James Bond History

In Fleming's stories James Bond is an ageless character in his mid-to-late thirties. In Moonraker, he admits to being eight years shy of mandatory retirement. James Bond's birth year is unknown because Fleming changed the dates and times of events. Most researchers and biographers conclude that he was born either in 1917, 1920, 1921, or 1924 (see more). Fleming never said where James Bond was born, although people have speculated based on derivative works. You Only Live Twice reveals Bond is the son of a Scottish father, Andrew Bond, of Glencoe, and a Swiss mother, Monique Delacroix, of the Canton de Vaud. The boy James Bond spends much of his early life abroad, becoming multilingual in German and French because of his father's work as a Vickers armaments company representative. When his parents are killed in a mountain climbing accident in the Aiguilles Rouges near Chamonix, eleven-year-old James is orphaned. In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the Bond family motto might be Orbis non sufficit (Latin for "The world is not enough"). The coat of arms and motto belonged to the historical Sir Thomas Bond; his relation to James Bond is unclear and neglected by the latter. In fact, he is indifferent to his potential genealogical relationship to Sir Thomas Bond, demonstrated by his abrupt response to Griffin Or on being told of the motto: Griffin Or broke in excitedly, 'And this charming motto of the line, "The World Is Not Enough". You do not wish to have the right to it?' 'It is an excellent motto which I shall certainly adopt,' said Bond curtly. He looked pointedly at his watch. 'Now I'm afraid we really must get down to business. I have to report back to my Ministry.'

After the death of his parents, he goes to live with his aunt, Miss Charmian Bond, in Pett Bottom village, where he completes his early education. Later, he briefly attends Eton College at "12 or thereabouts" (13 in Young Bond), but is removed after four halves because of girl trouble with a maid. He reminisces about losing his virginity at sixteen, on a first visit to Paris, in the short story "From a View to a Kill". Bond is removed from Eton and sent to Fettes College in Edinburgh, Scotland, his father's school. Per Pearson's James Bond: The Authorised Biography and an allusion in From Russia, with Love, Bond briefly attended the University of Geneva. Some of Bond's education is based on Fleming's own, both having attended Eton, and the University of Geneva.

World War II service with the Royal Navy

In 1941, Bond lies about his age in order to enter the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II, from which he emerges a Commander. He retains that rank while in the British Secret Service of Fleming's novels, John Gardner's continuation novels, and the films. Continuation novelist John Gardner promoted Bond to Captain in Win, Lose or Die. Since Raymond Benson's novels are a reboot, Bond is a Commander, and a member of the RNVSR (Royal Naval Volunteer Supplementary Reserve), an association of war veteran officers. After joining the RNVR, Bond is mentioned travelling in the U.S., Hong Kong, and Jamaica, and that he joined another organisation, such as the SOE or the 00-Section of the SIS or as leader of a Royal Marine unit on secret mission behind enemy lines in the war or in (Fleming's) "Red Indians" 30 Commando Assault Unit (30 AU). One supporting fact is Bond in the Ardennes firing a bazooka in 1944. The 30 AU were the only British small unit attached to the US Army in Europe. In Bond's obituary, his commanding officer, M, alludes to the rank as cover: "To serve the confidential nature of his duties, he was accorded the rank of lieutenant in the Special Branch of the R.N.V.R., and it is a measure of the satisfaction his services gave to his superiors that he ended the war with the rank of Commander." You Only Live Twice, chapter 21: "Obit"

In the SIS

Bond is a civil servant, working in the Ministry of Defence as a Principal Officer, a civilian grade equivalent to a Captain in the Royal Navy. Bond is introduced as a veteran 00-agent in Casino Royale. It is never stated when Bond became a 00-agent, though references in Casino Royale suggest during World War II while Goldfinger suggests 1952. Bond earns his 00 status with two tasks, outlined in Casino Royale. The first was his assassination of a Japanese spy on the 36th floor of the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center in New York City; the second, his assassination of a Norwegian double agent who had betrayed two British agents. Bond had travelled to Stockholm to stab and kill the man in his sleep. In James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007, Pearson suggests Bond first kills as a teenager. Bond's assignments prior to Casino Royale are sometimes reflected through the novels. Through this time Bond had assignments in Monte Carlo, Hong Kong, Jamaica, etc. In 1954, according to the Soviet file on him cited in From Russia, With Love, Bond is made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, supposedly only awarded upon retirement from the Service; in The Man With The Golden Gun, he rejects an offer of investiture as a Knight Commander in that order, extended as a reward for his having successfully carried out his assignment to kill the Soviet assassin Francisco Scaramanga, as he does not wish to become a public figure. The literary James Bond is reserved in his licensed killing, sometimes disobeying kill orders if the mission might be accomplished otherwise, as in "The Living Daylights" where he makes a last-second decision to disobey orders and not kill an assassin. Instead, he shoots the assassin's gun and accomplishes the mission. Later, he feels so strongly about that decision that he hopes M will fire him for it. In the novel Goldfinger, James Bond is haunted by memories of a Mexican gunman he killed with bare hands days earlier. There are Fleming works in which Bond does not kill anyone. Bond hates those who kill non-combatants, especially women. Nonetheless, he kills when needed: It was part of his profession to kill people. He had never liked doing it and when he had to kill he did it as well as he knew how and forgot about it. As a secret agent who held the rare Double-O prefix the licence to kill in the Secret Service it was his duty to be as cool about death as a surgeon. If it happened, it happened. Regret was unprofessional worse, it was a death-watch beetle in the soul." Goldfinger, chapter 1: "Reflections in a Double Bourbon" Bond has a cavalier attitude toward his death, accepting that he most likely will be killed if captured, and expects MI6's disavowal of him. He withstands torture in Casino Royale without talking. In the novels preceding Dr. No, Bond uses a .25 ACP Beretta automatic pistol carried in a light-weight chamois leather holster, however, in From Russia, With Love, in the draw, the gun snags in Bond's jacket, and, because of this incident, M and Major Boothroyd order Bond re-equipped with a Walther PPK and a Berns-martin triple-draw holster made of stiff saddle leather. He continues using this pistol until John Gardner's Licence Renewed, where he uses different weapons, choosing the ASP 9 mm in later books. According to Gardner in the novelisation for Licence to Kill, the Walther PPK is not Bond's favourite weapon. With Raymond Benson, Bond begins using the PPK again until being updated in both the film and novelisation Tomorrow Never Dies with the Walther P99. James Bond: The Secret World of 007 reports that Bond is a judoka and knows other martial arts. The file on him cited in From Russia, With Love, Chapter 4: "Death Warrant," confirms this first, saying that he "knows the basic holds of judo."

Description and personal life

In the novels (notably From Russia, with Love), Bond's physical description has generally been consistent: slim build; a three-inch long, thin vertical scar on his right cheek; blue-grey eyes; a "cruel" mouth; short, black hair, a comma of which falls on his forehead (greying at the temples in Gardner's novels); and (after Casino Royale) the faint scar of the Russian cyrillic letter "" (SH) (for Shpion: "Spy") on the back of one of his hands (carved by a SMERSH agent). In From Russia, With Love, he is also described as 183 centimetres (6 feet) in height and 76 kilograms (167 lb) in weight.

