Literature

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Benjamin Franklin, whom the Scottish philoso­pher David Hume called America's "first great man of letters," embodied the Enlightenment ideal of humane rationality. Franklin recorded his early life in his famous Autobiography. Writer, printer, publisher, scien­tist, philanthropist, and diplomat, he was the most famous and respected private figure of his time. He was the first great self-made man in America, a poor democrat born in an aristocratic age that his fine example helped to liberalize. While a youth, Franklin taught himself lan­guages, read widely, and practiced writing for the public. Franklin’s Poor Richard's Almanack, begun in 1732 and published for many years, made Franklin prosperous and well-known throughout the colonies. In this annual book of useful encouragement, advice, and factual information, amusing characters such as old Father Abraham and Poor Richard exhort the reader in pithy, memorable sayings: "God helps them that help themselves." "Early to Bed, and early to rise, makes a Man healthy, wealthy, and wise." "A small leak will sink a great Ship."

He was an important figure at the 1787 convention at which the U.S. Constitution was drafted.

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)

Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin; or. Life Among the Lowly was the most popular American book of the 19th centu­ry. Its passionate ap­peal for an end to slavery in the United States inflamed the debate that, within a decade, led to the U.S.Civil War (1861-1865).

Reasons for the success of Uncle Tom's Cabin are obvious. It reflect­ed the idea that slavery in the United States was an injustice of colossal proportions.

Stowe herself was a perfect representative of old New England Puritan stock. Stowe conceived the idea of the novel — in a vision of an old, ragged slave being beaten — as she participated in a church ser­vice. Later, she said that the novel was inspired and "written by God."

SAMUEL CLEMENS (MARK TWAIN) (1835-1910)

Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name of Mark Twain, grew up in the Mississippi River frontier town of Hannibal, Missouri. Ernest Hemingway's famous statement that all of American literature comes from one great book, Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, indicates this author's tower­ing place in the tradition. Twain was the first major author to come from the interior of the country, and he captured its distinctive, humorous slang and iconoclasm.

Twain's masterpiece, which ap­peared in 1884, is set in the Mis­sissippi River village of St. Peters­burg.

Huckleberry Finn has inspired countless liter­ary interpretations.

Samuel Clemens's pen name, "Mark Twain," is the phrase Mississippi boatmen used to signify two fathoms (3.6 meters) of water, the depth needed for a boat's safe passage. Twain's serious purpose, combined with a rare genius for humor and style, keep his writing fresh and appealing.

Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945)

The 1925 work An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, like London's Martin Eden, explores the dangers of the American dream. Its precise details build up an overwhelming sense of tragic inevitability. The novel is a scathing portrait of the American success myth gone sour, but it is also a uni­versal story about the stresses of urbanization, modernization, and alienation.

An American Tragedy is a reflection of the dissatisfaction, envy, and despair that afflicted many poor working people in America's competitive, success-driven society.

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

Hemingway came from the U.S. Midwest. Born in Illinois. He volunteered for an ambu­lance unit in France during World War I, but was wounded and hospi­talized for six months. After his novel The Sun Also Rises (1926) brought him fame, he cov­ered the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the fighting in China in the 1940s. The Old Man and the Sea (1952), a short poetic novel about a poor, old fisherman who heroical­ly catches a huge fish devoured by sharks, won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1953; the next year he received the Nobel Prize. Discouraged by a troubled family background, illness, and the belief that he was losing his gift for writing, Hemingway shot himself to death in 1961.

Hemingway's excellent short stories are "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." His best novels include The Sun Also Rises, about the demoralized life of expatriates after World War I; A Farewell to Arms, about the tragic love affair of an American soldier and an English nurse during the war; For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), set during the Spanish Civil War.

