Interesting facts from the life of famous people of the world. Famous and great people of Russia - report message

The inglorious death of a great genius

The great Dutch painter Van Gogh suffered from bouts of insanity. During one of these attacks, he even cut off a piece of his ear. Shortly before his death, the artist decided to settle in Saint-Paul-de-Mosole, a French asylum for the mentally ill. Here he received an isolated room in which he could also paint from time to time. Van Gogh was allowed, accompanied by a doctor, to walk around the neighborhood and paint his masterpieces - landscapes. It was here that he met Anna Bosch, who bought the painting "Red Vine" for 400 francs. By the way, this was the first and last time during the life of the artist when his painting was bought.

In 1890, on one of the July days, Van Gogh, having escaped, left his monastery. He walked a little alone, and then wandered into a peasant farmstead. The owners were absent at the time. The artist, having taken out a pistol, tried to shoot himself in the heart, but the bullet, hooking on the bone of the rib, passed by. Then, holding the wound with his hand, he slowly walked up to his room and lay down.

When the attendant saw Van Gogh bleeding, a doctor and police were immediately called from the nearby village. But, to their surprise, the doctor and the policeman saw the artist, who was calmly lying in bed and sucking on his pipe.

Van Gogh died that night.

The brain of all Russian literature

Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev could safely be called the "brain of Russian literature." After his death, pathologists determined that the weight of the gray matter of the writer is 2 kilograms, which is more than that of other famous personalities. And, probably, that is why the doctor Botkin said that the Almighty simply did not have enough materials for a head of this size. But there is a rational grain in every joke: the writer's parietal bone was very thin. Turgenev himself, laughing at himself, said that through it you can feel the brain. It so happened that, even after receiving a light blow to the head, he fainted or for some time remained in a semi-conscious state.

One of distinguishing features Ivan Sergeevich had excessive cleanliness and a love of order almost at a manic level. At least twice a day, he changed into clean linen, before which he wiped his entire body with a sponge moistened with cologne. Before sitting down to work at the desk, he always cleaned the room and folded all the papers. Sometimes he could jump out of bed in the middle of the night, remembering that some thing was not in its place. It also annoyed him if the curtains on the windows were not neatly curtained. Each thing or piece of paper on the table had its own specially designated place.

Complexes of the great dictator

Hitler's father was married several times. When he was about to enter into a third marriage with Clara Pelzl (and they were related), Alois had to apply to the Vatican for special permission. The family had six children, among whom Hitler was the third. Knowing about incest in the family, he tried to avoid talking about his parents. However, this fact did not prevent him from demanding other confirmations, and documentary ones, about the origin.

In addition to the idea of ​​​​dominating the whole world, the Fuhrer was still very concerned about the issue of health, so he took a lot of pills. Theodore Morell, Adolf's personal physician, recorded this fact in his medical records. The dictator's entourage considered Morell a charlatan, but Hitler himself trusted him immensely. In 1944, the doctor recommended injections to the patient, which included an extract from the sperm and prostate gland of young calves - testosterone. Adolf really hoped that this medicine, in fact, the "Viagra" of that time, would greatly help him during his close relationship with Eva Braun. Apparently, it is precisely the incomplete consistency in relations with women, phobias and complexes that can explain Hitler's perverted cruelty and his desire to subjugate the whole world.

Little prodigy

Mozart was a gifted child. Even at the age of four he had already written a concerto for stringed keyboard instruments. Moreover, this concert was very difficult, such that hardly any of the European musicians could play it. The father, realizing this, took away the notes with the notes from the young Wolfgang, which he had not yet managed to finish. The indignant young talent answered the parent: “And this music is not at all difficult to perform, even a child, for example, me, can perform it.”

All of Mozart's childhood years were associated with music lessons and lots of performances. Often performing musical works in front of an exquisite European audience, the little genius surprised the audience: his father blindfolded him with a handkerchief, and the child blindly played the clavier, or covered the keys with a piece of cloth, and Wolfgang masterfully coped with the game. During one of the concerts, a cat suddenly entered the stage. And a child is a child - Mozart, leaving the instrument, forgetting about the audience, rushed to her, picked up, stroked, and then began to play with the animal. The angry father demanded to return immediately, to which Wolfgang replied:

"The harpsichord will stand still, and the cat will now run away."

Good psychologist with excellent memory

Stalin had an extremely rich, capacious and tenacious memory. So, D.V. Ustinov recalled that the leader always remembered to the smallest detail all the issues that were discussed, he never allowed even the slightest deviation from the decisions made earlier. He knew everyone who led the Armed Forces and the economy, commanded divisions and managed factories by last name, first name and patronymic. Moreover, he kept in mind the data necessary for himself, which characterized them as individuals, knew almost everything about the state of affairs in the areas of work entrusted to them. Stalin had an analytical mind, which allowed him to focus on the most essential from a large amount of information, facts, and data. He presented his conclusions and thoughts briefly, clearly, in an accessible way, so that there could be no objections. He did not like too much verbosity and did not allow others to talk much.

Reproaching any of the foreign figures in his speech or during the discussion, Iosif Vissarionovich looked at him very expressively and attentively, without looking away for some time. And it should be noted that the object to which he turned his attention did not feel quite comfortable. Stalin's gaze pierced like arrows.

Great Avicenna

Born in Bukhara, he was both a grand vizier, and a criminal whose “crimes” were debunked by the state power, and an eternal wanderer.

Avicenna lived for almost 57 years, but for such short period proved himself in 29 branches of knowledge, and his medical conclusions cannot be overestimated. Yes, and it is believed that the very word "medicine" comes from the Latin-style "Madad Sina", which translates as "cure from Sin."

Avicenna did not officially study anywhere, but long before Louis Pasteur discovered pathogens, he concluded that “very small creatures” could cause fever. He also established the cause of most diseases - human feelings and nervousness, he was the first to draw attention to the contagiousness of infectious diseases, described the nature of meningitis, jaundice, stomach ulcers and many other diseases.

What is only worth the diagnostics developed by Ibn Sina on pulse beats. Once a famous merchant from Bukhara had a daughter who fell ill, and no one could help her. The father turned to Avicenna for salvation. The doctor, feeling for a pulse, began to call the streets of the city to the girl, and then asked her to list the names of those who lived on these streets. When the girl said one of the names, her pulse became quickened, and her face turned red. So the wise man learned that she was in love, but her father would never allow her to marry this man. This caused the fatal disease. The merchant was forced to bless his daughter, and Avicenna won fame and respect among people.

The letter that found its addressee after seven years

Yuri Gagarin, about to fly into space and not knowing how his expedition might end, wrote a letter to his wife Valentina, in which he said goodbye to her. Addressing his beloved and the mother of his children, the first cosmonaut said that technology can fail at any time. Therefore, no matter what happens, you need to live on, not lose heart, and most importantly - love, cherish and educate your daughters.

The letter found its recipient seven years later, when the plane on which Yuri Gagarin was flying fell and crashed.

