Many famous people persistently tried to hide some facts of their lives, but persistent myths still developed about some of them. For example, “the ugliest woman in history” turned out to be a rather pretty lady with a very determined character. And another, no less decisive woman - the Queen of Great Britain - loved her friend so much that she ordered a statue to be erected in his honor.
We've found some interesting stories from the lives of famous people, ranging from royalty from the distant past to those who lived with us at the same time.
Duchess Margaret of Maultasch was not “the ugliest woman in the world”
According to popular belief, the 14th-century Countess of Tyrol and Duchess of Bavaria, Margarete Maultasch, is considered “the ugliest woman in history.” The “proof” of this statement is often the portrait that you now see in front of you, and Margarita’s very nickname. It is only one letter different from the German word Maultasche - “dumpling”, or literally “mouth-wallet”.
However, some researchers believe that the word “maultash” did not denote the duchess’s ugly appearance, but came from the name of her castle in South Tyrol. As for the portrait, it was painted by the Flemish painter Quentin Masseys in the 16th century and is a caricature.
If we look at other images of Margarita, including the lifetime one on her personal seal, we will see, although not a written beauty, but quite an attractive woman with a good figure.
So where did the myth of the “ugliest woman in history” come from? The fact is that Margarita dared to take an impudence unheard of at that time: she kicked out her disgusted husband, whom she was married to at the age of 11, and became the wife of her loved one.
Margarita Maultash simply did not let her first husband Johann Heinrich (he is on the left) go home to the castle when he returned from hunting. Apparently, the husband did not enjoy much love not only from his wife, but also from the citizens of Tyrol, since they all refused him shelter. 
The disgruntled Johann found support from the Patriarch of Aquileia, as a result of which Margarita and her new husband Ludwig of Bavaria (he is on the right in the picture) were excommunicated from the church for a long time, and ridiculous rumors began to circulate about the duchess.
Marie Antoinette ordered a village to be built for herself, in which she could lead the life of a “commoner”
The brilliant atmosphere of Versailles and the need to observe court etiquette had a depressing effect on the queen, so as an outlet she ordered a tiny village to be built for herself not far from the Petit Trianon palace with a mill, a farm, a dovecote, a pond and a cottage, which was much more comfortable than the palace chambers. All this reminded Marie Antoinette of her childhood, which passed in the gardens of the Vienna palace, where she played with her relatives, governesses and dogs.
In her personal village, the queen dressed up as an ordinary shepherdess or milkmaid and walked with her children and closest friends, and it seems that it was there that she was truly happy. After the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette's village was abandoned, but has now been restored and is open to the public.
Abraham Lincoln gave a speech so impressive that no journalist could record it.
On May 29, 1856, in Bloomington, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that is traditionally considered lost, since all the reporters present at this event were literally hypnotized by the words of the future president (Lincoln became him in 1861) and simply forgot to write it down at least one word. We have no doubt at all about the oratorical talent of “Uncle Abe,” but, you must admit, it still sounds implausible.
There is another version, according to which the text was deliberately lost, since Lincoln’s speech was filled with a passionate condemnation of slavery, the abolition of which, alas, not everyone was in favor of at that time. Nevertheless, the “lost speech” made a huge impression on the audience, and in honor of this event a memorial plaque was subsequently erected, which still exists today.
Queen Victoria's best friend was groom John Brown
Britain's Queen Victoria is a rare exception among monarchs (at least in earlier times) for the reason that she married for love and continued to adore her husband, Prince Albert, throughout her life. Do I need to explain that his early death was a severe blow for her?
And who knows how she would have survived this event if not for the support best friend queens. He was the Scottish groom John Brown, who, like his relatives, faithfully served the queen at Balmoral Castle. Walks and conversations with John helped Victoria recover from the loss, although she never lifted her mourning for Albert until the end of her life.
Of course, evil tongues immediately ridiculed the relationship, which, according to Queen Victoria herself, was a warm and loving friendship. Sargent caricatures like the one you see now appeared, and the Queen began to be called “Mrs. Brown” behind her back.
Be that as it may, Victoria was strongly attached to John Brown and valued him highly, because after his death she ordered the erection of a statue in his honor, which was done. It is believed that before her death, the queen bequeathed to bury her with a portrait of her beloved husband Albert in one hand and a portrait of her best friend John in the other.
