Category: Biography

In this blog post, read the biography of Helen Keller, a deaf and blind woman who overcame her disabilities and became an American political activist, author, and lecturer.

Helen Keller

Unlike many other deaf and blind people, Helen Heller was not born deaf and blind. She was born a healthy child. However, when she was almost 19 months old, she contracted an illness that left her deaf and blind. This devastated her world as it took away her ability to understand the things happening around her. Despite her disabilities, she accomplished several feats that made her famous throughout the world. When she was 23 years old, she published her first book. At the age of 24, she became a graduate, a feat not achieved by any other deaf-blind person before. At the age of 33, she became a lecturer for the American Foundation for the Blind.

The biography of Helen Keller – By Unknown author – This image is available from the United States Library of Congress‘s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3c12513. Public Domain, Link

She traveled the world and worked for the cause of women’s rights, labor rights, and anti-militarism. How can a woman who couldn’t even see or hear become one of the best humanitarians of the twentieth century? Read the biography of Helen Keller to find out how she overcame her disabilities. Get a glimpse into her tragic yet profound story.

Childhood

Birth

Helen Keller was born in 1880 in Alabama to Arthur Henry Keller and Catherine Everett Keller. Her father was a newspaper editor and a captain in the Confederate Army. Her mother was the daughter of a general in the Confederate Army. Helen Keller had two siblings and two half-siblings from her father’s earlier marriage. Contrary to most cases, Helen was not born blind and deaf. She was healthy when she was born.

Mysterious illness

When she was 19 months old, Helen Keller contracted a mysterious illness, which left her deaf and blind. It was described by doctors as an acute congestion of the brain and stomach. Reports later suggested that the disease could have been meningitis or scarlet fever.  This illness left Helen completely devastated. She had no idea of what was going on around her as nobody knew how to communicate with her. With age, Helen learned a few signs that helped her convey her needs to her family. When she was seven years old, she could even identify people using the vibration from their footsteps.

The unruly kid

Her parents showed extra care for her because of her disability. Since she was a kid, she used this to her advantage and got whatever she wanted by throwing temper tantrums. She dominated the entire household and terrorized the servants.But her parents did not do anything against it because they did not know how to communicate with her. So, they gave in to her tantrums, instead of teaching her to behave properly.

A picture of Helen Keller with her dog, 1887

Inability to form sentences

Sentences are the basic building blocks of languages. But sentences themselves are made up of different words like nouns, verbs, prepositions, etc. So, we can say that learning a language without learning its words is impossible. However, Helen did not know about the existence of words. So, she did not know that everything around her has a name, and she can refer to an object using its name. For example, she can touch a table and know that it is there. But she didn’t know that a table can be called a table. Since she did not know the existence of words, she couldn’t form sentences either. So, she couldn’t form proper thoughts inside her brain since most of our thoughts are in the form of sentences. This could have, in turn, frustrated her and made her unruly and wild.

One book that changed everything

When she was six years old, her mother was reading American notes, written by Charles Dickens. It contained his findings during his six-month trip to North America. In it, Charles Dickens had written about a deaf-blind girl called Laura Bridgman born fifty years before Helen Keller. Like Helen, she had also lost her ability to see and hear when she was two years old. Charles Dickens mentioned that she was successfully educated in the English language.

Reading this, Helen’s mother became hopeful. She immediately sent Helen and her father to visit an ear, nose, and Throat specialist. He referred Helen to Alexander Graham Bell, who, in turn, referred her to the Perkins Institute for the Blind. This is the same institute where Laura Bridgman had studied. 

The Perkins Institute for the Blind sent an old student called Anne Sullivan to teach Helen Keller. 

Her mentor

Like Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan had vision problems. When she was five years old, she had contracted an eye disease that left her mostly blind. After joining The Perkins institute for the blind, she underwent eye surgeries that significantly improved her vision. She learned sign language, which is used to communicate with deaf people, from Laura Bridgman and graduated when she was 20 years old. Soon after graduating, she was sent to teach Helen. The first word that Anne taught Helen was ‘doll.’ She gave a doll to Helen, which she took gladly. Then she spelled the letters ‘d,’ ‘o,’ ‘l,’ ‘l’ on Helen’s other hand. Helen learned the letters quickly and imitated Anne’s actions to spell the same word. This indicated to Anne that Helen was intelligent and can be taught.

Meeting her mentor

When Anne Sullivan first met Helen Keller, she was an unruly kid. She ran around the house breaking things and eating from others’ plates. Anne was astonished that none of Helen’s family members did anything to stop her behavior or teach her to behave properly. Anne noticed that her family’s sympathy only encouraged Helen to continue being unruly. She understood that she must discipline Helen without using force.Anne felt that the first step to teaching Helen was to teach her how to behave properly. So, with the permission of Helen’s family, Anne took custody of Helen for two weeks. During these two weeks, Anne was the only person Helen could depend on. Therefore, Helen couldn’t run to her parents when Anne tried to discipline her. During these two weeks, Helen learned to behave properly. In addition to that, Helen learned several words from Anne. She could spell them out on Anne’s hands. But she was just imitating what Anne was doing, just like a monkey. She thought it was a game. She did not understand that each of these words had meaning and referred to an object. Anne did not know how to make Helen understand that each of these was a word and had a purpose.

A picture of Helen and Anne in 1888 – By Family member of Thaxter P. Spencer, now part of the R.Stanton Avery Special Collections, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. See Press Release [1] for more information. – New England Historic Genealogical Society, Public Domain, Link

The breakthrough

In her frustration, Anne took Helen to a water pump. She put one hand of Helen under flowing water, and on the other hand, she spelled out the letters ‘w,’ ‘a,’ ‘t,’ ‘e,’ ‘r.’ It was only then that Helen had the revelation that this flowing substance had a name, called water. 

