe II'' is published.
January 1 – Vehbi Akdağ, Turkish wrestler
January 2 – Christopher Durang, American playwright
January 3 – Sylvia Likens, American murder victim (d. 1965)
January 7 – Chavo Guerrero, Sr., professional wrestler
January 8 – Wolfgang Puck, Austrian chef
January 10
* George Foreman, American boxer
* Linda Lovelace, American actress (d. 2002)
January 12
* Haruki Murakami, Japanese author
* Wayne Wang, Hong Kong-born film director
* Ottmar Hitzfeld, German football player and coach
January 13 – Brandon Tartikoff, American television executive (d. 1997)
January 14 – Lawrence Kasdan, American director and screenwriter
January 16 – Caroline Munro, English actress and model
January 17 – Andy Kaufman, American comedian and actor (d. 1984)
January 18 – Philippe Starck, French designer
January 19
* Robert Palmer, English singer (d. 2003)
* Dennis Taylor, Irish snooker player
January 20 – Göran Persson, former Prime Minister of Sweden
January 22 – Steve Perry, American rock singer
January 24 – John Belushi, American actor and comedian (d. 1982)
January 28 – Gregg Popovich, American basketball coach
January 30 – Peter Agre, American biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
January 31
* Johan Derksen, Dutch footballer and sports journalist
* Ken Wilber, American philosopher
February 2
* Brent Spiner, American actor
* Duncan Bannatyne, Scottish entrepreneur
February 3 – Hennie Kuiper, Dutch cyclist
February 4 – Rasim Delic, Bosnian military chief of staff and war criminal (d. 2010)
February 6 – Jim Sheridan, Irish film director
February 7
* Joe English, American drummer
* Alan Lancaster, English bassist
February 8 – Brooke Adams, American actress
February 9 – Judith Light, American actress
February 10
* Michael Weiss, jazz pianist and composer
* Maxime Le Forestier, French singer
February 15 – Ken Anderson, American NFL player
February 16 – Lyn Paul, English singer
February 17 – Dennis Green, American football coach
February 18 – Gary Ridgway, American serial killer
February 19 – Dan Bunten, American computer game designer (d. 1998)
February 20 – Ivana Trump, Czech businesswoman
February 21 – Ronnie Hellström, Swedish footballer
February 22 – Niki Lauda, Austrian race car driver
February 25 – Ric Flair, American professional wrestler
February 28 – Ilene Graff, American actress and singer
March 2
* Eddie Money, American rock guitarist and singer
* Gates McFadden, American actress and choreographer
* JPR Williams, Welsh rugby player
March 3 – Jesse Jefferson, American baseball player
March 6
* Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister of Pakistan
* Martin Buchan, Scottish footballer
March 7 – Ghulam Nabi Azad, Indian politician
March 9 – Tapani Kansa, Finnish singer
March 10 – Larry Wall, American computer programmer
March 12
* Rob Cohen, American film director, producer and writer
* Natalia Kuchinskaya, Soviet gymnast
March 13 – Julia Migenes, American soprano
March 16
* Elliott Murphy, American singer-songwriter
* Erik Estrada, Puerto Rican actor
* Victor Garber, Canadian actor
March 17
* Patrick Duffy, American actor
* Pat Rice, Irish footballer and football manager
March 18 – Alex Higgins, Irish snooker player (d. 2010)
March 19 – Hirofumi Hirano, Japanese politician and Chief Cabinet Secretary
March 22 – Fanny Ardant, French actress
March 23 – Ric Ocasek, American rock musician
March 24 – Nick Lowe, English musician
March 26
* Patrick Süskind, German writer
* Vicki Lawrence, American comedienne and game show hostess
March 29 – Michael Brecker, American jazz musician (d. 2007)
March 30
* Marcia Ball, American blues musician
* Lene Lovich, American singer
* Naomi Sims, American model and businesswoman
* Elijah Harper, Canadian Aboriginal activist
April 1
* Gérard Mestrallet, French businessman
* Sammy Nelson, Irish footballer
* Gil Scott-Heron, American musician and composer. (d.2011)
April 3 – Richard Thompson, English musician and songwriter
April 6 – Horst Ludwig Störmer, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
April 7 – John Oates, American rock singer and guitarist
April 8 – Brenda Russell, American-Canadian singer, songwriter and keyboardist
April 10 – Daniel Mangeas, French bicycle commentator
April 11 – Bernd Eichinger, German film producer and director (d. 2011)
April 14 – John Shea, American actor
April 15
* Alla Pugacheva, Russian musical performer
* Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm, Polish born writer
April 16 – Sandy Hawley, Canadian jockey
April 18 – Geoff Bodine, American race car driver
April 19 – Sergey Nikolayevich Volkov, Russian figure skater (d. 1990)
April 20
* Jessica Lange, American actress
* Veronica Cartwright, English-born actress
April 21 – Patti Lupone, American actress
April 23 – Joyce DeWitt, American actress
April 24 – Veronique Sanson, French singer and songwriter
April 28 – Bruno Kirby, American actor (d. 2006)
May 2 – Alan Titchmarsh, English gardener
May 3 – Leopoldo Luque, Argentine soccer player
May 4 – John Force, American race car driver
May 9 – Billy Joel, American singer-songwriter and pianist
May 13 – Zoë Wanamaker, English-American actress
May 18
* Rick Wakeman, English rock musician and songwriter
* Bill Wallace, Canadian rock musician (The Guess Who)
May 19
* Dusty Hill, American bassist (ZZ Top)
* Archie Manning, American football player
May 20 – Dave Thomas, Canadian actor and comedian
May 23 – Alan Garcia Perez, President of Peru
May 24 – Tomaž Pisanski, Slovenian mathematician
May 26
* Philip Michael Thomas, American actor
* Hank Williams, Jr., American country singer
May 27 Jo Ann Harris American actress
May 29 – Francis Rossi, English rock guitarist/singer (Status Quo)
May 31 – Tom Berenger, American actor
June 2 – Heather Couper, British astronomer
June 4 – Mark B. Cohen, Pennsylvania legislative leader
June 8 – Emanuel Ax, Polish-born pianist
June 11 – Frank Beard, American drummer (ZZ Top)
June 13 – Ann Druyan, American popular science writer
June 14 – Harry Turtledove, American historian and novelist
June 15 – Jim Varney, American actor (d. 2000)
June 17 – Andrei Fursenko, Russian politician, scientist and businessman
June 18
* Lech Kaczyński, President of Poland (d. 2010)
* Jarosław Kaczyński, Polish Prime Minister (2006–2007)
* Prince Lincoln Thompson, Jamaican musician (d. 1999)
June 19 – Hassan Shehata, Egyptian footballer and coach
June 21 – Jane Urquhart, Canadian author
June 22
* Alan Osmond, American pop singer
* Meryl Streep, American actress
June 25 – Kene Holliday, American actor
June 27 – Vera Wang, American fashion designer
July 2 – David Eaton, American composer/conductor/producer
July 3
* Jan Smithers, American actress
* Johnnie Wilder, Jr., American vocalist (d. 2006)
July 7 – Shelley Duvall, American actress
July 9
* Jesse Duplantis, American televangelist
* Nigel Lythgoe, British television personality
July 11
* Ingrid Newkirk, animal rights activist
* Émerson Leão, Brazilian footballer
July 13 – Helena Fibingerova, Czech athlete
July 15
* Carl Bildt, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, former Prime Minister of Sweden
* Trevor Horn, British singer and producer
July 17
* Charlie Steiner, American sportscaster
* William C. Faure, South African film director
* Geezer Butler, British heavy metal bassist
July 22
* Alan Menken, American composer
* Lasse Viren, Finnish long-distance runner
July 26
* Roger Meddows-Taylor, English rock musician (Queen)
* Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai businessman and former Prime Minister
August 2 – Fernando Collor de Mello, former President of Brazil
August 4 – John Riggins, American football player
August 6 – Alan Campbell, Northern Irish clergyman
August 7 – Walid Jumblatt, leader of the Lebanese Druze
August 11 – Sandra Scheuer, Kent State University shooting victim (d. 1970).
August 12
* Mark Knopfler, British rock guitarist (Dire Straits)
* Fernando Collor de Mello, President of Brazil
August 15 – Beverly Lynn Burns, American pilot, first woman in the world to captain the Boeing 747
August 20 – Philip Lynott, Irish rock musician (d. 1986)
August 21 – Loretta Devine, American actress
August 23
* Shelley Long, American actress
* Rick Springfield, Australian rock singer and actor
August 24 – Charles Rocket, American actor (d. 2005)
August 25
* Martin Amis, English novelist
* Gene Simmons, American rock musician (Kiss)
August 28 – Svetislav Pešić, Serbian basketball player and coach
August 31
* Richard Gere, American actor
* H. David Politzer, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
September 7
* Lee McGeorge Durrell, American author, television presenter, and zookeeper
* Gloria Gaynor, American singer
September 9
* Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, current President of Indonesia
* Joe Theismann, American football player
September 10 – Bill O'Reilly, American conservative radio and television commentator
September 13 – John W. Henry, American foreign exchange advisor, Boston Red Sox owner
September 14 – Eikichi Yazawa, Japanese singer
September 15 – Joe Barton, American politician
September 16 – Ed Begley, Jr. American actor and environmentalist
September 18
* Mo Mowlam, British politician (d. 2005)
* Peter Shilton, English goalkeeper
September 19 – Twiggy Lawson, English model
September 23 – Bruce Springsteen, American singer and songwriter
September 25 – Inshan Ali, West Indian cricketer (d. 1995)
September 26 – Jane Smiley, American novelist
September 27 – Mike Schmidt, American baseball player
October 1 – Isaac Bonewits, American author and occultist
October 2
* Richard Hell, American musician and writer
* Annie Leibovitz, American photographer
October 4 – Armand Assante, American actor
October 7 – Ronnie Mund, American television personality
October 8 – Sigourney Weaver, American actress
October 12
* Carlos the Jackal, Venezuelan-born mercenary
* Stan Hansen, American professional wrestler
October 14
* Katy Manning, English actress
* Katha Pollitt, American writer
October 17 – Bill Hudson, American musician
October 20 – Valeriy Borzov, Ukrainian athlete
October 21 – Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel
October 22 – Arsène Wenger, French football (soccer) manager
October 26 – Antonio Carpio, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
November 3 – Larry Holmes, American boxer
November 5
* Armin Shimerman, American actor
* Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (d. 1984)
November 6
* Nigel Havers, British actor
* Joseph C. Wilson, former United States diplomat
November 7
* Aiswarya, Queen of Nepal (d. 2001)
* Judi Bari, American environmental activist (d. 1997)
November 8 – Bonnie Raitt, American country singer and guitarist
November 15 – David Rubinstein, American pianist and composer
November 19 – Ahmad Rashad, American sportscaster and television personality
November 22 – Shaun Garnett, English footballer and coach
November 24
* Nick Ainger, British politician
* Pierre Buyoya, former President of Burundi
November 25 – Kerry James O'Keeffe, Australian cricketer and commentator
November 26
* Juanin Clay, American actress (d. 1995)
* Shlomo Artzi, Israeli singer
November 28
* Alexander Godunov, Russian-born dancer and actor (d. 1995)
* Paul Shaffer, Canadian-American musician
November 29
* Jerry Lawler, American professional wrestler and commentator
* Stan Rogers, Canadian musician (d. 1983)
* Garry Shandling, American comedian
December 1
* Kurt Schmoke, American Dean, Howard Law School, Mayor of Baltimore
* Sebastian Pinera, President of Chile
December 3 – John Akii-Bua, Ugandan hurdler (d. 1997)
December 4
* Jeff Bridges, American actor
* Pamela Stephenson, New Zealand-born comedienne, actress, and singer
December 7
* Tom Waits, American singer, composer, and actor
* Cathy Wayne, Australian pop entertainer (d. 1969)
December 8 – Mary Gordon, American writer
December 12 – Rajinikanth, Indian actor
December 13
* Robert Lindsay, English actor
* Randy Owen, American country lead vocalist, rhythm guitar player
* Tom Verlaine, American rock singer/guitarist (Television)
December 14 – Bill Buckner, American baseball player
December 15 – Don Johnson, American actor
December 16 – Billy Gibbons, American guitarist (ZZ Top)
December 17 – Paul Rodgers, British rock singer
December 19 – Sebastian, Danish musician
December 20 – Claudia Jennings, American model (d. 1979)
December 22
* Maurice Gibb, British rock musician (The Bee Gees) (d. 2003), and his twin brother:
* Robin Gibb, British rock musician (The Bee Gees)
December 24 – Randy Neugebauer, American politician
December 25
* Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira, Brazilian singer
* Sissy Spacek, American actress
December 25 – Joe Louis Walker, American musician
December 26 – José Ramos-Horta, President of East Timor, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
''date unknown''
* Suthep Po-ngam, Thai comedian, actor, film director and screenwriter
* Mu Tiezhu, Chinese basketball player and coach (d. 2008)
January 6 – Victor Fleming, American director (b. 1883)
January 11 – Nelson Doubleday, American publisher (b. 1889)
January 14
* Harry Stack Sullivan, American psychiatrist (b. 1892)
* Joaquín Turina, Spanish composer (b. 1882)
January 28 – Jean-Pierre Wimille, French race car driver (b. 1908)
February 1 – Herbert Stothart, American composer (b. 1885)
February 12 – Imam Hassan al Banna, Egyptian founder of the Muslim Brotherhood (b. 1906)
February 17 – Ellery Harding Clark, American athlete (b. 1874)
February 21 – Tan Malaka, Indonesian nationalist activist and communist leader (b. 1894)
March 7 – Bradbury Robinson, American who threw the first forward pass in American football history in 1906 (b. 1884)
March 11 – Henri Giraud, French general (b. 1879)
March 17 – Felix Bressart, German-American actor (b. 1892)
March 25 – Jack Kapp, president of the U.S. branch of Decca Records (b. 1901)
March 28 – Grigoraş Dinicu, Romanian composer (b. 1889)
March 30
* Friedrich Bergius, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)
* Prince Harald of Denmark (b. 1876)
April 6 – Seymour Hicks, British actor (b. 1871)
April 8 – Kathy Fiscus, girl who became famous after falling down a well in San Marino, California (b. 1945)
April 15 – Wallace Beery, American actor (b. 1885)
April 18 – Will Hay, English comedian and actor (b. 1888)
April 19 – Ulrich Salchow, Swedish figure skater (b. 1877)
April 22 – Charles B. Middleton, American actor (b. 1874)
April 28 – Aurora Quezon, First Lady of the Philippines (shot) (b. 1888)
May 6 – Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
May 9 – Louis II, Prince of Monaco (b. 1870)
May 22
* James Forrestal, U.S. Secretary of Navy and Defense (suicide) (b. 1892)
* Klaus Mann, German writer (suicide) (b. 1906)
May 23 – Jan Frans De Boever, Belgian painter (b. 1872)
May 27 – Robert Ripley, American creator of ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' (b. 1890)
June 10 – Sigrid Undset, Norwegian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)
June 14 – Russell Doubleday, American author and publisher (b. 1872)
June 19 – Syed Zafarul Hasan, Indian/Pakistani Muslim philosopher (b. 1885)
June 25 – Buck Freeman, American baseball player (b. 1871)
July 9 – Fritz Hart, English-born composer (b. 1874)
July 12 – Douglas Hyde, first President of Ireland (b. 1860)
July 18 – Vítězslav Novák, Czech composer (b. 1870)
July 26 – Linda Arvidson, American actress (b. 1884)
August 5 – Ernest Fourneau, French chemist and pharmacologist (b. 1872)
August 9
* Gustavus M. Blech, German-American physician and surgeon (b. 1870)
* Harry Davenport, American actor (b. 1866)
* George Edward MacKenzie Skues, British inventor of nymph fly fishing (b. 1858)
August 16 – Margaret Mitchell, American writer (b. 1900)
August 17 – Gregorio Perfecto, Filipino jurist & politician (b. 1891)
August 18 – Paul Mares, American musician (b. 1900)
August 23 – Domingo Díaz Arosemena, President of Panama (b. 1875)
August 30 – Arthur Fielder, English cricketer (b. 1877)
September 7 – José Clemente Orozco, Mexican painter (b. 1883)
September 8 – Richard Strauss, German composer (b. 1864)
September 10 – Wiley Rutledge, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1894)
September 13 – August Krogh, Danish zoophysiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1874)
September 14 – Gottfried Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen, German Resistance figure (b. 1901)
September 18 – Frank Morgan, American actor (b. 1890)
September 19
* Will Cuppy, American humorist (b. 1884)
* George Shiels, Irish writer (b. 1886)
* Nikolaos Skalkottas, Greek composer (b. 1901)
September 20 – Richard Dix, American actor (b. 1893)
September 22 – Sam Wood, American director (b. 1883)
October 1 – Buddy Clark, American singer (b. 1911)
October 14 – Fritz Leiber, Sr., American actor (b. 1882)
October 15 – Elmer Clifton, American actor and director (b. 1890)
October 27
* Marcel Cerdan, French boxer (plane crash) (b. 1916)
* Ginette Neveu, French violinist (plane crash) (b. 1919)
October 31 – Edward Stettinius, Jr., U.S. Secretary of State (b. 1900)
November – Maria Josepha Sophia de Iturbide, head of the Imperial House of Mexico (b. 1872)
November 2
* Jerome F. Donovan, American politician (b. 1872)
* William Desmond, Irish actor (b. 1878)
November 3 – Solomon R. Guggenheim, American philanthropist (b. 1861)
November 5 – Abdolhossein Hazhir, Prime Minister of Iran (b. 1899)
November 15 (executed):
* Nathuram Godse, assassin of Mohandas Gandhi(b. 1910)
* Narayan Apte, Hindu activist, Godse's accomplice (b. 1911)
November 25 – Bill Robinson, American dancer (b. 1878)
November 30 – Irene Vanbrugh, English actress (b. 1872)
December 3 – Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian actress (b. 1876)
December 6 – Leadbelly, American blues musician (b. 1888)
December 11 – Krishna Chandra Bhattacharya, Indian philosopher (b. 1875)
December 16 – Sidney Olcott, Canadian film director (b. 1873)
December 28 – Hervey Allen, American author (b. 1889)
December 28 – Jack Lovelock, New Zealand athlete (b. 1910)
December 31 – Raimond Valgre, Estonian composer and musician (b. 1913)
Physics – Yukawa Hideki
Chemistry – William Francis Giauque
Medicine – Walter Rudolf Hess, Antonio Caetano De Abreu Freire Egas Moniz
Literature – William Faulkner
Peace – John Boyd Orr
Events
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Date unknown
Births
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Deaths
January–March
April–June
July–August
