Abraham Lincoln: a quick look at his life and work
Check out the 16th President of America and his life story!
Abraham Lincoln has gone down in history as one of the greatest statesmen of all time. But you need to check out his life story to see why his achievements are so spectacular.
From the humblest of beginnings and a family that had little time for education, Honest Abe grew into a principled, clever, decent and hard-working lawyer.
He managed to navigate the stormy seas of early American politics and set a fair course through the difficult times the country faced. His famous Gettysburg Address is still considered one of the finest pieces of oratory and he was able to persuade stubborn minds to come over to his way of seeing things.
By resolving to end slavery once and for all and facing the consequent horror of the American Civil War, he set American on a new path to become the great nation it is today.
Find out about him, his childhood, his early years, his challenges and his sad and untimely death in our video biography and get inspired!
The Life of Abraham Lincoln
Sometimes you wish guys like this were in charge!
Albert Einstein’s life story
He’s world-famous for his theory of relativity and his mad hairstyle. But there’s a lot more to him than that. Check out this brainbox biography.
An accidental discovery that changed medicine forever
Just under 100 years ago in September 1928, Alexander Fleming stumbled on the most life-changing discovery in recent medical history.
As he himself said of that day in September: “One sometimes finds, what one is not looking for. When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn’t plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world’s first antibiotic, or bacteria killer. But I suppose that was exactly what I did.“
Together with medical colleagues Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and the world should be grateful to these great scientists for evermore.
The difficulty, after the momentous discovery of penicillin and its antibiotic properties, was how to market this wonder drug on a mass scale. The three men, with countless other collaborators, developed a production capability which meant that it could become available to people in need all over the world.
It’s a good example of what Louis Pasteur said about his own experience regarding germ theory and rabies, “fortune favours the prepared mind”.
Find out about his life, his discovery and the work that was done to bring this medical breakthrough to people around the world.
Alexander Fleming and the discovery of penicillin
His name is forever associated with a serendipitous observation that resulted in an antibiotic that has since saved millions of lives around the world. Find out about Fleming, his story and his most famous discovery.
The enduring legacy of J S Bach
Over 300 years after he was born, Johann Sebastian Bach still lives on in his music
In our throwaway culture where things move so fast and we’re always looking for the new ‘new’, it’s a comfort to realise that the legacy of the life of the composer, Johann Sebastian Bach is still alive and flourishing more than 300 years after his death.
Whether you’re looking to relax, to sober up, to sleep or to mourn and grieve, this guy has got something that works. The sheer range of compositions, which he produced at a furious pace throughout his life, reminds us of what a creative powerhouse he was as well as his wide-ranging tastes and inspirations.
In his life, like so many of us, he dealt with disappointments, death and disillusionment balanced by resounding success, artistic fulfilment and the support of good friends and family.
If you want to get a quick overview of his life, check out our short biography of this towering figure of the music scene.
The life of composer Johann Sebastian Bach
One of the towering greats of classical music, check out his life story!
She sat down to stand up for civil rights
Just over 60 years ago, Rosa Parks’s simple act against racial injustice sparked a movement that led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott and profound social change.
After refusing to give up her seat for a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks was arrested and detained. Her determined stance led to a bus boycott starting in December 1955 which lasted 381 days – more than a year – and forced the Alabama authorities to desegregate public buses.
Her simple action energised the protest movement and motivated people to participate in the civil rights movement.
Check out her fascinating life story in our short video!
The inspirational life of Rosa Parks
Take a look at the life of Rosa Parks and her story!
Mozart’s final weeks
230 years ago, the great Austrian composer was on his last legs
The 35-year-old genius was still working on his requiem and a cantata in the final weeks before his death. He was confined to bed on 20 November 1791 and only had 3 weeks left to live.
His requiem is a choral masterpiece that has become famous the world over since his death. The fact that he was still working on this massive masterpiece while feeling tired, depressed and seriously ill only makes it an even more staggering accomplishment.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in Vienna on 5 December 1791 after a furiously busy creative life, leaving behind more than 600 pieces of music that still give so much pleasure. Thanks Mozart!
Check out our short video about Mozart and find out about his life from crib to coffin and the music he left us!
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