Helen later remembered the event as:

I knew then that ‘w-a-t-e-r’ meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free.

Helen bent down immediately, touched the earth, and demanded its name. Soon, she learned other words, and by the end of the day, knew 30 words and their meanings. Helen later described this meeting as ‘Her soul’s birthday.’ This signaled the beginning of a 49-year relationship between Anne and Helen. 

This interaction between Anne and Helen is brilliantly portrayed in the film ‘The Miracle Worker.’ 

Formal education:

Helen’s formal education began in 1888 when she and Anne moved to the Perkins institute. In 1894, they moved to New York for her higher studies at the Horace Mann School for the deaf. In 1896, she got admission into ‘The Cambridge School for Young Ladies.’ In 1900, she started her Bachelor’s degree in ‘Radcliff College’ of ‘Harvard University.’ It was unthinkable at that time and age for a deaf and blind woman to achieve proper formal education through such reputed institutes. But Helen had a thirst for knowledge, and Anne helped her quench it. Mark Twain, who was impressed with Helen and her perseverance, introduced her to an oil magnate who later sponsored Helen’s education. In 1904, Helen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Radcliffe School. She was the first deaf-blind person to get this degree.

Picture credits

Learning to speak:

Helen was determined to converse with people conventionally. So, she slowly began reading lips with her hands and speaking small sentences. She used sign language very proficiently and became an expert in Braille, the writing system used for the visually impaired. 

Helen spent the rest of her life, giving speeches and lectures on how she overcame the disabilities that crippled her and became an inspiration to deaf and blind people across the world. She shared, ‘The joy that life gave her’ in her speeches and motivated young women and men to live life to the fullest. 

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence – Helen Keller (Source)

Personal life

Love affair

The biography of Helen Keller would be incomplete without mentioning her love life.

When she was in her mid-thirties, Helen had a secret love affair with a fingerspelling specialist sent to her home to be with her when Anne fell ill. She even tried to elope with him and got secretly engaged. The affair ended soon after when Helen moved in with her mother in Alabama after her father’s death.

Companions

In 1905, Anne married John Macy. Anne, John, and Helen moved to Forest Hills in New York along with the house help, Polly Thomson. Anne’s health began to deteriorate in 1915. So, Polly started taking care of Helen. Anne died in the year 1936 with Helen by her side. After Anne’s death, the household help Polly became Helen’s companion. They both traveled the world together and raised money to help blind people. Polly died in the year 1960, and Helen was left with a nurse who was originally hired to look after Polly. She remained with Helen until her death in the year 1968.

Work

Books and Lectures

Helen authored a total of 12 books and many articles. She toured 35 countries to raise awareness about causes she was passionate about.  The Helen Keller foundation was founded in the year 1915 for research and charitable purposes. 

Helen felt strongly about the causes she supported and was a staunch supporter of the working class. She traveled to many countries to motivate deaf and blind people and became a favorite of the masses.

The biography of Helen Keller

At the age of 22, Helen published ‘The Story of My Life,’ her autobiography with the help of Anne.

Bettering the life of blind people

Before Helen’s time, blind and deaf people were considered a burden for the family. They were treated harshly and sent to live in asylums, where the living conditions were terrible. Nobody thought that they could contribute anything to society. But Helen Keller changed all that. 

She proved to the world that when provided with proper guidance and support, blind and deaf people can accomplish great things. This not only motivated blind and deaf people but also taught others to treat them better. 

During Helen’s time, four systems were used to teach the visually impaired to read and write. This caused confusion and difficulty when blind people wanted to communicate with each other. Due to Helen’s continued efforts, in 1932, Braille was made the standard system to teach blind people. This made it easy for blind people to communicate with each other. 

She traveled to different countries to help visually challenged people. Her visits created real improvements in the form of more Braille books, better educational opportunities, and job training for the blind. These improvements have helped blind people to integrate with society. 

She also pushed the U.S. government to provide more assistance to the blind. Her fundraising campaigns for the American Foundation for the Blind continue to help blind people get proper education, work training, and live independently. 

Contribution in other areas

Helen also supported birth control and was against military intervention. She joined the famous international labor union called ‘Industrial Workers of the World’. She wrote for them from 1916 to 1918, highlighting workers’ plights and the greed of their employers.

Political Ideology

Helen was a radical socialist who opposed Woodrow Wilson and favored leftist political ideologies. She was a member of the socialist party and spread awareness through her writings on the rights of women and the impacts of war.  She met 13 U.S. presidents. Helen even wrote a series of essays on socialism called ‘Out of the dark.’

Death

In her last years, Helen was mostly confined to her home after suffering a series of strokes. She continued to raise awareness through The American Foundation for the Blind. Helen continued to raise funds for them too. On 1st June 1968, she passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Connecticut.

Honors and Memories

A hospital in Alabama, The Helen Keller Hospital, is dedicated to Helen. Alabama honored her by issuing a coin in Braille in her name.  Helen Keller is also inducted in the National women’s hall of fame and Alabama Women’s hall of fame. She was one of the inaugural inductees in the Alabama Writer’s hall of fame as well.  Various movies and T.V. series were made on Helen’s life and were loosely based on her autobiography. The Bollywood movie “Black” was based on her life.

