2003: Names in History
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1. 440 years ago: the first printed book in Russian
In 1563 the first printed book in Russian - "The Acts of the Apostles" was produced. The Printing House (Pechatny Dvor) was in Nikolskaya street in an ornate green and white building with a lion above its entrance. Nowadays the building houses Russian State Humanities University. Who was the first Russian printer?
IVAN FYODOROV |
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2. 390 years ago: the new dynasty
The House of Rurik which had ruled Russia for about 7 centuries ended in 1598 with the death of Feodor Ioannovich, Ivan the Terrible's son. After a period of chaos and violence which is referred to as the Time of Troubles (Smutnoye Vremya), in February of 1613 the Assembly of the Land (Zemsky Sobor) chose as Russia's new Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich ...
ROMANOV |
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3. 300 years ago: 16/27 May 1703
Peter the Great (Romanov) founded a fortress on a small island on the Neva river. This fortress named after Saint Peter gave its name to the future capital of Russia. Famous European architects designed many of the beautiful St.Petersburg buildings but there was a Russian architect who, together with Peter the Great, produced the general plan for the city.
PAVEL EROPKIN |
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4. 100 years ago: 17 December 1903
The first aeroplane that flew successfully by its own power was made in America. The first flight lasted for less than a minute. By the end of 1904, the inventors could keep the airplane up for five minutes and fly complete circles. In 1905 in Dayton, Ohio, they flew 24 miles in 38 minutes - as far and as long as the gasoline supply would allow. In 1906 the aviators were granted a patent for their invention.
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS |
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5. 100 years ago: Teddy bears
A company was formed in the USA to make fur-covered toy bears. Inspired by the President's refusal to shoot a baby grizzly bear on a hunting trip in 1902, company owner Morris Michton asked his wife to make a small stuffed toy bear. He put the bear in his shop window, and it sold within five minutes. The bear proved so popular that by the end of the day he had orders for a dozen more. Teddy bear got its name after ...
TEDDY ROOSEVELT |
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6. 85 years ago: massacre ends Romanov dynasty
In July 1913 the Russian Tsar Nicholas II, his wife and their children were murdered in cold blood in the cellar of the house where they had been held under guard by the Bolshevik authorities. The family doctor and the servants were also killed. There were rumours (but very little evidence) that one of the princesses miraculously escaped. Her name was ...
PRINCESS ANASTASIA |
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7. 50 years ago: one of the "Seven Sisters"
The construction of Moscow State University Main Building designed by Lev Rudnev was completed. The foundations for seven large skyscrapers were laid in 1947 to mark Moscow's 800th anniversary. One of the top Soviet leaders had decided that Moscow needed a few skyscrapers of its own and ordered the construction of the seven high-rise buildings which later got the nicknames of "Seven Sisters" and "Weddings Cakes". Who commissioned the construction?
STALIN |
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8. 50 years ago: 25 April 1953
An American biologist and an English biochemist worked out the structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which is responsible for transmitting genetic information. The scientists examined the patterns that emerge from X-rays when they are beamed at DNA and created the model of the structure of a DNA molecule, which has the form of a twin spiral or double helix.
JAMES WATSON and FRANCES CRICK |
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9. 40 years ago: 23 August 1963
Over 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. and marched to the Capitol Building to support the passing of laws that guaranteed every American equal civil rights. The civil rights leader delivered a speech that was later entitled "I have a dream". In it he said, "I have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise and live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. I have a dream that that the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will sit together at the table of brotherhood".
Dr. MARTIN LUTHER KING |
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10. 30 years ago: the Sydney Opera house
At the opening ceremony Queen Elizabeth declared the Sydney Opera house to be one of the wonders of the modern world. Its white curved roof looks like the billowing sails of a ship sailing in the waters of Sydney Harbour. This stunning structure was designed by a Swedish architect ...
JOERN UTZON |
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11. 20 years ago
A feisty 25-year-old called Madonna has burst into the US pop charts with "Holiday". She worked in a New York doughnut shop before winning the dance scholarship that led to her success as a performer. Few people know her real name.
MADONNA LOUISE VERNON CICCIONE |
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12. 15 years ago
British scientists succeeded in cloning a sheep, i.e. producing an exact replica of a living being out of just one cell of the original organism. The experiment's success has enormous implications for the future of medicine and agriculture, but also raises moral questions. The name of the first clone sheep, however, is still remembered.
DOLLY |
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13. 5 years ago
President Bill Clinton risked impeachment as a result of an affair with a young admirer. The girl's friend, Linda Tripp, secretly recorded conversations about sexual encounters in the White House. The President had to testify to a grand jury about the affair. The American people watched the video tapes of the testimony over the TV. Clinton's reputation, however, was not much harmed by the broadcast. The girl's name is ...
MONICA LEVINSKY |
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