Birthdays
1891 - Henry Miller, American writer. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical reflection, stream of consciousness, explicit language, sex, surrealist free association, and mysticism. His most characteristic works of this kind are Tropic of Cancer, Black Spring, Tropic of Capricorn and The Rosy Crucifixion trilogy, which are based on his experiences in New York and Paris (all of which were banned in the United States until 1961). He also wrote travel memoirs and literary criticism, and painted watercolors. (Henry Miller - To Paint is to Love Again. Uploaded by 'your future'.Accessed December 26, 2011.)
1893 - Mao Zedong, Founding father of the People's Republic of China (PRC), also known as Chairman Mao, Chinese Communist Revolutionary. He ruled as the chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist, his theories, military strategies, and political policies are collectively known as Maoism.
1975 - Marcelo Rios (Marcelo Andrés Ríos Mayorga), Chilean tennis player, former world No. 1. Nicknamed El Chino ("The Chinese") and El zurdo de Vitacura ("The Lefty from Vitacura"), he became the first Latin American player to reach the top position on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles rankings in 1998. He held the world No. 1 ranking for six weeks. He was the first player to win all three clay-court Masters Series tournaments (Monte Carlo, Rome, and Hamburg) since the format began in 1990. He was also the third male in the history (after Michael Chang and Pete Sampras) to complete the Sunshine Double (winning Indian Wells and Miami Masters in one year), which he achieved in 1998. He retired prematurely in July 2004, after a back injury.
Leftie:
Tennis player Marcelo Rios
More birthdays and historical events, December 26 - On This Day
Boxing Day is celebrated in Australia as public holiday; mainly in other Commonwealth countries. There are various theories about its origin. One comes from the fact that servants were given presents in boxes on this day, that is, the servants' Christmas.
1492 - Navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus founds his first settlement, La Navidad, in South America, with crew members from the Santa Maria, which he ran aground on Christmas Eve.
1767 - Christoph Willibald Gluck's opera Alceste is first produced in Vienna. Gluck later acknowledged for his inspiration his librettist, Ranieri Calzabigi.
1830 - Gaetano Donizetti's opera Anna Bolena is first performed in Milan's Teatro Carcano
1831 - Vincenzo Bellini's Norma, which he considered his greatest opera, is first staged at Milan's La Scala. Below, Maria Callas sings the famous "Casta Diva" from Bellini's Norma.
1898 - Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie announce their discovery of the radioactive element radium.
1982 - Time Magazine deviates from its annual tradition of naming a "Man of the Year" by choosing a "Machine of the Year," the computer.
2004 - A tsunami devastates 11 nations bordering the Indian Ocean, with a loss of more than a quarter of a million lives.
Video Credit:
Historical Events
Boxing Day is celebrated in Australia as public holiday; mainly in other Commonwealth countries. There are various theories about its origin. One comes from the fact that servants were given presents in boxes on this day, that is, the servants' Christmas.
1492 - Navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus founds his first settlement, La Navidad, in South America, with crew members from the Santa Maria, which he ran aground on Christmas Eve.
1767 - Christoph Willibald Gluck's opera Alceste is first produced in Vienna. Gluck later acknowledged for his inspiration his librettist, Ranieri Calzabigi.
1830 - Gaetano Donizetti's opera Anna Bolena is first performed in Milan's Teatro Carcano
1831 - Vincenzo Bellini's Norma, which he considered his greatest opera, is first staged at Milan's La Scala. Below, Maria Callas sings the famous "Casta Diva" from Bellini's Norma.
1898 - Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie announce their discovery of the radioactive element radium.
1982 - Time Magazine deviates from its annual tradition of naming a "Man of the Year" by choosing a "Machine of the Year," the computer.
2004 - A tsunami devastates 11 nations bordering the Indian Ocean, with a loss of more than a quarter of a million lives.
Video Credit:
Casta Diva (Maria Callas). YouTube, uploaded by ClassicalRelated. Accessed December 26, 2016.
Resources:
1. Asiado, Tel. The World's Movers and Shapers. New Hampshire: Ore Mountain Publishing House (2005)
2. Britannica. www.britannica.com
3. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 19th Ed. London: Chambers Harrap, 2011
4. Dateline. Sydney: Millennium House, (2006)
5. Grun, Bernard. The Timetables of History, New 3rd Revised Ed. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (1991)
6. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org
(c) June 2007. Updated December 26, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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