Picture of the coin depicting Helen Keller -By Image:Alabama quarter, reverse side, 2003.png, Public Domain, Link

Facts you probably didn’t know

1. Helen Keller and Mark Twain were good friends. They both were radical socialists. It was Twain who gave Anne Sullivan the name ‘Miracle Worker.’
2. Helen’s family got a whiff of her affair with her male secretary and forbade the two of them to marry because of her disabilities. Helen said that the first thing she would do if she could see would be to get married.
3. She introduced the U.S. to the dog breed ‘Akita,’ which was gifted to her when she toured Japan.
4. She won an Oscar for her documentary “Helen Keller in Her Story” (Source).
5. Helen was an excellent typist and could type very fast in both standard typewriter and Braille typewriter. 
6. Due to her radical political views, the FBI tracked Helen’s relationships and activity for almost 30 years. (Source)

We hope that the biography of Helen Keller helped you understand Helen Keller’s struggles and how she overcame them. Due to her resolve and the desire to learn new things and help others, she is remembered even today. Whenever life gets difficult, read the biography of Helen Keller and always remember what she said: 

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it – Helen Keller 

(Reference – Mullins-Cohen, Gina. “Showing Our Resolve.” Parks & Recreation, vol. 53, no. 1, National Recreation and Park Association, Jan. 2018, p. 10.)

Did you like reading the biography of Helen Keller? Then, you may like the following posts too:

1.  Interesting facts about Marie Curie
2.  Biography of Charlie Chaplin
3.  Biography of Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone is an actor, director, producer, and screenwriter whose carrier spans more than four decades. He has worked in the famous ‘Rocky’ and ‘Rambo’ film series. He also owns a boxing promotion company. Read the biography of Sylvester Stallone in this blog post. 

Today, Sylvester Stallone’s name is known throughout the world. But he was not born famous. He struggled a lot in every stage of his life before he became famous. 

Sylvester Stallone was born with physical deformities. He had a rough childhood because he was bullied heavily. In his 20s, he was so broke that he slept in a bus station for three weeks while searching for an acting job. He acted in quite a few mediocre and c-grade films before finally making a breakthrough with the “Rocky” series when he was 30 years old. 

Picture credits

Stallone saw many ups and downs in his personal life even after he became successful. His first son from his first marriage died at the age of 36 of heart disease; his second son was diagnosed with autism; and his daughter had to undergo a cardiac operation as an infant due to a heart malformation. 

Understandably, all these incidents devastated Sylvester Stallone. But, despite these personal setbacks, Stallone never gave up. He still continues to make and write films on subjects that are close to his heart.  

This biography of Sylvester Stallone highlights the important events in the life of this kind-hearted actor. It will take you through his early years, struggling days, and show you how he carved his name in history.  

Birth

Sylvester Stallone was born on 6th July 1946 in Manhattan to an Italian father and an American mother. His parents named him Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone. His younger brother is the noted actor and musician Frank Stallone.  Stallone’s birth was a traumatic experience for the family as the doctor who delivered him damaged a nerve in the process. Consequently, the lower left side of Stallone’s face was paralyzed. This is the reason for his signature look and slightly slurred pronunciation.

Early years

Stallone’s father was a hairdresser and moved to Washington, D.C., in the 1950s to open a beauty school. His mother was a dancer who promoted women’s wrestling and opened a women’s gym in Washington in 1954. Stallone attended the prestigious Notre Dame Academy and Lincoln High School before he moved to study at the Charlotte Hall Military Academy and the University of Miami. 

As a kid, Sylvester Stallone had weak bones due to vitamin D deficiency (Rickets). He was also heavily bullied. So, Stallone would often react dangerously. As a result, by the time he was 12, he had broken 11 bones and had been kicked out of 13 schools. When he was 15, he started bodybuilding because he was told that his brain was dormant.

Biography of Sylvester Stallone – A picture of Stallone as a kid

During his college years, Stallone started taking up menial jobs and auditioned for brief supporting roles in acting. He was not getting any prominent roles and couldn’t pay his rent. So he was evicted from his apartment and had to sleep on a bus terminal. Therefore, in 1970, out of desperation, he acted in a soft-core pornography film for $200.

Sylvester Stallone later recounted this event as, 

“It was either do that movie or rob someone because I was at the end – at the very end – of my rope” – Source

Stallone almost gives up acting

Stallone lived with his girlfriend, Sasha Czack, in New York. She was an aspiring actress who worked as a waitress to support both of them during their struggling days. Stallone also took up odd jobs like a zoo cleaner and an attendant in a theatre. Meanwhile, he kept on auditioning, even though he did not get any roles that made him feel content or happy. In 1972, Stallone almost gave up on acting due to the lack of good acting jobs. In the same year, he was rejected when he auditioned for the role of an Italian extra side actor for the iconic hit film ‘The Godfather.’ When Godfather went on to become one of the most massive hits of that year, he became terribly sad.For several years, his financial condition was terrible. At one point in time, he even sold his dog for $40 because he didn’t have any money to buy food.

The match that changed his life

A poster of Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner boxing match

In 1975, Stallone saw a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. The biography of Sylvester Stallone would be incomplete without explaining the details of this match. 

At the time of this boxing match, Muhammad Ali was the champion who was at the peak of his career. He was paid $1.6 million for the match. 

Chuck Wepner, on the other hand, was the underdog who waited years to fight Ali. He was paid just $100,000 for the match. Ali was the favorite, and so, ten times more people bet on Ali than on Wepner. Simply put, nobody expected the 35-year-old Wepner to win. 

