Thursday, April 29, 2010

Adolf Hitler




Adolf Hitler, military and political leader of Germany 1933 - 1945, launched World War Two and bears responsibility for the deaths of millions, including six million Jewish people in the Nazi genocide.

Adolf Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 in Braunau-am-Inn on the Austrian-German border. His father was a customs official. Hitler left school at 16 with no qualifications and struggled to make a living as a painter in Vienna. This was where many of his extreme political and racial ideas originated.

In 1913, he moved to Munich and, on the outbreak of World War One, enlisted in the German army, where he was wounded and decorated. In 1919, he joined the fascist German Workers' Party (DAP). He played to the resentments of right-wingers, promising extremist 'remedies' to Germany's post-war problems which he and many others blamed on Jews and Bolsheviks. By 1921 he was the unquestioned leader of what was now the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP or Nazi Party).

In 1923, Hitler attempted an unsuccessful armed uprising in Munich and was imprisoned for nine months, during which time he dictated his book 'Mein Kampf' outlining his political ideology. On his release he began to rebuild the Nazi Party and used new techniques of mass communication, backed up with violence, to get his message across. Against a background of economic depression and political turmoil, the Nazis grew stronger and in the 1932 elections became the largest party in the German parliament. In January 1933, Hitler became chancellor of a coalition government. He quickly took dictatorial powers and began to institute anti-Jewish laws. He also began the process of German militarisation and territorial expansion that would eventually lead to World War Two. He allied with Italy and later Japan to create the Axis.

Hitler's invasion of Poland in September 1939 began World War Two. After military successes in Denmark, Norway and Western Europe, but after failing to subdue Britain in 1941, Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union. The Jewish populations of the countries conquered by the Nazis were rounded up and killed. Millions of others whom the Nazis considered racially inferior were also killed or worked to death. In December 1941, Hitler declared war on the United States. The war on the eastern front drained Germany's resources and in June 1944, the British and Americans landed in France. With Soviet troops poised to take the German capital, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin on 30 April 1945.

Muhammad Ali



Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay) was born 17 January 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky to parents of modest circumstances. He started boxing in junior high, when he learned boxing from a policeman at a local gym. By the time that Ali had reached high school, he already intended to be a prizefighter and hoped to box in the Olympics. As an amateur boxer, Ali attracted notice in 1960 by winning the Amateur Athletic Union light heavyweight and Golden Gloves heavyweight championships. At the Rome Olympics in 1960, Ali crushed his opponents to win a gold medal in the light heavyweight division.

After turning pro, Ali defeated his first opponents. Then on 25 February 1964, he fought, and knocked out, Sonny Liston in seven rounds, thus becoming the new heavyweight world champion. Ali defended his title nine times from 1965 to 1967 and became universally recognized as world heavyweight champion after outpointing World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Ernie Terrell in fifteen rounds on 6 February 1967. Ali often proclaimed his invincibility in verse and boasted, "I am the greatest!"

Soon after becoming heavyweight champion, Ali decided to change his religion and joined the Nation of Islam (Black Muslims), taking the Muslim name "Muhammad Ali." The Vietnam War then interrupted Ali's career. In 1967, he was inducted into the military, but he refused to serve, saying his religious beliefs forbade him to fight. While some Americans praised Ali for risking prison to stand up for his beliefs, others called him a draft dodger and traitor. The government charged him with violating the Selective Service Act; his titles were taken from him; and he was not allowed to box.

After a long court battle, Ali was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in jail and fined $10,000 fine, but in another lawsuit in 1970, a judge ruled that Ali could still box professionally. The new heavyweight champion was Joe Frazier, and a match was scheduled et for 8 March 1971. Newspapers called it "The Fight of the Century." In the fifteenth round, Frazier knocked Ali down. Ali got back up, but all the judges named Frazier the winner.

That same year, Ali won his legal battle when the U.S. Supreme Court said he was not guilty of draft evasion--He should not have been drafted at all. Ali spent the next three years fighting other champions, including Jerry Quarry, Floyd Patterson (making a brief comeback attempt), Joe Bugner and Ken Norton, winning all but one fight to Ken Norton. He also won a unanimous decision over Frazier on 28 January 1974, but Frazier had lost the heavyweight title to George Foreman. So Ali next had to fight Foreman.

