Events

1500 – Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first European to set foot on Brazil.

1531 – Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake--thousands die.

1564 – The Council of Trent issues its conclusions in the Tridentinum, establishing a distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.

1564 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Tsardom of Russia in the Battle of Ula during the Livonian War.

1565 – Battle of Talikota, fought between the Vijayanagara Empire and the Islamic sultanates of the Deccan, leads to the subjugation, and eventual destruction of the last Hindu kingdom in India, and the consolidation of Islamic rule over much of the Indian subcontinent.

1589 – Job is elected as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

1699 – Treaty of Carlowitz is signed.

1700 – The magnitude 9 Cascadia Earthquake takes place off the west coast of the North America, as evidenced by Japanese records.

1736 – Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne.

1788 – The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on the continent. Commemorated as Australia Day

1808 – Rum Rebellion, the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of the government in Australia.

1837 – Michigan is admitted as the 26th U.S. state.

1838 – Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States

1841 – The United Kingdom formally occupies Hong Kong, which China later formally cedes.

1855 – Point No Point Treaty is signed in Washington Territory.

1856 – First Battle of Seattle. Marines from the drive off American Indian attackers after all day battle with settlers.

1861 – American Civil War: The state of Louisiana secedes from the Union.

1863 – American Civil War: General Ambrose Burnside is relieved of command of the Army of the Potomac after the disastrous Fredericksburg campaign. He is replaced by Joseph Hooker.

1863 – American Civil War: Governor of Massachusetts John Albion Andrew receives permission from Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.

1870 – American Civil War: Virginia rejoins the Union.

1885 – Troops loyal to The Mahdi conquer Khartoum.

1905 – The world's largest diamond ever, the Cullinan weighing , is found at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in South Africa.

1907 – The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III is officially introduced into British Military Service, and remains the second oldest military rifle still in official use.

1911 – Glenn H. Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane.

1911 – Richard Strauss' opera ''Der Rosenkavalier'' receives its debut performance at the Dresden State Opera.

1918 – Finnish Civil War: A group of Red Guards hangs a red lantern atop the tower of Helsinki Workers' Hall to symbolically mark the start of the war.

1920 – Former Ford Motor Company executive Henry Leland launches the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.

1924 – Saint Petersburg, Russia, is renamed Leningrad.

1930 – The Indian National Congress declares 26 January as Independence Day or as the day for Poorna Swaraj (Complete Independence) which occurred 20 years later.

1934 – The Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City.

1934 – German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact is signed.

1939 – Spanish Civil War: Troops loyal to nationalist General Francisco Franco and aided by Italy take Barcelona.

1942 – World War II: The first United States forces arrive in Europe landing in Northern Ireland.

1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins encircling the German Fourth Army near Heiligenbeil in East Prussia, which will end in destruction of the 4th Army two months later.

1950 – The Constitution of India comes into force, forming a republic. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as its first President of India. Observed as Republic Day in India.

1952 – Black Saturday in Egypt: rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.

1958 – Japanese ferry ''Nankai Maru'' capsizes off southern Awaji Island, Japan, 167 killed.

1960 – Danny Heater sets a worldwide high school basketball scoring record when he records 135 points for Burnsville High School (West Virginia)

1961 – John F. Kennedy appoints Janet G. Travell to be his physician. This is the first time a woman holds this appointment.

1962 – Ranger program: Ranger 3 is launched to study the moon. The space probe later misses the moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).

1965 – Hindi becomes the official language of India.

1966 – The Beaumont Children go missing from Glenelg Beach near Adelaide, South Australia.

1978 – The Great Blizzard of 1978, a rare severe blizzard with the lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the US, strikes the Ohio – Great Lakes region with heavy snow and winds up to 100 mph (161 km/h).

1980 – Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations.

1991 – Mohamed Siad Barre is removed from power in Somalia, ending centralized government, and is succeeded by Ali Mahdi.

1992 – Boris Yeltsin announces that Russia will stop targeting United States cities with nuclear weapons.

1998 – Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

2001 – An earthquake hits Gujarat, India, causing more than 20,000 deaths.

2004 – President Hamid Karzai signs the new constitution of Afghanistan.

2004 – A whale explodes in the town of Tainan, Taiwan. A build-up of gas in the decomposing sperm whale is suspected of causing the explosion.

2005 – Glendale train crash: Two trains derail killing 11 and injuring 200 in Glendale, California, near Los Angeles.