As expected, Ali won the match. But contrary to everyone’s expectations, Ali did not win easily. Indeed Wepner was only knocked out in the fifteenth round, moments before the final bell. Moreover, he even knocked down Ali once in the ninth round.

A newspaper clipping of the fight between Ali and Wepner

This is a pretty impressive feat even today, because, in his professional boxing career with 56 wins in 61 fights, Muhammad Ali had only been knocked down only four times. So, even though Wepner lost, he impressed a lot of boxing fans and the general public, including Sylvester Stallone. 

The birth of Rocky

This gave Silvester Stallone an idea. So, when he came home after the boxing match, he sat down for three days to write the script for a movie. This movie would later become the blockbuster called Rocky. 

He showed the script to many producers, but most of them were not interested in making the movie. But Stallone did not give up. 

Once, Stallone was auditioning for a role. He did not get the role he auditioned for. But on his way out, he casually told the producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff that he had a story. When they read the script, they were very impressed by it. So, they offered him $25,000 for the script but wanted some well-known actor to act in it. 

Stallone knew that if he did not act in the movie and the movie becomes a hit, he would kill himself. So, he was adamant about him playing the lead role in it. But the producers increased the offer gradually to $350,000, on the condition that Stallone does not act in the movie. Even though the offer was very tempting, Stallone did not budge. So, finally, the producers agreed to let Stallone act in the movie but reduced his salary to $23,000. 

Worldwide fame with Rocky

The producers allocated a meager budget of $1 million for the film. Since the budget was very small, many relatives and friends of Stallone acted in the movie, and many scenes were shot only once. Even though it was made using a very small budget, Rocky went on to become a box office hit. It earned $225 million and received three Oscars.

Sylvester Stallone and Burgess Meredith in “Rocky,” 1976.

Going on one more round, when you don’t think you can that’s what makes all the difference in your life – Sylvester Stallone

Riding high on the success of this film, Stallone made his directorial debut in 1978 and made the film ‘Paradise Alley.’ He then went on to direct and star in the sequel of Rocky in the year 1979. The film was a success as well.

Rocky III and Rocky IV came out in 1982 and 1985, respectively, and were box office blockbusters too. Rocky V, however, turned out to be a dud and marked an end to the franchise. 

Declining popularity after Rambo

Stallone wrote and directed another popular and hit franchise in which he played the role of a Vietnam War veteran, John Rambo. All five films of the Rambo series became immensely popular. They gained favorable reviews from the masses and the critics alike.  Stallone played the role of Rambo and Rocky in a total of 11 films and became quite popular in the USA as well as overseas. He starred in a few more popular films like Cliffhanger, The Specialist, Judge Dredd, Demolition Man, etc. but also had a few flops like ‘Oscar’ and ‘Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot’. In the year 2000, Get Carter, a remake of a popular thriller film, was released starring Stallone. It was a commercial disaster, and Stallone’s popularity began to decline slowly. After some of the other films that followed also flopped, Stallone took a break of three years from making films.

Return to the film industry

In 2006, Stallone made the final installment in the hit series “Rocky” titled ‘Rocky Balboa,’ which went on to become a massive hit. He also released another movie of the “Rambo” franchise, which became a commercial success. 

“I would like to be remembered by the character “Rocky” since it is my baby” – Sylvester Stallone

In 2010, the ‘Expendables’ was released, which gave Stallone the biggest opening day weekend of his career. It had an ensemble cast and featured many great action stars. A sequel to the film was released in the year 2012 and opened up to a warm reception. Expendables III was released in the year 2015 but never saw any commercial success.

Personal life

Despite having such a highly successful career, Stallone is also in the news regularly for his affairs and failed marriages. He has been married three times to date and had two broken engagements. The first marriage was with his live-in girlfriend, Sasha Czack, in 1974, when they were both trying to find some meaningful roles in Hollywood. The couple had two sons. Their first son, who was born in 1976, was named Sage Moonblood Stallone. He died in 2012 due to a heart attack. Their second son, Seargeoh, was born in 1979 and developed autism in his early years. The couple separated in 1985.  In the same year, Stallone got married to a model and actress named Brigitte Nielson. But they separated soon after and had a very publicized breakup and divorce. He then had a brief engagement with model Janice Dickinson and Angie Everhart before he rekindled his relation with Jennifer Flavin, with whom he has three daughters. Stallone had broken his relationship with Flavin earlier when she gave birth to her daughter, who was not fathered by Stallone.

The biography of Silvester Stallone would be incomplete without mentioning the controversies surrounding him.

Controversies

In 2007, Sylvester Stallone was found guilty of possession of controlled drugs. In 2016, he was accused of sexual harassment by a 16-year old girl, which gathered a lot of negative publicity for the actor. But his ex-wife and friends came forward in his support. Another woman filed a complaint of sexual harassment against the actor in 2017, but the case was closed a year later.

Physically demanding roles take a toll on his body

Rocky and Rambo were both fight-filled franchises that demanded long action sequences from the lead actor. Stallone did not hire a body double in most stunts and performed all the fights himself. So, Stallone suffered some major injuries during the span of his career and had to spend four days in the ICU after a fight scene. He broke his neck while shooting for an action sequence for The Expendables. So, a metal plate has been inserted in his neck. One of his fingers was broken while shooting for the movie ‘Escape to Victory.’ Even after suffering so many setbacks in his personal and professional life, Stallone never gave up on his acting dream and achieved great heights of success after hitting rock bottom in his life.