Also, Bond physically resembles the composer Hoagy Carmichael. In Casino Royale, the heroine Vesper Lynd remarks, "Bond reminds me rather of Hoagy Carmichael, but there is something cold and ruthless." Likewise, in Moonraker, Special Branch Officer Gala Brand thinks that Bond is "certainly good-looking . . . Rather like Hoagy Carmichael in a way. That black hair falling down over the right eyebrow. Much the same bones. But there was something a bit cruel in the mouth, and the eyes were cold." When not on assignment or at headquarters, Bond spends his time at his flat off the Kings Road in Chelsea. His flat is looked after by an elderly Scottish housekeeper named May, who is very loyal and often motherly to him. According to Higson's Young Bond series, May previously worked for Bond's aunt, Charmian. Bond hardly ever brings women back to his home: it happens only once between the novels Diamonds Are Forever and From Russia, With Love when he briefly lived with Tiffany Case;[10] and twice in the film series: in Dr. No, Sylvia Trench is waiting for him dressed only in his shirt when he comes home to pack before leaving for Jamaica; and in Live And Let Die, M and Moneypenny visit Bond at his flat, forcing him to hide his female company in the wardrobe. According to Pearson's book and hinted at in From Russia, With Love, Tiffany often gets into arguments with May and eventually leaves. At his home, Bond has two telephones. One for personal use and a second red phone that is a direct line between his home and headquarters; the latter is said always to be ringing at inopportune moments. Bond is famous for ordering his vodka martinis "shaken, not stirred." In the novel Moonraker, he drinks a shot of vodka straight, served with a pinch of black pepper, a habit he picked up working in the Baltic region. He also drinks and enjoys gin martinis, champagne, and bourbon. In total, Bond consumes 317 drinks in the novels, of which 101 are whisky, 35 sakes, 30 glasses of champagne and a mere 19 vodka martinis. This is an average of one drink every seven pages. Bond occasionally supplements his alcohol consumption with the use of other drugs, for both functional and recreational reasons. For instance, in Moonraker, Bond consumes a quantity of the amphetamine benzedrine accompanied by champagne, in order to gain extra confidence and alertness during his bridge game against Hugo Drax; and in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, he consumes the barbiturate derivative seconal in order to induce a state of "cosy self-anaesthesia" in his London flat. In Fleming's novels, Bond is a heavy smoker, at one point reaching 70 cigarettes a day. On average, Bond smokes 60 a day, although in certain novels he attempts to cut back so that he can accomplish certain feats, such as swimming. He is also forced to cut back after being sent to a health farm per M's orders in Thunderball. Bond specifically smokes cigarettes filled with a blend of Balkan and Turkish tobacco with a higher than average tar content from the tobacconists Morlands of Grosvenor Street, called "Morland Specials." The cigarettes themselves have three gold bands on the filter, signifying Bond's (and Fleming's) commander rank in the secret service. Additionally, Bond carries his cigarettes in a trademarked monogrammed gunmetal cigarette case. In continuation novels by John Gardner, Bond cuts back by smoking low-tar cigarettes from Morlands and, later, H. Simmons of Burlington Arcade. Later works by Raymond Benson have Bond continuing to use this brand. Although Fleming states in the novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service that "James Bond was not a gourmet," he clearly appreciates food and has a sophisticated (if perhaps idiosyncratic) palate. When in England, Bond "lived on grilled soles, oeufs cocotte and cold roast beef with potato salad," his favourite food is scrambled eggs served with coffee (particularly as served by his housekeeper) although "the best meal he had ever eaten" is enjoyed in Miami during the novel Goldfinger, and comprises stone crabs with melted butter served with toast and iced rose champagne. In the same novel Bond also articulates his hatred of tea, which he describes as "mud" and considers partially responsible for the decline of the British Empire. Bond is an avid boating enthusiast; in the films and novels, he is seen on boats both for business and leisure. Bond is seen boating in Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Diamonds Are Forever, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Live And Let Die, The Man With The Golden Gun, Licence to Kill, The World Is Not Enough, Casino Royale, and Quantum of Solace.

Bond engages in frequent and numerous short-term affairs with several women he encounters, ending them as quickly as he begins them. Fleming himself had a tempestuous love life; he had numerous affairs even though he was married, and there were frequent accusations of sado-masochistic acts in his relationships with women. This has led critics to speculate over how much Fleming projected his own character into the figure of James Bond as Bond. For instance, Bond does not desist from hitting women and his rough-handed treatment of women has been noted. His suave, chauvinistic charm even seduces women who initially find him repellent, like the spa nurse Patricia Fearing in Thunderball and the criminal Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, the novel version of which described Galore as a lesbian.

In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, James Bond marries, but his bride, Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo, is killed on their wedding day by a long-standing enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. In the novels, a devastated Bond gets revenge in the following novel, You Only Live Twice when, by chance, he comes across Blofeld in Japan and kills him there. Owing to events in that novel, Bond and Kissy Suzuki bear a child, although Fleming's novels do not state his existence. Bond is obviously aware of his son's existence by the time of Raymond Benson's short story "Blast From the Past," in which his son asks him to come to New York City as a matter of urgency before being killed by Irma Bunt.

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Sharukh Khan Life History

Name : Sharukh Khan

Date Of  Birth : 2 November, 1965

Height : 5.8

Eyes Colour : Black

Hair Colour : Black

History

King Khan, Don, Badshah, The Man With The Midas Touch these are just few of the adjectives used on this strapping, young lad from Delhi who first stole hearts with his endearing performance in the TV serial 'Fauji.' With a passion for acting and an amazing screen presence, Shah Rukh Khan has come a long way.


 Biography

Shah Rukh Khan who is known as the King Khan of Bollywood was born on 2nd November 1965. He was born and brought up in Delhi. His parents died before he entered movies. Shah Rukh considers it a big regret that they couldn't see what their son was to become.
He is graduated from Hansraj College, Delhi University and followed it up with a Masters Degree in Mass Communications (Film making) from Jamiya Milia Islamiya University, in New Delhi, but after a year Shah Rukh opted out as he had to make his acting career in Bollywood. He had captained all teams in football, cricket and hockey and even played cricket at Zone and National level.
He started off his career from Television industry which got him to fame. His serials like Fauji (1988), Circus (1989) made roars in the television industry.

He got his claim to fame right from his debut film Deewana (1992). During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won eight Film Fare Best actor awards and has had significant box office success. Some of his films includes: Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993), Anjaam (1994), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Om Shanti om (2007), Chak De India (2007), Rab Ne Bana De Jodi, My Name Is Khan (2010) among others.

He turned producer when he set up a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza in 1999. The first two films that he produced under his production company was Phhir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000) and Ashoka in ( 2001) which was a failure at the box office. His third film as a producer was Chalte Chalte(2003) did well at the box office.

In 2003 Shah Rukh set his another production company called Red Chillies Entertainment and produced Main Hoona Na (2003) under this banner which was a hit.