2009 – Rioting breaks out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a political crisis that will result in the replacement of President Marc Ravalomanana with Andry Rajoelina.

Births

1497 – Emperor Go-Nara of Japan (d. 1557)

1541 – Florent Chrestien, French writer (d. 1596)

1714 – Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, French sculptor (d. 1785)

1716 – George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, British soldier and politician (d. 1785)

1722 – Alexander Carlyle, Scottish church leader (d. 1805)

1763 – Charles XIV John of Sweden, Napoleonic general (d. 1844)

1781 – Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet (d. 1831)

1813 – Juan Pablo Duarte, Dominican founding father (d. 1876)

1826 – Julia Dent-Grant, First Lady of the United States (d. 1902)

1832 – George Shiras Jr., U.S. Supreme Court justice (d. 1924)

1842 – François Coppée, French poet and novelist (d. 1908)

1852 – Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza (Pietro Paolo Savorgnan di Brazzà), explorer (d. 1905)

1864 – József Pusztai, Slovene writer, poet and journalist in Hungary (d. 1934)

1878 – Dave Nourse, South African cricketer (d. 1948)

1880 – Douglas MacArthur, American general and Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1964)

1885 – Michael Considine, Australian politician (d. 1959)

1887 – François Faber, Luxembourgian cyclist (d. 1915)

1887 – Marc Mitscher, American admiral (d. 1947)

1891 – Frank Costello, Italian-born American gangster (d. 1973)

1891 – August Froehlich, German Roman Catholic priest, member of the resistance against Nazism and martyr (d.1942)

1891 – Wilder Penfield, American-born Canadian neurosurgeon (d. 1976)

1892 – Bessie Coleman, American pioneer aviator (d. 1926)

1892 – Zara Cully, American actress (d. 1978)

1893 – Giuseppe Genco Russo, Sicilian mafioso (d. 1976)

1900 – Karl Ristenpart, German conductor (d. 1967)

1902 – Menno ter Braak, Dutch author and polemicist (d. 1940)

1904 – Ancel Keys, American scientist (d. 2004)

1904 – Seán MacBride, Irish statesman, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1988)

1905 – Charles Lane, American actor (d. 2007)

1905 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian-born singer (d. 1987)

1908 – Jill Esmond, English actress (d. 1990)

1908 – Rupprecht Geiger, German painter (d. 2009)

1908 – Stéphane Grappelli, French jazz violinist (d. 1997)

1910 – Jean Image, Hungarian-born French animator (d. 1989)

1911 – Polykarp Kusch, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1993)

1911 – Norbert Schultze, German composer and songwriter (d. 2002)

1913 – Jimmy Van Heusen, American songwriter (d. 1990)

1914 – Princess Hadice Hayriye Ayshe Dürrühsehvar (d. 2006)

1915 – William Hopper, American actor (d. 1970)

1918 – Nicolae Ceauşescu, Romanian dictator (d. 1989)

1918 – Philip José Farmer, American writer (d. 2009)

1919 – Valentino Mazzola, Italian footballer (d. 1949)

1919 – Bill Nicholson, English footballer and manager for Tottenham Hotspur. (d. 2004)

1920 – Hans Holzer, American paranormal researcher (d. 2009)

1921 – Eddie Barclay, French producer (Barclay Records) (d. 2005)

1921 – Akio Morita, Japanese businessman (d. 1999)

1922 – Michael Bentine, British comedian (d. 1996)

1922 – Seán Flanagan, Irish Gaelic footballer and politician (d. 1993)

1923 – Anne Jeffreys, American actress

1924 – Alice Babs, Swedish singer

1924 – Rauf Denktaş, Cypriot politician

1924 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and politician (d. 1998)

1925 – Joan Leslie, American actress

1925 – Paul Newman, American actor, philanthropist, race car driver and race team owner (d. 2008)

1925 – Claude Ryan, Canadian newspaper editor (d. 2004)

1926 – Farman Fatehpuri, Pakistani scholar

1927 – José Azcona del Hoyo, President of Honduras (d. 2005)

1927 – Bob Nieman, American baseball player (d. 1985)

1928 – Roger Vadim, French film director and actor (d. 2000)

1929 – Jules Feiffer, American cartoonist and writer

1929 – Gordon Solie, American wrestling commentator (d. 2000)

