Biographies

Most people know that Thomas Edison invented the first working light bulb, but they don’t know anything else about him. Edison had almost no formal schooling, yet he invented over 1,000 different things. Among Edison’s inventions are: the phonograph, the movie camera and the movie projector. Thomas Edison invented his electric light bulb in 1879, … Читать далее

Isaac Ilyich Levitan, the great Russian artist, was one of the first painters of the Russian scenery to reveal its beauty. He is a real poet of the Russian countryside. Levitan developed the traditions of painters of the Russian realistic landscape school — Savrasov, Polenov, Serov and others. He found poetry in what would seem … Читать далее

William Shakespeare is often called the world’s greatest playwright. He wrote comedies, tragedies and historical plays in England in the last part of the 16th and the early 17th century. William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the English town of Stratford-upon-Avon. His father was a businessman and the town’s mayor. His mother came from … Читать далее

Sir Thomas More, an outstanding public figure of the 16th century was a brilliant lawyer, a royal favourite and Chancellor of England. He was a son of a lawyer. A the age of 12 he went to serve in the household of Cardinal Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of England; at 14 he went … Читать далее

Isaac Newton was one of the world’s greatest scientists. He did research in mathematics, physics, astronomy and many other fields. Newton was born in 1642. He worked on his family’s farm but was not really interested in farming. His father died before Isaac was born. In his childhood he spent much time with his grandmother. … Читать далее

Elizabeth I was queen of England from 1558 until she died in 1603. Her reign was called the Elizabethan Age, a very exciting and glorious period in English history, in which England became an important world power. She was born near London in 1533. Her father was Henry VIII and her mother Anne Boleyn, the … Читать далее

Assuming the Presidency at the depth of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt helped the American people regain faith in themselves. He brought hope as he promised prompt, vigorous action, and asserted in his Inaugural Address, «the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.» Born in 1882 at Hyde Park, New York-now a … Читать далее

Andrew Wyeth, one of the prominent American painters, was born in 1917. The son of illustrator N. C. Wyeth, Andrew is the leading member of the dynasty of painters that included his sisters, their husband and his own two sons. He won fame at the age of 12 for his illustrations of «Robin Hood». He … Читать далее

Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, the founder of austronautics, was born in 1857 in the village of Izhevsk in Ryazan province. When he was ten he had scarlet fever, and was left permanently deaf. This had a great influence on his life. Only when Tsiolkovsky reached the age of fifteen he began to study elementary mathematics. At … Читать далее

During the administration of William Jefferson Clinton, the U. S. enjoyed more peace and economic well being than at any time in its history. He was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second term. He could point to the lowest unemployment rate in modern times, the lowest inflation in 30 … Читать далее

One of Russia’s most celebrated poets of all times, Michael Lermontov was born in Moscow in the family of a nobleman. He spent his childhood and youth at Tarkhany, his grandmother’s estate in the province of Penza. In 1830 Lermontov entered Moscow University, but very soon had to leave it. Then he entered St. Petersburg … Читать далее

On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. «As the first of every thing, in our situation will serve to establish a Precedent,» he wrote James Madison, «it is devoutly wished … Читать далее

Barack H. Obama is the 44th President of the United States. His story is the American story — values from the heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, hard work and education as the means of getting ahead, and the conviction that a life so blessed should be lived in service to others. With … Читать далее

George W. Bush was the 43rd President of the United States. He was sworn into office on January 20, 2001, re-elected on November 2, 2004, and sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2005. Before his Presidency, he served for 6 years as Governor of the State of Texas. President Bush was born … Читать далее

Probably one of the most famous figures in Russian history is Ivan IV, called the Terrible because of his cruelty. He ruled in the period when boyars, Russian hereditary landlords, were fast losing their political power, their lands, and sometimes, due to Ivan IV, their lives. On the other hand, more and more power was … Читать далее

Albert Einstein was a famous scientist who completely changed the way that people saw our world and the universe. Einstein created many theories which proved that things like gravity, light, energy and matter were connected with each other. At first, very few scientists could understand Einstein’s theories but as time passed other scientists showed that … Читать далее

Napoleon I, also called Napoleon Bonaparte was the greatest military genius of his era and maybe the greatest general in history. He created an empire that covered most of western and central Europe. Early life Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769 on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea. Because the island belonged … Читать далее