The story of Victoria and John Brown was filmed in 1997, and 10 years later another film called “Victoria and Abdul” was released. It tells about the queen’s relationship with another “favorite,” whose name was Abdul Karim (you see him in the photo).
As would be expected, this friendship was also condemned, although it is known for certain that the queen signed her letters to the handsome young man as “your loving mother.”
Composer Arnold Schoenberg was so afraid of the number 13 that he called it “12a.” He died on July 13 at 13 minutes before midnight
The founder of the new Viennese school of composer Arnold Schoenberg (pictured with his wife Gertrude and daughter Nuria) had a rare phobia - fear of the number 13, or triskaidekaphobia. Schoenberg was born on the 13th and all his life he considered this number a bad omen.
As we already mentioned, the composer renamed 13 to 12a, and the same fate befell his final opera (pictured below), which Schoenberg called "Moses und Aron" instead of "Moses und Aaron" ") only so that the number of letters in the name does not amount to 13.
And yet, the last day of Arnold Schoenberg’s life was precisely the fatal date. On July 13, 1951, he lay in bed all day, feeling his death approaching. The wife tried to persuade the composer to “stop this nonsense” and get up, but he refused, and at 11:47 pm he actually died, having previously uttered the word “harmony.”
Winston Churchill loved animals, and one of his pets was a lion
The British Prime Minister was a great animal lover (in this photo you can see him petting Field Marshal Montgomery's spaniel). IN different time Churchill had cats Nelson and Jock, a poodle Rufus, a bulldog Dodo, as well as cows, pigs, fish, butterflies, swans and other pets. 
But perhaps the most unusual of the pets was a lion named Rota, who was presented to the prime minister as a gift as a kitten, and after some time he wisely assigned the growing king of animals to the London Zoo. Rota grew up and became the father of 4 lion cubs, and Churchill visited him at the zoo and fed him meat with his own hands.
Pablo Escobar trolled US authorities
Drug lord Escobar was so confident in his invulnerability that he posed for photographs with his son Juan Pablo in front of the White House in Washington, while he was wanted by US and Colombian authorities. This photograph was taken by Pablo's wife Maria Victoria, and was first shown in the film "Sins of My Father", based on the book by Juan Pablo Escobar, who officially changed his name to Sebastian Marroquín and now lives in Argentina.
Steve Jobs rarely showered because he believed his diet suppressed body odors. He was wrong
Every person has their own quirks, and great people are no exception. According to the recollections of colleagues who worked with Steve Jobs at Atari, he believed that his plant-based diet prevented the appearance of sweat odor, and, accordingly, it was no longer necessary to take a shower every day. But Jobs was wrong. And so much so that the company quickly transferred him to the night shift, where there was no one especially to complain about the unpleasant smell.
Princess Diana stopped wearing Chanel after her divorce from Prince Charles for a very personal reason
As designer Jayson Brunsdon said, after her divorce from Charles, Lady Di refused to wear shoes and possibly other things from Chanel, because the logo of this brand reminded Diana of her unfaithful husband and rival Camilla Parker-Bowles (you see her in the photo next to Diana).
The letters on the CC logo - the initials of Coco Chanel - turned into "Camilla & Charles" for Diana. It is unknown whether she subsequently changed her mind, but Brunsdon assures that Lady Di had nothing against the brand itself, she simply could not see those unfortunate letters CC.
Actor Woody Harrelson's father was a hitman
U famous people There are often famous parents, but not all of them became famous for their good deeds. Hollywood actor Woody Harrelson's father was notorious criminal Charles W. Harrelson, who was sentenced to two life sentences for the murder of federal judge Jonathan Wood.
Subsequently, his son often visited Charles in prison, and, according to him, he was well-read and educated person. Woody even tried to challenge the court's decision, but he failed.
Interesting fact: Charles Harrelson for some reason claimed that he was involved in the assassination of Kennedy, but later retracted his words. Conspiracy theorists still believe Charles Harrelson was one of the suspicious tramps found near the murder scene, but this is nothing more than speculation.
Famous people seem almost ideal to everyone else; it seems that they immediately became famous, or that they cannot get into funny and absurd situations. But, in fact, they are people like everyone else. Not everyone immediately understood what exactly they were talented at, and some did not immediately receive recognition. Reading interesting stories from, you begin to treat them not only as special individuals, but also as people who can make mistakes, get into ridiculous situations and achieve their goals.