1930 – Napoleón Abueva, Filipino sculptor

1931 – Mary Murphy, American film actress

1932 – Coxsone Dodd, Jamaican record producer

1932 – George Clements, American civil rights activist and Roman Catholic priest

1933 – Ercole Baldini, Italian cyclist

1934 – Roger Landry, Canadian businessman and newspaper publisher

1935 – Corrado Augias, Italian journalist, writer and TV personality

1935 – Bob Uecker, American baseball player and broadcaster

1936 – Sal Buscema, American comic book artist

1937 – Joseph Saidu Momoh, Sierra Leone political leader (d. 2003)

1941 – Scott Glenn, American actor

1941 – Henry Jaglom, English director

1942 – Souad Hosni, Egyptian actress (d. 2001)

1943 – César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 2005)

1943 – Jean Knight, American singer

1943 – Austin "Jack" Warner, Trinidadian FIFA Vice-President and CONCACAF President

1944 – Angela Davis, American feminist and activist

1945 – Jacqueline du Pré, English cellist (d. 1987)

1946 – Gene Siskel, American film critic (d. 1999)

1947 – Patrick Dewaere, French actor (d. 1982)

1947 – Michel Sardou, French singer

1949 – Jonathan Carroll, American author

1949 – David Strathairn, American actor

1950 – Jörg Haider, Austrian far-right politician (d. 2008)

1950 – Janet Lupo, American model

1953 – Alik L. Alik, vice-president of the Federate States of Micronesie

1953 – Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of NATO

1953 – Lucinda Williams, American singer

1954 – Kim Hughes, Australian cricketer

1955 – Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American musician (Van Halen)

1958 – Anita Baker, American singer

1958 – Ellen DeGeneres, American actress and comedian

1958 – Salvador Sánchez, Mexican boxer

1960 – Road Warrior Animal, American professional wrestler

1960 – Charlie Gillingham, American musician (Counting Crows)

1961 – Li Cunxin, Chinese-Australian ballet dancer

1961 – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player

1961 – Tom Keifer, American musician (Cinderella)

1962 – Oscar Ruggeri, Argentine footballer

1963 – Riddell Akua, Nauruan politician

1963 – José Mourinho, Portuguese football manager

1963 – Andrew Ridgeley, English musician

1963 – Gisela Valcarcel, Peruvian Hostess

1964 – Peter Braunstein, American journalist, writer, playwright, and rapist

1964 – Paul Johansson, American actor

1965 – Thomas Östros, Swedish politician

1965 – Natalia Yurchenko, Soviet gymnast

1967 – Pradip Somasundaran, Indian playback singer

1968 – Ravi Teja, Tollywood film actor

1969 – Michael O'Hearn, American bodybuilder

1970 – Kirk Franklin, American gospel singer

1970 – Tracy Middendorf, American actress

1971 – Bryan Callen, American actor

1971 – Dorian Gregory, American actor

1973 – Melvil Poupaud, French actor

1973 – Mayu Shinjo, Japanese manga artist

1974 – Shannon Hale, American author

1975 – Frankie Rayder, American model

1976 – Hitomi, Japanese singer and songwriter

1976 – Willie Adler, American guitar player

1977 – Vince Carter, American basketball player

1977 – Justin Gimelstob, American tennis player

1977 – Tye Tribbett, American Singer

1978 – Estéban Germán, Dominican baseball player

1978 – Corina Morariu, American tennis player

1978 – Kelly Stables, American actress

1979 – Sara Rue, American actress

1980 – Brian Fallon, American musician (The Gaslight Anthem)

1980 – Sanae Kobayashi, Japanese voice actress

1981 – Gustavo Dudamel, Venezuelan Composer/Conductor

1981 – Juan Jose Haedo, Argentinian Cyclist

1982 – Reggie Hodges, American football player

1983 – Petri Oravainen, Finnish footballer

1983 – Su Hwan Lee, South Korean footballer

1984 – Layla Kayleigh, British television personality

1984 – Wu Qian, Chinese classical pianist

1984 – Iain Turner, Scottish footballer

1984 – Luo Xuejuan, Chinese swimmer

1986 – Gerald Green, American basketball player

1986 – Matt Heafy, American musician (Trivium)

1986 – Hero, South Korean singer (TVXQ)

1986 – Shantelle Malawski, Canadian professional wrestler

1986 – Thiago Pereira, Brazilian swimmer

1987 – Vladimir Garin, Russian actor (d. 2003)