Paheli (2005) and Kaal (2004) was also produced by him but it didn't work at the box office. Om Shanti om (2007) was the biggest hit delivered by his production house. Billu (2009) also did a fair collection at the box office. His latest flick Always Kabhi Kabhi (2001) proved to be a disaster at the box office. He is presently producing Ra.One and Don 2 which is yet to release.

Has a mannequin of himself in Madam Tussaud's Museum in England.

In 2008, Red Chillies Entertainment became the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the BCCI-backed IPL cricket competition.

His last released film My Name Is Khan got rave reviews from the critics and was also critically acclaimed by the international audience. It became the highest grossing Bollywood film of all time in the overseas market.

He is presently all set for his science fiction Ra.One starring opposite Kareena Kapoor. It is the much awaited flick which is due for release.

Personal Life 

He fell in love with a Delhi girl Gauri Chibba and later got married to her on 25 October 1991. Being a Muslim man married to a Hindu woman, he and his wife combine both religious backgrounds into their children's education. He is got two kids a son called Aryan Khan and a daughter named Suhana Khan. Gauri Khan used to host a weekly Hindi music countdown show, Oye, for a music channel in the 1990s. She is the face of the fashion line, Aftershock. She appeared on the January 2008 cover of the Indian edition of Vogue.

Gauri is part-owner and part-producer of the production company, Red Chillies Entertainment along with Shah Rukh khan. 

Controversies

Shah Rukh was in controversy for comparing Prophet Mohammad to negative figures in History like Hitler. His comment was given to a magazine which offended Muslim community.

According to the rumors, the Mumbai Aman Committee issued a complaint against Shah Rukh Khan to the Bandra Police Station. They claim that SRK has offended the attitudes of their community and was called for a clarification.

The issue was sorted later on when the magazine clarified the reports.

Besides, this a major tiff happend between Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan on Katrina Kaif' birthday. Salman was already 'high' by the time this started and probably SRK too had a few drinks. We all know how reckless Salman has been in the past. Salman asked SRK to do a guest role in Mr. and Mrs. Khanna, a home production of Salman and his brothers. Salman obviously thought SRK would agree given how many times Salman has done guest roles for SRK–Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, OSO, SRK's TV show etc. SRK declined and this pissed off Salman. Salman began irritating SRK about how Dus Ka Dum is doing better than his Paanchi Paas. Salman continued to irritate SRK and then SRK decided to retort and did a joke on his ex-girlfriend, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. After this fight Salman and Shah Rukh still share a cold vibes.

 Fashions

Shah Rukh is considered as the best dressed International men. He is one of the 50 most powerful people in the world, is a picture of understated elegance. In 2009 SRK walked the ramp for Manish Malhotra at the Lakme Fashion Week. 

Box Office Collections 

My name is khan Rs 30 crores ( 3 days)

Filmography 

As An actor 

Yash Chopra'S Next (November 2012) (To Go On Floor) Don 2 (December 23, 2011) (Under Production) ... Don Ra.One (October 26, 2011) (Under Production) ... G.One Always Kabhi Kabhi (June 17, 2011) (Released) ... Special Appearance Happy New Year (2011) 2 States (2011) (To Go On Floor) Shahrukh Bola Khoobsurat Hai Tu (November 19, 2010) (Released) ... Special Appearance As Himself My Name Is Khan (February 12, 2010) (Released) ... Rizvan Khan Dulha Mil Gaya (January 8, 2010) (Released) ... Pawan Raj Gandhi (PRG) (Guest Appearance) Billu (February 13, 2009) (Released) ... Sahir Khan Luck By Chance (January 30, 2009) (Released) ... Guest Appearance (As Himself) Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (December 12, 2008) (Released) ... Surinder Sahni / Raj Bhoothnath (May 9, 2008) (Released) ... Aditya Sharma (Special Appearance) Krazzy 4 (April 11, 2008) (Released) ... Special Appearance In Item Song Om Shanti Om (November 9, 2007) (Released) ... Om Prakash Makhija / Om Kapoor Heyy Babyy (August 24, 2007) (Released) ... Raj (Special Appearance) Chak De India (August 10, 2007) (Released) ... Kabir Khan I See You (December 29, 2006) (Released) ... Special Appearance Don - The Chase Begins Again (October 20, 2006) (Released) ... Don / Vijay Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (August 11, 2006) (Released) ... Dev Saran Paheli (June 24, 2005) (Released) ... Kishan Silsiilay (June 17, 2005) (Released) ... Sutradhar Kaal (April 29, 2005) (Released) ... Special Appearance In Title Song Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye (April 15, 2005) (Released) ... Himself (Special Appearance) Swades (December 17, 2004) (Released) ... Mohan Bhargava Veer Zaara (November 12, 2004) (Released) ... Veer Pratap Singh Main Hoon Na (April 30, 2004) (Released) ... Maj. Ram Prasad Sharma Yeh Lamhe Judaai Ke (April 9, 2004) (Released) ... Dushant Kal Ho Naa Ho (October 28, 2003) (Released) ... Aman Mathur Chalte Chalte (June 13, 2003) (Released) ... Raj Mathur Saathiya (December 20, 2002) (Released) ... Special Appearance Shakti - The Power (September 20, 2002) (Released) ... Jaisingh (Drifter) Devdas (July 12, 2002) (Released) ... Devdas Mukherjee Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (May 24, 2002) (Released) ... Gopal Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (December 14, 2001) (Released) ... Rahul Raichand (As Shah Rukh Khan) Asoka (October 26, 2001) (Released) ... Asoka One 2 Ka 4 (March 30, 2001) (Released) ... Arun Verma Gaja Gamini (December 1, 2000) (Released) ... Shahrukh (Special Appearance) Mohabbatein (October 27, 2000) (Released) ... Raj Aryan Malhotra Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega (August 4, 2000) (Released) ... Rahul (Special Appearence) Josh (June 9, 2000) (Released) ... Max Hey! Ram (February 18, 2000) (Released) ... Amjad Ali Khan Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (January 21, 2000) (Released) ... Ajay Bakshi Baadshah (August 27, 1999) (Released) ... Raj/Baadshah Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (October 16, 1998) (Released) ... Rahul Khanna Dil Se (August 21, 1998) (Released) ... Amarkanth Varma Achanak (June 12, 1998) (Released) ... Special Appearance Duplicate (May 7, 1998) (Released) ... Bablu Chaudhary/Manu Dada Dil To Pagal Hai (October 30, 1997) (Released) ... Rahul Pardes (August 8, 1997) (Released) ... Arjun Saagar Yes Boss (July 18, 1997) (Released) ... Rahul Koyla (April 18, 1997) (Released) ... Shanker Gudgudee (April 4, 1997) (Released) ... Special Appearance Dushman Duniya Ka (November 22, 1996) (Released) ... Special Appearance Army (June 28, 1996) (Released) ... Arjun Chahat (June 21, 1996) (Released) ... Roop Rathore English Babu Desi Mem (January 26, 1996) (Released) ... Vikram/Hari/Gopal Mayur Trimurti (December 22, 1995) (Released) ... Romi Singh/Bholey Ram Jaane (November 29, 1995) (Released) ... Ram Jaane Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (October 20, 1995) (Released) ... Raj Malhotra Guddu (August 11, 1995) (Released) ... Guddu Bahadur Oh Darling Yeh Hai India (August 11, 1995) (Released) ... No Name Zamana Deewana (July 28, 1995) (Released) ... Rahul Malhotra Karan Arjun (January 13, 1995) (Released) ... Karan Singh/Ajay Anjaam (April 22, 1994) (Released) ... Vijay Agnihotri Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (February 25, 1994) (Released) ... Sunil Darr (December 24, 1993) (Released) ... Rahul Mehra Baazigar (November 12, 1993) (Released) ... Ajay Sharma/Vicky Malhotra King Uncle (February 5, 1993) (Released) ... Anil Bansal Maya Memsaab (1993) (Released) ... Lalit Kumar (Maya'S Lover) Pehla Nasha (1993) (Released) ... Himself Dil Aashna Hai (December 25, 1992) (Released) ... Karan Raju Ban Gaya Gentlemen (November 13, 1992) (Released) ... Raju Chamatkar (July 8, 1992) (Released) ... Sunder Srivastava Deewana (June 25, 1992) (Released) ... Raja Saha