Millions of people sat before their televisions to watch the fight between Ali and Foreman, staged as "The Rumble in the Jungle." Sixty thousand fans gathered at the stadium in Kinshasa in Zaire on 30 October 1974. People favored Foreman, who was seven years younger than the 32-year-old Ali, but Ali fought brilliantly, tiring his opponent using "rope-a-dope" tactics. In round eight, Ali knocked out Foreman. He could still "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," as he liked to say. Ali had regained the undisputed world heavyweight title.

After defending his heavyweight title six times--including a third fight with Joe Frazier--Ali lost it to Leon Spinks on 15 February 1978 in a split decision. He regained the WBA title from Spinks seven months later in a unanimous decision, becoming the first boxer to win the heavyweight championship three times. In 1979 Ali announced his retirement, at that point having lost only three times in 59 fights, but he returned to fight World Boxing Council champion Larry Holmes in 1980 and Trevor Berbick of Canada in 1981, losing both. Ali then retired permanently.

As Ali entered his forties, he looked ill. In 1984 it was assumed that he was suffering from a series of symptoms variously known as "punch drunk" syndrome, or chronic encephalopathy of boxers, but Ali had Parkinson's disease, an illness of the nervous system for which he was taking medication. "I feel fine," he insisted. "I'm older and fatter, but we all change."

Ali was selected to light the Olympic flame at the 1996 summer games in Atlanta, Georgia.

Timeline

17 January 1942, Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) born in Louisville, Kentucky.

1960, won light-heavyweight gold medal at the Rome Olympics.

25 February 1964, fought, and knocked out Sonny Liston; became heavyweight champion.

Muhammad Ali

1964, joined Nation of Islam.

1967, inducted into the military but refused to serve.

8 March 1971, Ali lost to Joe Frazier. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ali.

28 January 1974, Ali won unanimous decision over Frazier.

30 October 1974, Ali knocked out George Forman in the "Rumble in the Jungle."

15 February 1978, Ali lost the heavyweight title in a split decision to Leon Spinks. Ali regained the title from Spinks seven months later.

1979, Ali retired.

1980, Ali lost a comeback bout to Larry Holmes.

1981, Ali lost a comeback bout to Trevor Berbick.

1996, Ali lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta.

WWW sites

I Am the Greatest! is the Smithsonian exhibit of Muhammad Ali's gloves and robe with further links. A detailed description of the life and times of Muhammad Ali exists, as does a short overview/timeline history of his career. A biography of Ali is available from the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Good sites dedicated to the boxer are maintained by the Louisville Courier-Journal, the author of a book about Ali (with his ring record) and a celebrity reference organization, the Muhammad Ali site, which contains information about the boxer.

Webgalleria offers an extensive collection (books, photos, lithographs, etc.), some of which is of Muhammad Ali and other boxing merchandise for sale. The site also has a biography of Ali.

Finally, the When We Were Kings (from the documentary of the Ali-Forman fight) home page also has valuable information about Ali.

Michael Jackson


Born on 29th August 1958, Michael Jackson started his entertainment career as the lead singer of the Jackson5. The band comprised of his brotherswho were all older than him, and was run
by his father Joseph. The group did very well and the star of the band was undoubtedly little Michael at eleven years of age.

He started singing solo two years later and pioneered the entry of African Americans in to the world of pop and ensured a vast following that gave him instant success. His fans numbered in the millions even though he was just in his teens.

Record breaking

Three of his album which broke records are"Bad", "Thriller" and "Off the Wall", sold millions of copies worldwide and gave him an entry into the record books. Guinness World of Records listed him as the entertainer who was the most successful. During his career he got 13 Grammys with singles that remained on the music charts for a very long time.

Changing his appearance

Michael Jackson's fame and fortune caused him to be the cynosure of billions of people and also led to his being hounded by the paparazzi and his exploitation by the press and media. He was sensitive about is appearance and constantly distressed by his nose which had caused him to be teased about it as a teen, and led him to opt for surgery on it. This surgery was the first of many that he underwent throughout his life.