1987 – Mia Rose, English/Portuguese singer

1987 – Marlon Mario Brandao da Silveira, Brazilian footballer

1988 – Yukiyo Mine, Japanese footballer

1989 – Emily Hughes, American figure skater

1990 – Christopher Massey, American actor

1990 – Sergio Pérez, Mexican racing driver

1993 – Cameron Bright, Canadian actor

1993 – Peter Čerešňák, Slovak ice hockey player

1996 – Tyger Drew-Honey, British actor

Deaths

946 – Eadgyth, German Queen (b. 910)

1567 – Nicholas Wotton, English diplomat

1630 – Henry Briggs, English mathematician (b. 1556)

1636 – Jean Hotman, Marquis de Villers-St-Paul, French diplomat (b. 1552)

1697 – Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician (b. 1640)

1744 – Ludwig Andreas Graf Khevenhüller, Austrian field marshal (b. 1683)

1750 – Albert Schultens, Dutch philologist (b. 1686)

1795 – Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, German composer (b. 1732)

1799 – Gabriel Christie, British general (b. 1722)

1823 – Edward Jenner, English physician (b. 1749)

1824 – Théodore Géricault, French painter (b. 1791)

1855 – Gérard de Nerval, French writer (b. 1808)

1869 – Duncan Gordon Boyes, English recipient of the Victoria Cross (b. 1846)

1870 – Victor de Broglie, French statesman and diplomat (b. 1785)

1885 – Edward Davy, English inventor (b. 1806)

1885 – Charles George 'Chinese' Gordon, British general (b. 1833)

1886 – David Rice Atchison, American politician (b. 1807)

1891 – Nikolaus August Otto, German inventor (b. 1833)

1893 – Abner Doubleday, American military figure, and credited inventor of baseball (b. 1819)

1904 – Whitaker Wright, English mining tycoon (b. 1846)

1926 – John Flannagan, American educator

1932 – William Wrigley Jr., American industrialist (b. 1861)

1933 – Alva Belmont, American socialite (b. 1853)

1942 – Felix Hausdorff, German mathematician (b. 1868)

1943 – Harry H. Laughlin, American eugenicist (b. 1880)

1943 – Nikolai Vavilov, Russian botanist (b. 1887)

1946 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer (b. 1884)

1947 – Grace Moore, American soprano (b. 1898)

1947 – Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, (b. 1906)

1948 – John Lomax, American musicologist and folklorist (b. 1867)

1952 – Khorloogiin Choibalsan, leader of Mongolia (b. 1895)

1953 – Athanase David, Canadian politician and businessman (b. 1882)

1961 – Stan Nichols, English cricketer (b. 1900)

1962 – Lucky Luciano, American mobster (b. 1897)

1963 – H. S. Lloyd, British dog breeder (b. 1887)

1968 – Merrill C. Meigs, American newspaper publisher (b. 1883)

1968 – Yvor Winters, American poet (b. 1900)

1973 – Edward G. Robinson, American actor (b. 1893)

1973 – Jay C. Higginbotham, American musician (b. 1906)

1976 – João Branco Núncio, Portuguese Bullfighter (b. 1901)

1979 – Nelson Rockefeller, 41st Vice President of the United States (b. 1908)

1983 – Paul "Bear" Bryant, American football coach (b. 1913)

1990 – Lewis Mumford, American historian (b. 1895)

1990 – Bob Gerard, British racing driver (b. 1914)

1992 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican actor (b. 1912)

1993 – Jan Gies, Dutch resistance leader (b. 1905)

1993 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian politician (b. 1922)

1993 – Robert Jacobsen, Danish artist (b. 1912)

1996 – Georg Alexander, Duke of Mecklenburg, (b. 1921)

1996 – Harold Brodkey, American author (b. 1930)

1996 – Henry Lewis, American musician and conductor (b. 1932)

1996 – Stevie Plunder, Australian musician (b. 1963)

1996 – Dave Schultz, American wrestler (b. 1959)

1996 – Frank Howard, American college football player and coach (b. 1909)

1997 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer (b. 1904)

1998 – Shinichi Suzuki, Japanese music teacher (b. 1898)

2000 – Don Budge, American tennis player (b. 1915)

2000 – Kathleen Hale, British author (b. 1898)

2000 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-born author (b. 1912)