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Adolf Hitler History

Born : 1889

Died : 1945

Adolf Hitler, the leader of  Nazi Germany,  was born on April 20th 1889 in a small Austrian town called Braunau, near to the German border.

His father - Alois - was fifty-one when Hitler was born. He was short-tempered, strict and brutal. It is known that he frequently hit the young Hitler. Alois had an elder son from a previous marriage but he had ended up in jail for theft. Alois was determined that Hitler was not going to go down the same round - hence his brutal approach to bringing up Hitler. Some believe that the background of Alois was a potential source of embarrassment for the future leader of  Nazi germoney , though experts on Hitler's background disagree with what Hans Frank wrote.

Alois was a civil servant. This was a respectable job in Brannau. He was shocked and totally disapproving when the young Hitler told him of his desire to be an artist. Alois wanted Hitler to join the civil service.
Hitler’s mother - Clara - was the opposite of Alois - very caring and loving and she frequently took Hitler’s side when his father’s poor temper got the better of him. She doted on her son and for the rest of his life, Hitler carried a photo of his mother with him where ever he went.
Hitler was not popular at school and he made few friends. He was lazy and he rarely excelled at school work. In later years as leader of Germany, he claimed that History had been a strong subject for him - his teacher would have disagreed !! His final school report only classed his History work as "satisfactory". Hitler's final school report (September 1905) was as follows:

Hitler was able but he simply did not get down to hard work and at the age of eleven, he lost his position in the top class of his school - much to the horror of his father.
Alois died when Hitler was thirteen and so there was no strong influence to keep him at school when he was older. After doing very badly in his exams, Hitler left school at the age of fifteen. His mother, as always, supported her son’s actions even though Hitler left school without any qualifications.
When he started his political career, he certainly did not want people to know that he was lazy and a poor achiever at school. He fell out with one of his earliest supporters - Eduard Humer - in 1923 over the fact that Humer told people what Hitler had been like at school. 


Humer had been Hitler’s French teacher and was in an excellent position to "spill the beans" - but this met with Hitler’s stern disapproval. Such behaviour would have been seriously punished after 1933 - the year when Hitler came to power. After 1933, those who had known Hitler in his early years either kept quiet about what they knew or told those who chose to listen that he was an ideal student etc.
Hitler had never given up his dream of being an artist and after leaving school he left for Vienna to pursue his dream. However, his life was shattered when, aged 18, his mother died of cancer. Witnesses say that he spent hours just staring at her dead body and drawing sketches of it as she lay on her death bed.
In Vienna, the Vienna Academy of Art, rejected his application as "he had no School Leaving Certificate". His drawings which he presented as evidence of his ability, were rejected as they had too few people in them. The examining board did not just want a landscape artist.
Without work and without any means to support himself, Hitler, short of money lived in a doss house with tramps. He spent his time painting post cards which he hoped to sell and clearing pathways of snow. It was at this stage in his life - about 1908 - that he developed a hatred of the Jews.
He was convinced that it was a Jewish professor that had rejected his art work; he became convinced that a Jewish doctor had been responsible for his mother’s death; he cleared the snow-bound paths of beautiful town houses in Vienna where rich people lived and he became convinced that only Jews lived in these homes. By 1910, his mind had become warped and his hatred of the Jews - known as anti-Semitism - had become set.
Hitler called his five years in Vienna "five years of hardship and misery". In his book called " Mein Kampf ", Hitler made it clear that his time in Vienna was entirely the fault of the Jews - "I began to hate them".
In February 1914, in an attempt to escape his misery, Hitler tried to join the Austrian Army. He failed his medical. Years of poor food and sleeping rough had taken their toll on someone who as a PE student at school had been "excellent " at gymnastics. His medical report stated that he was too weak to actually carry weapons.
In August 1914, World War One was declared. Hitler crossed over the border to Germany where he had a very brief and not too searching medical which declared that he was fit to be in the German Army. Film has been found of the young Hitler in Munich’s main square in August 1914, clearly excited at the declaration of war being announced……..along with many others.
In 1924, Hitler wrote "I sank to my knees and thanked heaven…….that it had given me the good fortune to live at such a time." There is no doubt that Hitler was a brave soldier. He was a regimental runner. This was a dangerous job as it exposed Hitler to a lot of enemy fire. His task was to carry messages to officers behind the front line, and then return to the front line with orders.

His fellow soldiers did not like Hitler as he frequently spoke out about the glories of trench warfare. He was never heard to condemn war like the rest of his colleagues. He was not a good mixer and rarely went out with his comrades when they had leave from the front. Hitler rose to the rank of corporal - not particularly good over a four year span and many believe that it was his lack of social skills and his inability to get people to follow his ideas, that cost him promotion. Why promote someone who was clearly unpopular?
Though he may have been unpopular with his comrades, his bravery was recognised by his officers. Hitler was awarded Germany’s highest award for bravery - the Iron Cross. He called the day he was given the medal, "the greatest day of my life." In all Hitler won six medals for bravery.
In the mid-1930's, Hitler met with the future British Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden. It became clear from discussions that they had fought opposite one another at the Battle of Ypres. Eden was impressed with the knowledge of the battle lines which Hitler had - far more than a corporal would have been expected to know, according to Eden.
The war ended disastrously for Hitler. In 1918, he was still convinced that Germany was winning the war - along with many other Germans. In October 1918, just one month before the end of the war, Hitler was blinded by a gas attack at Ypres. While he was recovering in hospital, Germany surrendered. Hitler was devastated. By his own admission, he cried for hours on end and felt nothing but anger and humiliation. 
By the time he left hospital with his eyesight restored he had convinced himself that the Jews had been responsible for Germany’s defeat. He believed that Germany would never have surrendered normally and that the nation had been "stabbed in the back" by the Jews. "In these nights (after Germany’s surrender had been announced) hatred grew in me, hatred for those responsible for this deed. What was all the pain in my eyes compared to this misery.