Facts you probably didn’t know

• After getting the money for Rocky, the first thing Stallone did was get his dog back. Knowing that Stallone was desperate, the person to whom he sold his dog to, charged $15,000 to resell it to him. The dog later appeared in the film ‘Rocky’.
• Stallone was raised a catholic but denounced his faith when he started acting. He later started practicing his faith again when his daughter was born ill and is now a strict catholic. 
• Stallone is strictly against the use of guns and is a staunch advocate for gun control.
• He owns a boxing production company called ‘Tiger Eye Productions,’ which has contracts with many known boxers.

This biography of Sylvester Stallone can motivate you

This biography of Sylvester Stallone can motivate you when you are in difficult times. The story of Sylvester Stallone is the story of an underdog. When he was a teenager, his mother feared that he would end up in prison. But he created an opportunity out of nowhere and changed his life around from being officially broke to gaining international stardom. So, when things turn ugly, and life appears meaningless, read this biography of Sylvester Stallone. More importantly, always remember what Rocky said.

“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place. And I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

If you enjoyed reading this biography of Sylvester Stallone, you might like the following as well:

1. Biography of Charlie Chaplin
2. Interesting facts about Marie Curie

This blog post is a biography of Charlie Chaplin. Charlie Chaplin was an English comedian, writer, director, producer, and composer. He rose to fame because of his comic timing and on-screen persona that floored his audience. His career spanned 75 years. During this time, he got a lot of admiration from his fans. 

‘The Tramp,’ the little man with a weird mustache, a bowler hat, and shoes, who used quirky movements and pantomime, was the central character in most of his films. This iconic character revolutionized the film industry like none other. 

Even though Charlie became world-famous, he was not born with a silver spoon. He had a very rough childhood. As a child, he suffered from poverty and a lack of love. 

“To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it.” – Charlie Chaplin (Source)

This article takes you into the world of Charlie Chaplin, who, with his perseverance, passion for acting, and the desire to succeed, earned a permanent place in global cinema and people’s hearts. 

Birth

Charlie Chaplin was born in London on 16th April 1889 to Hannah Chaplin and Charles Chaplin Sr. His birth name was Charles Spencer Chaplin. He was the second son to his mother and first son to his father. 

His parents, both music hall entertainers, separated when he was 2 years old. After that, his mother struggled financially to raise her two sons without any support from her husband. 

Childhood in poverty

Charlie’s life trajectory can be called one of the most dramatic ‘Rags to Riches’ story. His early years were filled with difficulties at every step. At the age of 7, he was forced to earn money while studying at a school for paupers. 

To add to his problems, his mother developed a psychological condition due to malnutrition. So, she was admitted to a mental asylum. Since their mother couldn’t take care of them, the two brothers were sent to live with their father.

Their father was a severe alcoholic who would often beat them. Even though they lived there for just two months, it was a horrible experience for them.

After they returned, their mother’s condition worsened day by day. So, young Charlie had to sleep hungry on many days when he could not earn anything. 

“I was hardly aware of a crisis because we lived in a continual crisis; and, being a boy, I dismissed our troubles with gracious forgetfulness.” – Chaplin on his childhood (Source) 

How Charlie got into acting

It is during this time that Charlie began performing on stage by chance. He became interested in stage performances to take his mind away from his unfortunate life and his mother’s condition.

Charlie’s mother encouraged him to keep performing on stage. 

“She made me believe that I had some sort of talent,” Charlie said.

So, in between his school sessions and spending time with his mother, Charlie started to perform regularly. 

He became a member of a clog-dancing troupe, which toured the halls of England to perform. He worked very hard to gain popularity among the masses. 

Venturing into comedy:

Though Charlie was getting a lot of good work in musicals, he wanted to perform a comedy piece. His first comedy act was in the show “Jim,” directed by Harry Saintsbury. The show was not very successful, but Charlie was praised by many for his distinguished performance. 

By this time, Charlie had abandoned his education and had become a full-time entertainer. 

Charlie then acted in the “Sherlock Holmes” show in front of live audiences in nationwide tours.

A teenage Charlie in the play Sherlock Holmes – By Unknown author – Image is included in Chaplin: Stage by Stage by A J Marriot, p. 48, Public Domain, Link

He performed his role so brilliantly, that he was called to London to perform the same role alongside William Gillette, the original Holmes. 

Sydney, Charlie’s half-brother, was also working full time in comedy sketches by this time. He helped Charlie in getting some prominent comedy roles.

Reviewers called Charlie “one of the greatest pantomime artists” they had ever seen! 

After a series of successful comedy shows on stage, Charlie entered the movie industry in 1914 and signed a deal with Keystone Studio. He worked with several big film studios throughout his career. 

Forming his own distribution company 

Charlie always wanted to have full control and freedom over his films and their distribution. He was also concerned about the quality the big studios were lacking. So, he formed his own distribution company, United Artists, in partnership with three other artists. 

First marriage

Before the company was founded, Charlie married an actress named Mildred Harris, who claimed she was pregnant with his child. So, they got married very quietly, and the pregnancy turned out to be fake. 

Charlie had married Mildred only because he thought she was pregnant. When he found out she wasn’t actually pregnant, he became quite unhappy with the marriage. He actually became a father on 7th July 1919, but his son was born deformed and died three days later. Finally, Charlie ended the marriage in the year 1920, citing irreconcilable differences. 

A picture of Charlie Chaplin, 1920 – By Strauss-Peyton Studio – National Portrait Gallery, Public Domain, Link

The Kid

Deriving from this traumatic experience and his own childhood memories, Charlie started filming for ‘The Kid,’ in which he played the role of a foster-father of an abandoned young boy. The movie became a hit and was one of the first films that combined the nuances of comedy and drama.

