Some of the younger generations might find it hard to believe, but there once was a time when most of America sat down in front of the TV every night and watched the same man, Johnny Carson, the host of The Tonight Show. For many, he was the last voice they heard before going to [...] The post Johnny Carson – The King of Late Night TV appeared first on Biographics.| Biographics
Jimmy Hoffa was a highly controversial man of great contrast. Some saw him as a champion of the common man, who fought for better wages and job security for the working class. Others regarded him as a symbol of greed and corruption, up to his neck in mob connections. For 15 years, Hoffa controlled the [...] The post Jimmy Hoffa – What Happened to America’s Most Infamous Union Boss? appeared first on Biographics.| Biographics
In 1999, the American Film Institute named Humphrey Bogart as the greatest male star of American cinema. And with leading roles in classics such as The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Key Largo, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The African Queen, Sabrina, The Caine Mutiny, and, of course, Casablanca, it’s pretty hard to argue with them. So today, we’ll take a look at the life and career of Humphrey Bogart: his successes, his failures, his trials and tribulations. See how a guy who only go...| Biographics
In 1965, the musical film The Sound of Music, adapted from the Broadway play of the same name, appeared to huge international success. The film’s popularity led it to surpass Gone With the Wind as the biggest box office hit of all time, and reaffirmed the superstardom of singer-actress Julie Andrews. It also vaulted a hitherto unknown lead actor, Christopher Plummer, into the front rank of film actors. Unknown, that is, to mainstream film audiences. By 1965, Christopher Plummer was a well-k...| Biographics
When people ask what you do for a living, there are few answers you could give that would sound more impressive than “spymaster.” But that was exactly what William Stephenson did during World War II, as he was absolutely instrumental in establishing the UK’s intelligence network in North America and creating a tight-knit relationship between numerous different agencies from both sides of the Atlantic. And if that wasn’t good enough, he also had a badass codename: Intrepid. And sure, S...| Biographics
Much of the life of Albert Frederick Arthur George, called Bertie by family and friends, can be summed up in one word: unexpected. At the time of his birth, his father held the title Duke of York, later to ascend to the throne of the United Kingdom and Great Britain as King George V. Bertie was his second son, and thus was not expected to ascend to the throne; the heir apparent under George V was Bertie’s brother, who became King Edward VIII in 1936. Thus, it was his brother who was groomed...| Biographics
They say that you should set a thief to catch a thief as no one else understands the criminal mind better. Perhaps the most shining example of this idiom is Vidocq, the man who is now hailed as the father of modern criminology. He went from a life of crime spent either on the run or in the prisons of France to establishing a national detective police force that served as the model for Scotland Yard and others that followed it. He employed proto-forensic techniques such as ballistics and casti...| Biographics
Jeremy Bentham was a man ahead of his time. Though not a philosopher, he developed a utilitarian philosophy based on the doing of good to oneself and others. He used it to propose fundamental reforms to a system that he saw as grossly unjust. His ideas have reverberated down through the ages to affect the world that we live in today. In today’s Biographix, we delve into the life and teachings of Jeremy Bentham. A Child Prodigy Jeremy Bentham was born On February 15th, 1748 in Houndsditch, L...| Biographics
He is the most famous person on the planet - and the most divisive. Equally loved and abhorred, it is impossible not to have an opinion about the brash, Twitter-loving 45th President of the United States. Yet, few people truly understand what makes Trump Trump. By going back into his past, we are be able to gain valuable insight into the vast complexities that make up the man. In this week’s Biographics, we get up to speed on the Donald before he took up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenu...| Biographics
If there’s one thing Americans love, it’s an underdog story. And the story of a son of immigrant parents, raised in the rural backwoods of America, orphaned as a teenager, who not only rose to the heights of respectability, but to the very pinnacle of American politics, the Presidency? That is one of the all-time underdog stories. For Andrew Jackson, this wasn’t merely a story, however: this was the remarkable story of his own life. For many years, Andrew Jackson was considered among th...| Biographics
It was August 1856, and some miners were excavating limestone in the Feldhofer caves in the Neander Valley near Düsseldorf, just like their predecessors had been doing for centuries. During the dig, the workers unearthed some bones. No big deal, they thought, probably just a bear or something, so they discarded the bones with the rest of the debris. One of history’s greatest discoveries was almost confined to the garbage dump, but fortunately, the mine’s owner, Wilhelm Beckershoff, saw t...| Biographics
Fred Rogers was a legitimate American national treasure. Over 31 seasons he proved to be the reliable, compassionate and all-wise friendly neighbor who guided millions of youngsters through their childhood. Fred single-handedly introduced children’s educational television, in the process elevating a medium that was heading downhill fast. His radical kindness, typified by a gentle and personal manner, helped bring sanity to a world beset by problems. Having Mr. Rogers as our neighbor made th...| Biographics