He had changed his appearance to appear as a white man even though his being a black American had in no way stopped him being the idol of many millions of people, not limited to the United States. His reasons for doing this are a mystery and it is said that if he had kept the looks he was born with he would have gone much further as an entertainer. In spite of the cosmetic changes that he did make to himself, Michael Jackson continued to be cosidered the greatest entertainer in the world.

Dark period of his life

His life took an unfortunate turn when he was accused of child molestation. He was hounded by the media who continued to dwell on the topic even though his innocence was proved. His image in public eyes was destroyed and Michael Jackson legion of devoted fans, could not prevent this damage to his reputation. is dancing skills have led to many entertainers being inspired to imitate him and his added singing skills made him unique. Michael was of a philanthropic bent of mind and his charities have helped millions worldwide.
His death is a huge loss to the entertainment industry and the world at large. He will always be remembered and will be in the hearts of his fans, forever.

His best works

His best works included "For you and for Me", "There Are People Dying", "Make It A Better Place". His works "If You Care Enough", "For The Living", "Heal the World", "And The Entire Human Race", "Make A Better Place" were equally popular.

Michael Jackson was called King of Pop and will always be in our hearts. May his God rest his soul.

Lionel Messi


Full name: Luis Lionel Andrés Messi
Birth day: June 24, 1987
Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina
Nationality: Argentinian
Other nationality: Spanish
EU passport: Yes
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 67 kg
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Forward
Debut: 17 November 2003


Lionel Andrés Messi (born June 24, 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine football (soccer) player.

Lionel Messi started playing football at a very early age in his hometown's Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as Lionel's parents were unable to pay for the treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain.

In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Dragao stadium. The following championship-winning season, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1).

With several first team players seriously injured, the services of several reserve team players were called upon, and Messi became a regular feature of Barça squads. On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona - against Albacete when Messi was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old.

He was offered the chance to play for the Spain national football team, but declined, prefering to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of his birth. In June 2004 he got his chance, playing in a U-20 friendly match against Paraguay.
Lionel Messi wearing FC Barcelona's colorsIn June 2005 he starred for the Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship played in The Netherlands. Messi picked up the Golden Boot as top scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel has already drawn comparisons with Diego Maradona, arguably the best football player of all time.

On September 25, 2005 Messi obtained a Spanish citizenship and was finally able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because FC Barcelona had filled up all of their quota of non-EU players.

Messi's first outing in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on Sept 28 against Italian club Udinese. He impressed with some great passing and a seemingly telepathic relationship with Ronaldinho that earned him a standing ovation from the 70,000-odd Nou Camp faithful. On December of that year, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the Golden Boy 2005 title for the best under-21 player in Europe, over Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski

Barack Obama


Date of Birth

4 August 1961, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Birth Name

Barack Hussein Obama Jr.

Nickname

Barry

Bama

Rock

The One

No Drama Obama

Mini Biography

Barack Obama was born to a white American mother, Ann Dunham, and a black Kenyan father, Barack Obama, Sr., who were both young college students at the University of Hawaii. When his father left for Harvard, she and Barack stayed behind, and his father ultimately returned alone to Kenya, where he worked as a government economist. Barack's mother remarried an Indonesian oil manager and moved to Jakarta when Barack was six. He later recounted Indonesia as simultaneously lush and a harrowing exposure to tropical poverty. He returned to Hawaii, where he was brought up largely by his grandparents. The family lived in a small apartment - his grandfather was a furniture salesman and an unsuccessful insurance agent and his grandmother worked in a bank - but Barack managed to get into Punahou School, Hawaii's top prep academy. His father wrote to him regularly but, though he traveled around the world on official business for Kenya, he visited only once, when Barack was ten.

Obama attended Columbia University, but found New York's racial tension inescapable. He became a community organizer for a small Chicago church-based group for three years, helping poor South Side residents cope with a wave of plant closings. He then attended Harvard Law School, and in 1990 became the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review. He turned down a prestigious judicial clerkship, choosing instead to practice civil-rights law back in Chicago, representing victims of housing and employment discrimination and working on voting-rights legislation. He also began teaching at the University of Chicago Law School, and married Michelle Robinson, a fellow attorney. Eventually he was elected to the Illinois state senate, where his district included both Hyde Park and some of the poorest ghettos on the South Side.