A poster from the movie, ‘The Kid’

There are many instances when the movie touches your heart.

For instance, to make money needed for survival, the boy breaks window glasses of strangers. Then, Charlie, who casually comes along, repairs these glasses and charges money for it. This scene makes you cry by displaying how cruel poverty can be. At the same time, it makes you laugh because of the comedy that comes along with it.

Several similar scenes throughout the movie make you laugh and cry at the same time.

“The picture I want to be remembered by”

After a string of successful films under his own banner, Charlie decided that his next film should be epic. He started writing ‘The Gold Rush,’ which was inspired by the Donner party. It was an elaborate film, and the production cost was about one million dollars at that time. 

The Gold Rush was filmed for about 15 months. It went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of its time. At the time of its release, Charlie Chaplin said that “This is the film I want to be remembered by.”

Picture Credits

Second marriage

While shooting for this film, Charlie married for the second time under similar circumstances of his first marriage. Lita Grey, a 16-year old actress, became pregnant with Charlie’s child. So, Charlie married her discretely to avoid being charged with statutory rape. 

It turned out to be an unhappy marriage too. Charlie had two sons with Lita before she left him. The bitter divorce that followed saw one of the highest cash settlements in the history of American courts. Charlie was deeply affected by the charges pressed on him by his wife.

While dealing with the divorce, Charlie was filming for ‘The Circus.’ He called the film a reminder of his troubled times. So, he even omitted this film from his autobiography. This shows how deeply Charlie was affected by the charges pressed on him by his wife.

“I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying.” – Charlie Chaplin (Source)

A scene from the movie ‘The Circus.’

Best Film of His Career

After ‘The Circus’ was released, the film industry saw the introduction of sound in movies. Charlie found the new technology absurd. He felt that the soundtrack can affect the art of acting. So, he continued working on silent films. 

‘City Lights,’ the new movie he was working on, was based on a man who falls in love with a blind girl and raises money for her operation. It revolved around ‘Tramp,’ who was the central character of all his films. Charlie later confessed that he drove himself to a neurotic state to achieve perfection for this film.

City Lights reached new heights of financial success and gathered rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. It became one of the personal favorites of Charlie and remained so throughout his career. 

This biography of Charlie Chaplin would be incomplete if it only mentioned his achievements and does not explain how his popularity faded in the USA.

Fading Popularity 

The 1940s were a rough decade for Charlie. His life was marred by professional and personal controversies as comparisons were drawn between him and Adolf Hitler. Charlie Chaplin and Adolf Hitler were born four days apart, had both risen from poverty to world fame, and had the same style of mustache. 

These comparisons made him write ‘The Great Dictator,’ which made fun of Hitler and his ideals. It was a great risk, but Charlie could take it because he was an independent director. After two years of writing the script and one year of production, the film became one of the highest-grossing films of that era. The movie received five academy award nominations.

Political ideology reduces public support in the USA

In the 1940s, Charlie started voicing his political opinions in his films. In ‘Monsieur Verdoux’ he condemned the Capitalists for encouraging war by selling weapons of mass destruction. Even though the film was a hit elsewhere, in the USA, it failed terribly. 

During World War 2, he also advocated the idea of a US-Soviet partnership. So, his image in the USA was tarnished, blaming him for being a communist. Charlie, however, denied being a communist.

A paternity suit

In 1943, Charlie was slapped with a paternity suit after he refused to acknowledge the pregnancy of a budding actress named Joan Barry. Many charges were slapped against Charlie by the FBI, who wanted to damage Charlie’s image after learning about his political ideologies. What followed was a bitter court battle. In 1944, Charlie was declared to be the child’s father and was ordered to pay child support to the mother till the age of 21. 

Just two weeks after the suit was filed, news came in that Charlie had secretly married his trainee, Oona O’Neil. This worsened Charlie’s image. 

Oona O’Neil was Charlie’s fourth wife and remained with him until his death. They had 8 children together. Charlie described this marriage as the happiest years of his life.

The biography of Charlie Chaplin

His next film was an autobiographical film called ‘Limelight.’ Many of his family members worked in this film. Since the theme was set in London, Charlie decided to hold the premiere of this film there. So he left Los Angeles. But once he left the USA, his permit to re-enter the USA was revoked due to his political and moral behavior. 

After being banned from the USA, Charlie Chaplin and his family settled in Switzerland. He spent the rest of his life there. Even though he did take some films, he spent most of the last two decades of his life preparing his old movies for re-release. 

Awards and final works

This biography of Charlie Chaplin would be incomplete without mentioning the awards that Charlie Chaplin received. Charlie received the International Peace Prize in 1953 for his contribution to global peace and friendship among nations. However, this marred his image further in the USA as the award was given by a communist-led council. 

In 1972, he received an honorary Oscar for his contribution to the film industry. It was seen as the USA welcoming back the artist after the country’s political scenario changed. It was a heartfelt moment as Charlie accepted the award after a 12-minute standing ovation. 

Death

Charlie suffered a minor stroke in the 1960s and was confined to a wheelchair by the mid-1970s. 

In October 1977, Charlie suffered a stroke in his sleep and died at the age of 88 years. 

Peace did not come to him even after his death. His coffin was stolen from the cemetery by two immigrants who held the body for ransom to extort money from Charlie’s wife. The thieves were caught, and Charlie’s body was re-buried in the same cemetery from which it was stolen. 