The pilot met his future wife when he was a cadet at the Orenburg Pilot School at a dance. Valentina had luxurious floor-length hair. And she, a beauty, did not like the thin, short, with a large head, short-cropped and sticking hair young man at all. But Yuri was such a persistent gentleman that after a while the girl's heart melted. After graduating from college, they got married, and soon Valentina gave her husband two wonderful, desired daughters.

Saying goodbye to last letter with his wife, Gagarin also said that after his death, she has the right to arrange her life as she wants, and he, in turn, does not impose any obligations on her. But her beloved wife, having remained a widow at the age of thirty-two, did not marry again, sacredly preserving the memory of the man who first conquered space.

The great philosopher despised women

Confucius, one of China's greatest philosophers, married early. Over time, he kicked his wife out of the house so that she would not interfere with his studies. And in general, the philosopher considered women to be mundane people, incapable of comprehending heavenly wisdom. He said that ordinary woman endowed with the mind of a chicken, and extraordinary - of two such birds.

Such behavior and statements do not seem strange, because Confucius was not endowed with an attractive appearance from birth. Once, one queen, not endowed with chaste morality, having heard a lot of stories about the great wisdom of this man, unambiguously invited him to her place alone, without escort. The philosopher always walked surrounded by his students, but this time he decided to heed the requests of the royal person ... And so Confucius was taken to the chambers. While the queen was absent, the learned man began to examine the room. There was a rustle, and he turned to face the incoming crowned lady. At this time, she wanted to utter greetings, but she froze with her mouth open - she was so struck by the appearance of the sage. When the queen's first shock had passed, she looked contemptuously at Confucius and hurried away. But this did not surprise the great philosopher, because beauty walks apart with the mind.

The great tenor dreamed of becoming a football player

Luciano Pavarotti was born into a simple Italian family. The boy's father loved opera singing and bought a lot of records. In the evenings he listened to them with his son. Thus, Luciano became addicted to singing. But the parents did not support the young talent in this, as they believed that a man should master a serious craft.

Football was another passion of Pavarotti. Since childhood, he was the captain of the youth city football team and saw himself as a professional goalkeeper in the future. But on the advice of his mother, he becomes a school teacher, then works in an insurance agency. Nevertheless, over time, the craving for singing wins. An agreement was drawn up with his father that Luciano, until the age of thirty, could occupy a room in parental home and also eat here. Pavarotti promises his father that if after the expiration of this period he does not achieve anything as Opera singer, then will be forced to earn a living by any means.

It is only when he is nineteen that the great tenor learns that he has perfect pitch. Soon the first success came: in 1961 he won the competition for young performers. Before this responsible performance, the mother put a rusty nail from the evil eye to her son. From then until the end of his days, Luciano Pavarotti kept this talisman of his.

The great conqueror was a coward

The fact that Genghis Khan (real name Temuchen) was incredibly cruel towards his enemies is not a secret. His horde massacred all who resisted. The rest, of course, were taken prisoner. Then, if there was a need to storm fortresses or cities, these prisoners were put in front of the troops as human shields. It turns out that it was not for nothing that the Muslim peoples considered the Mongol the destroyer of their cultural heritage.

Despite all his cruelty, he himself was terribly afraid of dying. Feeling the advent of old age, Genghis Khan searched for the elixir of immortality, but did not find it. Still, he managed to extend his life. For every warrior lost in battle, the great conqueror mercilessly avenged. It seemed that his life was many times more important than the lives taken by this man.

Genghis Khan did not give rest to the inhabitants of the cities destroyed and burned by his horde. During the invasion of the Mongols, people tried to escape by hiding in the forests and mountains. After the departure of the troops, they returned back. The conqueror created a special detachment, the task of which was to return to the destroyed village and cut out all the survivors.

A distinctive feature of the attack of Genghis Khan was that he never led his horde into battle, but led it from afar. Mongol was such a coward.

Lomonosov knew how to stand up for himself

At a time when Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov was already an adjunct, his apartment was on Vasilyevsky Island. The great scientist made it a rule to take walks in the evenings. One autumn day, at the end of the day, he made a promenade along his usual route - from Bolshoy Prospekt to the bay. In those distant times, Bolshoy Prospekt, located on Vasilyevsky Island, was nothing more than a wide clearing cut through the forest. Lomonosov was returning back when night had already begun to descend over St. Petersburg. The surroundings were deserted. And then three robbers jumped out of the bushes.

Mikhail Vasilievich was endowed with extraordinary strength from birth, so he was not afraid, but began to fight back. One of the villains, not expecting resistance at all, rushed to his heels. The second Lomonosov managed to knock to the ground with a strong blow. The third, seeing such a situation, began to ask for forgiveness, swearing that they only wanted to take the clothes from a lonely passerby. Then the scientist decided to rob the robber: he ordered the villain to undress, tie his clothes in a knot and give them to him. Throwing the load on his shoulder, Mikhail Lomonosov himself delivered it home, and the next day he visited the Admiralty and reported there about the attack of the sailors-robbers.

Genius among us

Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman, who owns the discovery of the millennium, now lives in St. Petersburg. It is this mathematician who owns the solution of the Poincaré hypothesis, which they tried to prove for more than one hundred years. Moreover, Grigory Yakovlevich did not publish his research in scientific works, but simply posted it on the Internet.

For such a brilliant discovery, the Clay Institute awarded the brilliant scientist a prize of one million dollars. But Perelman refused it, explaining his act by the fact that he was not interested in money and that he had everything necessary for life.

Today, Grigory Yakovlevich leads a solitary life, practically not communicating with anyone.

Since childhood, he has been accustomed to training for his brain. AT school years Perelman took part in the Mathematical Olympiad in Budapest, where he won gold medal. He was helped in this by the ability to think abstractly.

Almost all his scientific life, the scientist worked on the issues of three-dimensional construction of the Universe. The scale of his discoveries at the present stage is ahead of the achievements that science has made to date. That is why the activities of Grigory Perelman became interested in the special services of many countries.

If a person is talented, then he is talented in everything

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev had diverse interests. In addition to his life's work - research in the field of chemistry - his circle of hobbies was very wide.

The famous discovery of the Periodic System at first brought him only ridicule, condemnation and accusations of plagiarism. True, with time came glory.

Whatever the great scientist undertook, everything turned out great for him. Yes, in free time Mendeleev liked to make suitcases. Dmitry Ivanovich bought the materials for their production in the same store, so that the sellers who sold the goods perceived a regular customer with a large beard and shoulder-length hair as a suitcase maker. As a joke, he even wanted to make a business card with the inscription “D. I. Mendeleev is a master of suitcases.”

The scientist was fond of meteorology. Already at an advanced age he flew in a balloon. His merit in metrology is the organization of the Chamber of Weights and Measures. He also proved himself in shipbuilding, taking part in the creation of the first icebreaker in Russia. Well, and finally, it was Mendeleev who managed to establish the most optimal ratio of water and alcohol in the production of vodka - this is sixty parts to forty.

She made herself

One of the wealthiest women in the world, TV presenter, popular actress, public figure, hosting her own show - all this is her, Oprah Winfrey. This woman came to the pinnacle of fame and success thanks to incredible hard work, the ability to communicate and, of course, great willpower.

