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Eva Peron DEAD July 26th, 1952

July 26th, 2012 | Posted by christinem in Celebrity - (0 Comments)

Born: May 7th, 1919

Died: July 26th, 1952

High of Her Life: Serving as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 til her death, she was one of the most beloved political figure heads in the country. She was the equivalent of Princess Diana to England. Eva Peron was well loved by women and the poor, because she was an activist for both.  She was even put forward as a candidate for vice-president. Also, she had a pretty awesome musical written about her life that spawned some songs now known as Broadway classics. How many people can say that?

Low of Her Life: She died of terminal cancer before she was able to live out her dream of getting further involved in politics. Also, Madonna portrayed her in the movie version of said musical. And Madonna is pretty much the furthest from the kind of person Evita was.  Also, her husband remarried some other chick while she was dying, who later became the first female president of any country ever. That bitch.

Who Sees Her As a Hero:  Feminists,  Tim Rice,  Argentinian homeless people

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Ulysses S. Grant DEAD July 23, 1885

July 23rd, 2012 | Posted by ajaxadmin in Celebrity | Tributes - (0 Comments)

Born: April 27, 1822

Died: July 23, 1885

High of His Life: Grant captured Vicksburg, Mississippi in July 1863 and secured Union control over the Mississippi River.  He was appointed Lieutenant General and commander of all Union forces by President Abraham Lincoln later that same year.  He was responsible for the capture of the important railroad town of Petersburg and subsequently Richmond, Virginia.  Grant received Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.  The former commander of all Union armies would then become 18th President of the United States after Andrew Johnson.  He would serve two terms as President.

Low of His Life: After serving two very controversial terms as President that was marred by corruption and scandal perpetrated by many who served under him, Grant was swindled by a business partner from Grant & Ward and was forced to pay off all debts with his own personal savings as a matter of honor which left him and his family financially ruined.  It was also around this time he found out he had throat cancer, most likely caused by his years of smoking cigars on and off the battlefield.

Thankfully this was not the end of an American hero.  He would write a memoir entitled, The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant that was so popular and well-received that it restored his family’s fortunes.

Who See’s Him As A Hero: I dunno… guys with big beards? Alcoholics who want to be President. Chubby military men.

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Estelle Getty DEAD July 22, 2008

July 22nd, 2012 | Posted by KristenM in Celebrity - (0 Comments)

Born: July 25, 1923

Died: July 22, 2008

High of Her Life: Picture it: Hollywood in the mid-80s to early 90s. A Jewish woman from New York City played a wise-cracking Sicilian mother of actress Bea Arthur, despite being one year younger. Although Estelle Getty had performed in film, television and theatre, she is best known for her role on The Golden Girls. Even though fans of the show hold each character dear to their hearts, we all anticipated what smartass comment Getty would make next. We also wondered how a woman so tiny was supposed to be the mother of a ginormous Bea Arthur. But we loved her so much anyway. We all wished she was our mother, or grandmother.

Low of Her Life: In 2000 Getty stopped making public appearances. She was misdiagnosed with both Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. Doctors later learned she suffered from Lewy body dementia, which isn’t much better. For an actress who played a woman who could recount every story of her life, this was truly a sad way to end her life. She died from natural causes, however, just three days before her 85th birthday.

Who Sees Her As a Hero: Sicilian mothers, the cast of The Golden Girls, and grandmothers

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William Faulkner DEAD July 6, 1962

July 6th, 2012 | Posted by Kristing in Celebrity | Tributes - (0 Comments)

 

Born: September 25, 1897

Dead: July 6, 1962

High of His Life: Most of Faulkner’s life was spent writing great works of Southern fiction, drinking heavily, and cavorting around with women who were not his wife. That doesn’t sound like a high point to you? His works. such as “The Sound and the Fury”, “As I Lay Dying”, and “A Fable”, are among the finest in their genre being put on the same pedestal as Mark Twain, Harper Lee, and Tennessee Williams. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949 and the Pulitzer Prize in 1962. Not a bad trophy case, I’d say.

Low of His Life: Faulkner is often remembered today as a great writer with an even greater drinking problem. He’s also the bane of many school children’s existence, being forced to read about an unpronounceable made up place called Yoknapatawpha County. He’s also known as “the guy who stole that line from Shakespeare.” Though I don’t think the majority of Faulkner’s life was sound and fury signifiying nother.

Who Sees Him as a Hero: Writers, college literary students, high school nerds, aspiring Southern gentlemen.

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Bob Ross DEAD July 4, 1995

July 4th, 2012 | Posted by MattC in Celebrity | Gone Too Soon | Tributes - (0 Comments)

Born: October 29th, 1942

Dead: July 4th, 1995

High of His Life: Bob Ross was not only a talented American painter, he was an art instructor and a television host. It’s pretty hard to say that he didn’t have a very high life. He is best known as the creator and host of the instructional art show The Joy of Painting on PBS. The show aired on January 11th, 1983 and continued until May 17th, 1994. It still airs re-runs to this day. It can be assumed that he is largely responsible for why Americans want to oil paint.

Ross is often considered the art instructor version of Mr. Rogers. And on top of that he was a multimillionaire. He built a business selling art supplies and how-to books, as well as taught classes using his own coined “Bob Ross method.” The man may have spoken like a gentle otter, but he was definitely a businessman.

Low of His Life: Well, he did have a rivalry with his once-teacher William Alexander. Alexander had his own public TV series called The Magic World of Oil Painting, which lasted from the 1970s up until the year before Ross’ show aired. As his business expanded Alexander felt Ross stole his technique and sold it as his own. That’s awkward. Some may say he’s the GaGa to Alexander’s Madonna, since many claim he was better, albeit “newer.” Also, it doesn’t help his first marriage ended in divorce, his second wife died of cancer in 1993, and then he developed lymphona and died a few years later.

Who Sees Him As A Hero: “Happy” trees, late night TV addicts, oil painters, and the world.

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Michael Landon DEAD July 1, 1991

July 1st, 2012 | Posted by TimD in Celebrity | Gone Too Soon | Tributes - (0 Comments)

Born: October 31, 1936

Dead: July 1, 1991

High of His Life: To have one culture defining television show is a huge accomplishment most people will never get close to. Twenty-two-time TV Guide cover subject Michael Landon had three: Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven. Sure each took a few pegs down in it’s cultural dominance yet it is still among the most enviable careers, not just in television, but in modern show business. As people get reduced further and further to just one box in an ever-cluttered culture, Michael Landon reminds us that it is possible to have a full career in television.

Low of His Life: ”Michael Landon? Isn’t that the guy who died of butt cancer?” Michael Landon did not die of “butt cancer” in fact one is lead to question whether “butt cancer” is even a thing. What Landon did die of was pancreatic cancer. Nothing funny there but to me the low of his life was that above “butt cancer” quote from a snarky thirteen year old. After an illustrious career Michael Landon was reduced to “butt cancer-guy.” Sad stuff.

Who Sees Her as a Hero: Anyone looking for a career in television, girls who watched too much TV and lacked proper parenting, and people living with “butt cancer.”