2001 – Al McGuire, American basketball coach (b. 1928)

2003 – Valeriy Brumel, Soviet track-and-field athlete (b. 1942)

2003 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton, English historian (b. 1917)

2003 – George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, British politician (b. 1931)

2004 – Fred Haas, American golfer (b. 1916)

2006 – Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Pakistani politician and statesman (b. 1917)

2006 – Len Carlson, Canadian actor (b. 1937)

2006 – Carol Lambrino, son of Carol II of Romania and Zizi Lambrino (b. 1920)

2007 – Hans J. Wegner, Danish furniture designer (b. 1914)

2007 – Gump Worsley, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)

2008 – Christian Brando, American actor; son of Marlon Brando (b. 1958)

2008 – Viktor Schreckengost, American industrial designer (b. 1906)

2011 – Charlie Louvin, American musician (b. 1927)

2011 – Gladys Horton, American musician and singer, member of the group The Marvelettes (b. 1944)

Holidays and observances

Australia Day (Australia)

Christian Feast Day:

*Alberic

*Margaret of Hungary

*Paula

*Timothy and Titus

*January 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Duarte Day (Dominican Republic)

Liberation Day (Uganda)

Republic Day (India)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On this day in Canada

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Category:Days of the year Category:January

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name	R.K.Laxman
birth date	October 23, 1924
birth place	Mysore, India
occupation	Cartoonist, Illustrator }}

Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Iyer Laxman (born October 23, 1924, Mysore, India) is an Indian cartoonist, illustrator, and humorist. He is widely regarded as India's greatest-ever cartoonist and is best known for his creation ''The Common Man''.

Birth and childhood

R. K. Laxman was born in Mysore. His father was a headmaster and Laxman was the youngest of six boys. One of his elder brothers, R.K. Narayan, went on to become one of India's best known English language novelists.

Laxman was engrossed by the illustrations in magazines such as ''Strand Magazine'', ''Punch'', ''Bystander'', ''Wide World'' and ''Tit-Bits'', even before he could read. Soon he was drawing on his own, on the floors, walls and doors of his house and doodling caricatures of his teachers at school; praised by a teacher for his drawing of a peepal leaf, he began to think of himself as an artist in the making. Another early influence on Laxman were the cartoons of the world-renowned British cartoonist, Sir David Low (whose signature he misread as "cow" for a long time) that appeared now and then in ''The Hindu''. Laxman notes in his autobiography, ''The Tunnel of Time'': }} Laxman was the captain of his local "Rough and Tough and Jolly" cricket team and his antics inspired the stories "Dodu the money maker" and "The Regal Cricket Club" written by his brother, Narayan. Laxman's idyllic childhood was shaken for a while when his father suffered a paralytic stroke and died around a year later, but the elders at home bore most of the increased responsibility, while Laxman continued with his schooling.

After high school, Laxman applied to the JJ School of Arts, Bombay hoping to concentrate on his lifelong interests of drawing and painting, but the dean of the school wrote to him that his drawings lacked, "the kind of talent to qualify for enrollment in our institution as a student", and refused admission. He finally graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mysore. In the meantime he continued his freelance artistic activities and contributed cartoons to ''Swarajya'' and an animated film based on the mythological character, Narada.

Career

Beginning

Laxman's earliest work was for newspapers & magazines such as ''Swarajya'' and ''Blitz''. While still at the Maharaja's College of Mysore, he began to illustrate his elder brother R K Narayan's stories in ''The Hindu'', and he drew political cartoons for the local newspapers and for the ''Swatantra''. Laxman also drew cartoons, for the Kannada humour magazine, Koravanji. Incidentally, Koravanji was founded in 1942 by Dr M Shivaram who was a MBBS doctor and had a clinic around Majestic area in Bangalore. He started this monthly magazine, dedicating it to hilarious/satirical articles and cartoons. Dr Shivaram himself was an eminent humourist in Kannada. He encouraged Laxman quite a lot. He held a summer job at the Gemini Studios, Madras. His first full-time job was as a political cartoonist for the ''Free Press Journal''. Prominent Shiv Sena politician Bal Thackeray, was also an employee at the newspaper at that time. Laxman later joined ''The Times of India'', beginning a career that has spanned for over fifty years.