Charlie’s Legacy

Charlie Chaplin was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He was considered one of the pioneers of silent films of that era. His film-making techniques were close to perfection. He left no stone unturned in giving the best experience to his audience. Many future comedians were so inspired by him that they began to incorporate his mime sequences in their own styles. 

Now his legacy is maintained by his children at the Chaplin office in Paris. His statue as “The Tramp” is situated in Leicester Square. A Soviet astronomer who discovered a minor planet even named the planet after him.

Facts you probably didn’t know

1. Charlie was a perfectionist who often bordered on neurotic disorders according to his own words. In the movie City Lights, he had the actress retake a shot 342 times just for saying the two words “flower, sir.” 
2. There is an annual Charlie Chaplin Comedy Festival held in a small town in Ireland every year. People come dressed as Charlie Chaplin at the festival. There is a bronze statue of Charlie in the town as well.
3. His former home in Switzerland has been converted into a museum. People from around the world gather here to get a glimpse of the artist’s life up close in his own home. 
4. Charlie had 11 children from four marriages and received three academy awards in addition to several other honors. 

We hope this biography of Charlie Chaplin helped you learn about Charlie Chaplin, his struggles and his achievements. 

Whenever you think your life gets out of hand, read this biography of Charlie Chaplin. Even though he had no money and no proper family as a kid, Charlie discovered his passion. Despite all the struggles he had to undergo in life, he kept pursuing it and succeeded even when the odds were stacked against him. So, whenever you are too stressed or too depressed and can’t find a reason to smile, read this biography of Charlie Chaplin and remember what Charlie said:

A day without laughter is a day wasted – Charlie Chaplin

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Interesting Facts about Marie Curie

Madame Marie Curie is an inspiration for women all over the world. This article will help you understand who Marie Curie is and what her achievements are. Finally, this article also lists some interesting facts about Marie Curie that everyone should know.

Who is Madame Marie Curie?

Madame Marie Curie was the first woman in history to win a Nobel prize. She is also the first person to win the Nobel prize twice. In an age where women were ridiculed for expressing their thoughts, she won not just one, but two Nobel prizes. 

For decades, her research in the field of radioactivity and her discovery of two new elements has inspired young girls to take up a career in science. 

Even though she became world-famous, in her younger years, Madame Marie Curie struggled financially and emotionally. 

Read the story of a woman who, through pure passion and relentless hard work, overcame all her struggles in life and carved her name in history. 

Birth

Maria Sklodowska was born in the city of Warsaw in Poland on 7th November 1867. One of the interesting facts about Marie Curie is that both her parents were successful in their respective fields. Her father was a teacher of Mathematics and Physics, and her mother was the head of the Warsaw boarding school for girls. Maria was their fifth and youngest child. 

Childhood and depression

Maria saw a lot of struggles in her early years as their family lost all their assets for getting involved in patriotic pro-Polish movements. She suffered from depression since her teenage, probably because of the financial struggles and the loss of her mother and sister very early. 

Picture of young Marie Curie

A failed love and more depression

During those days, educational institutions did not permit women to take up higher education. Hence, Maria tried to enroll in an underground educational enterprise to do her higher education. 

She tried to raise necessary funds for her studies by working as a Governess (a private tutor for children) for a family, where she fell in love with their son. His parents did not support the relationship, and they were forced to part ways. This pushed Maria further into depression.

Passion helps overcome depression

Difficulty in collecting enough funds for her higher education did not deter Maria. Despite her depression, she continued to work as a governess to earn enough money to pay her tuition fees. 

Those days, educational institutions in Poland did not let women enroll in courses. So, Maria decided to study on her own. Such was her passion for learning.

Finally, in 1891, Maria left Poland. She moved to France to pursue her higher education in an esteemed institution. 

Maria  (left) with her sister, c. 1886 – By Unknown author – [1], Public Domain, Link

“I am among those who think that science has great beauty” -Madame Marie Curie (Source)

Financial struggles

When she moved to Paris, Maria registered herself as Marie, which sounded more French than Maria. 

In France, her financial position was so bad that Marie did not even have enough clothes to wear during harsh winters. She only managed to keep herself warm by wearing all the clothes she owned one over the other. She studied in the morning at the university and earned little money by tutoring a few children in the evening. 

Despite all her struggles, she was one of the best in her class. So, she got a scholarship which was only awarded to exceptional Polish students abroad.

Marie earned her first degree in Physics in 1893. With the help of the money from the scholarship and by working at an industrial laboratory in addition to her studies at the university, Marie earned her second degree in Mathematics a year later.

Meeting her future husband

During her job, a Polish physicist introduced Marie to her future husband, Pierre Curie. The physicist hoped that Pierre could help Marie get a bigger laboratory space for her research. 

Marie later quoted her first meeting with Pierre as follows:

“I was struck by the open expression of his face and by the slight suggestion of detachment in his whole attitude. His speech, rather slow and deliberate, his simplicity, and his smile, at once grave and youthful, inspired confidence.” – Marie Curie (source)

Within a year, Pierre proposed to Marie. However, Marie couldn’t accept it because she wanted to go back to Poland for work. However, the Kraków university denied her a job because she is a woman. So, she came back to Paris to pursue her Ph.D. In 1895, Pierre Curie completed his Ph.D. The same year, they both got married in a simple manner.  

A picture of Marie and Pierre Curie

After marriage, she changed her name to Marie Curie after her husband’s name, Pierre Curie. After the birth of their daughter in 1897, Marie took up teaching in addition to her research to support her family.

