Baker was the first African-American female to star in a major motion picture, "Zouzou" (1934), and to become a world-famous entertainer.
She tried to integrate an American concert hall, and is noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. She was offered the unofficial leadership of the movement by Coretta Scott King in 1968 following Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, but turned it down.
Baker became a citizen of France in 1937. She helped the French Resistance during World War II, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre, the Légion d'Honneur and the Rosette of the Résistance after the war.
When Josephine came to Paris in the 1920s for "La Revue Nègre", it was a turning point in her career. Her career thrived, and when "La Revue Nègre" closed, Josephine starred in "La Folie du Jour" at the Follies-Bergère Theater. Her performance, and her banana costume made her a celebrity. Josephine rivalled Gloria Swanson and Mary Pickford as the most photographed woman in the world: by 1927 she earned more than any entertainer in Europe. She starred in two movies in the early 1930s, "Zou-Zou" and "Princess Tam-Tam", and moved her family from St. Louis to Les Milandes, her estate in Castelnaud-Fayrac, France.
In later shows in Paris she was often accompanied on stage by her pet cheetah, Chiquita, who was adorned with a diamond collar. The cheetah frequently escaped into the orchestra pit, where it terrorized the musicians, adding another element of excitement to the show.
Baker had 12 children through adoption. She bore only one child herself, stillborn in 1941. Josephine Baker was married four times.
Saint Clare of Assisi
Clare of Assisi (July 16, 1194 – August 11, 1253), born Chiara Offreduccio, is an Italian saint. She was one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. Saint Clare of Assisi was of noble birth, her father, Favorone Offreduccio, was the Count of Sasso-Rosso and her mother, Ortolana di Fiumi, was from aristocratic descent. She was born as Chiara Offreduccio di Favaronne in Assisi. She was promised in marriage at age of 12, but it was canceled due to her father's death. She was the oldest child in her family. When she was 18 years old, she heard Francis of Assisi preaching. She was extremely moved by his sermon, so she ran away to join him. Francis didn't have a place for women to stay, so he sent her to the Benedictine convent in San Paulo. Clare's relatives found out where she was staying, but when they arrived to take her back home, she clung to the altar saying she would only wed Christ. When she was staying in another monastery in Panzo, she was reunited with her younger sister, Agnes. Later, when she was 21, she was moved to another convent next to the San Damiano church, where she was appointed the superior for 40 years. In that church, she was reunited with her mother and her other sister named Beatrice.
Saint Clare of Assisi will be remembered for founding the "Order of Poor Ladies", later named “Poor Clares.” The order of Poor Clares was an order that had strict rules, such as silence vows, poverty, and strict fasting. The Poor Clares was an order for women so they could become closer to God.
Catherine of Siena
Saint Catherine of Siena (March 25, 1347 – April 29, 1380) was a saint. She was born in Sienna and died in Rome. She promoted peace in Italy and is one of the two patron saints of Italy; the other being Saint Francis of Assisi
She was born Katerina de Benincasa in western Italy, the 25th of 25 children. She was born at the time of the Black Death, or Bubonic Plague. Although it probably killed many she knew, she herself did not contract the disease and survived the epidemic. She had a twin sister, who died several months later. Her family was part of the lower classes and she did not become literate until 1378.
At the age of six, Catherine had a vision of Jesus Christ. She continued to receive many visions throughout her life. At age 12, Catherine cut off her hair and was obligated to serve her family, living in small quarters in the basement. At the age of 16, she entered the Third Order of Saint Dominic and later became a Dominican nun.
She wrote a book called "Dialogue", which taught that if you love your neighbors it is loving God. She also devoted her life to improving the Catholic church, helping the ill, poor, and spiritually underprivileged. Catherine persuaded the pope to return from Avignon, France and back into Rome. She also tried to start a new Crusade to the holy land, Jerusalem. She died of “holy anorexia”, as she ate very little in the name of God. She became a saint in 1461, and was later made a Doctor of the Church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI and a patron of Europe in 1999.
Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany
Eleanor the "Fair Maid of Brittany" (c. 1184 – 10 August 1241) was a member of the nobility of England. She was the eldest daughter of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Constance, Duchess of Brittany. She was seen as a potential threat to the throne by her uncle, John of England, and cousin, Henry III of England. She was put in prison from 1202, and so became the longest imprisoned member of an English royal family. Although still treated honorably as a princess, she was never released or permitted to marry.
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. In German, the camp was called "Konzentrationslager (KZ) Buchenwald." It was built in Germany in 1937, and stayed open until 1945. Buchenwald was one of the first and largest concentration camps built in Germany.
The Nazis sent people from all over Europe and the Soviet Union to Buchenwald. There, they were prisoners and did forced labor in weapons factories.
After the Allies won World War II, the Soviet Union took over Buchenwald and some other parts of Germany. From 1945 to 1950, they used Buchenwald as an internment camp. They called it NKVD Special Camp Number 2. (The NKVD was the Soviet police organization that ran the camp.) On January 6, 1950, the Soviets handed over Buchenwald to the East German Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Today, what is left of Buchenwald is a memorial. There is also a museum there.
The Nazis built Buchenwald on the "Ettersberg" (Etter Mountain), near Weimar, Germany, in July of 1937. They named the camp "Buchenwald," which means "beech forest" in English. On the camp's main gate, they wrote "Jedem das Seine" ("Each to their own”).
Between April 1938 and April 1945, about 238,380 people were sent to Buchenwald. These prisoners included people from many different countries. They also included many Allied prisoners of war (POWs). Over 56,000 prisoners died at Buchenwald.
Buchenwald’s first commandant (camp leader) was Karl-Otto Koch. He ran the camp from 1937 to July 1941. His second wife, Ilse Koch, became well known as "Die Hexe von Buchenwald" ("the witch of Buchenwald") for the terrible ways she treated the prisoners. Koch made the prisoners build a zoo at Buchenwald, with a bear pit ("Bärenzwinger").
Eventually, Koch was put in prison at Buchenwald himself. At first, two Nazi officials named Prince Waldeck and Dr. Morgen accused Koch of encouraging murder. Later, Koch was also charged with corruption, embezzlement, black market dealings, and using the camp's workers to meet his own needs. Other camp officials were also charged, including Ilse Koch.
Karl Koch was tried and sentenced to death. He was executed by a firing squad on April 5, 1945. This was just one week before American soldiers arrived and took over Buchenwald.
After the war, Ilse Koch was sentenced to four years in jail. At first, her sentence was cut down to two years and she was set free. However, after this, she was arrested again and sentenced to life in prison by the new German government. She killed herself in jail in September 1967.
Buchenwald's second commandant was Hermann Pister. He controlled the camp from 1942 to 1945, when it was taken over by American soldiers.