September–October
November–December
Nobel Prizes
References
af:1949 am:1949 እ.ኤ.አ. ang:1949 ar:ملحق:1949 an:1949 frp:1949 ast:1949 gn:1949 av:1949 ay:1949 az:1949 bn:১৯৪৯ zh-min-nan:1949 nî map-bms:1949 be:1949 be-x-old:1949 bh:१९४९ bcl:1949 bs:1949 br:1949 bg:1949 ca:1949 cv:1949 cs:1949 cbk-zam:1949 co:1949 cy:1949 da:1949 de:1949 et:1949 el:1949 myv:1949 ие es:1949 eo:1949 eu:1949 fa:۱۹۴۹ (میلادی) hif:1949 fo:1949 fr:1949 fy:1949 fur:1949 ga:1949 gv:1949 gd:1949 gl:1949 gan:1949年 xal:1949 җил ko:1949년 hy:1949 hi:1949 hr:1949. io:1949 ilo:1949 bpy:মারি ১৯৪৯ id:1949 ia:1949 ie:1949 os:1949-æм аз is:1949 it:1949 he:1949 jv:1949 kn:೧೯೪೯ pam:1949 krc:1949 джыл ka:1949 csb:1949 kk:1949 kw:1949 sw:1949 kv:1949 во ht:1949 (almanak gregoryen) ku:1949 lo:1949 la:1949 lv:1949. gads lb:1949 lt:1949 m. lij:1949 li:1949 jbo:1949moi lmo:1949 hu:1949 mk:1949 ml:1949 mi:1949 mr:इ.स. १९४९ arz:1949 ms:1949 mn:1949 nah:1949 nl:1949 new:ई सं १९४९ ja:1949年 nap:1949 no:1949 nn:1949 nrm:1949 nov:1949 oc:1949 mhr:1949 uz:1949 pa:੧੯੪੯ pi:१९४९ pnb:1949 pap:1949 tpi:1949 nds:1949 pl:1949 pt:1949 ty:1949 ro:1949 qu:1949 rue:1949 ru:1949 год sah:1949 se:1949 sq:1949 scn:1949 simple:1949 sk:1949 sl:1949 so:1949 ckb:١٩٤٩ sr:1949 sh:1949 su:1949 fi:1949 sv:1949 tl:1949 ta:1949 tt:1949 ел te:1949 tet:1949 th:พ.ศ. 2492 tg:1949 tr:1949 tk:1949 udm:1949 ар uk:1949 ur:1949ء vec:1949 vi:1949 vo:1949 fiu-vro:1949 wa:1949 vls:1949 war:1949 wuu:公元1949年 yi:1949 yo:1949 zh-yue:1949年 diq:1949 bat-smg:1949 zh:1949年This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Name | Harry Truman |
|---|---|
| Alt | A middle-aged Caucasian male wearing a dark business suit and wireframe glasses is depicted smilingly pensively at the camera in a black-and-white photo. |
| Office | 33rd President of the United States |
| Vicepresident | Alben Barkley |
| Term start | April 12, 1945 |
| Term end | January 20, 1953 |
| Predecessor | Franklin Roosevelt |
| Successor | Dwight Eisenhower |
| Office2 | 34th Vice President of the United States |
| President2 | Franklin Roosevelt |
| Term start2 | January 20, 1945 |
| Term end2 | April 12, 1945 |
| Predecessor2 | Henry Wallace |
| Successor2 | Alben Barkley |
| Jr/sr3 | United States Senator |
| State3 | Missouri |
| Term start3 | January 3, 1935 |
| Term end3 | January 17, 1945 |
| Predecessor3 | Roscoe Patterson |
| Successor3 | Frank Briggs |
| Birth date | May 08, 1884 |
| Birth place | Lamar, Missouri, U.S. |
| Death date | December 26, 1972 |
| Death place | Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Bess Wallace |
| Children | Margaret |
| Profession | HaberdasherFarmer |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
| Signature | Harry S Truman Signature.svg |
| Signature alt | Cursive signature in ink |
| Rank | MajorColonel (Reserve) |
| Branch | Missouri National GuardUnited States ArmyUnited States Army Reserve |
| Serviceyears | 1905–19111917–19191920–1953 (Reserve) |
| Commands | Battery D, 129th Field Artillery, 60th Brigade, 35th Infantry Division |
| Battles | World War IWestern Front }} |
During World War I, Truman served in combat in France as an artillery officer in his National Guard unit. After the war, he joined the Democratic Party political machine of Tom Pendergast in Kansas City, Missouri. He was elected a county official and in 1934 United States senator. After he had gained national prominence as head of the wartime Truman Committee, Truman replaced vice president Henry A. Wallace as Roosevelt's running mate in 1944.
Truman faced many challenges in domestic affairs. The disorderly postwar reconversion of the economy of the United States was marked by severe shortages, numerous strikes, and the passage of the Taft–Hartley Act over his veto. He confounded all predictions to win election in 1948, helped by his famous Whistle Stop Tour of rural America. After his election, he passed only one of the proposals in his Fair Deal program. He used executive orders to end racial discrimination in the armed forces and created loyalty checks that dismissed thousands of communist supporters from office. Truman's presidency was also eventful in foreign affairs, with the defeat of Nazi Germany and his decision to use nuclear weapons against Japan, the founding of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, the Truman Doctrine to contain communism, the beginning of the Cold War, the Berlin Airlift, the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Chinese Civil War, and the Korean War. Corruption in Truman's administration, which was linked to certain members in the cabinet and senior White House staff, was a central issue in the 1952 presidential campaign and helped cause Adlai Stevenson, Truman's successor for the Democratic nomination for the presidency, to lose to Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential election.
Truman, in sharp contrast to the imperious Roosevelt who kept personal control of all major decisions, was a folksy, unassuming president who relied on his cabinet. He popularized such phrases as "The buck stops here" and "If you can't stand the heat, you better get out of the kitchen." His approval ratings in the polls started out very high, then steadily sank until he was one of the most unpopular men to leave the White House. Popular and scholarly assessments of his presidency eventually became more positive after his retirement from politics. Truman's legendary upset victory in 1948 over Thomas E. Dewey is routinely invoked by underdog presidential candidates.
Personal life
Harry S. Truman was born on May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri, the oldest child of John Anderson Truman (1851–1914) and Martha Ellen Young Truman (1852–1947). His parents chose the name Harry after his mother's brother, Harrison Young (1846–1916), Harry's uncle. His parents chose "S" as his "middle name" to please both of Harry's grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. The initial did not stand for anything, a common practice among the Scots-Irish. A brother, John Vivian (1886–1965), soon followed, along with sister Mary Jane Truman (1889–1978).In his autobiography, Truman stated, "I was named for ... Harrison Young. I was given the diminutive Harry and, so that I could have two initials in my given name, the letter S was added. My Grandfather Truman's name was Anderson Shippe [sometimes also spelled 'Shipp'] Truman and my Grandfather Young's name was Solomon Young, so I received the S for both of them." He once joked that the S was a name, not an initial, and it should not have a period, but official documents and his presidential library all use a period. The Harry S. Truman Library has numerous examples of the signature written at various times throughout Truman's lifetime where he uses a period after the S. The Associated Press Stylebook has called for a period after the S since the early 1960s, when Truman indicated he had no preference.
His father John Truman was a farmer and livestock dealer. The family lived in Lamar until Harry was ten months old. They then moved to a farm near Harrisonville, then to Belton, and in 1887 to his grandparents' 600-acre (240-ha) farm in Grandview. When Truman was six, his parents moved the family to Independence, so he could attend the Presbyterian Church Sunday School. Truman did not attend a traditional school until he was eight.
As a young boy, Truman had three main interests: music, reading, and history, all encouraged by his mother, to whom he was very close. As president, he solicited political as well as personal advice from her. He got up at five every morning to practice the piano, which he studied twice a week until he was fifteen. Truman was a page at the 1900 Democratic National Convention at Convention Hall in Kansas City.
After graduating from Independence High School (now William Chrisman High School) in 1901, Truman worked as a timekeeper on the Santa Fe Railroad, sleeping in "hobo camps" near the rail lines; he then worked at a series of clerical jobs. He worked briefly in the mailroom of the ''Kansas City Star.'' Truman decided not to join the International Typographical Union. He returned to the Grandview farm in 1906 where he remained until entering the army in 1917. During this period, he courted Bess Wallace and proposed to her in 1911. She turned him down. Truman said that before he proposed again, he wanted to be earning more money than a farmer did.
World War I
Truman enlisted in the Missouri Army National Guard in 1905, and served until 1911. At his physical in 1905, his eyesight had been an unacceptable 20/50 in the right eye and 20/40 in the left. Reportedly, he passed by secretly memorizing the eye chart.With the onset of American participation in World War I, Truman rejoined the Guard. Before going to France, he was sent to Camp Doniphan, near Lawton, Oklahoma for training. He ran the camp canteen with Edward Jacobson, a Kansas City clothing store clerk. At Ft. Sill, he also met Lieutenant James M. Pendergast, nephew of Thomas Joseph (T.J.) Pendergast, a Kansas City politician. Both men were to have a profound influence on Truman's later life.
Truman became an officer, and then battery commander in an artillery regiment in France. His unit was Battery D, 129th Field Artillery, 60th Brigade, 35th Infantry Division, known for its discipline problems. During a sudden attack by the Germans in the Vosges Mountains, the battery started to disperse; Truman ordered them back into position using profanities that he had "learned while working on the Santa Fe railroad." Shocked by the outburst, his men reassembled and followed him to safety. Under Captain Truman's command in France, the battery did not lose a single man. His battery also provided support for George S. Patton's tank brigade during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. On November 11, 1918 his artillery unit fired some of the last shots of World War I into German positions after the armistice was signed at 5 am but before the ceasefire took effect at 11 am. In a letter he wrote, "It is a shame we can't go in and devastate Germany and cut off a few of the Dutch kids' hands and feet and scalp a few of their old men". The war was a transformative experience that brought out Truman's leadership qualities; he later rose to the rank of Colonel in the Army Reserves, and his war record made possible his later political career in Missouri.
Family, education and early business career
At the war's conclusion, Truman returned to Independence as a captain and married his girlfriend, Bess Wallace, on June 28, 1919. The couple had one child, Mary Margaret (February 17, 1924 – January 29, 2008).Truman was the only president who served after 1897 without a college degree: poor eyesight prevented him from applying to West Point (his childhood dream). When his high school friends went off to the state university in 1901, Truman instead enrolled in a local business school, but only lasted a semester. In 1923–25 he took night courses toward a law degree at the Kansas City Law School (now the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law), but dropped out after losing his government job.
A month before Truman married, he and Jacobson opened a haberdashery at 104 West 12th Street in downtown Kansas City. After a few successful years, the store went bankrupt during the recession of 1921. Truman worked to pay off the debts until 1934. As he was about to enter the U.S. Senate, banker William Thornton Kemper, Sr. retrieved the note during the sale of a bankrupt bank and allowed Truman to pay it off for $1,000. At the same time, Kemper made a $1,000 contribution to Truman's campaign. Jacobson and Truman remained close friends, and Jacobson's advice to Truman on Zionism later played a critical role in the US government's decision to recognize Israel.
Freemasonry
On February 9, 1909, Harry Truman was initiated into Freemasonry in the Belton Lodge, Missouri. In 1911, he helped establish the Grandview Lodge, and he served as its first Worshipful Master. In 1940, Harry Truman was elected the 97th Grand Master of the Masons of Missouri. In 1945, he was made a 33° Sovereign Grand Inspector General and an Honorary Member of the supreme council at the Supreme Council A.A.S.R. Southern Jurisdiction Headquarters in Washington D.C. In 1959, he was awarded the 50-year award.
Hereditary memberships
Truman was a member of Sons of the Revolution and a card-carrying member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Two of his relatives were Confederate soldiers. Truman's grandmother Harriet (Gregg) Young was put in a "prison camp" due to Gen. Thomas Ewing's General Order No. 11 and his mother remembered her home being burned as a child, following Order #11.
Politics
Jackson County judge
In 1922, with the help of the Kansas City Democratic machine led by boss Tom Pendergast, Truman was elected as a judge of the County Court of the eastern district of Jackson County — an administrative, not judicial, position similar to county commissioners elsewhere.In 1922, Truman gave a friend $10 for an initiation fee for the Ku Klux Klan, but later asked to get his money back; he was never initiated, never attended a meeting, and never claimed membership. Though Truman at times expressed anger towards Jews in his diaries, his business partner and close friend Edward Jacobson was Jewish. Tales of the abuse, violence, and persecution suffered by many African American veterans upon their return from World War II infuriated Truman, and were a major factor in his decision to issue Executive Order 9981, in July 1948, to back civil rights initiatives and require equal opportunity in the armed forces.
He was not reelected in 1924, but in 1926 was elected the presiding judge for the court, and was reelected in 1930. In 1930 Truman coordinated the "Ten Year Plan," which transformed Jackson County and the Kansas City skyline with new public works projects, including an extensive series of roads, construction of a new Wight and Wight-designed County Court building, and the dedication of a series of 12 Madonna of the Trail monuments honoring pioneer women.
In 1933 Truman was named Missouri's director for the Federal Re-Employment program (part of the Civil Works Administration) at the request of Postmaster General James Farley as payback to Pendergast for delivering the Kansas City vote to Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election. The appointment confirmed Pendergast's control over federal patronage jobs in Missouri and marked the zenith of his power. It was also to create a relationship between Truman and Harry Hopkins and assure avid Truman support for the New Deal.
U.S. Senator
First term
After serving as judge, Truman wanted to run for Governor or Congress, but Pendergast rejected these ideas. In 1934, Pendergast's aides suggested Harry Truman as a candidate for Senator; after three other men turned him down, Pendergast reluctantly backed Truman as the candidate for the 1934 U.S. Senate election for Missouri. During the Democratic primary, Truman defeated John J. Cochran and Tuck Milligan, the brother of a federal prosecutor Maurice M. Milligan. Truman then defeated the incumbent Republican, Roscoe C. Patterson, by nearly 20%.Truman assumed office as "the senator from Pendergast." He gave patronage decisions to Pendergast but always maintained he voted his conscience. Truman always defended the patronage by saying that by offering a little, he saved a lot.
In his first term as a U.S. Senator, Truman spoke out against corporate greed and the dangers of Wall Street speculators and other moneyed special interests attaining too much influence in national affairs. He was largely ignored by President Roosevelt, who did not take him seriously at this stage, and had difficulty getting White House secretaries to return his calls.
1940 election
In 1940, both Stark and Maurice Milligan challenged him in the Democratic primary for the Senate. Truman's organization was a loose-net network of old friends, prominent Masons, Army buddies, and National Guard activists, combined with old Pendergast allies in the Kansas City and St. Joseph areas. Truman was especially weak in the St. Louis area, where Robert E. Hannegan controlled the party. Hannegan decided to support Truman; he would go on to broker the 1944 deal that put Truman on the vice presidential ticket for Roosevelt. In the end, Stark and Milligan split the anti-Pendergast vote in the Democratic primary, and Truman won by 8000 votes. In the November election, Truman trailed Roosevelt slightly, but defeated the Republican Manvel H. Davis by a margin of 51% to 49%.In September 1940, during the general election campaign, Truman was elected Grand Master of the Missouri Grand Lodge of Freemasonry. Truman said later that the Masonic election assured his victory in the general election.
Foreign policy
On June 23, 1941, the day after Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union, Senator Truman declared: ''"If we see that Germany is winning we ought to help Russia and if Russia is winning we ought to help Germany, and that way let them kill as many as possible, although I don't want to see Hitler victorious under any circumstances. Neither of them thinks anything of their pledged word."'' Although the sentiment was in line with what many Americans felt at the time, it was regarded by later biographers as both inappropriate and cynical.
Truman Committee
Truman gained national visibility by fighting waste and mismanagement in the war effort through his committee (popularly known as the "Truman Committee"). The Roosevelt administration had initially feared the Truman Committee would hurt war morale, and Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson wrote to the president declaring it was "in the public interest" to suspend the committee. Truman replied that the committee was "100 percent behind the administration" and did not intend to criticize the military conduct of the war. The committee is reported to have saved at least $15 billion and thousands of lives. Truman's advocacy of common-sense cost-saving measures for the military attracted much attention. In 1943, he appeared on the cover of ''Time''. He would eventually appear on nine ''Time'' covers and would be named the magazine's Man of the Year for 1945 and 1948. After years as a marginal figure in the Senate, Truman was cast into the national spotlight after the success of the Truman Committee.
