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February
10th |
Russian writer, Boris Pasternak, was born in Moscow. He won the Nobel prize for literature in 1958 and is best remembered for his popular novel, Doctor Zhivago. |
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March
9th |
Soviet politician, Vyacheslav Molotov, was born in Kukarka. He was a member of the 'Military Revolutionary Committee' which planned the October Revolution and was a close ally of Joseph Stalin. The term 'Molotov cocktail' was coined by the people of Finland when the USSR invaded their country and Molotov made a statement that the Soviet armies were not dropping bombs on them, but rather were delivering food and drinks. As a response the Finish people greeted the Soviet armies with what they came to call 'Molotov Cocktails'. |
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March
20th |
Italian tenor, Beniamino Gigli, was born in Recanati. He is considered as one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century. |
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May
19th |
Vietnamese leader, Ho Chi Minh, was born in Hoang Tru Village, Vietnam. He was the leader of the communist/nationalist movement in Vietnam and its first president after it was recognized as an independent state. He is one of the few communist leaders of the 20th century that is still viewed with reverence in his country. |
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July
3rd |
Idaho became the 43rd state of the USA. |
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July
10th |
Wyoming was admitted as the 44th US state. |
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July
29th |
Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh, died at the age of 37. He was a post-Impressionist painter who is widely considered as one of the greatest painters of all time. He suffered from a severe mental illness which led him to once cut off his own left ear and eventually drove him to committing suicide. |
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August
20th |
American writer, H. P. Lovecraft, was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He was the author of fantasy, horror and science fiction novels and the creator of the Cthulhu Mythos (although the term was not coined by him). Although his novels did not receive a wide audience during his lifetime, they have persisted throughout the 21st century as lasting bestsellers and have attained the status of classics in the genre. |
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September
15th |
English writer, Agatha Christie, was born in Devon, England. She was the best-known mystery writer in history and is probably the best-selling author of all time. Her books have sold over 3 billion copies and have been translated in 103 languages. She published over 90 novels and also authored a multitude of theatrical plays. Her stage play, 'The Mousetrap' premiered in 1952 and is still running at Ambassadors Theatre in London, making it the longest running theatre play. |
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October
2nd |
American comedian and actor, Groucho Marx, was born in New York City. He was part of the Marx Brothers group, that marked the stage with its unique comedy style during the first half of the 20th century. |
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November
22nd |
President of France, Charles de Gaulle, was born in Lille. He was the head of the Free French government-in-exile during World War II and is considered as one of the greatest heroes of france by its people. |
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December
5th |
Austrian film director, Fritz Lang, was born in Vienna. He is most famous for his revolutionary movie, Metropolis. Metropolis was the most expensive silent film ever made and is a movie that is still studied by experts. |
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December
29th |
United States soldiers killed more than 400 men, women and children of the Great Sioux Nation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. This was the last engagement between American natives and soldiers of the United States army. |
