Doctor Zhivago is a 1965 epic romantic drama movie. The movie is about life in Russia before and during World War I and during the Russian Civil War from 1917-1922. The movie is based on a novel of the same name. It was written by Boris Pasternak. The movie was banned in the Soviet Union. It could not be made there and also could not be shown in theatres after it was released. It was first shown in Russia in 1994. The movie was directed by David Lean.
Critics complained when the movie was released because its running time was over three hours. Also, critics thought that the history in the movie was not told correctly. Over time, opinions changed. Now it is thought by the public to be one of David Lean's best movies. It was ranked by the American Film Institute in 1998 as the 39th greatest American movie of all time.
The movie won five Academy Awards. It was entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival.
The "Doctor Zhivago" novel was published in 1957 outside Russia, in Western countries. The book caused both praise and controversy. Some of Boris Pasternak's story had been available in Samizdat for some time after World War II. But the novel did not get written until 1956.
The book had to be smuggled out of the Soviet Union, because their government banned it for its views against Communism. It was taken by a trusted friend to an Italian publisher who printed and released it. Many people heard about the book because of the Soviet Union actions taken against the novel. It became very popular in the non-communist world. It spent 26 weeks at the top of the "New York Times" best-seller list.
A great poet who wrote about how he felt, Pasternak was awarded the 1958 Nobel Prize in Literature. Even though the award was given for his poetry, it was known that the prize was mainly for "Doctor Zhivago". The Soviet Union saw this Nobel Prize as a personal attack against their government itself. Pasternak was said to be a traitor by their leaders, so he refused to accept the Prize. The public now thought Pasternak was a Cold War symbol of rebellion against Soviet communism.
The movie plot was the same as the novel in some ways, but some changes were made. Many critics said that the movie gave too much attention to the love story between Zhivago and Lara. This downplayed the events of the Russian Revolution and the civil war that it caused.
Aaron Hernandez
Aaron Josef Hernandez (November 6, 1989 – April 19, 2017), was an American football tight end and convicted murderer. He was born in Bristol, Connecticut. He was drafted by New England Patriots in 2010.
In 2013, Hernandez was indicted for first-degree murder. He was found guilty of murder in April 2015. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
He committed suicide by hanging on April 19, 2017 in his prison cell.
Solidarity (Polish trade union)
Solidarity (, pronounced ; full name: Independent Self-governing Trade Union "Solidarity" – "Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy "Solidarność"" ) is a Polish trade union that began on 17 September 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard under the leadership of Lech Wałęsa. It was the first trade union in a Warsaw Pact country that was not controlled by the Communist Party. It had 10 million members which was one in three of the total working-age population of Poland. Solidarity helped bring free elections to Poland. These elections were important as the country moved away from Communism.
Valery Belousov
Valery Konstantinovich Belousov (; 17 December 1948 – 16 April 2015) was a Russian professional ice hockey coach and player. He played for four teams between 1964 and 1987. At the time of his death, he was the head coach of the KHL's Traktor Chelyabinsk.
Belousov was born in Novouralsk, Sverdlovsk Oblast. He died on 16 April 2015, aged 66.
Attaphol Buspakom
Attaphol Buspakom (; 1 October 1962 – 16 April 2015), nicknamed "Tak" (), was a Thai national and football coach. He played for three teams between 1985 and 1998, and managed eight teams between 2002 and 2015.
Buspakom was born in Sattahip, Chonburi Province. He died from a blood infection on 16 April 2015 in Bangkok, aged 52.
Stanislav Gross
Stanislav Gross (30 October 1969 – 16 April 2015) was a Czech lawyer and politician. He served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 4 August 2004 to 25 April 2005. He was a member of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), which he lead from 26 June 2004 to 26 April 2005.
Gross was born in Prague. He was married to Šárka Grossová and had two daughters. He was a Christian.
Gross died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on 16 April 2015 in Prague, aged 45.
Hardijs Baumanis
Hardijs Baumanis (10 December 1967 – 6 April 2015) was a Latvian diplomat. He served as Ambassador of Latvia to Lithuania and Azerbaijan from 2010 until his death.
Baumanis was born in Riga. He died on 6 April 2015 in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, aged 47.
Mariano Taccola
Mariano di Jacopo detto il Taccola (1381 – ca. 1453), called Taccola (the crow), was an Italian artist, engineer and administrator. He lived during the early Renaissance period. He wrote two important books, "De ingeneis" and "De machinis". These hand-drawn books have drawings of many new (for his time) machines. There are also descriptions of the machines. Leonardo da Vinci and other people used his books in the later Renaissance.
Mariano Taccola was born in Siena in 1381. His father was a wine merchant named Jacopo. His mother's name was Madonna Nofria (Bacci). The name he was given at his baptism was Mariano Daniello. Taccola himself used the name Ser Mariani Jacobi decti. He had many different jobs. Records show Taccola had been a wood carver who made church ornaments. He was a public official, a secretary to a hospital. Taccola was also a sculptor and an engineer. Most of the details about his life come from his books. Taccola started his first book, "De ingeneis", in 1419. He completed it in 1433. The book probably led to his being appointed supervisor of roads and hydraulic engineering. He retired from this position sometime in the 1440s. Taccola's second book, "De machinis", appeared in 1449. It contained updated drawings from "De ingeneis" as well as many new drawings. It appears he lived in Siena his entire life. Taccola received a pension from the city for his administrative work. In 1453 he stopped receiving his pension meaning he may have died that year. But in another document dated 1453 he wrote he had become a friar in the "Order of San Jacomo".
Taccola was one of the first artist-engineers of the Renaissance. He invented a new way of making technical drawings. This is called an exploded-view. In these diagrams, an object's parts are shown separated and with indications of how they fit together. After Taccola died, his work was largely neglected until the 20th century. Only after 1960 were his works printed. This was based on the discovery of his original works in two museums. These originals were much better than copies, which scholars had been familiar with. Now their importance is more widely recognized.
Taccola was familiar with several sienese artists and architects. Jacopo della Quercia was his daughter's godfather. He once interviewed the Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi and recorded it in one of his folios. Brunelleschi advised Taccola not to explain his inventions to others who did not understand machines. He said: "Therefore the gifts given to us by God must not be relinquished to those who speak ill of them and who are moved by envy or ignorance. To disclose too much of one's inventions and achievements is one and the same thing as to give up the fruit of one's ingenuity... the ignorant and inexperienced understand nothing, not even when things are explained to them; their ignorance moves them promptly to anger; they remain in their ignorance because they want to show themselves learned, which they are not"
(This edition reproduces Books III and IV of de Ingeneis)