After all, a girl was born in a very poor family. Her parents separated because her mother was not distinguished by chaste behavior. Oprah was barely nine years old when she was raped by a cousin on her mother's side, then by her own uncle. Since the mother very often brought her clients home, the daughter also provided intimate services, receiving money for this. Mother, most likely, knew about it, but turned a blind eye to everything.

When, at the age of fourteen, Oprah found out that she was pregnant, she wanted to take her own life. Caught in a hopeless situation, the girl, trying to get rid of an unwanted child, drank detergents. And this "helped": the child was born dead.

Returning to school after that, Winfrey completely immersed herself in public life: participates in all activities, heads the student council. And today, the TV presenter is convinced that if it had then become known that she was pregnant, her fate would have been completely different.

Sigmund Freud has Ukrainian roots

Sigmund Freud, a well-known psychologist, professor at the University of Vienna, founder of the method of psychoanalysis, has Ukrainian roots.

Jacob Freud - his father - was born in the city of Tysmenitsa, which is located in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. In that locality he lived for 25 years. Tismenitsa at that time was a multinational city: Poles, Jews, and Ukrainians got along well here. In this city he married and gave birth to Emmanuel and Philip, the elder brothers of the future professor. However, the Ukrainian roots of this surname are even deeper. Many generations of Freuds lived in the town of Buchach in the Ternopil region. Sigmund Freud's grandfather moved to Tismenitsa to continue his education and stayed here forever.

The mother of the famous psychoanalyst - nee Amalia Natanson - was born in the town of Brody, Lviv region. Then for some time she lived in Odessa, and after some time she left for Vienna, where she met her future husband. Her siblings remained in Odessa, with whom the family of Jacob Freud maintained family relations.

When Sigmund Freud was 27 years old, his father decided to establish his own business in Odessa and lived, doing business, in this city for some time. True, this activity did not bring much profit, and Jacob again returned to Austria.

worldwide famous artist was also an inventor

God endowed Salvador Dali not only with the talent of an artist. He also owns the inventions that were brought to life, although at first they seemed strange.

For those traveling by car, the ingenious artist came up with multispectral glasses in case the landscape becomes boring from the contemplated landscape.

To create good mood while walking and enjoying the process of walking, he created shoes with springs.

Salvador Dali did not deprive women of his attention in terms of inventions. For them, false nails with a small built-in mirror were invented so that at the right time you could look at yourself. Another gift is a dress with various anatomical overlays as accessories. They were designed by the artist, having previously carried out a series of accurate calculations that corresponded to the ideal. female beauty, born in the head of a man as an erotic imagination. One of the outlandish details of such a dress was additional breasts, which had to be fixed on the back. According to Dali, such an outfit was supposed to radically change fashion.

And for the paparazzi, the artist invented photomasks. They are especially relevant today, when many reporters are being called to court for interfering with privacy. And so - put on a photo mask with the face of a famous person - and look for the wind in the field.

Great Diva of Russia

When Alla Pugacheva was born, the doctors during the examination discovered she had a tumor on her throat. An operation was immediately performed to remove it. Perhaps that is why the singer had a special timbre of voice.

As a child, a red-haired girl with thin pigtails loved to play in the yard, but only with boys. Alla was thin, and she also wore glasses, as she had vision problems. After she gave birth to a daughter, Christina, she recovered. Many times I sat down on different diets, but this did not give the desired result.

Another hobby of Pugacheva is drawing. She has had this hobby since childhood. She painted several hundred paintings that she presented to close friends. In the future, the Primadonna plans to take on a pseudonym and in some place where she can retire, she will take up painting.

Once, Alla Borisovna, having opened up, admitted that none of the men could sleep next to her in bed. Turns out she snores a lot at night. She did a lot to cure this deficiency, but no procedures brought results.

The prima donna wants to look good, so she does plastic surgery from time to time. After one of them, held in Switzerland, she almost died due to an abscess that developed. A surgeon from Moscow barely saved the singer. As a sign of gratitude, Pugacheva presented him with a gift - an apartment.

These two young men met at Stanford while at university. At first, they often argued, and at times even cursed. And although both were absolute opposites, they soon became so friends that they could not take a step without each other.

After they created a system for searching information on the requested page at their native university, and the management was about to close it, Sergey and Larry had to think about how to save their offspring. The search for sponsors began, but many of the wealthy people did not understand at all what kind of system it was, and they did not want to invest money in the “doubtful” project.

But fate was kind to the young men and sent them Andy Bechtolstein. Not being able to listen for a long time to a story about what advantages the new search engine has, the businessman took out a checkbook. Brin and Paige, dumbfounded and surprised, took a check drawn up for $ 100,000 and did not immediately notice that it was issued to Google. Inc., not on Google. That's what they planned to call it. Googol is a one followed by a hundred zeros, which meant "an immeasurably large search engine."

To get this money, it was necessary to urgently found a company. Friends take academic leave and do what they love.

Hard road to glory

At the age of eight, Yuri Kuklachev, a famous cat trainer, saw Charlie Chaplin perform on TV. The boy really liked how the great actor moved, and he asked his parents to send him to a ballet school. For five years, Yura studied ballet, but when he graduated from school, he firmly decided to enter the circus school.

For seven years in a row, Kuklachev made an attempt to become a student at the school, but he was not accepted, explaining that his face was not suitable and his height was small.

Then he began performing in the national circus, and later even became the winner of the All-Union Festival. Somehow, the folk circus gave a performance in a building on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, and the director of the school was present in the hall. After Kuklachev's performance, he approached the artist and invited him to study at his institution.

Yuri started training cats later. He did not leave the thought of what to do to be different from famous clowns. While on tour in Cherkassy, ​​I came across a stray cat with intelligent eyes and took it for myself. In Moscow, I picked up another cat - Strelka, with which I put my first number. The success was unprecedented, because before him no one entered the arena with such a number. This was the feature that Yuri Kuklachev was looking for.

The youngest of the boxing brothers

In childhood, Wladimir Klitschko dreamed of becoming a doctor. At the end of the eighth grade, he even tried to enter the medical school at the paramedic department, but the attempt was unsuccessful. He was not accepted due to the fact that at the time of the entrance exams he had not yet reached the age of fourteen.

The elder brother Vitaly at that time was already seriously engaged in boxing, and he invited Vladimir to attend a training session and try his hand at sports. So, trying to be like Vitaly in everything, the younger brother ended up in the boxing section. And after six years of hard work in the gym during training, Vladimir wins the title of Olympic champion.

Almost no one knows that the meeting in the ring between the Klitschko brothers, so intriguing to everyone, is long in the past. Back in mid-1992, secretly from the coach, despite his prohibitions, the brothers decided to compete. The strongest and best could not be determined, since the round ended with an injury: Vladimir broke his leg for an unknown reason for both brothers. So that the parents would not worry once again, Vitaly and Vladimir did not say a word about the fight that took place. The coach, Vladimir Zolotarev, also helped them in this, who immediately took the brothers to the training camp in the Crimea.

