Oscar Arnulfo Romero

Romero: Salvadoran martyr

By Dixy Guzmán

When thinking about Oscar Arnulfo Romero a big example of courage and great legacy for Salvadoran people might come to mind.

Ciudad Barrios us the place in which Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was born.

 On august 17^th 1971 his mother Guadalupe de Jesus Galdámez gave birth to her second child. Santos Romero was Oscar’s father.

Oscar Romero grew up along with his seven siblings and his parents. He always likes attending mass at the church located in ciudad Barrios, and by the age of 13 he entered a seminary in San Miguel.

Romero became a priest by studying at the Gregorian University in Rome in 1942, when he was 25 years old, and 35 years later he became an archbishop in San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador.

During the civil war in El Salvador, he defended the Salvadoran human rights by denouncing murders, tortures and social injustice in general, and due to those acts, Catholic Church’s members started being persecuted.

As time passed by, government members realized that the only way to stop Romero from interfering in their crimes was killing him.

Romero’s last mass was celebrated a tragic day of March 24^th, 1980. He was murdered while celebrating mass at a hospital chapel called “La Divina Providencia”.

Monsignor Romero’s is now considered as a martyr due the great legacy he left to Salvadoran people, and he is also known around the world for his determination.

Marie Curie

Marie Curie: The Pioneer

By Efraín Alfaro. 

Marie Curie (1867-1934) was a famous Polish scientist. She was born Marya Skoldowska in Warsaw on 7 November 1867. Her father and mother were both teachers. They had 4 other children, all of them older than Marya. She had a brother named Jozef and 3 sisters, Zofia, Bronia and Helena.

However Zofia died of typhus in 1874 and her mother died of tuberculosis in 1878. (Both were common diseases in the 19th century).

Marya herself proved to be a very bright child and did very well at school. Unfortunately at that time women were not allowed to go to University. That meant Marya would have to study abroad. So in 1885 she made an arrangement with her sister Bronia. Marya would work as a governess (teaching a wealthy family's children in their own home) and she would support Bronia while she studied at University. In turn when Bronia left and got a job she would support Marya while she went to University.

So Marya worked as a governess until 1891 when she began studying at Sorbonne University in Paris. Since she was living in France Marya started calling herself by the French version of her name, Marie.

Marie did very well at University and in 1893 she gained a degree in Physics. In 1894 she gained a degree in Maths.

In 1894 she met Pierre Curie and she married him in 1895. In 1897 Marie Curie had a daughter called Irene.

Meanwhile in 1895 a German named Wilhelm Rontgen discovered X-rays. Then in 1896 Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered that uranium gives off mysterious, invisible rays.

In 1897 Marie Curie started investigating uranium. (In 1898 she coined the term radioactive to describe any substance that gave off the mysterious rays). Marie also examined a substance called pitchblende, which she realized is much more radioactive than pure uranium. Marie Curie realized that pitchblende must contain some elements that are much more radioactive than pure uranium.

In 1898 Marie and her husband Pierre isolated an element they called polonium (after Poland). However they realized there was another element in pitchblende. Finally in 1902 they isolated radium. In 1903 Marie and Pierre Curie were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics along with Henri Becquerel. Winning the prize brought them fame.

Unfortunately the Curies did not realize that exposure to radiation was harming their health. Nevertheless in 1904 Marie Curie had a daughter called Eve.

Unfortunately in 1905 Pierre was killed by a horse-drawn vehicle. However after his death Marie was offered his post as Professor of Physics at Sorbonne University. In 1911 Marie Curie was given the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

Marie continued to research radium and in 1921 she visited the USA and met President Harding. Marie visited the USA again in 1929. However her health was failing. Eventually she was diagnosed with leukemia. Marie Curie died on 4 July 1934. She was 66.

Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin: The great wildlife expert and enthusiast

By Efraín Alfaro

Born in Melbourne, Australia, on February 22, 1962, Steve Irwin grew up on a wildlife park owned by his parents and went on to become an animal enthusiast and TV personality, hosting the popular series Crocodile Hunter and appearing on major talk shows. Irwin's work spawned an array of merchandise tie-ins. He was killed by a stingray during a diving expedition on September 4, 2006, off the coast of Port Douglas in Queensland, Australia.