Vice presidency
Following months of uncertainty over whether Vice President Henry Wallace would continue as Roosevelt's running mate in 1944, Truman was ultimately selected to replace him as the vice presidential candidate in a deal worked out by Hannegan, who was Democratic National Chairman that year. Roosevelt's physical condition had deteriorated sharply by mid-1944. Key FDR advisers, including outgoing Democratic National Committee Chairman Frank C. Walker, incoming Chairman Robert Hannegan, party treasurer Edwin W. Pauley, strategist Ed Flynn, and lobbyist George E. Allen wanted to keep Wallace off the ticket. They considered Wallace too liberal and "realized that the man nominated to run with Roosevelt would in all probability be the next President. . ."After meeting personally with the party leaders, FDR agreed to replace Wallace however Roosevelt left the final selection of his running mate until the end of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Before the convention began, Roosevelt wrote a note saying he would accept either Truman or Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. State and city party leaders strongly preferred Truman, but Truman himself did not campaign for the number two spot and later maintained he had not wanted the job of vice president. Roosevelt devised a plan to pressure him to accept the vice presidency and on July 19, the party bosses summoned Truman to a suite in the Blackstone Hotel to listen in on a phone call that, unknown to the senator, they had rehearsed in advance with the president. During the conversation, FDR asked the party bosses whether Truman would accept the position. When they said no, FDR angrily accused Truman of disrupting the unity of the Democratic Party in the middle of a war, then hung up. Feeling that he had no choice, Truman reluctantly agreed to become Roosevelt's running mate.
Truman's candidacy was humorously dubbed the second "Missouri Compromise" at the 1944 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and his broad appeal contrasted with that of the liberal Wallace and the conservative James F. Byrnes. His nomination was well received, and the Roosevelt–Truman ticket went on to a 432–99 electoral-vote victory in the 1944 presidential election, defeating Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York and Governor John Bricker of Ohio. Truman was sworn in as vice president on January 20, 1945, but was to serve less than three months.
Truman's brief vice-presidency was relatively uneventful. Roosevelt rarely contacted him, even to inform him of major decisions, and they met infrequently. In one of his first acts as vice president, Truman dismayed many when he attended the funeral of his disgraced patron Tom Pendergast a few days after taking office. He brushed the criticism aside, saying simply, "He was always my friend and I have always been his."
On the afternoon of April 12, 1945, Truman was presiding over the Senate in his capacity as president of the chamber. He had just adjourned the session for the day and was preparing to have a drink in House Speaker Sam Rayburn's office when he received an urgent message to go immediately to the White House. Truman assumed that President Roosevelt, who he knew was in Warm Springs, GA, had returned earlier than expected and wanted to meet with him, but upon his arrival, Eleanor Roosevelt informed him that the president had died after suffering a massive cerebral hemorrhage. Truman's first concern was for Mrs. Roosevelt. He asked if there was anything he could do for her, to which she replied, "Is there anything ''we'' can do for ''you''? You are the one in trouble now!"
Presidency 1945–1953
First term (1945–1949)
Assuming office
Truman had been vice president for only 82 days when President Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. He had rarely discussed world affairs or domestic politics with Roosevelt and was uninformed about major initiatives relating to the war and the top secret Manhattan Project, which was about to test the world's first atomic bomb.Shortly after taking the oath of office, Truman said to reporters: :"Boys, if you ever pray, pray for me now. I don't know if you fellas ever had a load of hay fall on you, but when they told me what happened yesterday, I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me."
Upon assuming the presidency, Truman asked all the members of FDR's cabinet to remain in place, told them that he was open to their advice, but laid down a central principle of his administration: he would be the one making decisions, and they were to support him. On May 8, 1945, the Allies achieved victory in Europe.
Atomic bomb
Truman, who had not known of it beforehand, was briefed on the ultra secret Manhattan Project by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson on the day Roosevelt died, following his first Cabinet meeting as President. While in Europe for the Potsdam Conference, he learned the news that the Trinity test of the first atomic bomb on July 16 had been successful. He hinted to Joseph Stalin that the U.S. was about to use a new kind of weapon against the Japanese. Though this was the first time the Soviets had been officially given information about the atomic bomb, Stalin was already aware of the bomb project, having learned about it (through espionage) long before Truman himself did.In August, after the Japanese government refused the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, Truman authorized the use of atomic weapons against Japan.
On Sunday morning, August 6, 1945, at 8:15am local time, the B-29 bomber ''Enola Gay'' dropped a uranium-fueled atomic bomb, ''Little Boy'', on Hiroshima. Two days later, after Truman's broadcast warning of further attacks, yet having heard nothing further from the Japanese government, the U.S. military executed its plan to drop a second atomic bomb. On August 9, Nagasaki was devastated using a plutonium implosion-type atomic bomb, ''Fat Man'', dropped by the B-29 bomber ''Bockscar''. The bombs killed as many as 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki by the end of 1945, with roughly half of those deaths occurring on the days of the bombings. Truman received news of the bombing while aboard the heavy cruiser on his way back to the U.S. after the Potsdam Conference. The Japanese surrender came on August 14.
Supporters of Truman's decision argue that, given the tenacious Japanese defense of the outlying islands, the bombings saved hundreds of thousands of lives that would have been lost in an invasion of mainland Japan. In 1954, Eleanor Roosevelt said that Truman had "made the only decision he could," and that the bomb's use was necessary "to avoid tremendous sacrifice of American lives." Others have argued that the use of nuclear weapons was unnecessary and inherently immoral. Truman himself wrote later in life that, "I knew what I was doing when I stopped the war ... I have no regrets and, under the same circumstances, I would do it again."
Strikes and economic upheaval
The end of World War II was followed by an uneasy transition from war to a peacetime economy. The president was faced with the renewal of labor-management conflicts that had lain dormant during the war years, severe shortages in housing and consumer products, and widespread dissatisfaction with inflation, which at one point hit 6% in a single month. In this polarized environment, there was a wave of destabilizing strikes in major industries, and Truman's response to them was generally seen as ineffective. In the spring of 1946, a national railway strike, unprecedented in the nation's history, brought virtually all passenger and freight lines to a standstill for over a month. When the railway workers turned down a proposed settlement, Truman seized control of the railways and threatened to draft striking workers into the armed forces. While delivering a speech before Congress requesting authority for this plan, Truman received word that the strike had been settled on his terms. He announced this development to Congress on the spot and received a tumultuous ovation that was replayed for weeks on newsreels. Although the resolution of the crippling railway strike made for stirring political theater, it actually cost Truman politically: his proposed solution was seen by many as high-handed; and labor voters, already wary of Truman's handling of workers' issues, were deeply alienated.
United Nations, Marshall Plan and the Cold War
As a Wilsonian internationalist, Truman strongly supported creation of the United Nations, and included Eleanor Roosevelt on the delegation to the UN's first General Assembly. Faced with Communist abandonment of commitments to democracy made at the Potsdam Conference, and with Communist advances in Iran, Greece (leading to the Greek Civil War) and in Turkey, Truman and his foreign policy advisors took a hard line against the Soviets.Although he claimed no personal expertise on foreign matters, Truman won bipartisan support for both the Truman Doctrine, which formalized a policy of containment, and the Marshall Plan, which aimed to help rebuild postwar Europe. To get Congress to spend the vast sums necessary to restart the moribund European economy, Truman used an ideological argument, arguing that Communism flourishes in economically deprived areas. As part of the U.S. Cold War strategy, Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 and reorganized military forces by merging the Department of War and the Department of the Navy into the National Military Establishment (later the Department of Defense) and creating the U.S. Air Force. The act also created the CIA and the National Security Council.
Fair Deal
After many years of Democratic majorities in Congress and two Democratic presidents, voter fatigue with the Democrats delivered a new Republican majority in the 1946 midterm elections, with the Republicans picking up 55 seats in the House of Representatives and several seats in the Senate. Although Truman cooperated closely with the Republican leaders on foreign policy, he fought them bitterly on domestic issues. He failed to prevent tax cuts or the removal of price controls. The power of the labor unions was significantly curtailed by the Taft–Hartley Act, which was enacted by overriding Truman's veto.As he readied for the 1948 election, Truman made clear his identity as a Democrat in the New Deal tradition, advocating national health insurance, the repeal of the anti-union Taft-Hartley Act, and an aggressive civil rights program. Taken together, it all constituted a broad legislative agenda that came to be called the "Fair Deal."
Truman's proposals were not well received by Congress, even after Democratic gains in the 1948 election. Only one of the major Fair Deal bills, the Housing Act of 1949, was ever enacted.
Recognition of Israel
Truman made the decision to recognize the establishment of the State of Israel over the objections of Secretary of State George Marshall, who feared it would hurt relations with the Arab states. At a meeting in the White House on November 10, 1945, he told envoys to Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt: "I am sorry, gentlemen, but I have to answer to hundreds of thousands who are anxious for the success of Zionism: I do not have hundreds of thousands of Arabs among my constituents."Rejecting Arab, British, and U.S. State Department warnings that Jewish immigration to Palestine and a Jewish state would destabilize the Middle East, Truman and Congress continued to support the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people. American policy makers in 1947–48 agreed that the highest foreign policy objective was containment of Soviet expansion as the Cold War unfolded. From Washington's perspective, Palestine was secondary to the goal of protecting the "Northern Tier" of Greece, Turkey, and Iran from Communism, as promised by the Truman Doctrine. Truman set three goals for the region: a peaceful solution, unwillingness to send US troops, and the need to prevent Soviet penetration.
According to George Lenczowski, Truman's policy on Palestine was influenced by Jewish lobbyists. In his memoirs, Truman wrote that top Jewish leaders in the United States put pressure on him to promote Jewish aspirations in Palestine. At the urging of the British, a special UN committee, UNSCOP, recommended the immediate partitioning of Palestine into two states. With Truman's support, the plan was approved by the General Assembly on November 29, 1947. Secretary of State George Marshall and foreign affairs experts continued to oppose the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. When Truman agreed to meet with Chaim Weizmann, the Secretary of State objected but did not publicly dispute his decision. Secretary of Defense James Forrestal warned about the perils of arousing Arab hostility, which might result in denial of access to petroleum resources in the area, and about "the impact of this question on the security of the United States." Truman recognized the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, eleven minutes after it declared itself a nation.
Truman wrote:
Berlin Airlift
On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union blocked access to the three Western-held sectors of Berlin. The Allies had never negotiated a deal to guarantee supply of the sectors deep within the Soviet-occupied zone. The commander of the American occupation zone in Germany, General Lucius D. Clay, proposed sending a large armored column across the Soviet zone to West Berlin with instructions to defend itself if it were stopped or attacked. Truman believed this would entail an unacceptable risk of war. He approved a plan to supply the blockaded city by air. On June 25, the Allies initiated the Berlin Airlift, a campaign that delivered food and other supplies, such as coal, using military airplanes on a massive scale. Nothing remotely like it had ever been attempted before, and no single nation had the capability, either logistically or materially, to have accomplished it. The airlift worked; ground access was again granted on May 11, 1949. The airlift continued for several months after that. The Berlin Airlift was one of Truman's great foreign policy successes as president; it significantly aided his election campaign in 1948.
Defense cutbacks
Truman adopted a strategy of rapid demobilization after World War II, mothballing ships and sending the veterans home. The reasons for this strategy, which persisted through Truman's first term and well into his second, were largely financial. To fund domestic spending requirements, Truman had advocated a policy of defense program cuts for the U.S. armed forces at the end of the war. The Republican majority in Congress, anxious to enact numerous tax cuts, approved of Truman's plan to "hold the line" on defense spending. In addition, Truman's experience in the Senate left him with lingering suspicions that large sums were being wasted in the Pentagon. In 1949, Truman appointed Louis A. Johnson as Secretary of Defense. Impressed by U.S. advances in atomic bomb development, Truman and Johnson initially believed that the atomic bomb rendered conventional forces largely irrelevant to the modern battlefield. This assumption eventually had to be revisited, however, as the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic weapon in the same year.Nevertheless, reductions continued, adversely affecting U.S. conventional defense readiness. Both Truman and Johnson had a particular antipathy to Navy and Marine Corps budget requests. Truman proposed disbanding the Marine Corps entirely as part of the 1948 defense reorganization plan but the idea was abandoned after a letter-writing campaign and the intervention of influential Marine veterans.
By 1950, many Navy ships were sold to other countries or scrapped. The U.S. Army, faced with high turnover of experienced personnel, cut back on training exercises, and eased recruitment standards. Usable equipment was scrapped or sold off and ammunition stockpiles were cut. The Marine Corps, its budgets slashed, was reduced to hoarding surplus inventories of World War II-era weapons and equipment. It was only after the invasion of South Korea by the North Koreans in 1950 that Truman sent significantly larger defense requests to Congress — and initiated what might be considered the modern period of defense spending in the United States.
Election of 1948
The 1948 presidential election is best remembered for Truman's stunning come-from-behind victory. In the spring of 1948, Truman's public approval rating stood at 36%, and the president was nearly universally regarded as incapable of winning the general election. The "New Deal" operatives within the party — including FDR's son James — tried to swing the Democratic nomination to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, a wildly popular figure whose political views — and party affiliation — were totally unknown. Eisenhower emphatically refused to accept, and Truman outflanked opponents to his nomination.At the 1948 Democratic National Convention, Truman attempted to calm turbulent domestic political waters by placing a tepid civil rights plank in the party platform; the aim was to assuage the internal conflicts between the northern and southern wings of his party. Events overtook the president's efforts at compromise, however. A sharp address given by Mayor Hubert Humphrey of Minneapolis — as well as the local political interests of a number of urban bosses — convinced the Convention to adopt a stronger civil rights plank, which Truman approved wholeheartedly. All of Alabama's delegates, and a portion of Mississippi's, walked out of the convention in protest. Unfazed, Truman delivered an aggressive acceptance speech attacking the 80th Congress and promising to win the election and "make these Republicans like it."
Within two weeks, Truman issued Executive Order 9981, racially integrating the U.S. Armed Services. Truman took considerable political risk in backing civil rights, and many seasoned Democrats were concerned that the loss of Dixiecrat support might destroy the Democratic Party. The fear seemed well justified — Strom Thurmond declared his candidacy for the presidency and led a full-scale revolt of Southern "states' rights" proponents. This revolt on the right was matched by a revolt on the left, led by former Vice President Henry A. Wallace on the Progressive Party ticket. Immediately after its first post-FDR convention, the Democratic Party found itself disintegrating. Victory in November seemed a remote possibility indeed, with the party not simply split but divided three ways.
There followed a remarkable presidential odyssey, an unprecedented personal appeal to the nation. Truman and his staff crisscrossed the United States in the presidential train; his "whistlestop" tactic of giving brief speeches from the rear platform of the observation car ''Ferdinand Magellan'' came to represent the entire campaign. His combative appearances, such as those at the town square of Harrisburg, Illinois, captured the popular imagination and drew huge crowds. Six stops in Michigan drew a combined half-million people; a full million turned out for a New York City ticker-tape parade.
The large, mostly spontaneous gatherings at Truman's depot events were an important sign of a critical change in momentum in the campaign, but this shift went virtually unnoticed by the national press corps, which continued reporting Republican Thomas Dewey's apparent impending victory as a certainty. One reason for the press' inaccurate projection was polls conducted primarily by telephone in a time when many people, including much of Truman's populist base, did not own a telephone. This skewed the data to indicate a stronger support base for Dewey than existed, resulting in an unintended and undetected projection error that may well have contributed to the perception of Truman's bleak chances. The three major polling organizations also stopped polling well before the November 2 election date — Roper in September, and Crossley and Gallup in October — thus failing to measure the very period when Truman appears to have surged past Dewey.
In the end, Truman held his progressive Midwestern base, won most of the Southern states despite his civil rights plank, and squeaked through with narrow victories in a few critical "battleground" states, notably Ohio, California, and Illinois. The final tally showed that the president had secured 303 electoral votes, Dewey 189, and Thurmond only 39. Henry Wallace got none. The defining image of the campaign came after Election Day, when Truman held aloft the erroneous front page of the ''Chicago Tribune'' with a huge headline proclaiming "Dewey Defeats Truman." Truman did not have a vice president in his first term. His running mate, and eventual vice president for the term that began January 20, 1949, was Alben W. Barkley.
Second term (1949–1953)
Truman's inauguration was the first ever televised nationally." His second term was grueling, in large measure because of foreign policy challenges connected directly or indirectly to his policy of containment. He quickly had to come to terms with the end of the American nuclear monopoly. With information provided by its espionage networks in the United States, the Soviet Union's atomic bomb project progressed much faster than had been expected and they exploded their first bomb on August 29, 1949. On January 7, 1953, Truman announced the detonation of the first U.S. hydrogen bomb.
NATO
Truman was a strong supporter of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which established a formal peacetime military alliance with Canada and many of the democratic European nations that had not fallen under Soviet control following World War II. Truman successfully guided the treaty through the Senate in 1949 and appointed Dwight D. Eisenhower as the first commander. NATO's stated goals were to contain Soviet expansion in Europe and to send a clear message to communist leaders that the world's democracies were willing and able to build new security structures in support of democratic ideals. The United States, Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Iceland, and Canada were the original treaty signatories; Greece and Turkey joined in 1952.