Interesting stories from life famous of people .

the site believes that each of us can become a famous person, the main thing is to always believe in yourself and move forward. We have collected stories and facts from the life of famous people from all over the world.

Roman emperor Julius Caesar always wore a laurel wreath on his head to hide his progressive baldness.

In the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan died while having sex.

And the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Arthur Conan Doyle, was an ophthalmologist by profession.

The creator of Mickey Mouse, the famous Walt Disney?, was afraid of mice all his life.

The eminent Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh sold only one of his works during his lifetime, Red Vineyard at Arles.

And the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began composing music at the age of 3. For 35 years, Mozart created over 600 works. But after his death, his widow did not even have money for a separate place in the cemetery.

The theoretical physicist Albert Einstein did not speak a word until the age of 3, but at the age of 12 he understood Euclidean geometry.

German poet, statesman, thinker and naturalist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once tasted Franconian wine from Bavaria, and was so impressed that since then he demanded to send him 900 Franconian liters a year.

Many of Remarque's characters, like himself, prefer Normandy apple brandy - Calvados - from alcoholic drinks.

M the Macedonian king from the Argead dynasty, commander Alexander the Great? knew by sight 30,000 soldiers of his army.

On May 24, 2000, the Clay Institute of Mathematics (Cambridge, USA) offers a million dollars for solving each of the seven mathematical "millennium problems", including the Poincare conjecture formulated in 1904. On November 1, 2002, the Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman posted on the website of the mathematical archive the first of three articles, according to the results of which he will be recognized as a scientist who defeated one of the most difficult problems in topology. In March 2010, the Clay Institute awards Perelman a million dollar prize. On July 1, 2010, Perelman refuses the prize, as he had previously rejected the "mathematical Nobel Prize" - the Fields medal. The refusal is explained by ethical reasons: Perelman believes that he owes success to the mathematician Hamilton, on whose work he relied.

Literary success came to I. Goncharov only at the age of 40.

And the English physicist, mathematician, mechanic and astronomer Isaac Newton wrote a preface to his works when he was 72 years old.

The Sero-Russian Empress from 1762 to 1796 Catherine the Great (Catherine II) loved beer. It was for her that the British brewed especially strong beer - so that it would not spoil on the road. This type of beer is called "Russian stout". It is not pasteurized, but matures in barrels for 2 months, after which it is aged in bottles for a year.

The German historian Theodor Mommsen once rummaged through all his pockets to find glasses. A little girl sitting next to him handed them to him. "Thank you, little one," said Mommsen, "what's your name?" "Anna Mommsen, papa," the girl replied.

Tupak Shakur is an American rapper, film actor and social activist.
He entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most successful hip-hop artist, selling a total of more than 75 million copies of his albums.

The late Tupac Shakur is the first representative of the hip-hop world to be honored with a monument. A seven-foot bronze statue of a black American hero was unveiled on September 13, 2005 at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

One day, young Thomas Edison returned home from school and gave his mother a letter from his teacher.
Mom read the letter aloud to her son, with tears in her eyes: “Your son is a genius. This and the school is too small, and there are no teachers here to teach him anything. Please teach it yourself.”
Many years after the death of his mother (Edison was by then one of the greatest inventors of the century), he once revised the old family archives and came across this letter.
He opened it and read:
“Your son is mentally retarded. We can no longer teach it at school with everyone else. Therefore, we recommend that you learn it yourself at home.”
Edison sobbed for several hours. Then he wrote in his diary: “Thomas Alva Edison was a mentally retarded child.
Thanks to his heroic mother, he became one of the greatest geniuses of his age.”

Since the sculptor Lina Po, completely devoid of sight, she created more than a hundred wonderful works by touch.

In the 16th century, the influential 16th-century statesman and philosopher Francis Bacon died from stuffing gutted chicken with snow (it occurred to him that snow could be used instead of salt to preserve meat, and he tried to test his theory). As a result of the experiment, the chicken did not freeze, but Bacon himself froze.

King Solomon had about 700 wives in Israel, as well as hundreds of mistresses.

Justin Timberlake is afraid of spiders.

In 1972, a young Indian wrote to John Lennon that he had a dream to travel around the world, but no money, and asked him to send the necessary amount. Lennon replied: "Meditate and you will be able to see the whole world in your imagination." In 1995, an Indian, having sold Lennon's letter at auction, went on a trip around the world.

Einstein adored the films of Charlie Chaplin and had great sympathy for both him and his touching characters. One day he sent a telegram to Chaplin:
“Your film “Gold Rush” is understood by everyone in the world, and I am sure that you will become a great person. Einstein".
Chaplin replied:
“I admire you even more. Nobody in the world understands your theory of relativity, but you still became a great person.
Chaplin".

Charles Dickens always slept with his head to the north. He thought it would improve his writing ability.

The house where Jefferson wrote the US Declaration of Independence now sells hamburgers.

Marilyn Monroe's bra sold for $14,000 at auction.

During the reign of Elizabeth I, there was a tax on the beard of men.

The national flag of Italy was designed by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Tesla did not have his own house or apartment - only laboratories and land. The great inventor usually spent the night right in the laboratory or in hotels in New York. Tesla never married. According to him, a solitary lifestyle helped develop his scientific abilities.

The myth that Marilyn Monroe has six toes on her left foot arose from one shot. Photographer Joseph Jagura photographed a young Norma Jean in 1946 on Zuma Beach. In one photo, due to the accumulation of sand that stuck to her foot, it seems that the actress has six fingers.

The father of Russian aviation, Zhukovsky, once, after talking all evening with friends in his own living room, suddenly got up, looking for his hat, and began to hurriedly say goodbye, muttering: However, I stayed up with you, it's time to go home!

Briefly about famous people (part 1) updated: February 26, 2017 by: website

Facts fill our lives, they are everywhere! How more facts are revealed to us, the more educated and erudite we become. And this is also a fact! This article contains some interesting and amazing moments in the life of famous people that not many people know about.

Actor Woody Harrelson's father was a contract killer

At famous people often there are famous parents, but not all of them became famous thanks to good deeds. The father of Hollywood actor Woody Harrelson was the famous criminal Charles V. Harrelson, who was sentenced to 2 life sentence charged with the murder of federal judge Jonathan Wood.

Subsequently, the son often visited Charles in prison, and, according to his confession, he was a well-read and educated person. Woody even tried to challenge the court's decision, but he failed.
An interesting fact: Charles Harrelson for some reason claimed that he was involved in the Kennedy assassination, but later retracted his words. Conspiracy theorists still consider Charles Harrelson one of the suspicious vagrants found near the murder site, but this is nothing more than speculation.

Duchess Margherita Maultash was not at all "the ugliest woman in the world"

According to popular belief, the 14th-century Countess of Tyrol and Duchess of Bavaria Margaret Maultasch (Margarete Maultasch) is considered "the ugliest woman in history." As a “proof” of this statement, the portrait that you now see in front of you, and the very nickname of Margarita, often acts. It is only one letter different from the German word Maultasche - "dumpling", or literally "purse mouth".
However, some researchers believe that the word "maultash" did not mean the duchess's ugly appearance, but came from the name of her castle in South Tyrol. As for the portrait, it was painted by the Flemish painter Quentin Masseys in the 16th century and is a caricature.
If we look at other images of Margarita, including the one in her lifetime on her personal seal, then we will see, if not a written beauty, but quite an attractive woman with a good figure.