Famed conservationist and television show host Steve Irwin was born on February 22, 1962, in Essendon, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Part wildlife expert and part entertainer, Irwin became world famous for his TV series The Crocodile Hunter, among other nature programs. While he had no scientific degree, he grew up studying and caring for animals at his parents' wildlife park, which is now known as the Australia Zoo. He first learned how to catch and handle his beloved crocodiles from his father and once received a python as a birthday present.

Irwin met American-born Terri Raines, who in was in Australia on vacation, in 1991. The couple later married and spent part of their honeymoon filming crocodiles. This footage became part of their 1992 Australian TV show The Crocodile Hunter. Four years later, the series was picked up by the American cable network Animal Planet. At the peak of its popularity, the show aired in more than 200 countries.

Audiences were often spellbound by Irwin's dangerous encounters with animals on the series. He thought nothing of tangling with deadly snakes, spiders, lizards, and, of course, crocodiles. In addition to his hair-raising adventures, Irwin considered himself a wildlife educator, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for animals with his viewers.

Always in his trademark khaki shirt and shorts, Irwin became a well-known figure in popular culture. He even had his own catchphrase—"Crikey!"—an Australian expression of surprise or excitement. There have been countless parodies and spoofs of the famed adventurer—even The Simpsons and South Park featured send-ups of Irwin. He wasn't afraid to poke fun at his image as an energetic naturalist and showman. Irwin appeared as himself in the 2001 film Dr. Dolittle 2 with Eddie Murphy. The following year, Irwin and his wife starred in their own film, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course.

On September 4, 2006, Irwin was filming a new program off the coast of Port Douglas in Queensland, Australia. Snorkeling near a stingray, he was pierced in the chest by its barb, which hit his heart. Irwin died of cardiac arrest shortly after being stung.

Stunned by the news of his sudden death, people around the world mourned his passing. Many left flowers and notes at the Australia Zoo, which he and his wife ran, taking over for his parents. Others posted messages expressing their grief on the Web. Wildlife experts, such as Jack Hanna, noted that Irwin was a great conservationist.

Steve Irwin continues to be remembered today for his many contributions to the field of wildlife education and conservation, including running an organization to rescue and protect crocodiles and supporting numerous other animal charities.

Piermario Morosini

PIERMARIO MOROSINI, A MAN WHO DIED DOING WHAT HE LOVED TO DO

By  Karol Caceres

Piermario Morosini’s early life was surrounded by soccer; he was born on the fifth of July in 1986 in the city of Bergamo, in Italy; where he lived with his parents and siblings. His parents always motivated him to play soccer, and it was their dream.

Unfortunately, one sad day in 2001, when Piermario was 15 years old; his mother, Camilla died and that really affected him but he spent his time playing soccer and that helped him really much. Sooner, two years later another tragedy occurred to Morosini’s family; his father Aldo, died in 2003 and his disabled brother died in the same year, and left him alone with his disable elder sister. Those tragedies really affected Piermario, but at the same time they encouraged him to fight for his soccer career; he expressed about his tragedies with these words: “these are things that change your life, but at the same time make you so angry and help you to achieve what was also a dream of my parents”.

Piermario’s soccer life started at hometown, when he played for Atalanta and sooner, he was sold to Udinese in a co-ownership deal during 2005. He debuted in Italy’s serie A on October 23^rd, 2005 in the match Udinese-Inter, in this season (2005-2006) he also had his debut in UEFA cup, in the match Levski Sofia-Udinese. After, Udinese got full ownership of Morosini but they decided to loan him to Bologna, so he could gain more experience. In 2007, half of the registration rights was farmed to Serie B club Vincenza Calcio.

Next, Morosini signed a four years contract with Vincenza and he was sold for €500.000 and after that, Udinese bought him back for €300.000. In 2009 he signed for newly-relegated Reggina on loan, one year later he was loaned to Calcio Padova and in 2011 he was transferred to Vincenza and in 2012 he signed for Livorno on loan.

He spent most of his professional career going on loans, acquiring experience but he never expected that he would die on the pursuit of his dream… on April 14^th, 2012; during Livorno-Pescara match he suffered a cardiac arrest. On the 31^st minute of the match, he fell to the ground and unfortunately he could not get up anymore. He was still conscious when the doctors took him to the ambulance and rushed him to the hospital but he died before he could get there.

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe: The best writer ever 

Edgar Poe was born on 19 January 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts; he was the son of the actors Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins and David Poe. He had a brother named William Henry and a sister Rosalie. He was orphaned at the age of two. After the death of his parents Edgar was taken in by Frances and John Allan, a wealthy merchant in Richmond, Virginia. This and many other factors that affected his intellectual development had an important impact in his personality.