Chinese Civil War
On December 21, 1949, Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi) and his National Revolutionary Army left mainland China, fleeing to Taiwan in the face of successful attacks by Mao Zedong's communist army during the Chinese Civil War. In June 1950, Truman ordered the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet into the Taiwan Strait to prevent further conflict between the communist government at the China mainland and the Republic of China on Taiwan. Truman also called for the ROC not to make any further attacks on the mainland.
Soviet espionage and McCarthyism
Throughout his presidency, Truman had to deal with accusations that the federal government was harboring Soviet spies at the highest level. Testimony in Congress on this issue garnered national attention, and thousands of people were fired as security risks. Truman was dubious about reports of potential Communist or Soviet penetration of the U.S. government, and his oft-quoted response was to dismiss the allegations as a "red herring."In August 1948, Whittaker Chambers, a former spy for the Soviets and a senior editor at ''Time'' magazine, testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and presented a list of what he said were members of an underground communist network working within the United States government in the 1930s. One was Alger Hiss, a senior State Department official. Hiss denied the accusations.
Chambers' revelations led to a crisis in American political culture, as Hiss was convicted of perjury, in a controversial trial. On February 9, 1950, Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy accused the State Department of having communists on the payroll, and specifically claimed that Secretary of State Dean Acheson knew of, and was protecting, 205 communists within the State Department. At issue was whether Truman had removed all the subversive agents that had entered the government during the Roosevelt years. McCarthy insisted that he had not.
By spotlighting this issue and attacking Truman's administration, McCarthy quickly established himself as a national figure, and his explosive allegations dominated the headlines. His claims were short on confirmable details, but they nevertheless transfixed a nation struggling to come to grips with frightening new realities: the Soviet Union's nuclear explosion, the loss of U.S. atom bomb secrets, the fall of China to communism, and new revelations of Soviet intelligence penetration of other U.S. agencies, including the Treasury Department. Truman, a pragmatic man who had made allowances for the likes of Tom Pendergast and Stalin, quickly developed an unshakable loathing of Joseph McCarthy. He counterattacked, saying that "Americanism" itself was under attack by elements "who are loudly proclaiming that they are its chief defenders. ... They are trying to create fear and suspicion among us by the use of slander, unproved accusations and just plain lies. ... They are trying to get us to believe that our Government is riddled with communism and corruption. ... These slandermongers are trying to get us so hysterical that no one will stand up to them for fear of being called a communist. Now this is an old communist trick in reverse. ... That is not fair play. That is not Americanism." Nevertheless, Truman never shook his image among the public of being unable to purge his government of subversive influences.
Korean War
On June 25, 1950, the North Korean People's Army under the command of Kim Il-sung invaded South Korea, precipitating the outbreak of the Korean War. Poorly trained and equipped, without tanks or air support, the South Korean Army was rapidly pushed backwards, quickly losing the capital, Seoul.
Truman called for a naval blockade of Korea, only to learn that due to budget cutbacks, the U.S. Navy no longer possessed a sufficient number of warships to enforce such a measure. Truman promptly urged the United Nations to intervene; it did, authorizing armed defense for the first time in its history. The Soviet Union, which was boycotting the United Nations at the time, was not present at the vote that approved the measure. However, Truman decided not to consult with Congress, an error that greatly weakened his position later in the conflict.
In the first four weeks of the conflict, the American infantry forces hastily deployed to Korea proved too few and were under-equipped. The Eighth Army in Japan was forced to recondition World War II Sherman tanks from depots and monuments for use in Korea.
Responding to criticism over readiness, Truman fired his much-criticized Secretary of Defense, Louis A. Johnson, replacing him with retired General George Marshall. Truman (with UN approval) decided on a rollback policy — that is, conquest of North Korea. UN forces led by General Douglas MacArthur led the counterattack, scoring a stunning surprise victory with an amphibious landing at the Battle of Inchon that nearly trapped the invaders. UN forces then marched north, toward the Yalu River boundary with China, with the goal of reuniting Korea under UN auspices.
China surprised the UN forces with a large-scale invasion in November. The UN forces were forced back to below the 38th parallel, then recovered; by early 1951 the war became a fierce stalemate at about the 38th parallel where it had begun. UN and U.S. casualties were heavy. Truman rejected MacArthur's request to attack Chinese supply bases north of the Yalu, but MacArthur promoted his plan to Republican House leader Joseph Martin, who leaked it to the press. Truman was gravely concerned that further escalation of the war might draw the Soviet Union further into the conflict: it was already supplying weapons and providing warplanes (with Korean markings and Soviet fliers). On April 11, 1951, Truman fired MacArthur from all his commands in Korea and Japan.
The Dismissal of General Douglas MacArthur was among the least politically popular decisions in presidential history. Truman's approval ratings plummeted, and he faced calls for his impeachment from, among others, Senator Robert Taft. The ''Chicago Tribune'' called for immediate impeachment proceedings against Truman:
President Truman must be impeached and convicted. His hasty and vindictive removal of Gen. MacArthur is the culmination of series of acts which have shown that he is unfit, morally and mentally, for his high office. . . . The American nation has never been in greater danger. It is led by a fool who is surrounded by knaves. . . .
Fierce criticism from virtually all quarters accused Truman of refusing to shoulder the blame for a war gone sour and blaming his generals instead. Many prominent citizens and officials, including Eleanor Roosevelt however supported and applauded Truman's decision. MacArthur meanwhile, returned to the United States to a hero's welcome, and, after his famous address before Congress, which Truman was reported to have said was a bunch of "damn bullshit." MacArthur was even rumored as a candidate for the presidency.
The war remained a frustrating stalemate for two years, with over 30,000 Americans killed, until a peace agreement restored borders and ended the conflict. In the interim, the difficulties in Korea and the popular outcry against Truman's sacking of MacArthur helped to make the president so unpopular that Democrats started turning to other candidates. In the New Hampshire primary on March 11, 1952, Truman lost to Estes Kefauver, who won the preference poll 19,800 to 15,927 and all 8 delegates. Truman was forced to cancel his reelection campaign. In February 1952, Truman's approval mark stood at 22% according to Gallup polls, which was, until George W. Bush in 2008, the all-time lowest approval mark for an active American president. However, it did not last beyond March.
Indochina
United States' involvement in Indochina widened during the Truman administration. On V-J Day 1945, Vietnamese Communist leader Ho Chi Minh declared independence from France, but the U.S. announced its support of restoring French power. In 1950, Ho again declared Vietnamese independence, which was recognized by Communist China and the Soviet Union. Ho controlled a remote territory along the Chinese border, while France controlled the remainder. Truman's "containment policy" called for opposition to Communist expansion, and led the U.S. to continue to recognize French rule, support the French client government, and increase aid to Vietnam. However, a basic dispute emerged: the Americans wanted a strong and independent Vietnam, while the French cared little about containing China but instead wanted to suppress local nationalism and integrate Indochina into the French Union.
NSC-68
The escalation of the Cold War was highlighted by Truman's approval of NSC-68, a secret statement of foreign policy. It called for tripling the defense budget, and the globalization and militarization of containment policy whereby the U.S. and its NATO allies would respond militarily to actual Soviet expansion. The document was drafted by Paul Nitze, who consulted State and Defense officials; it was formally approved by President Truman as official national strategy after the war began in Korea. It called for partial mobilization of the U.S. economy to build armaments faster than the Soviets. The assumption was the takeover of China, the invasion of South Korea and threats to Vietnam demonstrated a drive for world dominance by the Soviet Union and its Communist allies. A three-part response was called for to strengthen Europe; weaken the Soviet Union economically; and to strengthen the United States both militarily and economically.
White House renovations
In 1948, Truman ordered a controversial addition to the exterior of the White House: a second-floor balcony in the south portico that came to be known as the "Truman Balcony." The addition was unpopular.Not long afterwards, engineering experts concluded that the building, much of it over 130 years old, was in a dangerously dilapidated condition. That August, a section of floor collapsed and Truman's own bedroom and bathroom were closed as unsafe. No public announcement about the serious structural problems of the White House was made until after the 1948 election had been won, by which time Truman had been informed that his new balcony was the only part of the building that was sound. The Truman family moved into nearby Blair House; as the newer West Wing, including the Oval Office, remained open, Truman found himself walking to work across the street each morning and afternoon. In due course, the decision was made to demolish and rebuild the whole interior of the main White House, as well as excavating new basement levels and underpinning the foundations. The famous exterior of the structure, however, was buttressed and retained while the renovations proceeded inside. The work lasted from December 1949 until March 1952.
Assassination attempt
On November 1, 1950, Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate Truman at Blair House. On the street outside the residence, Torresola mortally wounded a White House policeman, Leslie Coffelt. Before he died, the officer shot and killed Torresola. Collazo, as a co-conspirator in a felony that turned into a homicide, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death in 1952. Truman later commuted his sentence to life in prison. Acknowledging the importance of the question of Puerto Rican independence, Truman allowed for a plebiscite in Puerto Rico to determine the status of its relationship to the United States. The attack, which could easily have taken the president's life, drew new attention to security concerns surrounding his residence at Blair House. He had jumped up from his nap, and was watching the gunfight from his open bedroom window until a passerby shouted at him to take cover.
Steel and coal strikes
In response to a labor/management impasse arising from bitter disagreements over wage and price controls, Truman instructed his Secretary of Commerce, Charles W. Sawyer, to take control of a number of the nation's steel mills in April 1952. Truman cited his authority as Commander in Chief and the need to maintain an uninterrupted supply of steel for munitions to be used in the war in Korea. The Supreme Court found Truman's actions unconstitutional, however, and reversed the order in a major separation-of-powers decision, ''Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer''. The 6–3 decision, which held that Truman's assertion of authority was too vague and was not rooted in any legislative action by Congress, was delivered by a Court composed entirely of Justices appointed by either Truman or Roosevelt. The high court's reversal of Truman's order was one of the notable defeats of his presidency. After coal miners went on strike in the spring of 1946, Truman threatened to draft the miners into the Army if they did not return to work, or use members of the Army to replace the workers.
Scandals and controversies
In 1950, the Senate, led by Estes Kefauver, investigated numerous charges of corruption among senior Administration officials, some of whom received fur coats and deep freezers for favors. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was involved. In 1950, 166 IRS employees either resigned or were fired, and many were facing indictments from the Department of Justice on a variety of tax-fixing and bribery charges, including the assistant attorney general in charge of the Tax Division. When Attorney General Howard McGrath fired the special prosecutor for being too zealous, Truman fired McGrath. Historians agree that Truman himself was innocent and unaware, with one exception. In 1945, Mrs. Truman received a new, expensive, hard-to-get deep freezer. The businessman who provided the gift was the president of a perfume company and, thanks to Truman's aide and confidante General Harry Vaughan, received priority to fly to Europe days after the war ended, where he bought new perfumes. On the way back he "bumped" a wounded veteran from a flight back to the U.S. Disclosure of the episode in 1949 humiliated Truman. The President responded by vigorously defending Vaughan, an old friend with an office in the White House. Vaughan was eventually connected to multiple influence-peddling scandals.Truman pardoned a Louisiana political figure, George A. Caldwell, a building contractor from Baton Rouge who had been imprisoned in the United States Penitentiary, Atlanta for income tax evasion and accepting kickbacks. He also similarly pardoned the controversial Texas political boss, George Parr of Duval County, the political benefactor of Lyndon B. Johnson, winner of a contested 1948 U.S. Senate election, which ultimately catapulted Johnson into the presidency.
Charges that Soviet agents had infiltrated the government bedeviled the Truman Administration and became a major campaign issue for Eisenhower in 1952. In 1947, Truman issued Executive Order 9835 to set up loyalty boards to investigate espionage among federal employees. Between 1947 and 1952, "about 20,000 government employees were investigated, some 2500 resigned 'voluntarily,' and 400 were fired." He strongly opposed mandatory loyalty oaths for governmental employees, a stance that led to charges that his Administration was soft on Communism. In 1953, Senator Joseph McCarthy and Attorney General Herbert Brownell, Jr. claimed that Truman had known Harry Dexter White was a Soviet spy when Truman appointed him to the International Monetary Fund.
On December 6, 1950, music critic Paul Hume wrote a critical review of a concert by Margaret Truman: "Miss Truman is a unique American phenomenon with a pleasant voice of little size and fair quality ... (she) cannot sing very well ... is flat a good deal of the time — more last night than at any time we have heard her in past years ... has not improved in the years we have heard her ... (and) still cannot sing with anything approaching professional finish."
In response, Truman wrote a scathing response: I've just read your lousy review of Margaret's concert. I've come to the conclusion that you are an "eight ulcer man on four ulcer pay." It seems to me that you are a frustrated old man who wishes he could have been successful. When you write such poppy-cock as was in the back section of the paper you work for it shows conclusively that you're off the beam and at least four of your ulcers are at work. Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you'll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below! Pegler, a gutter snipe, is a gentleman alongside you. I hope you'll accept that statement as a worse insult than a reflection on your ancestry. Truman was criticized by many for the letter. However, he pointed out that he wrote it as a loving father and not as the president.
Civil rights
A 1947 report by the Truman administration titled ''To Secure These Rights'' presented a detailed ten-point agenda of civil rights reforms. In February 1948, the president submitted a civil rights agenda to Congress that proposed creating several federal offices devoted to issues such as voting rights and fair employment practices. This provoked a storm of criticism from Southern Democrats in the run up to the national nominating convention, but Truman refused to compromise, saying: "My forebears were Confederates ... but my very stomach turned over when I had learned that Negro soldiers, just back from overseas, were being dumped out of Army trucks in Mississippi and beaten." In retirement however, Truman was less progressive on the issue. He described the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches as silly, stating that the marches would not "accomplish a darned thing."Instead of addressing civil rights on a case-by-case need, Truman wanted to address civil rights on a national level. Truman made three executive orders that eventually became a structure for future civil rights legislation. The first executive order, Executive Order 9981 in 1948, is generally understood to be the act that desegregated the armed services. This was a milestone on a long road to desegregation of the Armed Forces. After several years of planning, recommendations and revisions between Truman, the Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity and the various branches of the military, Army units became racially integrated. This process was also helped by the pressure of manpower shortages during the Korean War, as replacements to previously segregated units could now be of any race.
The second, also in 1948, made it illegal to discriminate against persons applying for civil service positions based on race. The third executive order, in 1951, established Committee on Government Contract Compliance (CGCC). This committee ensured that defense contractors to the armed forces could not discriminate against a person because of their race.
Administration and cabinet
All of the cabinet members when Truman became president in 1945 had been previously serving under Franklin D. Roosevelt.| Name | Truman |
|---|---|
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| President start | 1945 |
| President end | 1953 |
| Vice president | none |
| Vice president start | 1945 |
| Vice president end | 1949 |
| Vice president 2 | Alben W. Barkley |
| Vice president start 2 | 1949 |
| Vice president end 2 | 1953 |
| State | Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. |
| State date | 1945 |
| State 2 | James F. Byrnes |
| State start 2 | 1945 |
| State end 2 | 1947 |
| State 3 | George C. Marshall |
| State start 3 | 1947 |
| State end 3 | 1949 |
| State 4 | Dean G. Acheson |
| State start 4 | 1949 |
| State end 4 | 1953 |
| War | Henry L. Stimson |
| War date | 1945 |
| War 2 | Robert P. Patterson |
| War start 2 | 1945 |
| War end 2 | 1947 |
| War 3 | Kenneth C. Royall |
| War date 3 | 1947 |
| Treasury | Henry Morgenthau, Jr. |
| Treasury date | 1945 |
| Treasury 2 | Fred M. Vinson |
| Treasury start 2 | 1945 |
| Treasury end 2 | 1946 |
| Treasury 3 | John W. Snyder |
| Treasury start 3 | 1946 |
| Treasury end 3 | 1953 |
| Defense | James V. Forrestal |
| Defense start | 1947 |
| Defense end | 1949 |
| Defense 2 | Louis A. Johnson |
| Defense start 2 | 1949 |
| Defense end 2 | 1950 |
| Defense 3 | George C. Marshall |
| Defense start 3 | 1950 |
| Defense end 3 | 1951 |
| Defense 4 | Robert A. Lovett |
| Defense start 4 | 1951 |
| Defense end 4 | 1953 |
| Justice | Francis Biddle |
| Justice date | 1945 |
| Justice 2 | Tom C. Clark |
| Justice start 2 | 1945 |
| Justice end 2 | 1949 |
| Justice 3 | J. Howard McGrath |
| Justice start 3 | 1949 |
| Justice end 3 | 1952 |
| Justice 4 | James P. McGranery |
| Justice start 4 | 1952 |
| Justice end 4 | 1953 |
| Post | Frank C. Walker |
| Post date | 1945 |
| Post 2 | Robert E. Hannegan |
| Post start 2 | 1945 |
| Post end 2 | 1947 |
| Post 3 | Jesse M. Donaldson |
| Post start 3 | 1947 |
| Post end 3 | 1953 |
| Navy | James V. Forrestal |
| Navy start | 1945 |
| Navy end | 1947 |
| Interior | Harold L. Ickes |
| Interior start | 1945 |
| Interior end | 1946 |
| Interior 2 | Julius A. Krug |
| Interior start 2 | 1946 |
| Interior end 2 | 1949 |
| Interior 3 | Oscar L. Chapman |
| Interior start 3 | 1949 |
| Interior end 3 | 1953 |
| Agriculture | Claude R. Wickard |
| Agriculture date | 1945 |
| Agriculture 2 | Clinton P. Anderson |
| Agriculture start 2 | 1945 |
| Agriculture end 2 | 1948 |
| Agriculture 3 | Charles F. Brannan |
| Agriculture start 3 | 1948 |
| Agriculture end 3 | 1953 |
| Commerce | Henry A. Wallace |
| Commerce start | 1945 |
| Commerce end | 1946 |
| Commerce 2 | W. Averell Harriman |
| Commerce start 2 | 1946 |
| Commerce end 2 | 1948 |
| Commerce 3 | Charles W. Sawyer |
| Commerce start 3 | 1948 |
| Commerce end 3 | 1953 |
| Labor | Frances Perkins |
| Labor date | 1945 |
| Labor 2 | Lewis B. Schwellenbach |
| Labor start 2 | 1945 |
| Labor end 2 | 1948 |
| Labor 3 | Maurice J. Tobin |
| Labor start 3 | 1948 |
| Labor end 3 | 1953 }} |
Judicial appointments
Supreme Court
Truman appointed the following Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States:
Truman's judicial appointments have been called by critics "inexcusable." A former Truman aide confided that it was the weakest aspect of Truman's presidency. The ''New York Times'' condemned the appointments of Tom C. Clark and Sherman Minton in particular as examples of cronyism and favoritism for unqualified candidates.
