FAMOUS PEOPLE AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS
Alexander Graham Bell
was born in 1847 in Edinburg, Scotland. His father was an expert in phonetics, the study of the sounds of languages. As a boy, Alexander became interested in sounds and speech. In 1870 the Bells decided to emigrate to America. They lived in Boston, where Alexander taught in a school for the deaf. There he began experimenting with a machine to help the deaf hear. While experimenting with this machine, Bell had an idea. Why not use electricity to send the human voice from one place to another? Bell began work on a new invention. Four years Bell and his assistant, Thomas Watson, worked day and night. They rented rooms in a boarding-house. Bell was on one floor, and Watson was on another. They tried to send speech through a wire. Finally, on March 19, 1876, Watson heard these words very clearly."Mr.Watson, come here. I want you." Watson rushed upstairs, ran into Bell's room, and shouted, "I heard you." They didn't know that one day this talking machine would become the telephone and would change people's lives.
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
is an English naturalist known for the study of evolution. His evolutionary theory is contained in books. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859) and The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871). Darwin's theory of
evolution greatly influenced science and religion of his time.
Isaac Newton (1641-1727)
is a mathematician, physicist and astronomer, who, besides other work, completed the findings of Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei. His main contribution to physics was the
formulation of three fundamental law of mechanics leading to the law of gravitation. As a mathematician he invented the infinitesimal calculus. He also extended the nderstanding of colour and light and examined the mechanics of planetary motion.
James Walt
a Scottish engineer who made important improvements to the steam engine. He established the first factory for the steam engines production.
Thomas Alva Edison
was born in Ohio in 1847. He was not a very good student but was keen on scientific work. The most important invention of Edison is the electric bulb.
Walt Disney
American film producer who created the first animated cartoon films. Disney is the author of such cartoon characters as a Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto. He planned and built Disneyland, a famous amusement park, that opened near Los Angeles in 1955. He had created a great number of short animated cartoon films, which brought him success all over the world before he started a project of a long cartoon film based a version of the classic fairy tale billed "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Other films are Pinochio, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland and the Lion King.
Elvis Prestley
popular American rock'n'roll singer who strongly influenced the character of popular culture in the U.S.A. in the 1950s and 1960s. More than 500 million of his records were sold during his life. He starred in 33 movies including the famous "Love Me Tender".
The Beatles
English rock-style music group which became world famous in the 1960s. The Beatles included four members - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They were all born in Liverpool where they also started their first performances. Their songs composed at the beginning of the 1960s, such as Love Me Do, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, made them the most popular rock group in England and soon Beatlemania spread all over Europe and also in the U.S.A. They won many awards for performances and records. More than a million copies were sold of each of their single records or albums. Their long hair, style of dress, their experimentation with drugs and Indian mysticism influenced predominantly young generation. The Beatles made two successful films - A Hard Day's Night and Help. The group definitely separeted in 1971. Paul McCartney made his own group and now he is one of the leading rock musicians of the time. John Lennon was murdered in 1980.