So where did the myth of "the ugliest woman in history" come from? The fact is that Margarita dared to impudence, unheard of at that time: she kicked out her disgusted husband, whom she was married to at the age of 11, and became the wife of her beloved.

Margarita Maultash simply did not let her first husband Johann Heinrich (he is on the left) go home to the castle when he returned from hunting. Apparently, the husband did not enjoy great love not only from his wife, but also from the citizens of Tyrol, since they all refused him shelter.
Annoyed, Johann found support from the Patriarch of Aquileia, as a result of which Margarita and her new husband Ludwig of Bavaria (he is on the right in the picture) were excommunicated for a long time, and ridiculous rumors spread about the duchess.

Marie Antoinette ordered to build a village for herself in which she could lead the life of a "commoner"

The brilliant atmosphere of Versailles and the need to observe court etiquette had a depressing effect on the queen, so as an outlet she ordered to build for herself a tiny village near the Petit Trianon Palace with a mill, a farm, a dovecote, a pond and a cottage, which was much more comfortable than the palace chambers. All this reminded Marie Antoinette of her childhood, which was spent in the gardens of the Vienna Palace, where she played with relatives, governesses and dogs.

In her private village, the Queen dressed up as a regular shepherd or milkmaid and walked with her children and closest friends, and it seems that it was there that she was truly happy. After the French Revolution, the village of Marie Antoinette was abandoned, but it has now been restored and is open to the public.

Abraham Lincoln gave a speech so impressive that none of the journalists could record it

On May 29, 1856, in Bloomington, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that is traditionally considered lost, since all the reporters present at this event were literally mesmerized by the words of the future president (Lincoln became one in 1861) and simply forgot to write down from it at least one word. We have no doubt about the oratorical talent of "Uncle Abe", but, you see, it still sounds implausible.

There is another version, according to which the text was deliberately lost, since Lincoln's speech was filled with a passionate condemnation of slavery, for the abolition of which, alas, not everyone advocated at that time. Nonetheless " lost speech"made a huge impression on the listeners, and in honor of this event a memorial plaque was subsequently installed, which still exists today.

Queen Victoria's best friend was groom John Brown

The British Queen Victoria is a rare exception among monarchs (at least in the old days) for the reason that she married for love and continued to adore her husband Prince Albert all her life. Do I need to explain that early death Was it a hard blow for her?
And who knows how she would have survived this event, if not for the support of the Queen's best friend. It was the Scottish groom John Brown (John Brown), who, like his relatives, faithfully served the Queen in Balmoral Castle. Walking and talking with John helped Victoria recover from the loss, although she never removed the mourning for Albert until the end of her life.
Of course, evil tongues immediately ridiculed the relationship, which, according to Queen Victoria herself, was warm and loving friendship(so warm and loving friendship). There were scathing cartoons like the one you see now, and the Queen began to be called "Mrs Brown" behind her back.

Be that as it may, Victoria was strongly attached to John Brown and highly appreciated him, because after his death she ordered a statue to be erected in his honor, which was done. It is believed that before her death, the queen bequeathed to bury her along with a portrait of her beloved husband Albert in one hand and a portrait of John's best friend in the other.
The story of Victoria and John Brown was filmed in 1997, and 10 years later another film called Victoria and Abdul was released. It tells about the relationship of the queen with another "favorite", whose name was Abdul Karim.
As expected, this friendship was also condemned, although it is known for certain that the queen signed her letters to the young handsome man only as “your loving mother”.

Composer Arnold Schoenberg was so afraid of the number 13 that he called it "12a". He died on July 13, 13 minutes before midnight.

The founder of the new Viennese school, composer Arnold Schoenberg (pictured with his wife Gertrude and daughter Nuria) had a rare phobia - fear of the number 13, or triskaidekaphobia. Schoenberg was born on the 13th and throughout his life considered this figure a bad omen.
As we have already mentioned, the composer renamed 13 to 12a, and the same fate affected his last opera, which Schoenberg called "Moses and Aron" ("Moses und Aron") instead of "Moses and Aaron" ("Moses und Aaron") only for so that the number of letters in the name is not 13.
And yet the last day of the life of Arnold Schoenberg was precisely the fateful number. On July 13, 1951, he lay in bed all day, feeling that death was approaching. The wife tried to persuade the composer to "stop these stupid things" and get up, but he refused, and at 11:47 pm he actually died, having uttered the word "harmony" before that.

Winston Churchill loved animals, and one of his pets was a lion

The British Prime Minister was a big animal lover. AT different time Churchill had the cats Nelson and Jock, the poodle Rufus, the bulldog Dodo, as well as cows, pigs, fish, butterflies, swans and other pets.
But, perhaps, the most unusual of the pets was a lion named Rota, who was presented to the prime minister as a gift as a kitten, and after a while, he prudently assigned the growing king of beasts to the London Zoo. Rota grew up and became the father of 4 cubs, and Churchill visited him at the zoo and fed him meat with his own hands.

Pablo Escobar was photographed in front of the White House in the USA

Drug lord Escobar wasn't always on the run. In 1981, he quite legally visited the United States and even took pictures with his son Juan Pablo in front of the White House in Washington. This photo was taken by Pablo's wife Maria Victoria and was first shown in the film Sins of My Father, based on the book by Juan Pablo Escobar, who legally changed his name to Sebastian Marroquin and now lives in Argentina.

Steve Jobs rarely showered because he believed his diet suppressed bodily odors. He was wrong

Every person has their own oddities, and great people are no exception. According to colleagues who worked with Steve Jobs at Atari, he believed that his plant-based diet prevented the smell of sweat, and therefore it was no longer necessary to take a shower every day. But Jobs was wrong. And so much so that in the company he was quickly transferred to the night shift, where there was especially no one to complain about the unpleasant smell.

Princess Diana stopped wearing Chanel after her divorce from Prince Charles for a very personal reason

According to designer Jayson Brunsdon, after her divorce from Charles, Lady Di refused to wear shoes and, possibly, other things from Chanel, due to the fact that the logo of this brand reminded Diana of her unfaithful husband and rival Camilla Parker Bowles (you see her in the photo next to Diana).