The four justices appointed by Truman joined with Justices Felix Frankfurter, Robert H. Jackson, and Stanley Reed to create a substantial seven-member conservative bloc on the Supreme Court. This returned the court for a time to the conservatism of the Taft era.
Other courts
In addition to his four Supreme Court appointments, Truman appointed 27 judges to the United States Courts of Appeals, and 101 judges to the United States district courts.
1952 election
In 1951, the U.S. ratified the 22nd Amendment, making a president ineligible to be elected for a third time, or to be elected for a second time after having served more than two years of a previous president's term. The latter clause would have applied to Truman in 1952, except that a grandfather clause in the amendment explicitly excluded the current president from this provision. However, Truman decided not to run for reelection.At the time of the 1952 New Hampshire primary, no candidate had won Truman's backing. His first choice, Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson, had declined to run; Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson had also turned Truman down; Vice President Barkley was considered too old; and Truman distrusted and disliked Senator Estes Kefauver, whom he privately called "Cowfever."
Truman's name was on the New Hampshire primary ballot but Kefauver won. On March 29, Truman announced his decision not to run for re-election. Stevenson, having reconsidered his presidential ambitions, received Truman's backing and won the Democratic nomination.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, now a Republican and the nominee of his party, campaigned against what he denounced as Truman's failures regarding "Korea, Communism and Corruption" and the "mess in Washington," and promised to "go to Korea." Eisenhower defeated Stevenson decisively in the general election, ending 20 years of Democratic rule. While Truman and Eisenhower had previously been good friends, Truman felt betrayed that Eisenhower did not denounce Joseph McCarthy during the campaign.
Post-presidency
Truman Library, ''Memoirs,'' and life as a private citizen
Truman returned to Independence, Missouri, to live at the Wallace home he and Bess had shared for years with her mother. Four months after leaving office, Truman was invited to address the Reserve Officers Association in Philadelphia. Refusing official transportation, Truman instead drove his brand-new Chrysler New Yorker, with Bess accompanying him in the passenger seat. The trip, which included stops in Washington, D.C., New York City, and smaller towns, caused a media sensation, especially when the former President was pulled over by a policeman for driving too slowly in a passing lane.Truman's predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, had organized his own presidential library, but legislation to enable future presidents to do something similar had not been enacted. Truman worked to garner private donations to build a presidential library, which he donated to the federal government to maintain and operate — a practice adopted by all of his successors.
Once out of office, Truman quickly decided that he did not wish to be on any corporate payroll, believing that taking advantage of such financial opportunities would diminish the integrity of the nation's highest office. He also turned down numerous offers for commercial endorsements. Since his earlier business ventures had proved unsuccessful, he had no personal savings. As a result, he faced financial challenges. Once Truman left the White House, his only income was his old army pension: $112.56 per month. Former members of Congress and the federal courts received a federal retirement package; President Truman himself ensured that former servants of the executive branch of government received similar support. In 1953, however, there was no such benefit package for former presidents.
He took out a personal loan from a Missouri bank shortly after leaving office, and then set about establishing another precedent for future former chief executives: a book deal for his memoirs of his time in office. Ulysses S. Grant had overcome similar financial issues with his own memoirs, but the book had been published posthumously, and he had declined to write about life in the White House in any detail. For the memoirs, Truman received only a flat payment of $670,000, and had to pay two-thirds of that in tax; he calculated he got $37,000 after he paid his assistants.
Truman's memoirs were a commercial and critical success; they were published in two volumes in 1955 and 1956 by Doubleday (Garden City, N.Y) and Hodder & Stoughton (London): ''Memoirs by Harry S. Truman: Year of Decisions'' and ''Memoirs by Harry S. Truman: Years of Trial and Hope''.
Truman was quoted in 1957 as saying to then-House Majority Leader John McCormack, "Had it not been for the fact that I was able to sell some property that my brother, sister, and I inherited from our mother, I would practically be on relief, but with the sale of that property I am not financially embarrassed."
In 1958, Congress passed the Former Presidents Act, offering a $25,000 yearly pension to each former president, and it is likely that Truman's financial status played a role in the law's enactment. The one other living former president at the time, Herbert Hoover, also took the pension, even though he did not need the money; reportedly, he did so to avoid embarrassing Truman. Hoover may have been remembering an old favor: shortly after becoming President, Truman had invited Hoover to the White House for an informal chat about conditions in Europe. This was Hoover's first visit to the White House since leaving office, as the Roosevelt administration had shunned Hoover. The two remained good friends for the remainder of their lives.
Later life and death
In 1956, Truman traveled to Europe with his wife. In Britain, he received an honorary degree in Civic Law from Oxford University and met with Winston Churchill. On returning to the U.S., he supported Adlai Stevenson's second bid for the White House, although he had initially favored Democratic Governor W. Averell Harriman of New York.Upon turning 80, Truman was feted in Washington and to address the United States Senate, as part of a new rule that allowed former presidents to be granted privilege of the floor. He also campaigned for senatorial candidates. After a fall in his home in late 1964, his physical condition declined. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare bill at the Truman Library and gave the first two Medicare cards to Truman and his wife Bess to honor his fight for government health care as president.
On December 5, 1972, he was admitted to Kansas City's Research Hospital and Medical Center with lung congestion from pneumonia. He developed multiple organ failure and died at 7:50 am on December 26 at the age of 88. His wife died nearly ten years later, on October 18, 1982. They are buried at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri. Bess Truman opted for a simple private service at the library for her husband rather than a state funeral in Washington. Foreign dignitaries attended a memorial service at Washington National Cathedral a week later.
Legacy
When he left office in 1953, Truman was one of the most unpopular chief executives in history. His job approval rating of 22% in the Gallup Poll of February 1952 was lower than Richard Nixon's was in August 1974 at 24%, the month that Nixon resigned. American public feeling toward Truman grew steadily warmer with the passing years, and the period shortly after his death consolidated a partial rehabilitation among both historians and members of the public. As early as 1962, a poll of 75 distinguished historians conducted by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr. ranked Truman among the "near great" presidents. Since leaving office, Truman has fared well in polls ranking the presidents among Americans. He has never been listed lower than ninth, and most recently was fifth in a ''C-SPAN'' poll in 2009.Truman has been honored on two U.S. postage stamps, the first issued in 1973 and the second stamp in 1984.
He has also had his critics. After a review of information available to Truman on the presence of espionage activities in the U.S. government, Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan concluded that Truman was "almost willfully obtuse" concerning the danger of American communism. As early as the late 1960s, revisionist historians began attacking Truman. Today, the consensus among historians is that "Harry Truman remains a controversial president."
Truman died during a time when the nation was consumed with crises in Vietnam and Watergate, and his death brought a new wave of attention to his political career. In the early and mid-1970s, Truman captured the popular imagination much as he had in 1948, this time emerging as a kind of political folk hero, a president who was thought to exemplify an integrity and accountability many observers felt was lacking in the Nixon White House. Truman has been portrayed on screen many times, several in performances that have won wide acclaim, and the pop band Chicago recorded a nostalgic song, "Harry Truman" (1975).
Due to Truman's critical role in the U.S. government's decision to recognize Israel, the Israeli village of Beit Harel was renamed Kfar Truman.
Despite Truman's attempt to curtail the naval carrier arm, which led to the 1949 Revolt of the Admirals, the navy decided to name an aircraft carrier after him. The was christened on September 7, 1996. The ship, sometimes known as the 'HST', was authorized as USS ''United States'', the same as the carrier that Truman had cancelled in 1949, but her name was changed before the keel laying.
129th Field Artillery Regiment is designated "Truman's Own" in recognition of Truman's service as commander of its D Battery during World War I.
The Truman Scholarship, a federal program that seeks to honor U.S. college students who exemplified dedication to public service and leadership in public policy, was created in 1975. The President Harry S. Truman Fellowship in National Security Science and Engineering, a distinguished postdoctoral three-year appointment at Sandia National Laboratories was created in 2004. The University of Missouri established the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs to advance the study and practice of governance. The university's Missouri Tigers athletics programs have an official mascot named Truman the Tiger. To mark its transformation from a regional state teachers' college to a highly selective liberal arts university and to honor the only Missourian to become president, Northeast Missouri State University became Truman State University on July 1, 1996. A member institution of the City Colleges of Chicago, Harry S Truman College in Chicago, Illinois is named in honor of the president for his dedication to public colleges and universities. The headquarters for the United States Department of State, built in the 1930s but never officially named, was dedicated as the Harry S Truman Building in 2000.
In 1991, Truman was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians, and a bronze bust depicting him is on permanent display in the rotunda of the Missouri State Capitol. Thomas Daniel, grandson of the Trumans accepted a star on the Missouri Walk of Fame in 2006 to honor his late grandfather. John Truman, Truman's nephew, accepted a star for Bess Truman in 2007. The Walk of Fame is in Marshfield, Missouri, a city Truman visited in 1948.
He was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 20¢ Great Americans series postage stamp.
Historic sites
See also
References
Bibliography
(35 volumes)
External links
Category:1884 births Category:1972 deaths Category:American anti-communists Category:American memoirists Category:American military personnel of World War I Category:American people of Scotch-Irish descent Category:American people of the Korean War Category:Cold War leaders Category:Congressional Gold Medal recipients Category:County executives of Jackson County, Missouri Category:Deaths from multiple organ failure Category:Deaths from pneumonia Category:Democratic Party Presidents of the United States Category:Democratic Party Vice Presidents of the United States Category:Democratic Party United States Senators Category:Democratic Party (United States) presidential nominees Category:Democratic Party (United States) vice presidential nominees Category:Haberdashers Harry S. Truman Category:Infectious disease deaths in Missouri Category:Missouri Democrats Category:Pendergast era Category:People associated with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Category:People from Barton County, Missouri Category:People of Huguenot descent Category:Presidency of Harry S. Truman Category:Presidents of the United States Category:Southern Baptists Category:United States National Guard officers Category:United States presidential candidates, 1948 Category:United States presidential candidates, 1952 Category:United States Senators from Missouri Category:United States vice-presidential candidates, 1944 Category:U.S. Presidents surviving assassination attempts Category:Vice Presidents of the United States Category:William Chrisman High School alumni Category:World War II political leaders Category:Writers from Missouri
am:ሃሪ ትሩማን ar:هاري ترومان an:Harry S. Truman ast:Harry S. Truman az:Harri Trumen bn:হ্যারি এস. ট্রুম্যান zh-min-nan:Harry S. Truman be:Гары Трумэн be-x-old:Гары С. Труман bcl:Harry S. Truman bs:Harry S. Truman br:Harry S. Truman bg:Хари С. Труман ca:Harry S. Truman ceb:Harry S. Truman cs:Harry S. Truman co:Harry S. Truman cy:Harry S. Truman da:Harry S. Truman de:Harry S. Truman dv:ހެރީ އެސް ޓްރޫމަން et:Harry Truman el:Χάρι Τρούμαν es:Harry S. Truman eo:Harry S. Truman eu:Harry S. Truman fa:هری ترومن fr:Harry S. Truman fy:Harry S. Truman ga:Harry S. Truman gv:Harry S. Truman gd:Harry S. Truman gl:Harry S. Truman ko:해리 S. 트루먼 hy:Հարի Թրումեն hi:हैरी एस ट्रूमैन hr:Harry S. Truman io:Harry Truman id:Harry S. Truman is:Harry S. Truman it:Harry Truman he:הארי טרומן jv:Harry S. Truman pam:Harry S. Truman ka:ჰარი ტრუმენი kk:Трумэн rw:Harry S. Truman sw:Harry S. Truman ku:Harry S. Truman la:Henricus S. Truman lv:Harijs Trūmens lb:Harry S. Truman lt:Harry S. Truman hu:Harry S. Truman mk:Хари Труман ml:ഹാരി എസ്. ട്രൂമാൻ mr:हॅरी ट्रुमन arz:هارى ترومان ms:Harry S. Truman nl:Harry S. Truman ja:ハリー・S・トルーマン no:Harry S Truman nn:Harry S. Truman oc:Harry Truman pnb:ہیری ٹرومین nds:Harry S. Truman pl:Harry Truman pt:Harry Truman ro:Harry S. Truman rm:Harry S. Truman ru:Трумэн, Гарри sa:हैरी ट्रूमन sq:Harry S. Truman scn:Harry Truman simple:Harry S. Truman sk:Harry S. Truman sl:Harry S. Truman sr:Хари Труман sh:Harry S. Truman fi:Harry S. Truman sv:Harry S. Truman tl:Harry S. Truman ta:ஹாரி எஸ். ட்ரூமன் th:แฮร์รี เอส. ทรูแมน tr:Harry S. Truman uk:Гаррі Трумен ur:ہیری ٹرومین vi:Harry S. Truman fiu-vro:Trumani Harry war:Harry S. Truman yi:הערי עס טרומאן yo:Harry S. Truman zh-yue:杜魯門 zh:哈利·S·杜鲁门
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
English American author and journalist whose books, essays, and journalistic career spanned more than four decades. He was a columnist and literary critic for ''The Atlantic'', ''Free Inquiry'', ''The Nation'', ''Salon'', ''Slate'', ''Vanity Fair'', ''World Affairs'', and became a media fellow at the Hoover Institution in September 2008. He was a staple of talk shows and lecture circuits and in 2005 was voted the world's fifth top public intellectual in a ''Prospect''/''Foreign Policy'' poll.
1984 ''Cyprus''. Quartet. Revised editions as ''Hostage to History: Cyprus from the Ottomans to Kissinger'', 1989 (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) and 1997 (Verso)
1988 ''Blaming the Victims: Spurious Scholarship and the Palestinian Question'' (contributor; co-editor with Edward Said) Verso, ISBN 0-86091-887-4 Reissued, 2001
1990 ''The Monarchy'', Chatto & Windus Ltd
1990 ''Blood, Class and Nostalgia: Anglo-American Ironies'',Farrar Straus & Giroux (T)(June 1990)
1995 ''The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice'', Verso
1997 ''The Parthenon Marbles: The Case for Reunification'', Verso
1999 ''No One Left to Lie To: The Values of the Worst Family'', Verso
2000 ''Unacknowledged Legislation: Writers in the Public Sphere'', Verso
2001 ''The Trial of Henry Kissinger''. Verso.
2001 ''Letters to a Young Contrarian'', Basic Books
2002 ''Why Orwell Matters'' also ''Orwell's Victory'', Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-03050-5
2004 ''Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays'', Thunder's Mouth, Nation Books, ISBN 1-56025-580-3
2005 ''Thomas Jefferson: Author of America'', Eminent Lives/Atlas Books/HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-06-059896-4
2007 "Thomas Paine's Rights of Man: A Biography ",Atlantic Monthly Press,ISBN-10: 0871139553
2007 ''The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Non-Believer'', [Editor] Perseus Publishing. ISBN 978-0-306-81608-6
2007 ''God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything'', Twelve/Hachette Book Group USA/Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-57980-7 / Published in the UK as ''God Is Not Great: The Case Against Religion'', Atlantic Books, ISBN 978-1-84354-586-6
2008 ''Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq and the Left'' (with Simon Cottee and Thomas Cushman), New York University Press
2008 ''Is Christianity Good for the World? — A Debate'' (co-author, with Douglas Wilson), Canon Press, ISBN 1-59128-053-2
2010 ''Hitch-22: A Memoir'', Twelve, ISBN 978-0-446-54033-9
2011 ''Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens'', Twelve. UK edition as ''Arguably: Selected Prose'', Atlantic, ISBN 1-4555-0277-4 / ISBN 978-1-4555-0277-6
Daily Hitchens, an archive of material on or by Hitchens
in 2010
Drexel Interview (One-hour video interview) with Paula Marantz Cohen, June 2010
Christopher Hitchens collected news and commentary at ''The Boston Globe''
"Journalist Christopher Hitchens fully embraces the Bush war camp" from the World Socialist Website, October 2002
"Christopher Hitchens" feature story in ''Prospect'' magazine, May 2008
"Incendiary Author Spares No Targets" feature story in ''The New Zealand Herald'', May 2008
"Such, Such are His Joys" David Brooks assessment in ''The New York Times'', 1 July 2010
Hitchens on Dying with Cancer, video interview with ''The Atlantic'', August 2010
"Christopher Hitchens: 'You have to choose your future regrets'" ''The Guardian'', 13 November 2010
"Christopher Hitchens's Jewish Problem" feature article on ''Jewish Ideas Daily,'' 13 December 2010
A debate between Hitchens and Berlinski 2010
Outspoken and outrageous: Christopher Hitchens a 60 Minutes profile aired 6 March 2011
''Booknotes'' interview with Hitchens on ''For the Sake of Argument'', 17 October 1993.
