Abraham Lincoln Biography (1809 – 1865)
Abraham Lincoln
“With
malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right,
as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we
are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds…. “
– Abraham Lincoln
Abraham
Lincoln was born Feb 12, 1809, in Hardin Country, Kentucky. His family
upbringing was modest; his parents from Virginia were neither wealthy or
well known. At an early age, the young Abraham
lost his mother and his father moved away to Indiana. Abraham had to
work hard splitting logs and other manual labour. But, he also had a
thirst for knowledge and worked very hard to excel in his studies. This
led him to become trained as a lawyer. He spent eight years working on
the Illinois court circuit; his ambition, drive and capacity for hard
work were evident to all around him. He also had a good sense of humour
and was depreciating about his looks.“If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?”He married Mary Todd and had four children, although three died before reaching maturity.
As a lawyer, Abraham developed a great capacity for quick thinking and oratory. His interest in public issues encouraged him to stand for public office. In 1854 he was elected to the House of Representatives and he tried to gain nomination for the Senate in 1858. Although he lost this election, his debating skills caused him to become well known within the Republican party. In particular, during this campaign he gave one of his best remembered speeches.
A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South (House Divided)
Marilyn Monroe Biography (1926 – 1962)
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) Model, actress, singer and arguably one of the most famous women of the twentieth century.
“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
Monroe
was born, Norma Jeane Mortenson, in June 1926. Her father was unknown
and she was baptised as Norma Jeane Baker; she spent many years in
foster homes because of her family situation.
Monroe
married Jimmy Dougherty, in 1942. When he left to the South Pacific to
fight in the Second world War, she joined 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. He was struck by the beauty and photogenic nature of
Norma, and he used her in many of her shots. This enabled her to start a
career as a model and she was soon featured on the front of many
magazine covers.
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, 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.
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