The letters on the CC logo - the initials of Coco Chanel (Coco Chanel) - turned for Diana into "Charles and Camilla" (Camilla & Charles). It is not known whether she subsequently changed her mind, but Bransdon assures that Lady Di had nothing against the brand itself, she simply could not see these ill-fated letters CC.

measure of time
The ancient Greek playwright Sophocles once said in a conversation that three poems he wrote cost him three days of hard work.
- Three days! - exclaimed a mediocre poet. - Yes, I would have written a hundred at that time.
“Yes,” answered Sophocles, “but they would only exist for three days.
Critic
The tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius, sent Philoxenus, who criticized his poems, to work at the quarry. After some time, he again demanded him to the palace, so that he listened and appreciated his new poems.
Philoxenus listened attentively, then silently got up and walked towards the door.
- Where are you going? asked the tyrant.
“Sir, I am returning to the quarry,” he answered.
Tyrant's Cunning
Someone reproached Dionysius for entrusting an important position to a man despised by all citizens in Syracuse.
Dionysius replied:
“I wish there was someone in Syracuse who would be more cursed than me.
Do not joke with students
Alexander the Great learned to play the cithara in his early youth. Once the teacher told him to hit one string, as required by the melody of the song, and Alexander, pointing to another, said:
- What will change if I hit this one?
“Nothing,” the teacher replied, “for someone who is preparing to rule the kingdom, but a lot for someone who wants to play skillfully.”
He seemed to be afraid of Lin's fate. After all, Lin taught the boy Hercules to play the cithara, and when he got down to business awkwardly, he got angry. In response, an irritated Hercules hit the teacher with a plectrum and killed him.
Walking speed
A passer-by asked the philosopher Socrates:
- How many hours drive to the city?
Socrates replied:
- Go...
The traveler went, and when he had walked twenty paces, Socrates called out:
- Two hours!
Why didn't you tell me right away? - he was indignant.
- And how did I know how fast you would go!
Socratic calm
Few people endure patiently when people talk badly about them in absentia. Socrates, the great Athenian philosopher, listened with the greatest indifference to being reviled behind the eyes.
“If they beat me in absentia,” the philosopher always said, “then I won’t say a word either.”
Practicality and mathematics
Once the teacher of the great Greek mathematician Euclidis asked:
- What would you prefer: two whole apples or four half ones?
- Of course, four half.
- And why? - Asked the teacher. - After all, it's the same thing.
- And not the same at all, - answered the future mathematician, - choosing two whole apples, how can I find out if they are wormy or not?
Monument to Cato
Cato the Elder was approached by one of his ardent supporters and said:
- It's outrageous that a monument to you has not yet been erected in Rome! This should be done.
- Leave it, - Cato answered him. - I prefer people to say: "Why doesn't Cato have a monument?" Than they will ask: "Why did they put a monument to Cato?"
Modesty makes a man
The Central Asian philosopher Abu Nasr Muhammad al-Farabi, a great scientist of his time, used world famous, but he was a very modest person and never showed his "I".
When once asked who is great, he or Aristotle, Farabi modestly replied:
- If I lived in the time of Aristotle, I would be only one of his students.
The opening of the pendulum
It was 1583. There was a service in the Pisa Cathedral. Everyone prayed hard. One young Italian, a student at a local university, did not seem to see or hear what was happening around him. His attention was riveted on the church chandeliers, swaying slightly on long chains. Taking your left hand wrist, he began to count the beats of the pulse, watching the swing of the chandeliers. “But in this way you can measure time,” he thought. This young man was the future great scientist Galileo Galilei. So in 1583 the pendulum was discovered.
Rabelais' resourcefulness
One day, the great French satirist Francois Rabelais found himself in financial difficulty and had nothing to pay for his journey from Lyon to Paris. But it was not in Rabelais's nature to lose heart and "wait for the weather by the sea." He poured granulated sugar into three paper bags, wrote on them: "Poison for the King", "Poison for the Queen", "Poison for the Dauphin" - and put them in a conspicuous place.
The hotel maid, cleaning the room, read the inscriptions and ran to the owner. He called the guards. Rabelais was captured and sent under escort to Paris. Appearing before the prosecutor, he hurried to confess his trick and, before the guardian of the law had time to come to his senses, he swallowed the "poison".
Lord, forgive me!
The first classic of opera, the famous Claudio Monteverdi, after being expelled from Mantua, arrived in Venice and led the chapel of St. Mark's Cathedral there.
Composing divine music, Monteverdi did not forget about secular music. He created opera after opera for non-resident customers. Naturally, the influence of such music also affected his church compositions. Cheerful visitors to the cathedral liked it. And it was no less liked by the crafty clergy from other churches in Venice, who acted on the principle: borrow secular music and select a pious text for it. Such tricks could not go unnoticed for a long time.
One day, accidentally falling into a service in another cathedral, Monteverdi, hearing music familiar to him, exclaimed in amazement:
- Lord, forgive me! I didn't write this music for you!
Almost Louis
A native of Italy, the famous composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, after a long struggle with his enemies and envious people, took such a high position at the French court that he achieved the royal privilege to impose a fine on those who, without his permission, allowed themselves to compose music for the court.
With good reason, the Italian Lully could say about himself: "French music is me!"
And yet the earth is spinning
The great Italian physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei is told about the firmness in his convictions.
The seventy-year-old scientist appeared before the Inquisition and, in the clothes of a penitent sinner, on his knees uttered the words that he did not believe in the movement of the Earth. But, getting up, he exclaimed: "And yet she is spinning!"
Arithmetic with one unit
Intending to show people that binary calculus is not fun, but a method with a great future, the famous German mathematician G. Leibniz made a special medal. It depicts a table of the simplest operations on numbers in the binary system and the phrase is minted: "To bring everything out of insignificance, one is enough."
Atheistic book by a crazy author
Once A. I. Herzen called Peter I "a crowned revolutionary." And the fact that it really was so, that Peter was a mental giant, towering over the majority of his even enlightened compatriots, is evidenced by the most curious history of the publication in Russian of Kosmoteoros, a treatise in which the famous contemporary of Newton, the Dutchman H. Huygens, elaborated and developed the Copernican system.
Peter I, quickly realizing the falsity of geocentric ideas, was a convinced Copernican and in 1717, while in Paris, he bought himself a moving model of the Copernican system. Then he ordered the translation into Russian and the publication of 1200 copies of Huygens' treatise, published in The Hague in 1688. But the order of the king was not carried out ...
The director of the St. Petersburg printing house M. Avramov, having read the translation, was horrified: the book, according to him, was saturated with "satanic cunning" and "devilish machinations" of the Copernican doctrine.
"Having trembled in heart and horrified in spirit," the director decided to violate the king's direct order. But since the jokes with Peter were bad, Avramov, at his own peril and risk, only dared to reduce the circulation of "the atheistic book of an extravagant author." Instead of 1200 copies, only 30 were printed only for Peter himself and his closest associates. But this trick, apparently, did not hide from the king: in 1724, "The Book of the Universe, or Opinion on the Heavenly-Earthly Globes and Their Decorations" came out again.
inquisitive king
On one of the warm May days in 1698, a yacht stopped on a large canal near the city of Delft, in Holland. An elderly but very vigorous man boarded her. A man was walking towards him on the deck. gigantic growth surrounded by retinue. In broken Dutch, the giant greeted the guest who bowed in respect. This is how the Russian Tsar Peter I met the Dutch naturalist Anthony van Leeuwenhoek, the founder of microbiology, from Delft.