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Barack Obama History

• NAME: Barack Obama
• OCCUPATION:  Lawyer ,  US President ,  US represitentive 
• BIRTH DATE:August 4 ,1961  (Age: 54)
• EDUCATION: Punahou Academy, Occidental College, Clombia University ,  Harvard Law School
• PLACE OF BIRTH: Honolulu,     Hawaii
• Full Name: Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.
• AKA: Barack Obama
• ZODIAC SIGN: Leo 
•  
• orn on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Barack Obama is the 44th and current president of the United States. He was a civil-rights lawyer and teacher before pursuing a political career. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, serving from 1997 to 2004. He was elected to the U.S. presidency in 2008,  
• 
  
• 
  and won re-election in 2012 against Republican challenger Mitt Romnny President Obama continues to enact policy changes in response to the issues of health care and economic crisis.
• Early Life 
•  
• Barack Hussein Obama was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His mother , Ann Dunham grew up in Wichita, Kansas, where her father worked on oil rigs during the Great Depression. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dunham's father, Stanley, enlisted in the service and marched across Europe in Patton's army. Dunham's mother, Madelyn, went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, the couple studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through the Federal Housing Program and, after several moves, landed in Hawaii.

Barack Obama's father, Barack Obama Sr., was born of Luo ethnicity in Nyanza Province, Kenya. Obama Sr. grew up herding goats in Africa, eventually earning a scholarship that allowed him to leave Kenya and pursue his dreams of college in Hawaii. While studying at the University of Hawaii in Manoa, Obama Sr. met fellow student  Ann dunham, and they married on February 2, 1961. Barack was born six months later.

Obama did not have a relationship with his father as a child. When his son was still an infant, Obama Sr. relocated to Massachusetts to attend Harvard University, pursuing a Ph.D. Barack's parents officially separated several months later and ultimately divorced in March 1964, when their son was 2. In 1965, Obama Sr. returned to Kenya.

In 1965, Dunham married Lolo Soetoro, an East–West Center student from Indonesia. A year later, the family moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, where Barack's half-sister, Maya Soetoro Ng, was born. Several incidents in Indonesia left Dunham afraid for her son's safety and education so, at the age of 10, Barack was sent back to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents. His mother and sister later joined them.

Excelling In School

While living with his grandparents, Obama enrolled in the esteemed Punahou Academy, excelling in basketball and graduating with academic honors in 1979. As one of only three black students at the school, Obama became conscious of racism and what it meant to be African-American. He later described how he struggled to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage with his own sense of self: "I began to notice there was nobody like me in the Sears, Roebuck Christmas catalog ... and that Santa was a white man," he said. "I went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror with all my senses and limbs seemingly intact, looking the way I had always looked, and wondered if something was wrong with me."

Obama also struggled with the absence of his father, who he saw only once more after his parents divorced, when Obama Sr. visited Hawaii for a short time in 1971. "[My father] had left paradise, and nothing that my mother or grandparents told me could obviate that single, unassailable fact," he later reflected. "They couldn't describe what it might have been like had he stayed."

Ten years later, in 1981, tragedy struck Obama Sr. He was involved in a serious car accident,

losing both of his legs as a result. Confined to a wheelchair, he also lost his job. In 1982, Obama Sr. was involved in yet another car accident while traveling in Nairobi. This time, however, the crash was fatal. Obama Sr. died on November 24, 1982, when Barack was 21 years old. "At the time of his death, my father remained a myth to me," Obama later said, "both more and less than a man."

After high school, Obama studied at Occidental College in Los Angeles for two years. He then transferred to Columbia University in New York, graduating in 1983 with a degree in political science. After working in the business sector for two years, Obama moved to Chicago in 1985. There, he worked on the South Side as a community organizer for low-income residents in the Roseland and the Altgeld Gardens communities.

Law career

It was during this time that Barack Obama, who said he "was not raised in a religious household," joined the Trinity United Church of Christ. He also visited relatives in Kenya, which included an emotional visit to the graves of his biological father and paternal grandfather. "For a long time I sat between the two graves and wept," Obama said. "I saw that my life in America—the black life, the white life, the sense of abandonment I felt as a boy, the frustration and hope I'd witnessed in Chicago—all of it was connected with this small plot of earth an ocean away."

Obama returned from Kenya with a sense of renewal, entering Harvard Law School in 1988. The next year, he met  Michelle Robison , an associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin. She was assigned to be Obama's adviser during a summer internship at the firm, and not long after, the couple began dating. Their first kiss took place outside of a Chicago shopping center—where a plaque featuring a photo of the couple kissing was installed more than two decades later, in August 2012. In February 1990, Obama was elected the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review. He graduated from Harvard, magna cum laude, in 1991.

After law school, Obama returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer, joining the firm of Miner, Barnhill & Galland. He also taught part time at the University of Chicago Law School (1992-2004)—first as a lecturer and then as a professor—and helped organize voter registration drives during  Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. On October 3, 1992, he and Michelle were married. They moved to Kenwood, on Chicago's South Side, and welcomed two daughters several years later: Malia (born 1998) and Sasha (born 2001).

Entry Into lllinois Politice

Obama published an autobiography, Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, in 1995. The work received high praise from literary figures like Toni Morrison and has since been printed in 10 languages, including Chinese, Swedish and Hebrew. The book had a second printing in 2004, and was adapted for a children's version. The 2006 audiobook version of Dreams, narrated by Obama, 

received a Grammy Award (best spoken word album).
Obama's advocacy work led him to run for a seat in the Illinois State Senate. He ran as a Democrat, and won election in 1996. During these years, Obama worked with both Democrats and Republicans to draft legislation on ethics, and expand health care services and early childhood education programs for the poor. He also created a state earned-income tax credit for the working poor. Obama became chairman of the Illinois Senate's Health and Human Services Committee as well, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, he worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

In 2000, Obama made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the U.S. House of Representatives seat held by four-term incumbent candidate Bobby Rush. Undeterred, he created a campaign committee in 2002, and began raising funds to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2004. With the help of political consultant  David Axelrod, Obama began assessing his prospects of a Senate win.

Following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Obama was an early opponent of President  George W Bush 's push to go to war with Iraq. Obama was still a state senator when he spoke against a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq during a rally at Chicago's Federal Plaza in October 2002. "I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars," he said. "What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and  Paul wolfowitz and other arm-chair, weekend warriors in this Administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne." Despite his protests, the Iraq War began in 2003.

U.S Senate career

Obama, encouraged by poll numbers, decided to run for the U.S. Senate open seat vacated by Republican Peter Fitzgerald. In the 2004 Democratic primary, he won 52 percent of the vote, defeating multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes. That summer, he was invited to deliver the keynote speech in support of  John carry at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Obama emphasized the importance of unity, and made veiled jabs at the Bush Administration and the diversionary use of wedge issues.
After the convention, Obama returned to his U.S. Senate bid in Illinois.