Galileo is often called the founder of modern science. He made many discoveries in astronomy and physics and he built telescopes to study space. Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy in 1564. His father sent him to the university to study medicine, but young Galileo was more interested in science and mathematics. Galileo made … Читать далее

Cleopatra was a famous queen of ancient Egypt. She was beautiful, intelligent and self-confident. She was not Egyptian but belonged to a Greek dynasty, that started with Ptolemy I. Cleopatra became a well-known because of her love affairs with two Roman rulers, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Cleopatra was born in 69 B. C. in … Читать далее

William Hoggart is one of the greatest of English artists of the 18th century. He made his name as an artist painting «conversation pieces». These little pictures were very popular in England during the 18th century. They represented members of the same family or close friends having tea, playing cards, or simply talking to one … Читать далее

Julius Caesar was a Roman general and dictator who lived from 100 BC to 44 BC. He helped to make Rome a great empire. He was also a talented writer. Early life of Caesar His father, Gaius Caesar died when Caesar was 16. Caesar’s mother, Aurelia, influenced her son greatly. Although Caesar came from a … Читать далее

Walt Whitman is considered by many to be one of the greatest American poets. He was born in 1819; early in his life he worked as a printer, a teacher, a newspaper editor, and a carpenter. By 1841 he had become a full-time journalist, editing successfully several papers and writing prose and verse for different … Читать далее

Ray Douglas Bradbury, a prominent American science fiction writer, was born in Illinois in 1920, but mostly lived in Los Angeles, California. There he graduated from high school, where he put out a school magazine entitled «Future Fantasies». His first story was published in 1941. Since then he has got many national awards and won … Читать далее

Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in Portsmouth, where his father was the oldest of a large family, eight in all. He got his education at a small day-school and from his mother, who was a well-educated woman. In 1821 the Dickens family moved to London. Mr. Dickens was heavily in debt. The few possessions … Читать далее

Mary Cassatt is the most popular women artist in the USA. She was born in 1845 in a town near Pittsburgh. She began her career at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where she studied from 1861 until 1864. She studied in Paris, too. Mary Cassatt began her career as a realistic painter. Later she … Читать далее

Peter I, or Peter the Great was one of the most outstanding rulers and reformers in Russian history. He was Tsar of Russia and became Emperor in 1721. First he rules together with his brother, Ivan, and his sister, Sofya. In 1696 he became a sole ruler. He was a healthy, lively and clever child. … Читать далее

Edgar Poe is one of the most brilliant and original writers and poets in American literature. He was born in Boston in 1809 in a family of artists. When he was two years old, his mother and father died. His godfather and his wife raised him. He entered the University of Virginia but didn’t stay … Читать далее

On November 22, 1963, when he was hardly past his first thousand days in office, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed by an assassin’s bullets as his motorcade wound through Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was the youngest man elected President; he was the youngest to die. Of Irish descent, he was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May … Читать далее

Pablo Picasso was one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He experimented in many different styles and changed the world of art during his time. Early life Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain in 1881. His father was a drawing teacher. At 10 Pablo became his father’s pupil and at the age … Читать далее

Martin Luther King was a clergyman and one of the most prominent members of the civil rights movement in the 20th century. He was born on January 15, 1929. He became famous in the 1950 and 1960’s through opposition to racial segregation in the United States of America. King promoted non-violent methods of opposition such … Читать далее

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was one of the greatest composers of the world. Schubert said that «the magic of his music lights the darkness of our lives». Haydn believed him to be «the greatest composer». His music enchants and amazes music lovers. He was only 35 when he died in 1791. He had composed some 626 … Читать далее

Alexander the Great was king of Macedonia and one of the greatest generals in history. He conquered the Persian Empire which stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to India. Although he died at the age of 33 he conquered most of the known world at that time and spread Greek ideas and customs to western Asia … Читать далее

Pushkin is the most important Russian writer of all time, like Shakespeare in England or Dante in Italy. Pushkin provided the standards for Russian arts and literature in the 19th century. Pushkin was born in Moscow in 1799 into an upper-class family. In 1811 he entered a lyceum at Tsarskoye Selo. The education offered at … Читать далее

One of the chief tendencies of the English history is the struggle between the king and the people. This is a struggle to decide which of them is supreme. One of the most important moments in this long struggle came in the seventeenth century. During this period the political parties as we know them began … Читать далее