Portrait of Uncle Sam is perhaps the most famous poster in the world. It was created by James Montgomery Flagg and originally published as the cover for the July 6, 1916, issue of Leslie’s Weekly with the title “What Are You Doing for Preparedness?” Over four million copies were printed between 1917 and 1918, when the United States entered World War I.
There is a theory that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel Wilson who was born on September 13, 1766 in Arlington, Massachusetts, USA. In 1797 Samuel married Betsey Mann, daughter of Captain Benjamin Mann. Samuel and Betsey had four children: Polly, Samuel, Benjamin, and Albert.
During the War of 1812, Wilson was in the business of slaughtering and packing meat. He provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials ‘US’. There was an idea that initials stood for ‘Uncle Sam’ Wilson.
Samuel Wilson died on July 31, 1854 at the age of 87. His grave is in the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, New York.
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Benjamin Franklin was a world-famous celebrity – famous for his written words and for his amazing achievements. That fame continues to the present day as Franklin is one of the most recognised names from his time. He was a leader of America’s Revolutionary generation.
Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston. He was the eighth of 10 children.
At the age of 12, he took a printing apprenticeship with his older brother James who was the publisher of the New England Courrant.
At the age of 16, Franklin became a vegetarian to save money and a year later he left Boston for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he quickly found work in the printing business.
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Victoria Kaiulani was heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii. She was a princess because her uncle, King Kalakaua, did not have children. Kaiulani became known throughout the world for her intelligence, beauty and determination.
Victoria was born on October 16, 1875 in Hawaii. Her childhood was like a fairy tale. She played with giant turtles and fed beautiful birds, rode a white horse and went surfing and swimming. When the girl was 11 years old her mother died.
At the age of 14 Kaiulani went to England to study. The girl was afraid to leave her home, but she had to learn the world around her. It was a long and difficult journey. She went to a private girls’ school in England.
For many years, other countries wanted to control the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii was a perfect place for ports and military bases. When Kaiulani left Hawaii, a group of American businessmen wanted her country to be under American control. Many of them were the sons of religious missionaries, who had gone to the islands in the 1800s to teach Hawaiians about Christianity. Over the years their families had become rich and powerful and controlled the government and all the important businesses.
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Florence Nightingale was a pioneer in the field of nursing. She was the founder of modern nursing and made outstanding contributions to knowledge of public health. She also made nursing a respectable career for women.
Florence was born on May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy and was named after the city. Her family was rich. She studied several languages, history, and mathematics with her father at home.
When she became a young woman, her parents wanted her to get married. But Florence did not want to get married. She wanted to be a nurse. In 1844 Nightingale decided to work in hospitals. She supervised a hospital for women in London.
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Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie was a Bavarian princess, the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I. She became the Empress of Austria on April 24, 1854 (date of marriage); on June 8, 1867 she became Queen of Hungary. Her family and friends called her Sissi. She was the most beautiful Empress of Austria. Her life was one of the few stories of true love among the monarchs, which became one of the favorite plots for books and movies.
Elisabeth was born on December 24, 1837 in Munich Palace. She was the second daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria (1808-1888) and Marie Ludovika Wilhelmine (1808-1892), daughter of the King of Bavaria, Maximilian I. The newborn girl had a tooth. According to legend it means a happy life. Napoleon also had a tooth when he was born. Queen Elizabeth of Prussia became the godmother of the girl. Sissi spent her childhood in Munich in the summer estate where she had her own menagerie. Elizabeth’s parents lived in their own way. Duke Maximilian rarely spent his time with the family and children were educated by their mother.
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Pocahontas was the heroic American Indian who saved the life of British settler John Smith. She put her head on top of his as he was about to be executed by her fellow tribesmen. She was the daughter of a Native American chief in Virginia. Her marriage to an English settler brought 8 years of peace between the Indians and the British.
Pocahontas is also the famous cartoon from Disney about beautiful Indian maiden and the handsome explorer and their love affair that crosses race and culture.
In reality Smith was a former mercenary with red hair, and Pocahontas was only 12. Her real name was Matoaka. She later married another British settler, John Rolfe.
The real Pocahontas became the world’s first Native American Christian. She was kidnapped by settlers. The girl learned English, converted to Christianity and was baptised Rebecca.
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Galileo Galilei was an Italian physicist, engineer, astronomer, philosopher and mathematician. He had a significant impact on the science of his time. It was he who first used the telescope to observe celestial bodies. Galileo made a series of outstanding astronomical discoveries. During his lifetime he was known as an active supporter of the heliocentric system of the world, that’s why he had a serious conflict with the Catholic Church.
Galileo was born on February 15, 1564 in Pisa. He was the son of composer and music theorist Vincenzo Galilei. Galileo studied at a monastery near Florence. In 1581 he entered the University of Pisa where he studied medicine. Due to lack of funds he was unable to complete a degree at the university. During his years there, Galileo wrote several volumes of notes on scientific subjects.
Galileo gained a scientific reputation throughout Italy with the hydrostatic balance.
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