His opponent in the general election was supposed to be Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, a wealthy former investment banker. However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June 2004, following public disclosure of unsubstantiated sexual deviancy allegations by Ryan's ex-wife, actress Jeri Ryan.
In August 2004,

diplomat and former presidential candidate  Alan Keyes  accepted the Republican nomination to replace Ryan. In three televised debates, Obama and  Keyes  expressed opposing views on stem cell research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers and tax cuts. In the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70 percent of the vote to Keyes' 27 percent, the largest electoral victory in Illinois history. With his win, Barack Obama became only the third African-American elected to the U.S. Senate since the Reconstruction.

Sworn into office January 4, 2005, Obama partnered with Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana on a bill that expanded efforts to destroy weapons of mass destruction in Eastern Europe and Russia. Then, with Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, he created a website to track all federal spending. Obama also spoke out for victims of Hurricane Katrina, pushed for alternative energy development, and championed improved veterans' benefits.

His second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, was published in October 2006. The work discussed Obama's visions for the future of America, many of which became talking points for his eventual presidential campaign. Shortly after its release, it hit No. 1 on both the New York Times and Amazon.com best-seller lists.

2008 Presidential Election 

In February 2007, Obama made headlines when he announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. He was locked in a tight battle with former first lady and then-U.S. senator from New York  Hilary Rodham clinton. On June 3, 2008, however, Obama became the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party, and Senator Clinton delivered her full support to Obama for the duration of his campaign. On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama defeated Republican presidential nominee  John McCain , 52.9 percent to 45.7 percent, winning election as the 44th president of the United States—and the first African-American to hold this office. His running mate, Delaware Senator  Joi Bedan, became vice president. Obama's inauguration took place on January 20, 2009.

When Obama took office, he inherited a global economic recession, two ongoing foreign wars and the lowest international favorability rating for the United States ever. He campaigned on an ambitious agenda of financial reform, alternative energy, and reinventing education and health care—all while bringing down the national debt. Because these issues were intertwined with the economic well-being of the nation, he believed all would have to be undertaken simultaneously. During his inauguration speech, Obama summarized the situation by saying, "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.

They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met."

First 100 Days 

Between Inauguration Day and April 29, 2009, the Obama Administration took to the field on many fronts. Obama coaxed Congress to expand health care insurance for children and provide legal protection for women seeking equal pay. A $787 billion stimulus bill was passed to promote short-term economic growth. Housing and credit markets were put on life support, with a market-based plan to buy U.S. banks' toxic assets. Loans were made to the auto industry, and new regulations were proposed for Wall Street. He also cut taxes for working families, small businesses and first-time home buyers. The president also loosened the ban on embryonic stem cell research and moved ahead with a $3.5 trillion budget plan.

Over his first 100 days in office, President Obama also undertook a complete overhaul of America's foreign policy. He reached out to improve relations with Europe, China and Russia and to open dialogue with Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. He lobbied allies to support a global economic stimulus package. He committed an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan and set an August 2010 date for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. In more dramatic incidents, he took on pirates off the coast of Somalia and prepared the nation for a swine flu attack. For his efforts, he was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize by the Nobel Committee in Norway.

2010 State Of  The Union 

On January 27, 2010, President Obama delivered his first State of the Union speech. During his oration, Obama addressed the challenges of the economy, proposing a fee for larger banks, announcing a possible freeze on government spending in 2010 and speaking against the Supreme Court's reversal of a law capping campaign finance spending. He also challenged politicians to stop thinking of re-election and start making positive changes, criticizing Republicans for their refusal to support any legislation, and chastizing Democrats for not pushing hard enough to get legislation passed. He also insisted that, despite obstacles, he was determined to help American citizens through the nation's current domestic difficulties. "We don't quit. I don't quit," he said. "Let's seize this moment to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and strengthen our union once more."

Challenges And Succsseses

In the second part of his term as president, Obama has faced a number of obstacles and scored some victories as well. He signed his health-care reform plan, known as the Affordable Care Act, into law in March 2010. Obama's plan is intended to strengthen consumers' rights and to provide affordable insurance coverage and greater access to medical care. His opponents, however, claim that "Obamacare," as they have called it, added new costs to the country's overblown budget and may violate the Constitution with its requirement for individuals to obtain insurance.
On the economic front, Obama has worked hard to steer the country through difficult financial times.

He signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 in effort to rein in government spending and prevent the government from defaulting on its financial obligations. The act also called for the creation of a bipartisan committee to seek solutions to the country's fiscal issues, but the group failed to reach any agreement on how to solve these problems.
Obama has also handled a number of military and security issues during his presidency. In 2011, he helped repeal the military policy known as "Don't Ask,

Don't Tell," which prevented openly gay troops from serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. He also gave the green light to a 2011 covert operation in Pakistan, which led to the killing of infamous al-Qaeda leader  Osama Bin Ladin  by a team of U.S. Navy SEALs.

Obama made headlines again in June 2012, when a mandate included in his Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (initiated in 2010) was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, thus allowing other important pieces of the law to stay intact. The law includes free health screenings for certain citizens, restrictions to stringent insurance company policies and permission for citizens under age 26 to be insured under parental plans, among several other provisions. In a 5-4 decision, the Court voted to uphold the mandate under which citizens are required to purchase health insurance or pay a tax—a main provision of Obama's health-care law—stating that while the mandate is unconstitutional, according to the Constitution's commerce clause, it falls within Congress' constitutional power to tax.

2012 Re - Election


As he did in 2008, during his campaign for a second presidential term, Obama focused on grassroots initiatives. Celebrities such as  Anna wintour  and  Sarah jassica Parker aided the president's campaign by hosting fund-raising events.

I guarantee you, we will move this country forward," Obama stated in June 2012, at a campaign event in Maryland. "We will finish what we started. And we'll remind the world just why it is the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth."

In the 2012 election, Obama faced Republican opponent  Mitt Romney and Romney's vice-presidential running mate, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan. On the evening of November 6, 2012, Obama was announced the winner of the election, gaining a second four-year term as president. Early election results indicated a close race. By midnight on Election Day, however, Obama had received more than 270 electoral votes—the number of votes required to win a U.S. presidential election; later results showed that the president had won nearly 60 percent of the electoral vote, as well as the popular vote by more than 1 million ballots.

 Nearly one month after President Obama's re-election, the nation endured one of its most tragic school shootings to date: On December 14, 2012, 20 children and six adult workers were shot to death at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Two days after the attack, Obama delivered a speech at an interfaith vigil for the victims in Newtown, discussing a need for change in order to make schools safer, and alluding to implementing stricter gun control.

"These tragedied must end," Obama stated. "We can't accept events like these as routine. In the coming weeks, I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement, to mental-health professionals, to parents and educators, in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this, because what choice do we have? . . . Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard?

Obama achieved a major legislative victory on January 1, 2013, when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved a bipartisan agreement on tax increases and spending cuts, in an effort to avoid the looming fiscal cliff crisis (the Senate voted in favor of the bill earlier that day). The agreement marked a productive first step toward the president's re-election promise of reducing the federal defecit by raising taxes on the extremely wealthy—individuals earning more than $400,000 per year and couples earning more than $450,000, according to the bill. Prior to the the bill's passage, in late 2012, tense negotiations between Republicans and Democrats over spending cuts and tax increases became a bitter political battle. Vice President  Joi Biden managed to hammer out a deal with Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Obama pledged to sign the bill into law.

