Michael Jackson "The King of Pop" (1958-2009)
Michael Joseph Jackson(August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, actor, producer, dancer, businessman, and philanthropist. Often referred to by the honorific nickname "The King of Pop", his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.
Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other albums, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fametwice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first and only dancer from pop and rock music. Some of his other achievementsinclude multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; 26 American Music Awards, more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s".
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Elvis Presley "The King of Rock n' Roll" (1935-1977)
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer, musician, and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King".
Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, when he started to work with Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was an early popularizer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who was to manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", released in January 1956, was a number-one hit in the US. He became the leading figure of rock and roll after a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines that coincided with the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, made him enormously popular—and controversial.
In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love Me Tender. In 1958, he was drafted into military service: He resumed his recording career two years later, producing some of his most commercially successful work before devoting much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and their accompanying soundtrack albums, most of which were critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed televised comeback special, Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley was featured in the first globally broadcast concert via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii. Several years of prescription drug abuse severely deteriorated his health, and he died in 1977 at the age of 42.
Posted by: Kevin S.
The United States is truly a diverse nation made up of dynamic people. Each year on July 4, Americans celebrate that freedom and independence with barbecues, picnics, and family gatherings. Through the Internet we are learning about and communicating with people of different nations, with different languages and different races throughout the world. Bringing the world closer with understanding and knowledge can only benefit all nations.
The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches to ensure a central government in which no individual or group gains too much control:
According
to popular legend, the first American flag was made by Betsy Ross, a
Philadelphia seamstress who was acquainted with George Washington, leader of
the Continental Army, and other influential Philadelphians. In May 1776, so the
story goes, General Washington and two representatives from the Continental
Congress visited Ross at her upholstery shop and showed her a rough design of
the flag. Although Washington initially favored using a star with six points,
Ross advocated for a five-pointed star, which could be cut with just one quick
snip of the scissors, and the gentlemen were won over. Unfortunately,
historians have never been able to verify this charming version of events,
although it is known that Ross made flags for the navy of Pennsylvania. The
story of Washington's visit to the flagmaker became popular about the time of
the country's first centennial, after William Canby, a grandson of Ross, told
about her role in shaping U.S. history in a speech given at the Philadelphia
Historical Society in March 1870.