In 2004 Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, representing Illinois, and he gained national attention by giving a rousing and well-received keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. In 2008 he ran for President, and despite having only four years of national political experience, he won. In January 2009, he was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, and the first African-American ever elected to that position.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse

Michelle Obama (3 October 1992 - present) 2 children

Trivia

His first name comes from the word that means "blessed by God" in Arabic.

In the Kenyan town where his father was born, the long-brewed "Senator" brand of beer has been nicknamed "Obama."

U.S. Senator from Illinois since 3 January 2005.

Won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word for the CD version of his autobiography "Dreams From My Father" (2006).

Lives in Hyde Park (Chicago).

On "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993), he revealed that President George W. Bush nicknamed him "Bama" and "Rock".

The movie he saw on his first date with Michelle Obama was Do the Right Thing (1989).

Related to Park Overall.

Has two daughters, Malia Obama (born in 1998) and Sasha Obama (born in 2001).

Candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 US presidential election.

Several celebrities including; Halle Berry, George Clooney, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Topher Grace, Macy Gray, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Hayden Panettiere, Zachary Quinto, Eddie Murphy and John Cleese support his 2008 presidential campaign. Robert De Niro gave his endorsement at the same rally where Barack was endorsed by Caroline and Ted Kennedy.

Enjoys playing basketball and poker.

At his wife's suggestion, he quit smoking before his campaign to win the Democratic nomination began.

His paternal relatives still live in Kenya.

Confessed teenage drug experiences in his memoirs "Dreams from My Father".

One of his ancestors was Mareen Duvall, also an ancestor of actor Robert Duvall.

Shares his surname with a small city in western Japan, which means "small shore" in Japanese.

Plays basketball.

Born to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. (1936-1982) and Ann Dunham (1942-1995), married from 1960 to 1965.

Named one of Time magazine's "100 most influential people in the world" list in 2005 and 2007.

Chosen as one of "10 people would change the world" by New Statesman magazine (2005).

Won his second Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for "The Audacity of Hope" (2008).

On June 3, 2008 he won the Montana primary election giving him enough delegates to become the first Black American presidential candidate to win a major political party's presumptive nomination for the office of President of the United States.

Is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan.

More than 215,000 people attended his speech in Berlin on 24 July 2008.

Has one half-sister, Maya, born to his mother and stepfather in 1970.

Has his look-alike puppet in the French show "Les guignols de l'info" (1988).

Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham died Sunday November 2, 2008 in the early evening in Honolulu from cancer. She was 86.

Is the first African-American man to be elected President of the United States (November 2008).

When elected President, he won the battleground states of Florida, Virginia and Colorado - all of which had voted Republican in 2004.

Is the first American president to be born in Hawaii.

Was the 27th lawyer to be elected American president.

Was elected to be the 44th president of the Unites States of America on 4 November, 2008.

As a child growing up in Hawaii, his classmates knew him as Barry.

Presidential campaign slogan: "Change we can believe in".

Is primarily of Kenyan, Irish, and English ancestry.

Favorite movies are Casablanca (1942), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), The Godfather (1972), and The Godfather: Part II (1974).

Is a fan of "The Wire" (2002).

First ever US President to address a Muslim community at an inaugural speech.

Eighth left-handed US President after, James Garfield (R), Herbert Hoover (R), Harry S. Truman (D), Gerald Ford (R), Ronald Reagan (R), George Bush (R), Bill Clinton (D). His opponent during the 2008 election, John McCain, was also left handed.

Shares the same birthday as long-time White House correspondent and journalism legend, Helen Thomas. On her 89th birthday (and his 48th), they celebrated by blowing birthday cupcakes together in front of the press corps.

First United States Senator to be elected President since John F. Kennedy.

October 2009, won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Fourth US President to win a Nobel Peace Prize (2009) after Theodore Roosevelt (1906), Woodrow Wilson (1919) and Jimmy Carter (2002).

Defended his decision not to issue a formal written statement on the death of controversial pop star Michael Jackson on 25 June 2009.