Sailing past, the inquisitive Russian tsar could not help but stop his yacht near Delft, where the biologist Leeuwenhoek, who had already become famous all over the world, lived. The king listened with great interest to the explanations of the scientist about the invisible world of living beings.
Death prevented the presentation of the award
Remember the lines of Pushkin's "Poltava": "...Where is Mazepa? Where is the villain? Where did Judas flee in fear?" The comparison of Mazepa with Judas, who was paid thirty pieces of silver for the betrayal, has a special meaning from the point of view of numismatics.
Having learned about the betrayal of Mazepa, Peter I decided to "pay" the traitor with a kind of coin. This coin was specially made - weighing about 4 kg and with the appropriate inscription. According to Peter's plan, the notorious hetman, as a sign of his betrayal, had to wear a giant coin around his neck until the end of his life. Only the death of Mazepa prevented the tsar from carrying out this plan.
Drinking medal
Great Peter did not respect overly passionate drink lovers. According to his decree, drunkards who ended up in prison were hung around their necks with a cast-iron medal weighing 17 pounds (about 7 kg) with the inscription "For drunkenness."
Philosopher and God
French writer and the philosopher Voltaire was asked what relationship he has with God, whether he shows disrespect for God. He answered with dignity:
- Unfortunately, many have long noticed the opposite. I have been bowing to God for many years, but he has never answered me even one of my most polite bows.
Caution
When Voltaire was asked if he would undertake to write the history of his king, he sharply replied:
- Never! This would be the surest way to lose the royal pension.
Spectacular sharpness
One scientist, wishing to see Voltaire, went specially to Ferne, where he was very affectionately received by the writer's niece, Madame Denis. However, Voltaire himself did not appear. Before leaving, the guest wrote to the host: "I considered you a god and now I am finally convinced that I am right, since it is impossible to see you."
Voltaire liked this joke so much that he ran after its author and kissed him.
Like chestnuts
Voltaire's books, which denounced churchmen, were subjected to censorship. The censors sentenced one of the books to be burned. Voltaire commented on this:
- All the better! My books are like chestnuts: the more they are roasted, the more they are bought.
Friend of Voltaire
Voltaire had a doctor friend with whom he willingly spent evenings when he was healthy. But as soon as he fell ill, he immediately wrote a note to the doctor: "Dear doctor! Please, do not come today: I am ill."
Voltaire's review
One young playwright asked Voltaire to listen to his new play. After reading his work to him, he looked forward to Voltaire's opinion.
- That's what, young man, - said Voltaire after a long pause. - You can write such things when you become old and famous. Until then, you need to write something better.
Mystery of Philosophy
One priest annoyed the French educator Jean-Jacques Rousseau with his importunity. He wanted to know what was the secret of philosophical wisdom.
“Although you will know the secret, it will still not give you anything,” Rousseau told him. “It is even harmful to you, holy fathers. The whole secret is that I always say what I think. And you always lie.
oracle error
A young man came to the old Viennese bandmaster and, holding out an envelope with a letter of recommendation from his first music teacher, shyly asked to teach him counterpoint.
Having opened the envelope, the bandmaster read: "The giver of this is an empty dreamer who is obsessed with the fact that he can make a revolution in music. He has no talent at all, and, of course, he will not compose anything decent in his whole life. His name is Joseph Haydn" .
bull minuet
The great Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, to his considerable surprise, once saw a guest in his house - a butcher, who turned out to be a lover and connoisseur of his works.
- Maestro, - the butcher respectfully took off his hat, - the other day is my daughter's wedding. Write me a beautiful new minuet. To whom should I turn with such an important request, if not to the illustrious Haydn?
A day later, the butcher received the composer's precious gift, and a few days later decided to thank him. Haydn heard deafening sounds, in which he hardly recognized the melody of his minuet. Going to the window, he saw on his porch a magnificent bull with gilded horns, a happy butcher with his daughter and son-in-law, and a whole orchestra of itinerant musicians. The butcher took a step forward and said with feeling:
- Sir, I think that the best expression of gratitude for a fine minuet on the part of the butcher can only be the best of his bulls.
Since then, this Haydn minuet in C major has been called the Bull Minuet.
witty revenge
Once Haydn conducted an orchestra in London. He knew that many English people sometimes go to concerts not so much for the pleasure of listening to music, but for tradition. Some London concert hall patrons have developed the habit of falling asleep in their comfortable chairs during performances. Haydn had to make sure that no exception was made for him. This circumstance greatly annoyed the composer, and he decided to take revenge on the indifferent listeners.
Revenge was smart. Especially for the Londoners, Haydn wrote a new symphony.
At the most critical moment, when part of the audience began to nod off, there was a thunderous beat of a bass drum. And every time, as soon as the listeners calmed down and settled down to sleep again, a drumbeat was heard.
Since then, this symphony has been called "Symphony with timpani beats", or "Surprise".
Eye gauge
When they asked Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov what an eye was, great commander answered:
- Eyeball - this means you need to climb a tree, survey the enemy camp and immediately congratulate yourself on the victory.
So he did under Rymnik.
Who cares
The wife of one officer once complained to A.V. Suvorov about her husband:
“Your Grace, he treats me badly.
“That doesn’t concern me,” the general replied.
- But he scolds you behind your back...
“That, mother, is none of your concern.
Townships
- Alexander Vasilievich, - Suvorov was asked, - how do you assess the game of gorodki?
- The game of towns develops an eye, speed and onslaught, - the commander answered. - I rush about with a bat - this is an eye. I beat with a bat - this is speed. I beat with a bat - this is an onslaught.
I see but I don't believe
Confillaci, a student of the famous Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, reported that with the help of a voltaic column he discovered the presence of chlorine and sodium in water.
Humboldt and Gay-Lussac, who were in Italy, asked Volta if this was really so.
- I saw the experience, - Volta told them, - but I don't believe it!
Grateful subject
Archduchess Marie Antoinette took little Mozart, the future composer, around the Vienna Palace. The boy slipped on the parquet floor and fell. The Archduchess hastened to pick it up.
- You are very kind, - the young musician told her, - I will marry you.
Marie Antoinette passed Mozart's words to her mother.
- Why do you want to marry her highness? the Empress asked.
“Out of gratitude,” Mozart replied.
Immediacy
Once a noble Salzburg dignitary decided to talk with the young Mozart, who by that time had already gained world fame. How to address the boy - that's what embarrassed the nobleman. To say “you” to Mozart is inconvenient, his fame is too great, to say “you” is too much honor for the boy ... But here is a way out:
- We were in France and England? Have we had great success? asked the dignitary.
- But I don't think I've ever met you anywhere except Salzburg! the ingenuous Wolfgang interrupted him.
How to do it
One young man asked Mozart how to write symphonies.
- You are still very young, - answered Mozart, - why don't you start with ballads?
- But you composed a symphony when you were only nine years old...
- That's right, - Mozart agreed, - but I didn't ask anyone how to do it.
Envious people are not an ally
Haydn had many envious people among mediocre composers. One of them decided to recruit ... Mozart as an ally. He invited the great composer to a concert in which the Haydn quartet was performed, and during the performance he said indignantly to Mozart.
- I would never write like that.
- Me too, - Mozart answered briskly, - and do you know why? Neither you nor I would have thought of these lovely melodies.