Contributor page at ''Vanity Fair''
Column archive at ''The Atlantic''
Article archive at ''The Guardian''
Hitchens articles at ''Slate''
Article archive at Journalisted
Hitchens was known for his admiration of George Orwell, Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson and for his excoriating critiques of Mother Teresa, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Henry Kissinger and Britain's royal family, among others. His confrontational style of debate made him both a lauded and controversial figure. As a political observer, polemicist and self-defined radical, he rose to prominence as a fixture of the left-wing publications in his native Britain and in the United States. His departure from the established political left began in 1989 after what he called the "tepid reaction" of the Western left following Ayatollah Khomeini's issue of a ''fatwā'' calling for the murder of Salman Rushdie. The September 11 attacks strengthened his internationalist embrace of an interventionist foreign policy, and his vociferous criticism of what he called "fascism with an Islamic face". His numerous editorials in support of the Iraq War caused some to label him a neoconservative, although Hitchens insisted he was not "a conservative of any kind".
Identified as a champion of the "New Atheism" movement, Hitchens described himself as an antitheist and a believer in the philosophical values of the Enlightenment. Hitchens said that a person "could be an atheist and wish that belief in god were correct", but that "an antitheist, a term I'm trying to get into circulation, is someone who is relieved that there's no evidence for such an assertion." According to Hitchens, the concept of a god or a supreme being is a totalitarian belief that destroys individual freedom, and that free expression and scientific discovery should replace religion as a means of teaching ethics and defining human civilization. He wrote at length on atheism and the nature of religion in his 2007 book ''God Is Not Great''.
Though Hitchens retained his British citizenship, he became a United States citizen on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial on 13 April 2007, his 58th birthday. Asteroid 57901 Hitchens is named after him. His memoir, ''Hitch-22'', was published in June 2010. Touring for the book was cut short later in the same month so he could begin treatment for newly diagnosed esophageal cancer. On 15 December 2011, Hitchens died from pneumonia, a complication of his cancer, in the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
Life and career
Early life and education
His mother, Yvonne Jean (née Hickman), and father, Eric Ernest Hitchens (1909–1987), met in Scotland while both were serving in the Royal Navy during World War II. Yvonne was at the time a "Wren" (a member of the Women's Royal Naval Service), and Eric a "purse-lipped and silent" commander, whose ship HMS ''Jamaica'' helped sink Nazi Germany's battleship ''Scharnhorst'' in the Battle of the North Cape. His father's naval career required the family to move a number of times from base to base throughout Britain and its dependencies, including in Malta, where Christopher's brother Peter was born in Sliema in 1951.Hitchens's mother having argued that "if there is going to be an upper class in this country, then Christopher is going to be in it,", in the late fifties and early sixties he was educated at Mount House School in Tavistock in Devon, then at the independent Leys School in Cambridge, and then at Balliol College in Oxford, where he was tutored by Steven Lukes and read philosophy, politics, and economics achieving, however, only third-class honours. Hitchens was "bowled over" in his adolescence by Richard Llewellyn's ''How Green Was My Valley'', Arthur Koestler's ''Darkness at Noon,'' Fyodor Dostoyevsky's ''Crime and Punishment'', R. H. Tawney's critique on ''Religion and the Rise of Capitalism,'' and the works of George Orwell. In 1968, he took part in the TV quiz show ''University Challenge''.
Hitchens has written of his homosexual experiences when in boarding school in his memoir, ''Hitch-22''. These experiences continued in his college years, when he allegedly had relationships with two men who eventually became a part of the Thatcher government.
In the 1960s Hitchens joined the political left, drawn by his anger over the Vietnam War, nuclear weapons, racism, and "oligarchy", including that of "the unaccountable corporation". He would express affinity with the politically charged countercultural and protest movements of the 1960s and 1970s. However, he deplored the rife recreational drug use of the time, which he describes as hedonistic.
He joined the Labour Party in 1965, but along with the majority of the Labour students' organization was expelled in 1967, because of what Hitchens called "Prime Minister Harold Wilson's contemptible support for the war in Vietnam". Under the influence of Peter Sedgwick, who translated the writings of Russian revolutionary and Soviet dissident Victor Serge, Hitchens forged an ideological interest in Trotskyist and anti-Stalinist socialism. Shortly after he joined "a small but growing post-Trotskyist Luxemburgist sect". Throughout his student days he was on many occasions arrested and assaulted in the various political protests and activities in which he participated.
Journalistic career (1970–1981)
Hitchens began working as a correspondent for the magazine ''International Socialism'', published by the International Socialists, the forerunners of today's British Socialist Workers Party. This group was broadly Trotskyist, but differed from more orthodox Trotskyist groups in its refusal to defend communist states as "workers' states". Their slogan was "Neither Washington nor Moscow but International Socialism".Hitchens left Oxford with a third class degree. His first job was with the London ''Times Higher Education Supplement'', where he served as social science editor. Hitchens admitted that he hated the position, and was later fired; he recalled, "I sometimes think if I'd been any good at that job, I might still be doing it." In the 1970s, he went on to work for the ''New Statesman'', where he became friends with the authors Martin Amis and Ian McEwan, among others. At the ''New Statesman'' he acquired a reputation as a fierce left-winger, aggressively attacking targets such as Henry Kissinger, the Vietnam War, and the Roman Catholic Church.
In November 1973, Hitchens' mother committed suicide in Athens in a suicide pact with her lover, a former clergyman named Timothy Bryan. They overdosed on sleeping pills in adjoining hotel rooms, and Bryan slashed his wrists in the bathtub. Hitchens flew alone to Athens to recover his mother's body. Hitchens said he thought his mother was pressured into suicide by fear that her husband would learn of her infidelity, as their marriage had been strained and unhappy. Both her children were then independent adults. While in Greece, Hitchens reported on the constitutional crisis of the military junta. It became his first leading article for the ''New Statesman''.
American career (1981–2011)
After moving to the United States in 1981, Hitchens wrote for ''The Nation'', where he penned vociferous critiques of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and American foreign policy in South and Central America. He became a contributing editor of ''Vanity Fair'' in 1992, writing ten columns a year. He left ''The Nation'' in 2002 after profoundly disagreeing with other contributors over the Iraq War. There is speculation that Hitchens was the inspiration for Tom Wolfe's character Peter Fallow in the 1987 novel ''The Bonfire of the Vanities'', but others — including Hitchens (or he indicated as such while alive) — believe it to be ''Spy Magazine''s "Ironman Nightlife Decathlete" Anthony Haden-Guest. In 1987, his father died from cancer of the esophagus.Hitchens spent part of his early career in journalism as a foreign correspondent in Cyprus. Through his work there he met his first wife Eleni Meleagrou, a Greek Cypriot, with whom he had two children, Alexander and Sophia. His son, Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, born in 1984, has worked as a researcher for London think tanks the Policy Exchange and the Centre for Social Cohesion. Hitchens continued writing essay-style correspondence pieces from a variety of locales, including Chad, Uganda and the Darfur region of Sudan. His work took him to over 60 countries. In 1991 he received a Lannan Literary Award for Nonfiction.
Before Hitchens' political shift, the American author and polemicist Gore Vidal was apt to speak of Hitchens as his "Dauphin" or "heir". In 2010, Hitchens attacked Vidal in a ''Vanity Fair'' piece headlined "Vidal Loco," calling him a "crackpot" for his adoption of 9/11 conspiracy theories. Also, on the back of his book ''Hitch-22,'' among the praise from notable writers and figures, a Vidal quote endorsing Hitchens as his successor is crossed out with a red 'X' and a message saying "NO C.H." His strong advocacy of the war in Iraq had gained Hitchens a wider readership, and in September 2005 he was named one of the "Top 100 Public Intellectuals" by ''Foreign Policy'' and ''Prospect'' magazines. An online poll ranked the 100 intellectuals, but the magazines noted that the rankings of Hitchens (5), Noam Chomsky (1), and Abdolkarim Soroush (15) were partly due to supporters publicising the vote.
In 2007 Hitchens' work for ''Vanity Fair'' won him the National Magazine Award in the category "Columns and Commentary". He was a finalist once more in the same category in 2008 for some of his columns in ''Slate'' but lost out to Matt Taibbi of ''Rolling Stone''. He won the National Magazine Award for Columns about Cancer in 2011. Hitchens also served on the Advisory Board of Secular Coalition for America and offered advice to Coalition on the acceptance and inclusion of nontheism in American life.
Literature reviews
Hitchens wrote a monthly essay on books in ''The Atlantic'' and contributed occasionally to other literary journals. One of his books, ''Unacknowledged Legislation: Writers in the Public Sphere'', is a collection of such works, and ''Love, Poverty and War'' contains a section devoted to literary essays. In ''Why Orwell Matters'', he defends Orwell's writings against modern critics as relevant today and progressive for his time. In the 2008 book ''Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq, and the Left'', many literary critiques are included of essays and other books of writers, such as David Horowitz and Edward Said.During a three-hour interview by ''Book TV'', he named authors who have had influence on his views, including Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Evelyn Waugh, P. G. Wodehouse and Conor Cruise O'Brien.
Political views
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' referred to Hitchens as a "gadfly with gusto". In 2009, Hitchens was listed by ''Forbes'' magazine as one of the "25 most influential liberals in the U.S. media". However, the same article noted that he would "likely be aghast to find himself on this list", since it reduces his self-styled radicalism to mere liberalism. Hitchens' political perspective can be found in his wide ranging writings which include many of the political dialogues he published.
Socialism
Hitchens became a socialist "largely [as] the outcome of a study of history, taking sides ... in the battles over industrialism and war and empire." In 2001, he told Rhys Southan of ''Reason'' magazine that he could no longer say "I am a socialist." Socialists, he claimed, had ceased to offer a positive alternative to the capitalist system. Capitalism had become the more revolutionary economic system, and he welcomed globalisation as "innovative and internationalist", but added, "I don't think that the contradictions, as we used to say, of the system, are by any means all resolved." He stated that he had a renewed interest in the freedom of the individual from the state, but that he still considered libertarianism "ahistorical" both on the world stage and in the work of creating a stable and functional society, adding that libertarians are "more worried about the over-mighty state than the unaccountable corporation" whereas "the present state of affairs ... combines the worst of bureaucracy with the worst of the insurance companies."In 2006, in a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania debating the Jewish Tradition with Martin Amis, Hitchens commented on his political philosophy by stating, "I am no longer a socialist, but I still am a Marxist". In a June 2010 interview with ''The New York Times'', he stated that "I still think like a Marxist in many ways. I think the materialist conception of history is valid. I consider myself a very conservative Marxist". In 2009, in an article for ''The Atlantic'' entitled "The Revenge of Karl Marx", Hitchens frames the late-2000s recession in terms of Marx's economic analysis and notes how much Marx admired the capitalist system he was calling for the end of, but says that Marx ultimately failed to grasp how revolutionary capitalist innovation was. Hitchens was an admirer of Che Guevara, commenting that "[Che's] death meant a lot to me and countless like me at the time, he was a role model, albeit an impossible one for us bourgeois romantics insofar as he went and did what revolutionaries were meant to do — fought and died for his beliefs." However, in an essay written in 1997, he distanced himself somewhat from some of Che's actions.
He continued to regard both Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky as great men, and the October Revolution as a necessary event in the modernization of Russia. In 2005, Hitchens praised Lenin's creation of "secular Russia" and his discrediting of the Russian Orthodox Church, describing it as "an absolute warren of backwardness and evil and superstition".
Iraq War and the war on terror
The years after the ''fatwa'' issued against Salman Rushdie saw Hitchens looking for allies and friends. In the United States he became increasingly critical of what he called "excuse making" on the left. At the same time, he was attracted to the foreign policy ideas of some on the Republican-right that promoted pro-liberalism intervention, especially the neoconservative group that included Paul Wolfowitz. Around this time, he befriended the Iraqi dissident and businessman Ahmed Chalabi. In 2004, Hitchens stated that neoconservative support for US intervention in Iraq convinced him that he was "on the same side as the neo-conservatives" when it came to contemporary foreign policy issues. Hitchens had also been known to refer to his association with "temporary neocon allies".Following the September 11 attacks, Hitchens and Noam Chomsky debated the nature of radical Islam and the proper response to it. In October 2001, Hitchens wrote criticisms of Chomsky in ''The Nation''. Chomsky responded and Hitchens issued a rebuttal to Chomsky to which Chomsky again responded. Approximately a year after the September 11 attacks and his exchanges with Chomsky, Hitchens left ''The Nation'', claiming that its editors, readers and contributors considered John Ashcroft a bigger threat than Osama bin Laden, and that they were making excuses on behalf of Islamist terrorism; in the following months he wrote articles increasingly at odds with his colleagues. This highly charged exchange of letters involved Katha Pollitt and Alexander Cockburn, as well as Hitchens and Chomsky.
Christopher Hitchens argued the case for the Iraq War in a 2003 collection of essays entitled ''A Long Short War: The Postponed Liberation of Iraq'', and he has held numerous public debates on the topic with George Galloway and Scott Ritter. Though he admitted to the numerous failures of the war, and its high civilian casualties, he stood by the position that deposing Saddam Hussein was a long-overdue responsibility of the United States, after decades of poor policy, and that holding free elections in Iraq had been a success not to be scoffed at. He argued that a continued fight in Iraq against insurgents, whether they be former Saddam loyalists or Islamic extremists, was a fight worth having, and that those insurgents, not American forces, should have been the ones taking the brunt of the blame for a slow reconstruction and high civilian casualties.
Criticism of George W. Bush
Prior to September 11, 2001, and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, Hitchens was highly critical of Bush's "non-interventionist" foreign policy. He also criticized Bush's support of intelligent design and capital punishment.Although Hitchens defended Bush's post-September 11 foreign policy, he criticized the actions of U.S. troops in Abu Ghraib and Haditha, and the U.S. government's use of waterboarding, which he unhesitatingly deemed as torture after being invited by ''Vanity Fair'' to voluntarily undergo it. In January 2006, Hitchens joined with four other individuals and four organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Greenpeace, as plaintiffs in a lawsuit, ''ACLU v. NSA'', challenging Bush's warrantless domestic spying program; the lawsuit was filed by the ACLU.
Presidential endorsements
Hitchens would elaborate on his political views and ideological shift in a discussion with Eric Alterman on Bloggingheads.tv. In this discussion Hitchens revealed himself to be a supporter of Ralph Nader in the 2000 U.S. presidential election, who was disenchanted with the candidacy of both George W. Bush and Al Gore.Hitchens made a brief return to ''The Nation'' just before the 2004 U.S. presidential election and wrote that he was "slightly" for Bush; shortly afterwards, ''Slate'' polled its staff on their positions on the candidates and mistakenly printed Hitchens' vote as pro-John Kerry. Hitchens shifted his opinion to "neutral", saying: "It's absurd for liberals to talk as if Kristallnacht is impending with Bush, and it's unwise and indecent for Republicans to equate Kerry with capitulation. There's no one to whom he can surrender, is there? I think that the nature of the jihadist enemy will decide things in the end".
In the 2008 presidential election, Hitchens in an article for ''Slate'' stated, "I used to call myself a single-issue voter on the essential question of defending civilization against its terrorist enemies and their totalitarian protectors, and on that 'issue' I hope I can continue to expose and oppose any ambiguity." He was critical of both main party candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain. Hitchens went on to support Obama, calling McCain "senile", and his choice of running mate Sarah Palin "absurd", calling Palin a "pathological liar" and a "national disgrace".
Blumenthal–Hitchens feud
Hitchens and Carol Blue chose to submit an affidavit to the trial managers of the Republican Party in the trial of impeachment of Bill Clinton. In the affidavit, Blue and Hitchens swore that their then-friend, Sidney Blumenthal, had described Monica Lewinsky as a stalker. This allegation contradicted Blumenthal's own sworn deposition in the trial, and it resulted in a hostile exchange of opinion in the public sphere between Hitchens and Blumenthal. Following the publication of Blumenthal's ''The Clinton Wars,'' Hitchens wrote several pieces in which he accused Blumenthal of manipulating the facts.
Israel–Palestine
Hitchens had said of himself, "I am an Anti-Zionist. I'm one of those people of Jewish descent who believes that Zionism would be a mistake even if there were no Palestinians."A review of his autobiography ''Hitch-22'' in the ''Jewish Daily Forward'' refers to Hitchens as "a prominent anti-Zionist" and says that he views Zionism "as an injustice against the Palestinians". Others have commented on his anti-Zionism as well suggesting that his memoir was "marred by the occasional eruption of [his] anti-Zionism". The ''Jewish Daily Forward'' quoted him saying of Israel's prospects for the future, "I have never been able to banish the queasy inner suspicion that Israel just did not look, or feel, either permanent or sustainable."