Barack Obama officially began his second term on January 21, 2013. The inauguration was held on  Martin Luther King Jr . Day. Civil rights activist  Myrlie Ever - Williams , the widow of Medgar evers gave the invocation.  James tayler , Beyonce knowles and  Kelly Carkson  sang at the ceremony and poet  Richard Blanco  read his poem "One Today." U.S. Supreme Court Chief  john Roberts  conducted Obama's presidential oath of office. After completing his oath, Obama was congratulated by his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha.

In his inaugural address, Obama called the nation to action on such issues as climate change, health care and marriage equality. "We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today's victories will be only partial and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years and 40 years and 400 years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall," Obama told the crowd gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol building.

Celebrations continued that day. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended two official inauguration balls, including one held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. There the first couple danced the  Al Creen classic "Let's Stay Together," sung by  Jannifer Hudson  . Alicia Keys  and  Jamie Foxx also performed.

Since the inauguration, Obama has led the nation through many challenges. None more difficult perhaps, the bombing of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Three people were killed and more than 200 people were injured in this terror attack. Obama traveled to Boston to speak at a memorial service three days after the bombings. To the wounded, he said "Your country is with you. We will all be with you as you learn to stand and walk and, yes, run again. Of that I have no doubt. You will run again." And he applaused the city's citizens response to this tragedy. "You’ve shown us, Boston, that in the face of evil, Americans will lift up what’s good. In the face of cruelty, we will choose compassion."

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Salman Khan Life History

alman Khan has starred in more than 80 Hindi films, Khan, who made debut with a minor role in the drama Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), had his first He went on to star in some successful Hindi films of  Birth Name: Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan
Nickname:Sallu, The Official Badshah Of Bollywood, King Khan

Often known as Bollywood's Bad boy, his knack of walking into trouble has overshadowed people's perception of him as an actor. He may have been featured as the bad guy of the industry several times over. But many-a-common-man claims that this macho hunk has a heart made of pure gold.

Born on December 27, 1965 Salman Khan is the son of the legendary writer Salim Khan, who penned many super-hits in the yesteryear's like Sholay, Deewar, and Don. Salman started his acting carrier in 1988 by doing a supporting role in the movie "Biwi Ho To Aisi". The following year he came up with his leading role in the box office romantic hit Maine Pyar Kiya (1989). From there he became the heart throb of Indian cinema.

Following with other box office hits he showed his terrific performance in Saajan (1991), Andaz Apna Apna (1994), Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! (1994), Karan Arjun (1995), Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). His transformations can be sensitive, vulnerable, funny, aggressive and charming as his role demands.

In 1998 he was arrested by the local police from the shooting location of the film Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United (1999), for killing protected wild animals and spent about a week behind the bars. The actor is facing trial in three cases of killing black bucks and chinkaras and another of illegal possession of arms. In September 2002, Salman Khan had hit the headlines after he crashed his Land Cruiser near the American Express bakery in Bandra, killing one man and injuring others.

Being in those roguish behaviors he tried to balance his troubled life with his carrier. In 2003 he gave his emotionally charged performance as playing an obsessed lover in "Tere Naam" that translated into good reviews and a good run at the box office. He has not only managed to revive his career, but also to restore the confidence of his producers and distributors alike.

His work was noticed internationally in the movie Phir Milenge (2004) where he played the role of an AIDS patient. It was well appreciated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for presenting the problems of AIDS patient in today's world.

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Hillary Rodham Clinton Living History

Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton

In spring 2001, Monica Lewinsky was interviewed for a TV special in New York. Asked whether she regretted that her affair with the president had wounded his wife, Lewinsky tossed her hair and replied: "I didn't think she would ever find out." But of course Hillary Clinton did find out, along with the rest of the sentient world. Post-September 11, post-Iraq, the American hysteria over a mere sex scandal seems like a relic of an insular and protected time. Nevertheless, as the unprecedented publication-day sales of Clinton's memoir of her White House years demonstrates, the private lives of political figures still open big. Curiosity about the way a first lady betrayed in front of the country feels, responds, and recovers compelled thousands to stand in line at bookstores.

It's doubtful that those sales will keep up as word of mouth on the book gets out. Living History is cautious, wary, and about as juicy as a banana. Those leaked revelations about Bill's last-minute confession of the Lewinsky affair fill only three pages of this 562-page book. Clinton's claim that she had no suspicion of her husband's infidelity strikes some as preposterous. She barely mentions Gennifer Flowers and Paula Jones, although she does note Bill's public admission during the first campaign that he had "caused pain in our marriage". After the Lewinsky crisis, she writes, she and the president had marital-counselling sessions "which forced us to ask and answer hard questions that years of non-stop campaigning had allowed us to postpone". For sure, but what exactly were those questions, and how could they be postponed for so long?

Hillary Clinton's avoidance of details has created new scepticism among American journalists and reviewers, who have already accused her of being dishonest and politically calculating in the way she presents her marriage. They are convinced that the marriage is a cynical façade, and that Clinton is recycling pious platitudes with an eye to the sympathy vote in her next campaign.

Moreover, the book dishes no gossip and settles no scores. Clinton has hardly a bad word to say about anyone; she seems to have three categories of acquaintance: friends, good friends and trusted friends. Her style is relentlessly upbeat, but her moral seriousness makes her sound humourless. (In fact, her highest praise is that someone makes her laugh, and "no one can make me laugh like Bill can".) The most intimate and revealing parts of the book come from her discussions of her parents. Her mother, Dorothy Howell Rodham, had been raised by strict grandparents, and gone to work as a mother's helper when she was 14; her father was a frugal Midwestern Republican with whom her adolescent relationship alternated between silence and quarrels. Bill Clinton's magnetism, ebullience, and ambition clearly brought something new and liberating into her life.

But why should Hillary Clinton be obliged to tell us all the secrets of her marriage and private life? Her unstated standard for the memoir seems to have been: "What would a male politician be expected to say?" Would he describe his party menus, heartaches, psychotherapy? Obviously not, and why should she? (Some reviews have mocked her handful of references to haircuts or inaugural ballgowns.) The title suggests both that she has been a public figure, living through history; and that her life in the past decade has been a form of history, a representative and symbolic life.

Indeed, the central theme in the book is Clinton's journey through the role of first lady, a role she came to understand as both surrogate and symbolic. To Michiko Kakutani, the powerful book critic of the New York Times, Clinton's analysis of this role seems grandiose and self-regarding; others have argued that Clinton abjures responsibility by discussing abstractions of identity or celebrity. But her gradual understanding of the vicariousness of her life, despite its visibility, is the true narrative of her memoir. That discovery makes the book a valuable feminist document. After the failure of health-care reform and the disastrous midterm elections that followed, Clinton was disheartened and unsure of what she should do. In conversations with the cultural anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson (daughter of Margaret Mead), and writer Jean Houston, she acknowledged that the power of a first lady is "derivative, not independent"; adjusting to becoming "a full-time surrogate" was hard for her. At the same time, she came to understand that "the role of First Lady is deeply symbolic and that I had better figure out how to make the best of it at home and on the world stage".