Famous people seem almost perfect to everyone else, it seems that they immediately became famous, or that they cannot get into funny and ridiculous situations. But, in fact, they are the same people as everyone else. Not everyone immediately understood what exactly they were talented in, and recognition did not immediately come to some. Reading interesting stories from, you begin to treat them not only as special individuals, but also as people who can make mistakes, get into ridiculous situations and achieve their goals.

Jules Verne

This is not just a writer of adventure novels, but also one of those authors who could foresee some things. Jules Verne also belonged to this category, and his works were favorite books not only for children, but also for adults. They contained not only inventions that were fantastic for that time, but also colorful descriptions of nature and the depths of the sea. And the life of Jules Verne was as bright and a little mysterious as his novels.

1. Back in 1839, the boy, who was only 11 years old, went to the port of Nantes, where the schooner Coralie was located. It was on her that this boy went as a cabin boy. This ship was supposed to go to the fabulous and mysterious India, where he so dreamed of getting. But he was noticed in time and landed on the shore. Many years later, as an adult, he told others that his vocation was in the maritime business. And he regretted that he could not become a sailor then. This boy was Jules Verne.
2. People often said that his novels described technologies that would be invented in the future. One of these stories is connected with the legend of the writer's family. Allegedly in 1863, the writer completed work on the novel "Paris in the 20th century." He returned from the publishing house puzzled: the publisher refused to print the manuscript because it was too fantastic! And unexpectedly, in 1989, Vern's great-grandson discovered the very novel and the inventions that were described in the book actually existed.
3. Jules Verne is one of those writers who popularized science in society, thanks to his writing talent. Therefore, for many designers and engineers of spacecraft, as well as cosmonauts and astronauts, his books have become desktop. His talent and faith in science was rewarded: a large crater on the far side of the Moon was named after him.

The famous Russian writer, whose talent was most clearly revealed in dramaturgy, managed to completely change the idea of ​​​​what a play should be. In his works, Anton Pavlovich knew how to very accurately select expressions that would describe all the weaknesses of human nature. At the same time, the writer himself was philanthropic and throughout his life urged everyone to "take care of the person in themselves." Chekhov did not like to write about himself, but notebooks The writer, his letters, the memories of people who had a chance to communicate with him, allow you to get acquainted with interesting facts from the life of Anton Pavlovich.

1. There was always a place for medicine in Chekhov's life. After all, initially he saw his calling to be a doctor, and writing stories, plays and playful notes for him was just a way to earn extra money. Among the teachers at the medical faculty, where the writer studied, was the famous Nikolai Sklifosovsky. Later, Anton Pavlovich began to work as a doctor.

After some time, there was a change of priorities, and in January 1886, a sign was removed from his door, which said that the doctor was taking there. The point was not only that Anton Pavlovich began to seriously engage in writing, but in his practice there was a difficult case: two of his patients died of typhus. During his famous trip to Sakhalin, Chekhov wrote that he was already ready to leave medicine.

But, in fact, he always continued to be a doctor. Anton Pavlovich attended various medical congresses to keep abreast of the latest news in this area. In his estate in Melikhovo, he continued to provide medical assistance to all those in need, treated the sick in Yalta. Even being already seriously ill, Anton Pavlovich was ready to go to Far East not as a writer, but as a doctor.

2. It was Chekhov who "gave" Sakhalin to Russia. In 1890, the playwright made the most difficult expedition to Sakhalin, which was a place of exile for prisoners and convicts. One newspaper wrote about this trip as a significant event. Anton Pavlovich approached the journey responsibly: he studied history Russian prison, all kinds of records about the island, the works of historians, geographers and ethnographers about Sakhalin.

When Chekhov went to Sakhalin, then this place was not fully studied, uninteresting to anyone, there was not even accurate data on the population. The trip lasted three months, during which the writer made a population census, studied the life of convicts. It was thanks to Anton Pavlovich that Russian and foreign researchers became interested in the island.

3. Chekhov did charity work that was not limited to one medical care. He raised funds for the needy, built schools, opened public libraries, in which he gave away his many books, which were of museum value. Well, of course, he helped all the sick and even arranged for those who had little money to go to the sanatorium. All his life he followed his testament: "Take care of the person in you!".

An outstanding scientist who laid the foundations of chemistry, the creator of the periodic table, a professor - the life of such a talented person as Dmitri Mendeleev was just as interesting. There was a place in it for very entertaining facts that open the scientist from the other side.

1. The most important well-known fact of the biography of a scientist is the famous dream in which he had a periodic table chemical elements. No matter how she gave a certain aura of mystery to the personality of Mendeleev, but this is not so. Dmitry Ivanovich created this table through much research and thought.

The periodic law was discovered in 1869. On February 17, the scientist made a sketch of a table on the back of a letter, in which it was written about a request to come and help the production. Later, on separate cards, Mendeleev wrote the names of all the chemical elements known at that time, as well as the atomic weight, and arranged them in order. Therefore, the trip was postponed, and Dmitry Ivanovich himself plunged into work, as a result of which the periodic table of chemical elements was obtained. And in 1870, the scientist managed to calculate atomic mass those elements that have not yet been studied, because of which there were "empty" places in his table, later filled with new elements.

2. Despite his numerous scientific works and important discoveries, Dmitry Ivanovich never received Nobel Prize. Although he was repeatedly nominated for it, each time it was awarded to a different doctor. In 1905, Mendeleev was among the candidates, but a German chemist became the laureate. In 1906, it was decided to award the prize to Dmitry Ivanovich, but then the Royal Swedish Academy changed its mind and presented the award to the French scientist.

In 1907, a proposal was made to share the prize between the Italian scientist and Mendeleev. But on February 2, 1907, the 72-year-old outstanding scientist passed away. A possible reason why Dmitry Ivanovich did not become a laureate is the conflict between him and the Nobel brothers. It occurred on the basis of disagreements over the introduction of an oil tax, thanks to which the brothers were able to get rich and control some of the Russian stocks.

The Swedes started a rumor about the depletion of the oil field. A special commission was created, among whose members was Mendeleev. He was opposed to the introduction of a tax, and refuted the rumor started by the Nobel brothers, which became the cause of the conflict between the Nobels and the scientist.

3. Despite the fact that for the majority Mendeleev's name is associated with chemistry, in fact, the works devoted to chemistry accounted for only 10% of the total number of scientific studies. Dmitry Ivanovich was also interested in shipbuilding and participated in the development of navigation in the Arctic waters. And he devoted about 40 works to this area.

Mendeleev took an active part in the construction of the first Arctic icebreaker "Ermak", which was launched on October 29, 1898. For his active participation in the study of the development of the Arctic, a ridge was named after him, which is located under water in the Northern Ledovite, discovered in 1949 .

The facts written above are only a small part of the cases that happened to these prominent people. But these stories show that famous personalities did not always immediately determine their vocation, they tried to set an example for other people and follow their principles. Therefore, interesting stories from the lives of great people can inspire humanity to do something important for the development of science or to contribute to the arts or simply to help other people.