Salif Keita is a Malian musician known as “the golden voice of Africa”. He is also an albino who was ostracized from his family and village because of it, and works toward ending the superstition and persecution of all African albinos.
Brother rock singers/guitarists Johnny and Edgar Winter are probably the best-known albinos in the entertainment industry.
Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale contains one of the most famous stage directions: “Exit, pursued by a bear.” It is unknown whether Shakespeare used a real bear from the London bear-pits, or an actor in bear costume. Bear-baiting was a popular “sport” at the time and when a ban (on Sundays only) was attempted, Elizabeth I intervened personally to overrule Parliament.
“The Winter of Our Discontent” is John Steinbeck’s last novel, published in 1961. The title is a reference to the first two lines of William Shakespeare’s Richard III: “Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this sun of York”.
Ductile, got it, thank you.
In play: During World War II, John Steinbeck was a correspondent for the New Yok Herald Tribune. His columns were syndicated nationwide, except in Oklahoma, which had yet to forgive him for writing The Grapes of Wrath.
The New York Herald Tribune, facing financial difficulties in the 1960s, merged with the New York World-Telegram and Sun, and the New York Journal American to form the World Journal Tribuine. When it folded in 1967 after eight months of operation, it marked the end of the line for the seven newspapers that had merged over the years.
On 27 January 1967, US Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee all died in their Apollo 1 capsule when it burned up. Apollo 1’s planned launch date of 21 February was less than a month away. Astronaut Donn Eisele was originally on the Apollo 1 crew, but he dislocated his shoulder during early exercises in the “Vomit Comet” KC-135, and Eisele was replaced by Roger Chaffee.
Gus Grissom was one of the “Mercury Seven” astronauts featured in Tom Wolfe’s 1979 award winning book The Right Stuff. In the film version of the book he was played by Fred Ward.
The first known use of the phrase ‘stuff and nonsense’ is attributed to William Pitt the Younger in a parliamentary debate in 1827.
NM - ninja’d.
Double post. Disregard.
In Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Marlow was startled to hear Kurtz say ‘I am lying here in the dark waiting for death.’ Marlow forced myself to murmur, ‘Oh, nonsense!’ Kurtz’s next words were also his last: ‘The horror! The horror!’
Although Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” was originally written in French,translated English language performances of the play are usually rendered in Irish accents.
The Conway Cabal was a group of senior Continental Army officers in late 1777 and early 1778 who aimed to have George Washington replaced as commander-in-chief of the Army during the American Revolutionary War. It was led by Irish-born French Brigadier General Thomas Conway, one of a number of French officers who were sent to support the rebellion against the British.
The words “… so help me, God” at the end of the Presidential Oath of Office were added by George Washington in April 1789 and spoken by him when he took the Oath on 30 April.
The term “office” in the phrase “oath of office” refers to the older meaning of the word, “a post, an employment to which certain duties are attached,” from Anglo-French and Old French ofice “place or function; divine service”. The more current meaning, “place where business is conducted,” was first recorded in 1560.
A line from Shakespeare’s King Lear, “a dog’s obeyed in office”, confuses modern readers who picture a dog in an office building, but the line is using the older meaning, the dog being obeyed when doing its job and performing its duties as a guard.
Michael “Mike” Curb was a music producer for stars like Roy Orbison and Sammy Davis Jr, was elected to the office of lieutenant governor of California, and the only racing car owner to win in all 10 NASCAR auto racing series in the United States. Bruce Kimm was a three-year major leage basesball carcher who managed the Chicago Cubs in 2003.
Bruce Kimm is M. “Mike” Curb spelled backwards, the most famous pair of people whose full names are reversals.
Bruce Kimm made his MLB debut in early May 1976 with the Detroit Tigers, and became the personal catcher for Mark “The Byrd” Fidrych. Fidrych had a magical rookie season that year, so the whole battery was made up of rookies. Fidrych led the majors that year with an ERA of 2.34, he finished the season with a 19-9 record, and he won the A.L.'s Rookie of the Year award. Unfortunately for Fidrych, and for Tigers fans, Fidrych was beset by injuries and only pitched for five seasons. After starting his career at 19-9, he finished his entire career with a 29-19 record.
When Fidrych was in the minor leagues one of his coaches with the Lakeland Tigers dubbed the lanky 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher “The Bird” because of his resemblance to the “Big Bird” character of the Sesame Street TV program.
Jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, who helped pioneer the be-bop style of the genre, was also known as “Bird”. This was short for “Yardbird”, a nickname he acquired very early in his career. Yardbird is also slang for prisoner, although Parker never served time.
Bill Clinton plays the tenor sax, and as a boy he considered a career in music but changed his mind when in his teens. Said Clinton,