If there was a tacit bargain in the Clinton White House marriage, that division of real and symbolic power was it. And Hillary Clinton did well with it in her travels, speeches, and books. Within the confines of that role, she became a staunch advocate of women's and children's rights in the United States and around the world. She weathered some of the nastiest abuse ever directed at a first lady. In the wake of the Lewinsky scandal, she could have basked in the symbolic role of the injured wife, and the dependent victim. Instead, she faced what she calls the two hardest decisions of her life: whether to stay in her marriage and whether to run for the US Senate. Moreover, she had to make them on her own, against the tide of popular opinion. Many Americans seemed to want her to walk out on Bill Clinton; her advisers and friends were almost unanimously against her running for public office in New York. Clinton had the courage to resist both kinds of pressure; and judging from the critical reception of the book, some women especially are still angry with her.

She does not attempt to explain her emotional decision to stay with Bill Clinton. She does try to explain her decision to run in New York. In March 1999, at an event promoting women in sports, a young athlete said to her: "Dare to compete, Mrs Clinton." Clinton was startled: "Her comment caught me off guard, so much that I left the event and began to think: Could I be afraid to do something I had urged countless other women to do? Why am I vacillating about taking on this race?" After all, the worst that could happen is to lose - a risk male politicians take all the time. In her turbulent race for the Senate, Clinton discovered that she was energised by "moving beyond my own role as a surrogate campaigner and allowing myself to operate on my own".

Hillary Clinton grew up with fierce political beliefs and an easily ridiculed faith in making a difference, in making the world a better place. Such beliefs and ideals rarely survive the harsh clashes and pragmatic realities of modern party politics. But what she found out was that trying to live her commitments as a full-time surrogate, having to channel her efforts through a derivative power, and having to pay for someone else's mistakes, was harder than facing the challenge of making her own mistakes, accepting her own failures, and operating on her own power. That is the real message of Living History.
· Elaine Showalter's books include Inventing Herself (Picador).

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George W. Bush

Bush, the oldest of six children of George H .W Bush  (1924-) and Dorothy Pierce Bush (1925-), was born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven  Connecticut, when his father, a former  World war II naval aviator, was a student at Yale University. He was raised in  Taxas, where the senior Bush was an executive in the oil industry, and attended high school at Phillips Academy in Andover,  Massachusetts. Bush went on to Yale, the alma mater of his father and grandfather, Prescott Bush (1985-1972), a banker and U.S. senator, and earned a degree in history in 1968.

That same year, with America fighting the  Vieynam War (1954-75), Bush was accepted into the Texas Air National Guard. He trained to become a pilot and completed his active-duty service in 1970. In 1973, he entered Harvard Business School, and received an MBA in 1975. Bush then returned to Texas to work in the oil and gas industry and eventually started his own exploration company.

On November 5, 1977, he married Laura Welch (1946-), a librarian and school teacher. The couple had twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, in 1981.

In 1978, Bush ran for the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas but lost to his Democratic opponent in the general election. Afterward, he returned to his oil business, which he sold in 1986. Bush moved to   Washingtom D .C , to work on his father’s successful 1988 presidential campaign, and the following year became an investor in the Texas Rangers baseball team (he sold his ownership stake in 1998 for $15 million).

In 1994, Bush defeated Democratic incumbent Ann Richards to become governor of Texas. He was re-elected four years later. In the summer of 1999, Bush announced his candidacy for president, and campaigned as a “compassionate conservative.”

George W Bush 2000 President  Election

In the  2000 Election , Bush and running mate Dick Cheney (1941-), a former congressman and U.S. defense secretary under George H.W. Bush, defeated Vice President  Al Gore (1948-) and his running mate, U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman (1942-) of Connecticut, by a margin of 271-266 electoral votes, though Gore won the popular vote by 48.4 percent to Bush’s 47.9 percent. The 2000 election was the fourth election in U.S. history in which the winner of the electoral votes did not carry the popular vote.

George . W . Bush First Presidential Terms 2001 , 2005

Bush’s first term in the White House was dominated by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against America, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed, and their aftermath. The following month, in response to the attacks, the  United State invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to overthrow the Taliban government, which was suspected of harboring  Osama Bin Laden  (1957-2011), leader of Al-Qaeda, the organization responsible for the 9 /11 Attacks. The Taliban regime was quickly toppled; however, Bin Laden was not captured for another decade.

With the goal of protecting the United States from future terrorist attacks, Bush also signed the Patriot Act into law created the Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security, which was officially established in November 2002. Then, in the spring of 2003, the United States invaded Iraq in order to overthrow leader Sadaam Hussein (1937-2006), whose regime was accused of supporting international terrorist groups and possessing large caches of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). In December 2003, U.S. forces captured Hussein (who was later executed by Iraqi officials); however, no WMDs were ever discovered.

Also in his first term, Bush won Congressional approval of widespread tax-cut bills and the Medicare prescription drug coverage program for seniors; signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law; allocated billions of dollars to fight HIV/AIDS around the world; created the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and withdrew America’s support of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which was signed by President  Bill Clinton  and was intended to combat worldwide global warming (Bush said he was concerned that the international agreement’s requirements would hurt the U.S. economy).'

Bush ran for re-election in 2004 and defeated Democratic challenger John Kerry (1943-), a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, by a margin of 286-251 electoral votes and with 50.7 percent of the popular vote to Kerry’s 48.3 percent

George . W . Bush Second Presidential Terms 2005 , 2009

Bush enjoyed strong public approval ratings throughout much of his first term; however, during his second term his popularity plummeted. Critics said Bush had used misleading claims about Iraq’s WMDs as a justification for the invasion of that Middle Eastern nation. Additionally, after  Hurricane Katrine devastated America’s Gulf Coast region in August 2005, resulting in some 1,800 deaths and billions of dollars in damages, the Bush administration was widely criticized for its slow response to the disaster.

A troubled economy also contributed to Americans’ dissatisfaction with Bush. He began his presidency with a federal budget surplus; however, factors such as the enormous cost of fighting two wars and the broad tax cuts led to annual budget deficits starting in 2002. Then, in 2008, with America experiencing its worst financial crisis since the  Great Depression , Congress passed a series of controversial Bush administration-sponsored plans to bail out the financial industry with hundreds of billions in federal funds. Bush also lobbied unsuccessfully for a plan to replace Social Security with private retirement savings accounts.

Throughout his terms, Bush rarely wavered from his stance as a social conservative. He made two nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court, both in 2005: Chief Justice John Roberts (1955-) and Samuel Alito (1950-), both regarded as judicial conservatives.

George .W. Bush Post presidency

Following the January 2009 presidential inauguration of  Barack Obama (1961-), Bush left office as a polarizing figure. He and first lady  Laura Bush returned to Texas, where they divided their time between homes in Dallas and Crawford. In 2010, Bush released a memoir, “Decision Points,” in 2010, but otherwise maintained a low national profile.

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