In ''Slate'', Hitchens pondered the notion that, instead of curing antisemitism through the creation of a Jewish state, "Zionism has only replaced and repositioned" it, saying: "there are three groups of 6 million Jews. The first 6 million live in what the Zionist movement used to call Palestine. The second 6 million live in the United States. The third 6 million are distributed mainly among Russia, France, Britain, and Argentina. Only the first group lives daily in range of missiles that can be (and are) launched by people who hate Jews." Hitchens argued that instead of supporting Zionism, Jews should help "secularize and reform their own societies", believing that unless one is religious, "what the hell are you doing in the greater Jerusalem area in the first place?"
During a town hall function in Pennsylvania with Martin Amis, Hitchens stated that "one must not insult or degrade or humiliate people" and that he "would be opposed to this maltreatment of the Palestinians if it took place on a remote island with no geopolitical implications". Hitchens described Zionism as "an ethno-nationalist quasi-religious ideology" and stated his desire that if possible, he would "re-wind the tape [to] stop Hertzl from telling the initial demagogic lie (actually two lies) that a land without a people needs a people without a land".
He continued to say that Zionism "nonetheless has founded a sort of democratic state which isn't any worse in its practice than many others with equally dubious origins." He stated that settlement in order to achieve security for Israel is "doomed to fail in the worst possible way", and the cessation of this "appallingly racist and messianic delusion" would "confront the internal clerical and chauvinist forces which want to instate a theocracy for Jews". However, Hitchens contended that the "solution of withdrawal would not satisfy the jihadists" and wondered "What did they imagine would be the response of the followers of the Prophet [Muhammad]?" Hitchens bemoaned the transference into religious terrorism of Arab secularism as a means of democratization: "the most depressing and wretched spectacle of the past decade, for all those who care about democracy and secularism, has been the degeneration of Palestinian Arab nationalism into the theocratic and thanatocratic hell of Hamas and Islamic Jihad". He maintained that the Israel-Palestine conflict is a "trivial squabble" that has become "so dangerous to all of us" because of "the faith-based element."
Hitchens collaborated on this issue with prominent Palestinian advocate Edward Said, in 1988 publishing ''Blaming the Victims: Spurious Scholarship and the Palestinian Question''.
Domestic policy
Hitchens actively supported drug policy reform and called for the abolition of the "War on Drugs" which he described as an "authoritarian war" during a debate with William F. Buckley. He supported the legalization of cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes, citing it as a cure for glaucoma and as treatment for numerous side-effects induced by chemotherapy, including severe nausea, describing the prohibition of the drug as "sadistic". On the issue of abortion, Hitchens prioritized in affirming that he believed a fetus should be regarded as an "unborn child", but opposed the overturning of ''Roe v. Wade'' and supported the development of medical abortion techniques, and fundamentally believed in access to contraceptives and reproductive rights as "the only thing that is known to cure poverty", and in order to prevent surgical abortion altogether.
Other
Other issues Hitchens wrote on the subjects of included his support for the reunification of Ireland, abolition of the British monarchy, and his condemnation of the war crimes of Slobodan Milošević and Franjo Tuđman in Yugoslavia, and the Bosnian War.
Critiques of specific individuals
Hitchens was known for his scathing critiques of public figures. Three figures — Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, and Mother Teresa — were the targets of three separate full length texts, ''No One Left to Lie To: The Triangulations of William Jefferson Clinton'', ''The Trial of Henry Kissinger'', and ''The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice''. Hitchens also wrote book-length biographical essays about Thomas Jefferson (''Thomas Jefferson: Author of America''), George Orwell (''Why Orwell Matters''), and Thomas Paine (''Thomas Paine's "Rights of Man": A Biography'').However, the majority of Hitchens's critiques took the form of short opinion pieces, some of the more notable being his critiques of: Jerry Falwell, George Galloway, Mel Gibson, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, Michael Moore, Daniel Pipes, Ronald Reagan, Jesse Helms, and Cindy Sheehan.
Views on religion
Hitchens often spoke out against the Abrahamic religions, or what he called "the three great monotheisms" (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). He said: "The real axis of evil is Christianity, Judaism, and Islam". In his book, ''God Is Not Great'', Hitchens expanded his criticism to include all religions, including those rarely criticized by Western secularists such as Hinduism and neo-paganism. His book had mixed reactions, from praise in ''The New York Times'' for his "logical flourishes and conundrums" to accusations of "intellectual and moral shabbiness" in the ''Financial Times''. ''God Is Not Great'' was nominated for a National Book Award on 10 October 2007.Hitchens contended that organized religion is "the main source of hatred in the world", "[v]iolent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children", and that accordingly it "ought to have a great deal on its conscience". In ''God Is Not Great'', Hitchens contends that:
[A]bove all, we are in need of a renewed Enlightenment, which will base itself on the proposition that the proper study of mankind is man and woman [referencing Alexander Pope]. This Enlightenment will not need to depend, like its predecessors, on the heroic breakthroughs of a few gifted and exceptionally courageous people. It is within the compass of the average person. The study of literature and poetry, both for its own sake and for the eternal ethical questions with which it deals, can now easily depose the scrutiny of sacred texts that have been found to be corrupt and confected. The pursuit of unfettered scientific inquiry, and the availability of new findings to masses of people by electronic means, will revolutionize our concepts of research and development. Very importantly, the divorce between the sexual life and fear, and the sexual life and disease, and the sexual life and tyranny, can now at last be attempted, on the sole condition that we banish all religions from the discourse. And all this and more is, for the first time in our history, within the reach if not the grasp of everyone.
His book rendered him one of the major advocates of the "New Atheism", and he also was made an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society. Hitchens said he would accept an invitation from any religious leader who wished to debate with him. He also served on the advisory board of the Secular Coalition for America, a lobbying group for atheists and humanists in Washington, DC. In 2007, Hitchens began a series of written debates on the question "Is Christianity Good for the World?" with Christian theologian and pastor, Douglas Wilson, published in ''Christianity Today'' magazine. This exchange eventually became a book by the same title in 2008. During their book tour to promote the book, film producer Darren Doane sent a film crew to accompany them. Doane produced the film ''Collision'': "Is Christianity GOOD for the World?" which was released on 27 October 2009.
On 26 November 2010 Hitchens appeared in Toronto, Canada at the Munk Debates, where he debated religion with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a convert to Roman Catholicism. Blair argued religion is a force for good, while Hitchens was against it. Preliminary results on the Munk website said 56 per cent of the votes backed the proposition (Hitchens' position) before hearing the debate, with 22 per cent against (Blair's position), and 21 per cent undecided, with the undecided voters leaning toward Hitchens, giving him a 68 per cent to 32 per cent victory over Blair, after the debate.
In February 2006, Hitchens helped organize a pro-Denmark rally outside the Danish Embassy in Washington, DC in response to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.
Hitchens was accused by William A. Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Liberties of being particularly anti-Catholic. Hitchens responded, "when religion is attacked in this country [...] the Catholic Church comes in for a little more than its fair share". Hitchens had also been accused of anti-Catholic bigotry by others, including Brent Bozell, Tom Piatak in ''The American Conservative'', and UCLA Law Professor Stephen Bainbridge. In an interview with ''Radar'' in 2007, Hitchens said that if the Christian right's agenda were implemented in the United States "It wouldn't last very long and would, I hope, lead to civil war, which they will lose, but for which it would be a great pleasure to take part." When Joe Scarborough on 12 March 2004 asked Hitchens whether he was "consumed with hatred for conservative Catholics", Hitchens responded that he was not and that he just thinks that "all religious belief is sinister and infantile". Piatak claimed that "A straightforward description of all Hitchens's anti-Catholic outbursts would fill every page in this magazine", noting particularly Hitchens' assertion that U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts should not be confirmed because of his faith.
Hitchens was raised nominally Christian, and went to Christian boarding schools but from an early age declined to participate in communal prayers. Later in life, Hitchens discovered that he was of partially Jewish ancestry. According to Hitchens, when his brother Peter took his fiancée to meet their maternal grandmother, who was then in her 90s, she said of his fiancée, "She's Jewish, isn't she?" and then announced: "Well, I've got something to tell you. So are you." Hitchens found out that his maternal grandmother, Dorothy Levin, was raised Jewish (Dorothy's father and maternal grandfather had both been born Jewish, and Dorothy's maternal grandmother – Hitchens' matrilineal great-great-grandmother – was a convert to Judaism). Hitchens' maternal grandfather converted to Judaism before marrying Dorothy Levin. Hitchens' Jewish-born ancestors were immigrants from Eastern Europe (including Poland). In an article in the ''The Guardian'' on 14 April 2002, Hitchens stated that he could be considered Jewish because Jewish descent is matrilineal. In a 2010 interview at New York Public Library, Hitchens stated that he was against circumcision, a Jewish tradition, and that he believed "if anyone wants to saw off bits of their genitalia they should do when they're grown up and have made the decision for themselves".
In February 2010, he was named to the Freedom From Religion Foundation's Honorary Board of distinguished achievers.
Personal life
Marriages and children
Hitchens married Eleni Meleagrou, a Greek Cypriot, in a Greek Orthodox church in 1981; the couple had a son, Alexander and a daughter, Sophia. In 1989 Hitchens left Meleagrou for Carol Blue, an American writer. The couple married in a New York synagogue; they had a daughter, Antonia.
Relationship with his younger brother
Hitchens' younger brother by two-and-a-half years, Peter Hitchens, is a Christian and socially conservative journalist in London, although, like his brother, he had been a Trotskyist in the 1970s. The brothers had a protracted falling-out after Peter wrote that Christopher had once joked that he "didn't care if the Red Army watered its horses at Hendon" (a suburb of London). and at the Pew Forum on 12 October 2010.
Smoking and drinking
A June 2006 profile on Hitchens by NPR stated: "Hitchens is known for his love of cigarettes and alcohol — and his prodigious literary output." However, in late 2007 he gave up smoking, undergoing an epiphany in Madison, Wisconsin. His brother Peter later wrote of his surprise at this decision. It was while writing his memoir ''Hitch-22'' that he resumed smoking cigarettes and continued until his cancer diagnosis. Hitchens admitted to drinking heavily; in 2003 he wrote that his daily intake of alcohol was enough "to kill or stun the average mule", noting that many great writers "did some of their finest work when blotto, smashed, polluted, shitfaced, squiffy, whiffled, and three sheets to the wind."British politician George Galloway, founder of the socialist Respect Party, on his way to testify in front of a United States Senate sub-committee investigating the scandals in the U.N. Oil-for-Food programme, called Hitchens a "drink-sodden ex-Trotskyist popinjay", to which Hitchens quickly replied, "only some of which is true". Later, in a column for ''Slate'' promoting his debate with Galloway which was to take place on 14 September 2005, he elaborated on his prior response: "He says that I am an ex-Trotskyist (true), a 'popinjay' (true enough, since the word's original Webster's definition is a target for arrows and shots), and that I cannot hold a drink (here I must protest)."
Oliver Burkeman writes, "Since the parting of ways on Iraq [...] Hitchens claims to have detected a new, personalised nastiness in the attacks on him, especially over his fabled consumption of alcohol. He welcomes being attacked as a drinker 'because I always think it's a sign of victory when they move on to the ad hominem.' He drinks, he says, 'because it makes other people less boring. I have a great terror of being bored. But I can work with or without it. It takes quite a lot to get me to slur.'"
In the question and answer session following a speech Hitchens gave to the Commonwealth Club of California on 9 July 2009, one audience member asked what was Hitchens' favorite whisky. Hitchens replied that "the best blended scotch in the history of the world" is Johnnie Walker Black Label. He also playfully indicated that it was the favorite whisky of, among others, the Iraqi Ba'ath Party, the Palestinian Authority, the Libyan dictatorship, and "large branches of the Saudi Arabian Royal Family". He concluded his answer by calling it the "breakfast of champions" and exhorted the audience to "accept no substitute".
In his 2010 memoir ''Hitch-22'', Hitchens wrote: "There was a time when I could reckon to outperform all but the most hardened imbibers, but I now drink relatively carefully." He described his current drinking routine on working-days as follows: "At about half past midday, a decent slug of Mr. Walker's amber restorative, cut with Perrier water (an ideal delivery system) and no ice. At luncheon, perhaps half a bottle of red wine: not always more but never less. Then back to the desk, and ready to repeat the treatment at the evening meal. No 'after dinner drinks' — most especially nothing sweet and never, ever any brandy. 'Nightcaps' depend on how well the day went, but always the mixture as before. No mixing: no messing around with a gin here and a vodka there."
Reflecting on the lifestyle that supported his career as a writer he said:
I always knew there was a risk in the bohemian lifestyle ... I decided to take it because it helped my concentration, it stopped me being bored — it stopped other people being boring. It would make me want to prolong the conversation and enhance the moment. If you ask: would I do it again? I would probably say yes. But I would have quit earlier hoping to get away with the whole thing. I decided all of life is a wager and I'm going to wager on this bit ... In a strange way I don't regret it. It's just impossible for me to picture life without wine, and other things, fueling the company, keeping me reading, energising me. It worked for me. It really did.
Esophageal cancer and death
In June 2010, Hitchens postponed his book tour for ''Hitch-22'' to undergo treatment for esophageal cancer. He announced that he was undergoing treatment in a ''Vanity Fair'' piece entitled "Topic of Cancer". Hitchens said that he recognised the long-term prognosis was far from positive, and that he would be a "very lucky person to live another five years". In November 2010, Hitchens canceled a scheduled appearance in New York, where he was to debate religion writers David Hazony and Stephen Prothero on the subject of the Ten Commandments. Earlier that year, he published a piece in ''Vanity Fair'' on the subject, and was working on a book about the Ten Commandments as well.During his illness, Hitchens was under the care of Francis Collins and was the subject of Collins' new cancer treatment which maps out the human genome and selectively targets damaged DNA.
In April 2011, Hitchens was forced to cancel an appearance at the American Atheist Convention, and instead sent a letter that stated, "Nothing would have kept me from joining you except the loss of my voice (at least my speaking voice) which in turn is due to a long argument I am currently having with the specter of death." He closed with "And don't keep the faith." The letter also dismissed the notion of a possible deathbed conversion, in which he claimed that "redemption and supernatural deliverance appears even more hollow and artificial to me than it did before." In June 2011, he spoke to a University of Waterloo audience via a home video link.
In October 2011, Hitchens made a public appearance at the Texas Freethought Convention in Houston, TX. ''Atheist Alliance of America'' was also a participant in the joint convention.
In November 2011, George Eaton wrote in the ''New Statesman'':
The tragedy of Hitchens' illness is that it came at a time when he enjoyed a larger audience than ever. Of his tight circle of friends – Amis, Fenton, McEwan, Rushdie – Hitchens was the last to gain international renown, yet he is now read more widely than any of them." Eaton revealed that Hitchens would like to be remembered as a man who fought totalitarianism in all its forms although many remember him as a "lefty who turned right", and his support of the Iraq War and not his support of the War in Bosnia on the side of the Moslems. Eaton concluded, "The great polemicist is certain to be remembered, but, as he is increasingly aware, perhaps not as he would like."
Hitchens died on 15 December 2011 at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
In accordance with his wishes, his body was donated to medical research.
Reactions to death
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, "Christopher Hitchens was a complete one-off, an amazing mixture of writer, journalist, polemicist, and unique character. He was fearless in the pursuit of truth and any cause in which he believed. And there was no belief he held, that he did not advocate with passion, commitment and brilliance. He was an extraordinary, compelling and colorful human being whom it was a privilege to know."Richard Dawkins, a British evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford and a friend of Hitchens', said, "I think he was one of the greatest orators of all time. He was a polymath, a wit, immensely knowledgeable, and a valiant fighter against all tyrants including imaginary supernatural ones."
Norman Finkelstein, an American political scientist and author, wrote, "When I first learned that Hitchens was diagnosed with an excruciating and terminal cancer, it caused me to doubt my atheism. The news came just as Hitchens was about to go on a book tour for his long-awaited memoir. It was as if he was setting out on his victory lap when the adulating crowds were supposed to fawn over him and — wham! — his legs were lopped off at the kneecaps. The irony could not be more perfect: the god that the vindictive but witty Mr. Hitchens made a career scoffing at turns out to be ... vindictive but witty. When I heard that Hitchens was dead, I took a deep breath. The air felt cleaner, as if after a 40-day and 40-night downpour." Finkelstein also added, "I get no satisfaction from Hitchens's passing. Although he was the last to know it, every death is a tragedy, if only for the bereft child — or, as in the case of Cindy Sheehan, bereft parent — left behind.
Sam Harris, an American writer and neuroscientist, wrote, "I have been privileged to witness the gratitude that so many people feel for Hitch’s life and work — for, wherever I speak, I meet his fans. On my last book tour, those who attended my lectures could not contain their delight at the mere mention of his name — and many of them came up to get their books signed primarily to request that I pass along their best wishes to him. It was wonderful to see how much Hitch was loved and admired — and to be able to share this with him before the end. I will miss you, brother."
Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health and the former head of the Human Genome Project who helped treat Hitchens' illness, wrote, "I will miss Christopher. I will miss the brilliant turn of phrase, the good-natured banter, the wry sideways smile when he was about to make a remark that would make me laugh out loud. No doubt he now knows the answer to the question of whether there is more to the spirit than just atoms and molecules. I hope he was surprised by the answer. I hope to hear him tell about it someday. He will tell it really well."
British columnist and author Peter Hitchens, who had a tumultuous relationship with his older brother Christopher, wrote that he and Christopher "got on surprisingly well in the past few months, better than for about 50 years as it happens," and praised his brother as "courageous."
