Duke Ellington was one of the most remarkable figures in the history of American music. He was a prolific composer with an immense legacy of over 1,500 copyrighted pieces. His career was to span 6 …
Arts
Nothing is Written
It was on 15 May, 1961, that principle photography on the motion picture ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ began. Lawrence of Arabia was nominated for ten Oscars at the 35th Academy Awards in 1963; it won seven …
Poet of Optimism
Samad Vurgun was born in 1906, and saw his first published poems in 1925, in the journal, ‘New Thought’. In 1929 he entered the Literature School at Moscow University. A proud advocate of his Azerbaijan …
At Home in the Yellow House
30 March marks the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh, in 1853. He is one of the world’s most recognized painters, although he was not successful in his own lifetime. Van Gogh was born into a …
Give Music to Those Who Love it
It was on 20 March, 1915, that pianist Sviatoslav Richter was born in the Ukraine. He would become an honored Soviet and Russian artist, dying in 1997 after an illustrious career. Richter would perform his …
Working Class Anthem
It was in October of 1977 that Epic Records would release a song by country singer Johnny Paycheck that would climb to number one on the Billboard charts. The song was “Take this job and …
After Hours
It was on 27 June, in 1949, that the American artist Edward Hopper, sold his painting ‘Office at Night’ (seen above) to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for $1,500. The painting depicts two …
The Language of Free Men
It was on 31 May, 1961, that President John F. Kennedy began his historic trip to France. Despite the unpredictable and sometimes difficult relation between the USA and France, Kennedy was effusive in his praise …
Rosebud
It was on 1 May, 1941, that the film ‘CITIZEN KANE’ had its premiere. The film was directed by Kenosha, Wisconsin native, Orson Welles, and would prove to be his most celebrated work in what …
Apocalypse When?
1 March marks the day in 1976 that director Francis Ford Coppola would arrive in Manila, The Philippines, to begin filming ‘Apocalypse Now’, a Vietnam War film about a US Army Captain assigned a secret …