Other creations

Among his other works, Laxman is known for his distinctive illustrations in several books, most notably for the Malgudi stories written by his elder brother R.K. Narayan, which was later made as a serial directed by Shankar Nag. He also created a popular mascot for the Asian Paints group called ''Gattu''. Laxman has also penned a few novels. His cartoons have appeared in Hindi films such as ''Mr. and Mrs. 55'' and a Tamil Film "KAMARAJ".

R K Laxman Chair at Symbiosis International University

Symbiosis International University inaugurated a chair to honour R K Laxman, called the R K Laxman Chair, for research and studies in media and communication, to focus on thought leadership, guiding research and policy formation in media and communication.

Personal life

He was first married to Bharatanatyam dancer and movie actress Kamala Laxman (also known before marriage as Baby Kamala and Kumari Kamala). After a divorce, he married again and his second wife's (a children's book writer) name was also Kamala. He lives both in Mumbai and Pune. In a cartoon series named "The star I never met" in film magazine ''Filmfare'' he painted a cartoon of Kamala Laxman, with the title "The star I only met!".

In September 2003, Laxman was affected by a stroke which left him paralysed on his left side. He has partly recovered from its effects. On the evening of June 20, 2010, Laxman was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai after being transported by an air ambulance from Pune. His condition was said to be stable.

Awards

B.D. Goenka Award - The Indian Express

Durga Ratan Gold Medal - Hindustan Times

Padma Bhushan - Govt. of India

Padma Vibhushan - Govt. of India

Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts - 1984

Lifetime Achievement Award for Journalism - CNN IBN TV18, 29 January 2008.

Bibliography

The Eloquent Brush: A Selection of Cartoons from Nehru to Rajiv

50 Years of Independence through the eyes of R.K.Laxman

The Best of Laxman series

Hotel Riviera

The Messenger

Servants of India

''The Tunnel of Time'' (autobiography)

His autobiography ''Lakshmanrekha'' is published in Marathi.

The Reel World [cartoons]published by Marwah Studios

Brushing Up The Years- A Cartoonist's History of India- 1947 to the Present- Penguin Books

Multi-media

India Through The Eyes of R. K. Laxman - Then To Now (CD-ROM).

Laxman Rekhas-A TOI Publication

Quotation

When the American cartoonist Ranan Lurie asked him who the best Indian cartoonist was, Laxman flashed back, "I am." The second, third, fourth, fifth best man on the job? Laxman continued to repeat, "I am."

Notes

References

Laxman's-eye view Frontline Magazine - July 18–31, 1998

Category:Indian Hindus Category:Living people Category:1924 births Category:Indian cartoonists

hi:आर के लक्ष्मण ml:ആർ.കെ. ലക്ഷ്മൺ mr:आर.के. लक्ष्मण ta:ஆர். கே. லட்சுமண் te:ఆర్.కె.లక్ష్మణ్

name	Jason Statham
birth date	September 12, 1967
birth place	Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England
occupation	Actor
years active	1998–present
website	}}

Jason Statham (; born 12 September 1967) is an English actor and former diver, known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films ''Revolver'', ''Snatch'' and ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels''. Statham appeared in supporting roles in several American films, such as ''The Italian Job'', as well as playing the lead role in ''The Transporter'', ''Death Race'', ''Crank'', ''The Bank Job'' and ''War'' (opposite martial arts star Jet Li). Statham also appeared alongside established action film actors Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren in ''The Expendables''. He normally performs his own fight scenes and stunts.

Early life

Statham was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, the son of Eileen (née Yates) and Barry Statham, a lounge singer. He moved to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, where he chose not to follow his father's career working the local market stalls, and decided to pursue the arts. He grew up with Vinnie Jones, alongside whom he would later go on to act. Jones introduced him to football, and Statham went on to play for the local grammar school (1978–83), which he had attended since the age of eleven, but his real passion was diving. He practised daily in perfecting his diving techniques – in particular, he finished 12th in the World Championships in 1992. He was also a member of Britain's National Diving Squad for twelve years.

Statham's life in the media began when he was spotted by a talent agent specialising in athletes while training at London's Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. Afterwards, he became a model for the clothing brand French Connection.

Career

While working for French Connection, he was introduced to fledgling British director Guy Ritchie who was developing a film project and needed to fill the role of a street-wise con artist. After learning about Statham's past as a Black Market Salesman, Ritchie cast him to play the role of "Bacon" in his break-out 1998 hit, ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels''. The movie was well received by both critics and audiences, and helped catapult Statham into the public eye. Statham's second collaboration with Ritchie came in the 2000 film ''Snatch'', playing the role of "Turkish". Cast alongside popular actors Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio del Toro, and with the movie earning more than $80 million in box-office revenue, Statham was able to break into Hollywood and appeared in two movies in 2001: ''Ghosts of Mars'' and ''The One''.