Jules Verne
This is not just a writer of adventure novels, but also one of those authors who could foresee some things. Jules Verne also belonged to this category, and his works were the favorite books of not only children, but also adults. They contained not only fantastic inventions for that time, but also colorful descriptions of nature and the depths of the sea. And the life of Jules Verne was as bright and a little mysterious as his novels.
- Back in 1839, the boy, who was only 11 years old, went to the port of Nantes, where the schooner Coralie was located. This is exactly what this boy chose as a cabin boy. This ship was supposed to go to the fabulous and mysterious India, where he so dreamed of going. But he was noticed in time and put ashore. Many years later, already as a grown man, he told those around him that his calling was in maritime affairs. And he regretted that he could not become a sailor then. This boy was Jules Verne.
- People often said that his novels described technologies that would be invented in the future. One of these stories is connected with the legend of the writer’s family. Allegedly, in 1863 the writer finished work on the novel “Paris in the 20th Century.” He returned from the publishing house puzzled: the publisher refused to print the manuscript because it was too fantastic! And suddenly, in 1989, Verne’s great-grandson discovered that very novel and the inventions that were described in the book actually existed.
- Jules Verne is one of those writers who popularized science in society thanks to his writing talent. Therefore, for many designers and engineers of spacecraft, as well as cosmonauts and astronauts, his books have become reference books. His talent and faith in science were rewarded: a large crater on the far side of the Moon was named in his honor.
The famous Russian writer, whose talent was most clearly revealed in drama, managed to completely change the idea of what a play should be. In his works, Anton Pavlovich knew how to very accurately select expressions that would describe all the weaknesses of human nature. At the same time, the writer himself was philanthropic and throughout his life he urged everyone to “take care of the person within you.” Chekhov did not like to write about himself, but the writer’s notebooks, his letters, and the memories of people who had the opportunity to communicate with him allow us to get acquainted with interesting facts from the life of Anton Pavlovich.
1. There was always a place for medicine in Chekhov’s life. After all, initially he saw his calling as a doctor, and writing stories, plays and humorous notes for him was just a way to earn extra money. Among the teachers at the medical faculty where the writer studied was the famous Nikolai Sklifosovsky. Later, Anton Pavlovich began working as a doctor.
After some time, there was a change in priorities, and in January 1886 a sign was removed from his door, which stated that a doctor was seeing there. It was not only that Anton Pavlovich began to seriously engage in writing, but a difficult case occurred in his practice: two of his patients died of typhus. During his famous trip to Sakhalin, Chekhov wrote that he was ready to leave medicine.
But, in fact, he always continued to be a doctor. Anton Pavlovich attended various medical congresses to keep abreast of the latest news in this area. On his estate in Melikhovo he continued to provide medical care to all those in need, and treated the sick in Yalta. Even when he was already seriously ill, Anton Pavlovich was ready to go to the Far East not as a writer, but as a doctor.
2. It was Chekhov who “gave” Sakhalin to Russia. In 1890, the playwright made the most difficult expedition to Sakhalin, which was a place of exile for prisoners and convicts. One newspaper wrote about this trip as a significant event. Anton Pavlovich took a responsible approach to the trip: he studied the history of the Russian prison, all kinds of records about the island, the works of historians, geographers and ethnographers about Sakhalin.
When Chekhov went to Sakhalin, then this place was not fully studied, of no interest to anyone, there was not even accurate data on the population. The trip lasted three months, during which the writer took a census of the population and studied the life of convicts. It was thanks to Anton Pavlovich that Russian and foreign researchers became interested in the island.
3. Chekhov was engaged in charity work, which was not limited to medical assistance. He raised funds for the needy, built schools, opened public libraries, to which he donated his numerous books, which were of museum value. Well, of course, he helped all the sick and even arranged for those who had little money to go to a sanatorium. All his life he followed his covenant: “Take care of the person within you!”
An outstanding scientist who laid the foundations of chemistry, creator of the periodic table, professor - the life of such a talented person as Dmitry Mendeleev was just as interesting. It contained some very interesting facts that reveal a different side to the scientist.
1. The most important well-known fact of the scientist’s biography is the famous dream in which he had a periodic table of chemical elements. No matter how it gives a certain aura of mystery to Mendeleev’s personality, it is not so. Dmitry Ivanovich created this table through long research and reflection.