Irish-American political journalist Alexander Cockburn, founder of the left-wing political magazine ''CounterPunch'' wrote an obituary critical of Hitchens, criticizing his support for the Iraq War, criticisms of Mother Teresa, and criticisms of their mutual friend Edward Said and concluded, "I found the Hitchens cult of recent years entirely mystifying. He endured his final ordeal with pluck, sustained indomitably by his wife Carol."
Tributes followed from the philosopher Daniel Dennett, the physicist Lawrence Krauss, the actor Stephen Fry, the writer Ian McEwan; and ''Vanity Fair'', in which he was remembered as an "incomparable critic and masterful rhetorician".
Film and television appearances
As referenced from the Internet Movie Database, Hitchens Web or Charlie Rose. {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! Year ! Film and/or Television |- |1984 |align="left" | ''Opinions'': "Greece to their Rome" |- |1988 |align="left" | ''Frontiers (TV series)'' |- |1993 |align="left" | ''Everything You Need to Know'' |- |1994 |align="left" | ''Tracking Down Maggie: The Unofficial Biography of Margaret Thatcher'' |- |1994 |align="left" | ''Hell's Angel'' |- |1996 |align="left" | ''Where's Elvis This Week?'' |- |1996–2010 |align="left" | ''Charlie Rose (talk show)'' (13 episodes) |- |1998 |align="left" | ''Princess Diana: The Mourning After'' |- |1999–2002 |align="left" | ''Dennis Miller Live'' (TV show) (4 episodes) |- |2002 |align="left" | ''The Trials of Henry Kissinger'' |- |2003 |align="left" | ''Hidden in Plain Sight'' |- |2003–2009 |align="left" | ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' (TV show) (6 episodes) |- |2004 |align="left" | ''Mel Gibson: God's Lethal Weapon'' |- |2004–2006 |align="left" | ''Newsnight'' (TV show) (3 episodes) |- |2004–2010 |align="left" | ''The Daily Show'' (TV show) (4 episodes) |- |2005 |align="left" | ''Penn & Teller: Bullshit!'' (TV show)(1 episode, s03e05) |- |2005 |align="left" | ''The Al Franken Show'' (TV show)(1 episode) |- |2005 |align="left" | ''Confronting Iraq: Conflict and Hope'' |- |2005 |align="left" | ''Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism'' |- |2005–2008 |align="left" | ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'' (TV show)(3 episodes) |- |2006 |align="left" | ''American Zeitgeist'' |- |2006 |align="left" | ''Blog Wars'' |- |2007 |align="left" | ''Manufacturing Dissent'' |- |2007 |align="left" | ''Question Time (TV series)'' (1 episode) |- |2007 |align="left" | ''Your Mommy Kills Animals'' |- |2007 |align="left" | ''Personal Che'' |- |2007 |align="left" | ''Heckler'' |- |2007 |align="left" | ''In Pot We Trust'' |- |2008 |align="left" | ''Discussions with Richard Dawkins'': Episode 1: "The Four Horsemen" |- |2008 | style="text-align:left;"| ''Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed '' |- |2009 |align="left" | ''Holy Hell'' |- |2009 |align="left" | ''Presidency'' |- |2009 |align="left" | ''Collision: "Is Christianity GOOD for the World?"'' |- |2010 |align="left" | ''Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune'' |}
Selected publications
References
External links
;Articles by Hitchens
Category:1949 births Category:2011 deaths Category:Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Category:Anti-Zionism Category:Anti–Vietnam War activists Category:Antitheists Category:Atheism activists Category:British people of Jewish descent Category:British people of Polish descent Category:British republicans Category:Cancer deaths in Texas Category:Deaths from esophageal cancer Category:English atheists Category:English biographers Category:English emigrants to the United States Category:English essayists Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English humanists Category:English journalists Category:English Marxists Category:English political writers Category:Genital integrity activists Category:Materialists Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Old Leysians Category:People from Portsmouth Category:Slate (magazine) people Category:The Nation (U.S. magazine) people Category:University Challenge contestants
ar:كريستوفر هيتشنز bg:Кристофър Хитчънс br:Christopher Hitchens ca:Cristopher Hitchens cs:Christopher Hitchens cy:Christopher Hitchens da:Christopher Hitchens de:Christopher Hitchens el:Κρίστοφερ Χίτσενς es:Christopher Hitchens eo:Christopher Hitchens fa:کریستوفر هیچنز fo:Christopher Hitchens fr:Christopher Hitchens ga:Christopher Hitchens ko:크리스토퍼 히친스 hr:Christopher Hitchens id:Christopher Hitchens it:Christopher Hitchens he:כריסטופר היצ'נס mk:Кристофер Хиченс ml:ക്രിസ്റ്റഫർ ഹിച്ചൻസ് nl:Christopher Hitchens no:Christopher Hitchens nn:Christopher Hitchens pl:Christopher Hitchens pt:Christopher Hitchens ro:Christopher Hitchens ru:Хитченс, Кристофер simple:Christopher Hitchens sr:Кристофер Хиченс sh:Christopher Hitchens fi:Christopher Hitchens sv:Christopher Hitchens ta:கிறித்தபர் ஃகிச்சின்சு tr:Christopher Hitchens uk:Крістофер Гітченс vi:Christopher Hitchens zh:克里斯托弗·希欽斯This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| name | Jean Cocteau |
|---|---|
| birth name | Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau |
| birth date | July 05, 1889 |
| birth place | Maisons-Laffitte, France |
| death date | October 11, 1963 |
| death place | Milly-la-Foret, France |
| partner | Panama Al Brown(?)Jean Marais (1937–1963) }} |
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, María Félix, Édith Piaf and Raymond Radiguet.
Early life
Cocteau was born in Maisons-Laffitte, Yvelines, a small village near Paris, to Georges Cocteau and his wife, Eugénie Lecomte; a socially prominent Parisian family. His father was a lawyer and amateur painter who committed suicide when Cocteau was nine. He left home at age fifteen. He published his first volume of poems, ''Aladdin's Lamp'', at nineteen. Cocteau soon became known in the Bohemian artistic circles as ''The Frivolous Prince'', the title of a volume he published at twenty-two. Edith Wharton described him as a man "to whom every great line of poetry was a sunrise, every sunset the foundation of the Heavenly City..."In his early twenties, Cocteau became associated with the writers Marcel Proust, André Gide, and Maurice Barrès. In 1912 he collaborated with Léon Bakst on Le Dieu bleu for the Ballets Russes; the principal dancers being Tamara Karsavina and Vaslav Nijinsky. During World War I Cocteau served in the Red Cross as an ambulance driver. This was the period in which he met the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, artists Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani, and numerous other writers and artists with whom he later collaborated. Russian choreographer Sergei Diaghilev persuaded Cocteau to write a scenario for a ballet, which resulted in ''Parade'', in 1917. It was produced by Diaghilev, with sets by Picasso, the libretto by Apollinaire and the music by Erik Satie. The piece was later expanded into a full opera, with music by Satie, Poulenc and Ravel. "If it had not been for Apollinaire in uniform," wrote Cocteau, "with his skull shaved, the scar on his temple and the bandage around thumb|left|140px|Portrait of Jean Cocteau by Federico de Madrazo de Ochoahis head, women would have gouged our eyes out with hairpins." Cocteau denied being a Surrealist or being in any way attached to the movement.
An important exponent of avant-garde art, Cocteau had great influence on the work of others, including the group of composers known as Les six. In the early twenties, he and other members of Les six frequented a wildly popular bar named Le Boeuf sur le Toit, a name that Cocteau himself had a hand in picking. The popularity was due in no small measure to the presence of Cocteau and his friends.
Friendship with Raymond Radiguet
In 1918 he met the French poet Raymond Radiguet. They collaborated extensively, socialized, and undertook many journeys and vacations together. Cocteau also got Radiguet exempted from military service. In admiration of Radiguet's great literary talent, Cocteau promoted his friend's works in his artistic circle and also arranged for the publication by Grasset of ''Le Diable au corps'' (a largely autobiographical story of an adulterous relationship between a married woman and a younger man), exerting his influence to have the novel awarded the "Nouveau Monde" literary prize. Some contemporaries and later commentators thought there might have been a romantic component to their friendship. Cocteau himself was aware of this perception, and worked earnestly to dispel the notion that their relationship was sexual in nature.There is disagreement over Cocteau's reaction to Radiguet's sudden death in 1923, with some claiming that it left him stunned, despondent and prey to opium addiction. Opponents of that interpretation point out that he did not attend the funeral (he generally did not attend funerals) and immediately left Paris with Diaghilev for a performance of ''Les noces'' (''The Wedding'') by the Ballets Russes at Monte Carlo. Cocteau himself much later characterised his reaction as one of "stupor and disgust." His opium addiction at the time, Cocteau said, was only coincidental, due to a chance meeting with Louis Laloy, the administrator of the Monte Carlo Opera. Cocteau's opium use and his efforts to stop profoundly changed his literary style. His most notable book, ''Les Enfants terribles'', was written in a week during a strenuous opium weaning. In ''Opium, Diary of an Addict'', he recounts the experience of his recovery from opium addiction in 1929. His account, which includes vivid pen-and-ink illustrations, alternates between his moment-to-moment experiences of drug withdrawal and his current thoughts about people and events in his world. Cocteau was supported throughout his recovery by his friend and correspondent philosopher Jacques Maritain. Under Maritain's influence Cocteau made a temporary return to the sacraments of the Catholic Church.
''The Human Voice''
Cocteau's experiments with the human voice peaked with his play ''La Voix humaine''. The story involves one woman on stage speaking on the telephone with her (invisible and inaudible) departing lover, who is leaving her to marry another woman. The telephone proved to be the perfect prop for Cocteau to explore his ideas, feelings, and "algebra" concerning human needs and realities in communication.Cocteau acknowledged in the introduction to the script that the play was motivated, in part, by complaints from his actresses that his works were too writer/director-dominated and gave the players little opportunity to show off their full range of talents. ''La Voix humaine'' was written, in effect, as an extravagant aria for Madame Berthe Bovy. Before came ''Orphée'', later turned into one of his more successful films; after came ''La Machine infernale'', arguably his most fully realized work of art. ''La Voix humaine'' is deceptively simple—a woman alone on stage for almost one hour of non-stop theatre speaking on the telephone with her departing lover. It is, in fact, full of theatrical codes harking back to the Dadaists' Vox Humana experiments after World War One, Alphonse de Lamartine's "La Voix humaine", part of his larger work ''Harmonies poétiques et religieuses'' and the effect of the creation of the Vox Humana ("voix humaine"), an organ stop of the Regal Class by Church organ masters (late 16th century) that attempted to imitate the human voice but never succeeded in doing better than the sound of a male chorus at a distance.
Reviews varied at the time and since but whatever the critique, the play represents Cocteau's state of mind and feelings towards his actors at the time: on the one hand, he wanted to spoil and please them; on the other, he was fed up by their diva antics and was ready for revenge. It is also true that none of Cocteau's works has inspired as much imitation: Francis Poulenc's opera ''La Voix humaine'', Gian Carlo Menotti's "opera bouffa" ''The Telephone'' and Roberto Rosselini's film version in Italian with Anna Magnani ''L'Amore'' (1948). There has also been a long line of interpreters including Simone Signoret, Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullmann (in the play) and Julia Migenes (in the opera).
According to one theory about how Cocteau was inspired to write ''La Voix humaine'', he was experimenting with an idea by fellow French playwright Henri Bernstein. "When, in 1930, the Comedie-Française produced his ''La Voix humaine''... Cocteau disavowed both literary right and literary left, as if to say, 'I'm standing as far right as Bernstein, in his very place, but it is an optical illusion: the avant-garde is spheroid and I've gone farther left than anyone else.'"
Maturity
In the 1930s, Cocteau had an affair with Princess Natalie Paley, the beautiful daughter of a Romanov grand duke and herself a sometimes actress, model, and former wife of couturier Lucien Lelong. She became pregnant. To Cocteau's distress and Paley's life-long regret, the fetus was aborted. Cocteau's longest-lasting relationships were with the French actors Jean Marais and Edouard Dermithe, whom Cocteau formally adopted. Cocteau cast Marais in ''The Eternal Return'' (1943), ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1946), ''Ruy Blas'' (1947), and ''Orpheus'' (1949).During the Nazi occupation of France, Cocteau's friend Arno Breker convinced him that Adolf Hitler was a pacifist and patron of the arts with France's best interests in mind. In his diary, Cocteau accused France of disrespect towards Hitler and speculated on the Führer's sexuality. Cocteau effusively praised Breker's sculptures in an article entitled 'Salut à Breker' published in 1942. This piece caused him to be arraigned on charges of collaboration after the war, though he was cleared of any wrongdoing and had in fact used his contacts to attempt to save friends such as Max Jacob.
thumb|right|Éric Satie Parade, théme de Jean Cocteau|150pxIn 1940, ''Le Bel Indifférent'', Cocteau's play written for and starring Édith Piaf, was enormously successful. He also worked with Pablo Picasso on several projects and was friends with most of the European art community. Cocteau's films, most of which he both wrote and directed, were particularly important in introducing the avant-garde into French cinema and influenced to a certain degree the upcoming French New Wave genre.
Cocteau is best known for his novel ''Les Enfants terribles'' (1929), and the films ''Blood of a Poet'' (1930), ''Les Parents terribles'' (1948), ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1946), and ''Orpheus'' (1949).
Cocteau died of a heart attack at his chateau in Milly-la-Forêt, Essonne, France, on 11 October 1963 at the age of 74. It is said that upon hearing of the death of his friend, the French singer Édith Piaf the same day, he choked so badly that his heart failed. He is buried beneath the floor of the Chapelle Saint Blaise Des Simples in Milly-la-Forêt. The epitaph on his gravestone set in the floor of the chapel reads: "I stay with you" ("Je reste avec vous").
Honours and awards
In 1955 Cocteau was made a member of the Académie française and The Royal Academy of Belgium.During his life Cocteau was commander of the Legion of Honor, Member of the Mallarmé Academy, German Academy (Berlin), American Academy, Mark Twain (U.S.A) Academy, Honorary President of the Cannes film festival, Honorary President of the France-Hungary Association and President of the Jazz Academy and of the Academy of the Disc.
Filmography
Works
Literature
Each year links to its corresponding "[year] in literature" article, except for poetry and poetry criticism, which link to corresponding "[year] in poetry" articles.;Poetry
Film
;Director
Poetry illustrator
Recordings
Journals
Stamps
Bibliography
Footnotes
References
Further reading
External links
Category:1889 births Category:1963 deaths Category:People from Maisons-Laffitte Category:Ballet librettists Category:Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:French dramatists and playwrights Category:French experimental filmmakers Category:French fantasy writers Category:French film directors Category:French illustrators Category:French novelists Category:French painters Category:French poets Category:French screenwriters Category:Les six Category:LGBT directors Category:LGBT screenwriters Category:LGBT writers from France Category:French Roman Catholics Category:Members of the Académie française Category:Prince des poètes Jean Cocteau
an:Jean Cocteau az:Jan Kokto be:Жан Както be-x-old:Жан Както br:Jean Cocteau bg:Жан Кокто ca:Jean Cocteau cv:Жан Кокто cs:Jean Cocteau cy:Jean Cocteau da:Jean Cocteau de:Jean Cocteau et:Jean Cocteau el:Ζαν Κοκτώ es:Jean Cocteau eo:Jean Cocteau eu:Jean Cocteau fa:ژان کوکتو fr:Jean Cocteau gl:Jean Cocteau ko:장 콕토 hr:Jean Cocteau io:Jean Cocteau id:Jean Cocteau is:Jean Cocteau it:Jean Cocteau he:ז'אן קוקטו ku:Jean Cocteau la:Ioannes Cocteau lb:Jean Cocteau lt:Jean Cocteau lmo:Jean Cocteau hu:Jean Cocteau mk:Жан Кокто nl:Jean Cocteau ja:ジャン・コクトー no:Jean Cocteau pl:Jean Cocteau pt:Jean Cocteau ro:Jean Cocteau ru:Кокто, Жан simple:Jean Cocteau sk:Jean Cocteau sl:Jean Cocteau sr:Жан Кокто fi:Jean Cocteau sv:Jean Cocteau tr:Jean Cocteau uk:Жан Кокто
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Marty Reisman (born February 1, 1930) is an American champion table tennis player and author. He was the 1958 and 1960 U.S. Men’s Singles Champion and the 1997 U.S. Hardbat Champion.
Table tennis career
Reisman developed his table tennis skills beginning at the age of 12 on the Lower East Side, and then as a hustler in New York in the 1940s, playing for bets and prizes, notably at Lawrence's Table tennis emporium on Broadway and 54th Street.He is the oldest person ever to win an open national competition in a racquet sport when he won the 1997 United States National Hardbat championship at age 67.
In recent years, Reisman has continued to be one of the most visible presences and known personalities in the Table Tennis world and Reisman is currently the President of Table Tennis Nation. Reisman is Jewish, and Jews dominated the sport in the 1930s and 1940s. Comedian Jonathan Katz recalled that he met and played Reisman when he was young and that Reisman was an amazing athlete.
Bibliography
His autobiography, ''The Money Player, The Confessions of America's Greatest Table Tennis Player and Hustler'' was published in 1974. Publisher: Morrow, ISBN 0-688-00273-0
See also
References
Category:American table tennis players Category:Living people Category:1930 births Category:Jewish table tennis players
fr:Marty Reisman
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Affiliated Video Suggestions