Statham was offered more film roles and in 2002 was cast as the lead role of driver Frank Martin in the action movie ''The Transporter'', in which his background in martial arts enabled him to do most of his own stunts. He has studied Wing Chun kung fu, karate, and kickboxing. The film spawned two sequels, ''Transporter 2'', in 2005 and Transporter 3 in 2008. He also played in supporting roles in ''Mean Machine'' (2002), ''The Italian Job'' (2003) (in which he played Handsome Rob), and ''Cellular'' (2004) where he played the lead villain. In 2005, Statham was once again cast by Ritchie to star in his new project, ''Revolver'' which was a critical and box office failure. He also played a dramatic role in the independent drama ''London'' in 2006. In 2006 he played the lead role in ''Crank''. Statham compares his role in ''Crank'' to his real life in the September 2006 issue of ''Maxim''. The success of ''Crank'' led to a sequel in 2009 titled ''Crank: High Voltage''.

In 2008, Statham starred in the British crime thriller ''The Bank Job'' which was both a critical and box office success. In 2008, American film critic Armond White hailed Statham's ascension as the leading international action film star. On the occasion of ''Death Race,'' White championed Statham's "best track record of any contemporary movie star." Later in 2008, White praised Statham's ''Transporter 3'' as a great example of kinetic pop art.

In 2009, Statham started to develop a new movie written by David Peoples and Janet Peoples (''Twelve Monkeys''). Statham stated "We've got a movie we're trying to do, written by David Peoples and Janet Peoples, in the vein of an old film, ''The Treasure of the Sierra Madre''. It’s not a remake or anything, but it's a little bit like that, about relationships and how greed contaminates the relationships these three people have. The working title is ''The Grabbers''," and the release date is still unknown.

In 2010, Statham appeared alongside fellow action stars Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li and Mickey Rourke, among others in ''The Expendables''. Statham plays Lee Christmas, a former SAS soldier and expert at close quarters combat using knives. In 2011, Statham starred in the remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film, ''The Mechanic'' and returned to British film in the police drama ''Blitz''.

He will also star in the action film, ''Killer Elite''. According to ''Variety'', the film will be based on real events, which were the subject of Sir Ranulph Fiennes' fictional novel ''The Feather Men''. Statham will play a former SAS officer named Danny who comes out of retirement to save an old friend who will be played by Robert De Niro. In August 2011, he is to begin filming ''Parker'', for director Taylor Hackford; Statham will star as Parker, the criminal antihero previously played by Mel Gibson in 1999's Payback and by Lee Marvin in 1967's ''Point Blank''.

Personal life

Statham was in a seven year relationship with model Kelly Brook, until 2004. Since April 2010, he has been dating Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Statham has studied Wing Chun kung fu, karate and kickboxing.

Filmography

''Snatch (film) ''Ghosts of Mars'' ''The Transporter'' ''The Italian Job (2003 film) ''Collateral (film) ''Transporter 2'' ''Chaos (2006 film) ''War (film) ''The Bank Job'' ''Crank: High Voltage'' ''13 (film) ''The Mechanic (2010 film) ''The Expendables 2''