Research

Inspired by Wilhelm Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays, Henri Becquerel was studying its properties using naturally fluorescent materials in 1896. While observing its behavior under a magnetic field, he found that Uranium emits rays that are different from X-rays.  

This motivated Marie to pursue her research in the field of uranium rays and their electromagnetic properties. 

When Curie experimented on uranium rays, she found that uranium rays remained constant regardless of the form of Uranium. Hence, these rays must have come from Uranium’s atomic structure. To describe this phenomenon, she coined the term ‘Radioactivity.’ Marie’s study on radioactivity gave birth to a new field of physics called Atomic physics.

Marie’s husband joins her research

By this time, her husband, Pierre Curie, was very impressed and intrigued by her research. So, he decided to drop his research and help her in her discovery. 

Marie worked with two minerals of Uranium. She also sampled tonnes of the ore Pitchblende to understand more about its radioactive properties. She and Pierre began searching for other elements that are radioactive. In the year 1898, they discovered that the element Thorium was also radioactive. 

Marie presented a brief paper on her discovery in the year 1898 since she knew that sharing her discovery with the world as early as possible was necessary to establish her predominance as an important woman scientist. 

After years of extensive research, Marie and Pierre discovered two radioactive elements that they named “Polonium” and “Radium”. 

Marie and Pierrie in their laboratory, 1904 – By Unknown author – hp.ujf.cas.cz (uploader=–Kuebi 18:28, 10 April 2007 (UTC)), Public Domain, Link

Unfortunately, Pierre Curie died in a road accident in the year 1906. After his death, Madame Curie continued her research on radioactivity. She isolated the element Radium in 1910 and devised an international standard to measure radioactivity.

Winning the Nobel prizes

In 1903, Henri Becquerel, Pierre Curia, and Marie Curie were awarded (together) the Nobel prize for Physics for their work on radioactivity. 

A picture of the 1903 Nobel Diploma for Physics – By Dannybalanta2011-04-16 / Public domain

In the year 1911, she won her second Nobel prize, in Chemistry, for the discovery of Radium and Polonium. 

A picture of the 1911 Nobel Diploma for Chemistry – By Nobel Foundation – Unknown source, Public Domain, Link

Marie’s research continues

Marie continued her research for years to come. She was conferred with many national and international honors by different universities and institutions for her path-breaking research. She also lent her services and research into the field of medicine. 

Marie also served as a radiologist in hospitals during World War 1. She invented the first mobile x-ray machine that helped doctors understand the internal damage in soldiers hurt during the war. She even drove the ambulances equipped with x-rays machines to provide service during the war. 

Death

One of the interesting facts about Marie Curie is that her love for science eventually killed her. 

Marie Curie and Pierre Curie were conducting their research in a very poorly ventilated shed near their home. They did not know the disadvantages of working with strong metals in a poorly ventilated space. As a result, her continuous exposure to radiations caused Aplastic anemia, which ultimately killed her in the year 1934. 

She was buried in a cemetery beside her husband. The remains were transferred to the Pantheon in Paris in the year 1995 to honor their discoveries and achievements.

Marie’s contribution to the world

If put simply, Marie Curie changed the course of science forever with her discoveries and research. Her determined resolve helped us understand more about radioactivity and how it can be used in various forms. She basically taught us that atoms are, in fact, divisible and consist of smaller subatomic particles.

Her discovery of the two radioactive elements and research on the properties of these elements gave us the process of carbon dating, as we know today. Carbon dating is the method by which we calculate the earth’s age and of all its fossils. To this day, She continues to be an inspiration for women in the fields of science. 

Marie and Pierre refused to make money from their discoveries. So, they did not file for a patent after they discovered Radium in 1898. This is one of the interesting facts about Marie curie.

“Marie Curie is, of all celebrated beings, the only one whom fame has not corrupted” – Albert Einstein (source)

Today, Radium, is used widely in the medical field. It is used for controlling cancer growth using radon gas in radiotherapy. These elements are also used in nuclear reactors to produce atomic energy as well. 

The research institutes that Marie founded are known as the Curie institutes. They are very prominent research centers for scientists and perform extensive medical research even today. 

Marie used the money from the Nobel prize to fund her research and help others.

Interesting Facts about Marie Curie

Here are some interesting facts about Marie Curie that everyone should know.

1. Marie Curie was originally ignored in her race for a Nobel Peace prize. The committee was reluctant to give a woman an award and wanted to give it to her husband in stead. Pierre Curie, in turn, asked the Nobel Committee to consider their submission as a joint submission only. 
2. In 1911, Marie was embroiled in a controversy of having an affair with a former student of Pierre Curie. It was during this time when Marie was comforted by Albert Einstein. Then, she ignored the controversy and continued to work diligently on her discoveries. 
3. Till date, Marie remains the only Nobel laureate to win Nobel prizes in two separate sciences. She also has a hospital named after her in London, which treats female cancer patients. 
4. She spent years in her research and also cut on her family time to complete her research. For her wedding, she chose to wear a dark blue dress, instead of a bridal gown. When questioned, she replied, “I have no dress except the one I wear every day. If you are going to be kind enough to give me one, please let it be practical and dark so that I can put it on afterward to go to the laboratory.” – Source
5. In the 1920s, Radium became too costly (1 gram cost $100,000). So, even though Marie invented the element since she didn’t patent it, she didn’t have enough money to procure it for further research. 
6. In 1935, her daughter and her husband won the Nobel prize in Chemistry for their discovery of artificial radioactivity. Her other son-in-law collected the Nobel prize for peace on behalf of UNICEF. This makes Curies’ family the family with the highest number of Nobel prizes.