Half-brother of Maya Soetoro-Ng.

Brother-in-law of Konrad Ng.

Personal Quotes

[from keynote speech given at the 2000 Democratic party national convention] There's not a liberal America and a conservative America. There's the United States of America. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach Little League in the blue states, and have gay friends in the red states. There are patriots who opposed the war, and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

And it lives on in those Americans -- young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American, gay and straight -- who are tired of a politics that divides us and want to recapture the sense of common purpose that we had when John Kennedy was President of the United States of America.

[regarding former President Bill Clinton's support for his wife--and Obama's opponent for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination--Hillary Rodham Clinton] Sometimes I don't know who I'm running against.

[when asked whether he would call on Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton to release their tax returns, after Hilary loaned $5 million of her own money to her campaign] I'll just say that I've released my tax returns. That's been a policy I've maintained consistently. I think the American people deserve to know where you get your income from. But I'll leave it up to you guys to chase it down . . . I think we set the bar in terms of transparency and disclosure that has been a consistent theme of my campaign and my career in politics.

In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

When I am this party's [Democratic party] nominee, my opponent will not be able to say that I voted for the war in Iraq; or that I gave [George W. Bush] the benefit of the doubt on Iran; or that I supported Bush-Cheney [former VP Dick Cheney] policies of not talking to leaders that we don't like. And he will not be able to say that I wavered on something as fundamental as whether or not it is okay for America to torture - because it is NEVER okay. That's why I am in it. As President, I will end the war in Iraq. We will have our troops home in sixteen months. I will close Guantanamo. I will restore habeas corpus. I will finish the fight against Al Qaeda. And I will lead the world to combat the common threats of the 21st century - nuclear weapons and terrorism; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. And I will send once more a message to those yearning faces beyond our shores that says, "You matter to us. Your future is our future. And our moment is now."

This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

Change is coming to America.

Bill Gates

William (Bill) H. Gates is chairman of Microsoft Corporation, the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft had revenues of US$51.12 billion for the fiscal year ending June 2007, and employs more than 78,000 people in 105 countries and regions.

On June 15, 2006, Microsoft announced that effective July 2008 Gates will transition out of a day-to-day role in the company to spend more time on his global health and education work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. After July 2008 Gates will continue to serve as Microsoft’s chairman and an advisor on key development projects.

In his junior year, Gates left Harvard University to devote his energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers. Gates' foresight and his vision for personal computing have been central to the success of Microsoft and the software industry.

Under Gates' leadership, Microsoft's mission has been to continually advance and improve software technology, and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable for people to use computers. The company is committed to a long-term view, reflected in its investment of approximately $7.1 billion on research and development in the 2007 fiscal year.



Nelson Mandela


The Nobel Peace Prize 1993

Biography

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. His father was Chief Henry Mandela of the Tembu Tribe. Mandela himself was educated at University College of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand and qualified in law in 1942. He joined the African National Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies after 1948. He went on trial for treason in 1956-1961 and was acquitted in 1961.

After the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson Mandela argued for the setting up of a military wing within the ANC. In June 1961, the ANC executive considered his proposal on the use of violent tactics and agreed that those members who wished to involve themselves in Mandela's campaign would not be stopped from doing so by the ANC. This led to the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe. Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years' imprisonment with hard labour. In 1963, when many fellow leaders of the ANC and the Umkhonto we Sizwe were arrested, Mandela was brought to stand trial with them for plotting to overthrow the government by violence. His statement from the dock received considerable international publicity. On June 12, 1964, eight of the accused, including Mandela, were sentenced to life imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison, off Cape Town; thereafter, he was at Pollsmoor Prison, nearby on the mainland.

During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela's reputation grew steadily. He was widely accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and became a potent symbol of resistance as the anti-apartheid movement gathered strength. He consistently refused to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom.

Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990. After his release, he plunged himself wholeheartedly into his life's work, striving to attain the goals he and others had set out almost four decades earlier. In 1991, at the first national conference of the ANC held inside South Africa after the organization had been banned in 1960, Mandela was elected President of the ANC while his lifelong friend and colleague, Oliver Tambo, became the organisation's National Chairperson.