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
1998	''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels''	Bacon
rowspan="2"	2000	Snatch'' ||	Turkish
''Turn It Up (film)	Turn It Up''	Mr. B
rowspan="3"	2001	|	Sgt. Jericho Butler
''The One (2001 film)	The One''	The One (2001 film)#MVA Personnel and Agents>MVA Agent Evan Funsch
''Mean Machine (film)	Mean Machine''	Monk
2002	|	Frank Martin (character)>Frank Martin
2003	The Italian Job'' ||	Handsome Rob
rowspan="2"	2004	Collateral'' ||	Airport Man	Cameo appearance
''Cellular (film)	Cellular''	Ethan Greer
rowspan="3"	2005	|	Frank Martin (Transporter character)>Frank Martin
''Revolver (2005 film)	Revolver''	Jake Green
''London (2005 film)	London''	Bateman
rowspan="3"	2006	Chaos'' ||	Det. Quentin Conners
''The Pink Panther (2006 film)	The Pink Panther''	Yves Gluant
''Crank (film)	Crank''	Chev Chelios
	2007	War'' ||	FBI Agent John Crawford	second time partnered with Jet Li
rowspan="4"	2008	|	Terry Leather
''In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale''	Farmer Daimon
''Death Race (film)	Death Race''	Jensen "Frankenstein" Ames
''Transporter 3''	Frank Martin (Transporter character)>Frank Martin
	2009	|	Chev Chelios
rowspan="2"	2010	13'' ||	Jasper
''The Expendables (2010 film)	The Expendables''	Lee Christmas
rowspan="5"	2011	The Mechanic'' ||	Arthur Bishop
''Gnomeo & Juliet ''	Tybalt
''Blitz (film)	Blitz''	Detective Sergeant Tom Brant
''Killer Elite (film)	Killer Elite''	Danny Bryce
''Safe (2011 film)	Safe''	Matt Jimmy
rowspan="1"	2012	|	Lee Christmas	TBA

Box office performance

Since 1998, Statham has appeared in over twenty films. Several have been box office hits, such as ''Snatch'' and ''The Bank Job''. He has starred in two film series, ''The Transporter'' and ''Crank''. The films he has been in have grossed a total of more than $1 billion USD at the box office, with the highest individual film being ''The Expendables''.

Video game voice-overs

Video game	!Year	!Character
''Red Faction II''	2002	Shrike
''Call of Duty''	2003

References

External links

Category:1967 births Category:English film actors Category:English male models Category:English voice actors Category:Hollywood United players Category:British practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Category:British karateka Category:English kickboxers Category:British wushu practitioners Category:Living people Category:People from Sydenham

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Miguel Mateos (born January 26, 1954) is a rock singer/songwriter from Villa Pueyrredón, Argentina. Outside of Argentina, he is considered one of the most important exponents of Rock en Español, specially in the 1980s when he along with Charly Garcia, Soda Stereo, Enanitos Verdes, Virus, Sumo, Fabulosos Cadillacs, Rata Blanca, and many more bands became international stars in the so-called "Argentine Invasion" (''"La Ola Argentina"'') of rock music that swept Latin America and parts of North America and Europe. It would help popularize Spanish-language rock outside of Argentina, and make the genre a commercially successful industry.

History

Becoming involved in music since he was 15, in 1979 he and his brother Alejandro formed underground rock band ZAS. The following year he managed to contact Queen frontman Freddie Mercury and gain a spot on stage as the opening act for the British group for their Buenos Aires concerts. He turned ZAS into one of the most important Argentine rock bands of the early 80s.

In 1986, Mateos recorded in the United States his first solo album (officially, but in practice he still used members of ZAS as supporting band). With a much more polished sound, and greater pop accessibility than the ZAS works, Mateos jumped on the crest of the wave of Argentine rock acts that dominated the 1986-1988 period all over Latin America, Spain, and elsewhere.

''Solos en América'' was considered a watershed album containing cuts that would become classics of Rock en Español from that time, including the homonymous track, ''"Cuando Seas Grande"'', and ''"Mi Sombra en la Pared".''

Riding a wave of massive popularity in Mexico, Mateos introduced the slogan "Rock en tu Idioma" (Rock In Your Language) in 1987. He began touring that nation, introducing along the way local acts such as Caifanes and Maldita Vecindad, among others. All those groups would become major acts in their own right within a short period. In the 1987-1988 Mateos would tour Latin America to sell-out stadiums. He was among the first Rock en Español acts to receive active support from fledgling MTV International.

The 1990s would be a period of continued solo success for Mateos and his now adult-pop rock music across the Spanish-speaking world, though ironically he would drop off somewhat in popularity in his homeland. In general, what in the rest of Latin America is considered rock, in Argentina tends to be seen as pop. This has sometimes led to cultural confusion about how to categorize the current Miguel Mateos musical output, as outside Argentina Mateos remains an iconic figure of the Rock en Español movement.

Mateos went on the so-called first Rock en Español tour of the United States in 1990, where he was awarded the Bravo Musical Award. He released ''Bar Imperio'' in 1998 and after a hiatus released ''Uno'' in 2005.

External links

Official Website

References

Category:1953 births Category:People from Buenos Aires Province Category:Argentine musicians Category:Living people

es:Miguel Mateos