He was a comic genius who had only one speed - full throttle. From the moment he burst into our lives as an alien on Happy Days, he amazed us with a range of talent that left us breathless. Yet, behind the manic shtick of Robin Williams was a man who was deeply plagued by depression. He had other demons, such as alcohol and cocaine. Still he kept us entertained to the very end, which made it all the more unfathomable to his legion of fans and admirers when he took his life, at the age of 63. ...| Biographics
No other actor on the planet has garnered the kind of accolades that Leslie Nielsen has. He has won two People’s Choice Awards, a Golden Globe, a Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival, a Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, an American League batting title, and made it to the finals of the Publishers’ Clearinghouse Sweepstakes on three occasions. And, of course, in 1990 he was rewarded with the most coveted trophy in the film industry, the Nobel Prize for Good Acting. Th...| Biographics
In June 323 BC, Alexander the Great was in Babylon, at the Palace of Nebuchadnezzar, when he fell suddenly ill and, just like that, the greatest conqueror the ancient world had ever seen was on his deathbed. Alexander did not have an heir. His son, Alexander IV, was born after his death, so since nobody knew if the child would be a boy or a girl, the question immediately arose of who would succeed as the new ruler of the Macedonian Empire. Alexander’s closest advisors and generals gathere...| Biographics
“If you'll gather round me, children, A story I will tell 'Bout Pretty Boy Floyd, an outlaw, Oklahoma knew him well. … Yes, he took to the trees and timber To live a life of shame; Every crime in Oklahoma Was added to his name. But many a starvin' farmer The same old story told How the outlaw paid their mortgage And saved their little homes. Others tell you 'bout a stranger That come to beg a meal, Underneath his napkin Left a thousand-dollar bill.” Those words come from “The Ballad o...| Biographics
He was the richest man in America, the world at his fingertips, and yet he was a prisoner to his own dark fears. His achievements were astounding – he created the fastest plane on the planet, was the driving force behind the largest aircraft ever built and was a pioneer in film making – and yet he is remembered for the eccentricities that drove him from hero to hermit. In his heyday, he was a romantic figure, with movie starlets flocking to be seen on his arm, and yet he spent the last 26...| Biographics
He grew up to be over six feet tall, a fashionable dresser, and friends with some of the most famous Americans of his time. But he started life in a corner of the Austrian Empire… Early Life When Nikola Tesla was born, the Austrian Empire still existed. An ethnic Serb, he came into the world in modern-day Croatia on July 10th, 1856. His birth seemed to foreshadow his life’s work, as his mother was in labor during a massive lightning storm. The lightning that flashed during Tesla’s birth...| Biographics
He was billed as the 8th wonder of the world - a legitimate giant of a man, 7 foot 4 inches tall and more than 500 pounds. Andre the Giant was the greatest attraction the world of professional wrestling has ever seen. Yet his appeal went far beyond the ring. With his humble manner and boundless charm, Andre became one of the most famous and recognizable athletes on the planet and a genuine cultural phenomenon. Yet, behind the celebrity, Andre was a man trapped inside a world he never created ...| Biographics
How exactly did a Wild West outlaw get mummified and end up as a prop in an amusement park funhouse? Let's find out with the story of Elmer McCurdy...| Biographics
Annie Edson Taylor might not have looked the part, but make no mistake about it: her daredevil credentials are as solid as it gets. #biography| Biographics
He was a member of the Virginia Dynasty, and the last of the Founding Fathers to hold the office of President. This is the story of James Monroe.| Biographics
Uber’s meteoric rise to dominate the personal transport market has made it one of the most successful - and the most hated - companies in history. Along with its controversial CEO Travis Kalanick, it has developed a reputation as being iron-fisted, cruel and relentless in its pursuit of power. Inspiring an equal measure of admiration and loathing, Uber has turned the traditional taxi industry on its head - and provided consumers with a more user friendly way of getting from Point A to poi...| Biographics
Genghis Khan - a name that is synonymous with barbaric cruelty and conquest. 800 years ago he created the greatest army the world has ever known, wielding it with tactical brilliance to lay claim to the largest empire in world history. No other man, not Alexander, Napoleon or Hitler, ever came close to the level of success in conquest of the Mongolian man of steel. How did he do it? In this week’s Biographics, we discover how a simple peasant rose from one of the harshest environments on ...| Biographics
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It was the financial scandal of the century. One of the most respected figures on Wall Street, a man who was considered to have the investment Midas touch, had not actually invested a dime in the past fifteen years. Instead he’d been running the largest Ponzi scheme in history. In today’s Biographics, we take a look at the stunning rise and cataclysmic fall of Bernie Madoff. Early Years Bernard Lawrence Madoff was born on April 29th, 1938 in Queens New York. His parents, Ralph and Sylv...| Biographics