During his youth, he began writing poems. His greatest influence was Lord Byron, however he read everything he could. Poe traveled with the Allans to England in 1815 and attended school in Chelsea. In 1820 he was back in Richmond where he attended the University of Virginia and studied Latin and poetry and also loved to swim and act. While he was in school, he became estranged from his stepfather after accumulating gambling debts. Unable to pay them or support himself, Poe left school and enlisted in the United States Army where he served for two years. He had been writing poetry for some time and in 1827 his first book Tamerlane and Other Poems was published, at his own expense.

Poe enlisted in the West Point Military Academy but he was dismissed a year later. In 1829 his second book Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems was published. The same year, he moved to Baltimore to live with his aunt Maria Clemm, mother of Virginia Eliza Clemm who would become his wife at the age of thirteen.

In 1835 he became editor and contributor of the Southern Literary Messenger. Though, not without his detractors and troubles with employers, it was the start of his career as respected critic and essayist. Other publications which he contributed to, were: Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine (1839–1840), Graham’s Magazine (1841–1842), Evening Mirror, and Godey’s Lady’s Book.

After Virginia and Edgar married in Richmond in 1836 they moved to New York City. The only completed novel of Poe: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym was published in 1838.

Living in their last place of residence, a cottage in the Fordham section of the Bronx in New York City, Virginia died in 1847. Poe turned to alcohol more frequently and was purportedly displaying increasingly erratic behavior. A year later he became engaged to his teenage sweetheart from Richmond, Elmira Royster. In 1849 he embarked on a tour of poetry readings and lecturing, hoping to raise funds so he could start his magazine The Stylus.

He was found dead on October 7, 1949. There are conflicting accounts surrounding the last days of Edgar Allan Poe and the cause of his death. Some say he died from alcoholism, some claim he was murdered, and various diseases have also been attributed, but what is true is that his last words were: “God please help my poor soul”.

Edgar Allan Poe wrote about sixty stories, along with a series of poems, but he did not dedicate to this genre the time he would have liked, due to its precarious financial situation.
Some of his most important works are: "The black cat", "Eureka", "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Raven", "The Pit and the Pendulum" "Berenice," The Oval Portrait "and" the Masque of the red Death, "among others. After several prose tales such as "Extraordinary Stories" and some critical articles he obtained considerable literary reputation and reached the peak in 1845 with the book "The Raven".

Neither his great success could stop him of his strong tendency to depression.
Alcoholism dragged him to his attacks of melancholy in the same way that his alcoholism was dragging melancholy.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

By Wendy Villafuerte

Michael Jackson was born in August 29, 1958 in Gary Indiana. His parents were African American working class, their names were: Joseph Walther Jackson and Katherine Esther Scruse. He had had five brothers and three sisters: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy Robbie, La Troya and Janet.

Jackson’s father saw a talent in his sons, so he prepared them in order to create a group in which Jackson was the singer. With his talent Jackson quickly conquered the audience.

After some years he abandoned the group to turn him to a solo singer. His music was so popular that did not have barriers, some of the famous songs were: “Beat it”, Billie “Jean” and Thriller.

In 1982, Michael Jackson was the best seller with his recognized album “Thriller”. Moreover he won a lot of awards, such as Guinness World Records, and Grammy Awards.

Also he caused controversy. As descendent of African American parents Jackson had his skin medium brown color, but he changed his skin color, because he wanted appear European.  In 1986, he was diagnosed with an illness as a result of the use of chemicals over many years.

In May 18, 1994 he married to Lisa Marie Presley, but in January 18, 1996 they divorced.

In November 15, 1996 Michael married to Debbie Rowe. They had two children:  Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr: Born in 1997 and Katherine Jackson: Born in 1998. Their marriage ended in divorce in October 8, 1999.

In 1993, he was accused of sexual abuse; the rumors affected his image and therefore his career. Almost ten years after he was accused again, and in this year he was arrested with charge of seven counts of child molestation. On June 14, 2005, Jackson was acquitted of all charges.

On June 25, 2009, he was found died in home on North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles. He died as a result of intoxication.  He ingested a lot of anti-anxiety medicine which led him to the death.

In 2009, after his dead, he was the best seller, and is remembered because of his contributions and influence to music considering him as the king of pop.

BIBLOGRAPHY.

www.biography.com

www.wikipedia.com

www.about.com