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Shaw in 1911, photographed by Alvin Langdon Coburn

George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) was an Irish playwright and critic who had a major influence on Western theatre, culture and politics. He was born in Dublin and moved to London in 1876 as a struggling writer and novelist. His first stage success was Arms and the Man in 1894; under the influence of Henrik Ibsen he brought a new realism into English-language drama, using his plays as vehicles to disseminate his often contentious political, social and religious ideas. He became a member of the gradualist Fabian Society, was a socialist pamphleteer and polemicist for over 50 years, and was instrumental in the foundation of the modern Labour Party. Many of his plays were critical and commercial successes, including Caesar and Cleopatra (1898), Man and Superman (1903), Major Barbara (1905), The Doctor's Dilemma (1906), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). He was regarded as the leading dramatist of his generation, and was awarded the 1925 Nobel Prize in Literature. He wrote prolifically until shortly before his death, aged 94. (Full article...)

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The São Vicente Suspension Bridge in 1914
São Vicente Suspension Bridge

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Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Mark Rutte

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March 17: Saint Patrick's Day

Golden Tara of Butuan
Golden Tara of Butuan

Jocelin of Glasgow (d. 1199) · Pattie Boyd (b. 1944) · William Gibson (b. 1948)

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Gwen Stefani in 2016
Gwen Stefani

American singer, songwriter, and fashion designer Gwen Stefani has recorded more than 70 songs. After releasing five studio albums with ska punk group No Doubt, Stefani began work as a solo artist in 2004 by releasing her debut Love. Angel. Music. Baby.. The record produced several top ten singles worldwide, including "Hollaback Girl", the first song to sell over a million digital copies in the United States. Her first extended play, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (The Remixes), was released in 2005, followed by her second studio album, The Sweet Escape in 2006. Stefani took a hiatus from her solo career to work on a sixth studio album with No Doubt, Push and Shove, which was released in late 2012. Stefani's third and most recent studio album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like, was released in March 2016 after a series of non-album single releases in 2014. Throughout her musical career, Stefani has collaborated with several artists, including Eve, Eminem, Fetty Wap, and Justin Timberlake. The latter artist and Stefani contributed to a total of five songs on the Trolls soundtrack in 2016. (Full list...)

Today's featured picture

Roger B. Taney

Roger B. Taney (1777–1864) was the fifth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, holding that office from 1836 until his death. Taney presided over Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), which ruled that a "free negro of the African race, whose ancestors were brought to this country and sold as slaves" could not be a citizen under the U.S. Constitution, and thus had no rights which white men were bound to respect. Taney died during the last months of the American Civil War, on the same day that his home state of Maryland abolished slavery.

Engraving: Bureau of Engraving and Printing; restoration: Andrew Shiva

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