Marilyn Monroe Biography

Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) Model, actress, singer and arguably one of the most
famous women of the twentieth century. Monroe has become an iconic
representative of fame and female beauty. She is widely regarded as one of the
most influential figures in American culture.
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl
in a big world trying to find someone to love.”
—- Marilyn Monroe

Early life
Monroe was born, Norma Jeane Mortenson, in June 1926. Her mother was Gladys
Pearl Baker (née Monroe, 1902–84) Her father was unknown and she was baptised
as Norma Jeane Baker. Her mother Gladys had a turbulent mental state and
struggled to cope with bringing up her children. For the first six years, Marilyn was
brought up by foster parents, Albert and Ida Bolender in the town of Hawthorne,
California. Her mother then tried to take back Marilyn, but she suffered a mental
breakdown and Marilyn was moved between different orphanages and foster
homes. The traumatic childhood made her shy and reserved.

Just after her 16th birthday, in 1942, Monroe married her 21-year-old,
next-door neighbour Jimmy Dougherty. Marilyn became a housewife, but  the couple
were not close, and Monroe reports being bored. In 1943, her husband left to join
the Merchant Marines to participate in America’s War effort. They split up
shortly after.
 Marilyn Monroe appearing in Yank Army Weekly

To earn a living, Marilyn took a job at a local munitions factory in Burbank,

California. It was here that Marilyn got her first big break. Photographer
David Conover was covering the munitions factory to show women at work
for the War effort. He was struck by the beauty and photogenic nature of
Norma, and he used her in many of his photographs. This enabled her to
start a career as a model, and she was soon featured on the front of many
magazine covers.

Career breakthrough
1946 was a pivotal year for Marilyn, she divorced her young husband and
changed her name from, the boring, Norma Baker to the more glamorous
Marilyn Monroe (after her grandma). She took drama lessons and got her
first movie contract with Twentieth Century Fox. Her first few films were
low key, but from these beginnings, it gained her more prominent roles in
films such as All About Eve, Niagara and later Gentleman Prefer
Blondes and How To Marry A Millionaire.
Muhammad Ali Biography

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.

January 17, 1942 – 3 June 2016) was an Olympic and World Champion boxer,
who also had a unique personality, based on self-belief and strong religious and
political convictions.  In 1999, Ali was crowned “Sportsman of the Century” by
Sports Illustrated. He won the World Heavyweight Boxing championship three
times and won the North American Boxing Federation championship as well as an
Olympic gold medal.
“I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ’em out, I pick
the round. “
– Muhammad Ali
Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942. He was named after his father,
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., (who was named after the 19th-century abolitionist
and politician Cassius Clay). Ali would later change his name after joining the
Nation of Islam. He subsequently converted to Sunni Islam in 1975.

Early boxing career

Standing at 6’3″ (1.91 m), Ali had a highly unorthodox style for a heavyweight
boxer. Rather than the normal boxing style of carrying the hands high to defend
the face, he instead relied on his quick feet and ability to avoid a punch. In
Louisville, October 29, 1960, Cassius Clay won his first professional fight. He won
a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker, who was the police chief of
Fayetteville, West Virginia. From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a
record of 19-0, with 15 knockouts. He defeated such boxers as Tony Esperti, Jim
Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff,
Lamar Clark (who had won his previous 40 bouts by knockout), Doug
Jones, and Henry Cooper. Among Clay’s victories were versus Sonny Banks
(who knocked him down during the bout), Alejandro Lavorante, and the
aged Archie Moore (a boxing legend who had fought over 200 previous
fights, and who had been Clay’s trainer prior to Angelo Dundee).

Clay won a disputed 10 round decision over Doug

Jones, who, despite being lighter than Clay, staggered Clay as soon as the
fight started with a right hand, and beat Clay to the punch continually
during the fight. The fight was named “Fight of the Year” for 1963. Clay’s
next fight was against Henry Cooper, who knocked Clay down with a left
hook near the end of the fourth round. The fight was stopped in the 5th
round due to a deep cut on Cooper’s face.
Despite these close calls against Doug Jones and Henry Cooper, he became
the top contender for Sonny Liston’s title. In spite of Clay’s impressive
record, he was not expected to beat the champion. The fight was to be held
on February 25, 1964, in Miami, Florida. During the weigh-in before the
fight, Ali frequently taunted Liston. Ali dubbed him “the big ugly bear”, and
declared that he would “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee,” Ali was
ready to dance around the ring, as he said, “Your hands can’t hit what your
eyes can’t see.”
This was a typical buildup for Ali, who increasingly enjoyed playing to the
crowd and creating a buzz before a fight. It was good news for fight
promoters, who saw increased interest in any fight involving the bashful
Ali.
Charles Darwin Biography

Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) was an English

Natural scientist who laid down a framework for the theory of evolution – showing
how Man evolved from lower life forms. At the time, his research and publication
led to bitter controversy, but his theory of evolution and natural selection later
became accepted within the scientific community.
Charles Darwin was born on 12 February 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. He was
born into a wealthy and influential family. His grandfathers included – China
manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood, and Erasmus Darwin, one of the leading
intellectuals of 18th century England.
Darwin planned to study medicine at Edinburgh University, but later, at the
instigation of his father, changed to studying Divinity at Christ’s College,
Cambridge University. Darwin was not a great student, preferring to spend time in
outdoor pursuits; he spent a lot of time examining natural science and beetle
collecting. After gaining a passionate interest in natural science, Darwin was
offered a place on the HMS Beagle to act as a natural scientist on a voyage to the
coast of South America.
At the time, religion was a powerful force in society, and most people took
the Bible as the infallible, literal word of God. This included the belief that
God created the world in seven days, and the world was only a few
thousand years old. However, on the voyage, Darwin increasingly began to
see evidence of life being much older. In particular Lyell’s ‘Principles of
Geology’ suggested that fossils were evidence of animals living hundreds of
thousands of years ago.
On the voyage, Darwin made copious notes about specimens he found on
his voyages. In particular, at the Galapagos Islands 500 miles west of South
America, Darwin was struck by how the Finch was different on each
individual island. He noticed that the Finch had somehow adapted to the
various aspects of the particular island.
Over the next 20 years, Darwin worked on the dilemma of how species
evolve and can end up being quite different on different islands. Influenced
by the work of Thomas Malthus, Darwin came up with a theory of natural
selection and gradual evolution over time.
“In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals
because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment.”
– Charles Darwin
Darwin continued to refine his theory, and would intensively breed plants
to work on his theories. However, realising how controversial his ideas
were, Darwin delayed publishing them. It was not until learning that
another naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace had developed similar ideas, that
Darwin was galvanised into publishing his own book.
In 1859, the ground-breaking ‘On the Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection‘ was published. It immediately gained widespread
interest and attention, leading to intense debate about the contention that
man – by implication was descended from animals like the ape.
John F Kennedy Biography

 John F. Kennedy was America’s second youngest elected

president. He oversaw one of the most crucial moments in the Cold War (Cuban
Missile Crisis) and sought to affirm America’s beliefs in basic human rights by
calling for civil rights legislation and an attempt to reduce poverty. Kennedy was
assassinated on November 22, 1963 – a tragic death that shocked America and the
world.

Early life
Born on May 1917, John F. Kennedy came from an illustrious political family; his
father Joseph Kennedy was a leading member of the Democratic Party, and Joseph
encouraged John F. Kennedy in his political ambitions after the war.
John graduated from Harvard after completing a thesis on “Appeasement in
Munich.” His thesis was later converted into a successful book: Why England
Slept (1940).

On Jack Paar Tonight Show

Before America joined the war, John joined the Navy and saw action throughout
the Pacific theatre. In August 1943, his boat was rammed by Japanese
destroyer Amagiri. John F Kennedy was later decorated for his outstanding bravery
in rescuing a fellow crewman; he was also awarded the Purple Heart for an
incident later in the war. Afterwards, Kennedy was modest about his actions,
saying he felt a bit embarrassed as it resulted from a botched military action.
In 1946, he won a seat in Boston for the US House of Representatives, and in 1952
got himself elected to the US Senate, defeating the incumbent Republican.

In 1953, he married Jacqueline Lee

Bouvier. In 1957 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for biography for his
book Profiles in Courage, a book about US Senators who stood up for their
personal beliefs.
In 1956, he was nearly chosen to be the Vice Presidential candidate for Adlai
Stevenson. The national exposure raised his profile, and in 1960 he was selected to
be the Democratic nomination for the Presidency.

Presidency
In 1960, in a very tight election, John F. Kennedy narrowly defeated the much-
fancied Republican, Richard Nixon. It was a memorable election with many
millions glued to the TV in the pre-election hustings. John F. Kennedy came across
very well on TV and looked more relaxed and professional on camera.
 It was the first time a Roman Catholic had been
elected president and it was a big issue in America where many Protestants
distrusted the prospect of America being influenced by the Vatican. He had to
assure voters he was not a Catholic candidate for the Presidency, but someone
standing for President who happened to be a Catholic.
During his inauguration, JFK gave a memorable speech, where he famously
encouraged citizens to help the nation become strong again.
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your
country.”
He also called for greater internationalism.