John Steinbeck (1902-1968)

John Steinbeck is held in higher critical esteem outside the United States than in it today, largely because he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1963 and the interna­tional fame it confers. Steinbeck, a Californian, set much of his writing in the Salinas Valley near San Francisco. His best known work is the Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939), which follows the travails of a poor Oklahoma family that loses its farm during the Depression and travels to California to seek work. Family members suffer conditions of feudal oppression by rich landowners. Other works set in California include Tortilla Flat (1935), Of Mice and Men (1937), Cannery Row (1945), and East of Eden (1952).

Sport

Babe Ruth

Outfielder/Pitcher

Born: February 6, 1895

Died: August 16, 1948 (aged 53)

George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), also known as "Babe", "The Great Bambino", "The Sultan of Swat", and "The Colossus of Clout", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914-1935. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players in history. Many polls place him as the number one player of all time.

He hit 29 home runs to break Ned Williamson's record for most home runs in a single season.

In 1969, he was named baseball's Greatest Player Ever in a ballot commemorating the 100th anniversary of professional baseball. In 1998, The Sporting News ranked Ruth Number 1 on the list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."

Michael Jordan

Position - Shooting guard

Nickname - Air Jordan, His Airness, MJ,

Height - 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)

Weight - 216 lb (98 kg)

Nationality - United States

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. Widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he became one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA (National Basketball Association) around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the foul line at Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness." He also gained a reputation as one of the best defensive players in basketball. Jordan holds the NBA record for highest career regular season scoring average with 30.1 points per game, as well as averaging a record 33.4 points per game in the playoffs. In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century.

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today.

Music

ELLA FITZGERALD

Ella lived in an orphanage in New York. At age 15, she entered a contest in New York. A famous jazz musician named Chick Webb was in the audience. He was looking for a new singer for his band. When he heard Ella's voice, he gave her the job.In 1938 Ella wrote a song with Chick Webb. This song was a great success. Ella was a star.

Chick Webb died, but Ella sang with his band for three more years. Then she sang alone. She traveled all over the world. She had an amazing voice. She could sing any kind of song. Ella sang for almost 60 years. She sold over 25 million records and sang with more than 40 orchestras. People called her the "First Lady of Song." Ella died in 1996.

Louis Armstrong (1991 – 1971)

He was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Armstrong defined what it was to play Jazz. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from New Orleans. He was from a very poor family, his amazing playing soon made him a sensation among other musicians in Chicago. The New Orleans style of music took the town by storm and soon many other bands from down south made their way north to Chicago. The records made by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven are considered to be absolute jazz classics. He and his band toured extensively travelling to Africa, Asia, Europe and South America until Louis' failing health caused them to disband. Armstrong became known as America's Ambassador. In 1963 Armstrong scored a huge international hit with his version of "Hello Dolly". This number one single even knocked the Beatles off the top of the charts. In 1968 he recorded another number one hit with the touchingly optimistic "What A Wonderful World". Armstrong's health began to fail him and he was hospitalized several times over the remaining three years of his life, but he continued playing and recording. On July 6th 1971 the world's greatest Jazz musician died in his sleep at his home in Queens, New York.

Elvis Presley.

Birth name - Elvis Aaron Presley

Also known as Elvis, The King

Born - January 8, 1935 Tupelo, Mississippi, USA

Origin - Memphis, Tennessee

Died - August 16, 1977 (age 42)Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Genre(s) - Rock and roll, Rockabilly Country, Gospel, Country rock

Occupation(s) - Singer, Musician, ActorAmerican soldier

Instrument(s) - Vocals, Guitar, Piano, BassDrums, Percussion, Ukulele

Years active - 1954–1977

Label(s) - Sun, RCA Records

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), was an American singer, musician and actor. He is often known simply as Elvis; also "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", or simply "The King".

Presley began his career as a singer of rockabilly, performing country and rhythm and blues songs. He developed a versatile voice and sang a combination of country music and blues with a strong back beat, and an energetic delivery - one of the earliest forms of rock & roll. He also had success with other genres, including gospel, blues and pop. Presley made 33 movies and set many records for concert attendance, television ratings and records sales. He subsequently became one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music.

His premature death, aged 42, shocked his fans worldwide.