The periodic law was discovered in 1869. On February 17, the scientist sketched a table on the back of one letter, which contained a request to come and help production. Later, Mendeleev wrote on separate cards the names of all chemical elements known at that time, as well as their atomic weights, and arranged them in order. Therefore, the trip was postponed, and Dmitry Ivanovich himself plunged into work, as a result of which the periodic table of chemical elements was obtained. And in 1870, the scientist was able to calculate the atomic mass of those elements that had not yet been studied, which is why there were “empty” spaces in his table, which were later filled with new elements.
2. Despite his numerous scientific works and important discoveries, Dmitry Ivanovich never received the Nobel Prize. Although he was nominated for it more than once, each time it was awarded to a different doctor. In 1905, Mendeleev was among the candidates, but the German chemist became the laureate. In 1906, it was decided to present the prize to Dmitry Ivanovich, but then the Royal Swedish Academy changed its mind and presented the award to the French scientist.
In 1907, a proposal was voiced to divide the prize between the Italian scientist and Mendeleev. But on February 2, 1907, the 72-year-old outstanding scientist passed away. A possible reason why Dmitry Ivanovich did not become a laureate is the conflict between him and the Nobel brothers. It occurred due to disagreements over the introduction of a tax on oil, thanks to which the brothers were able to get rich and control some of the Russian shares.
The Swedes started a rumor about the depletion of the oil field. A special commission was created, among whose members was Mendeleev. He was opposed to introducing a tax, and denied the rumor started by the Nobel brothers, which became the cause of the conflict between the Nobels and the scientist.
3. Despite the fact that for the majority the name Mendeleev is associated with chemistry, in fact, works devoted to chemistry accounted for only 10% of the total amount of scientific research. Dmitry Ivanovich was also interested in shipbuilding and participated in the development of navigation in Arctic waters. And he devoted about 40 works to this area.
Mendeleev took an active part in the construction of the first Arctic icebreaker "Ermak", which was launched on October 29, 1898. For his active participation in the study of Arctic development, a ridge located under water in the Arctic, discovered in 1949, was named in his honor. .
The facts written above are only a small part of the cases that happened to these outstanding people. But these stories show that famous personalities did not always immediately determine their calling, tried to set an example for other people and follow their principles. Therefore, interesting stories from the lives of great people can inspire humanity to do something important for the development of science or contribute to art or simply help other people.
Once, Henry Ford, while traveling in his company's compact car, saw on the road exactly the same car with a bad engine.
He immediately provided the unknown motorist with the necessary assistance: he supplied him with spare parts and adjusted the engine. When the grateful owner of the stuck car handed over five dollars, Ford smiled: “No, no, no money needed. Things are going well for me as it is.” “I don’t really believe it, sir! - he answered. “If you succeeded in business, you wouldn’t be shaking in a pathetic Ford car...”
Galileo Galilei spent his wedding night reading a book. Noticing that it was already dawn, he went to the bedroom, but immediately came out and asked the servant: “Who is lying in my bed?” “Your wife, sir,” answered the servant. Galileo completely forgot that he got married.
The German mathematician Peter Gustav Dirichlet was very taciturn. When his son was born, he sent his father-in-law a telegram, perhaps the shortest in the history of the telegraph: “2 + 1 = 3.”
The outstanding American scientist Thomas Edison, the author of many inventions in the fields of electrical engineering and communications, film technology and telephony, chemistry and mining, and military equipment, never worked without an assistant. Long time in carrying out laboratory experiments and the demonstration of new technology, Edison was helped by one of his assistants, a former simple sailor. When he was asked a question about how Edison made his inventions, he was sincerely surprised every time: “I can’t imagine it myself. After all, I do everything for him, and Edison only frowns and makes comments about me. And in general: I work, and he rests!”
Once Voltaire was invited to a dinner party. When everyone was seated, it turned out that the maestro found himself between two grumpy gentlemen. Having drunk well, Voltaire’s neighbors began to argue about how to properly address the servants: “Bring me some water!” or “Give me some water!” Voltaire unwittingly found himself right in the middle of this controversy. Finally, tired of this disgrace, the maestro could not stand it and said: “Gentlemen, both of these expressions are inapplicable to you!” You should both say, “Take me to water!”
While traveling around France, Mark Twain traveled by train to the city of Dijon. The train was passing, and he asked to wake him up on time. At the same time, the writer said to the conductor: “I sleep very soundly.” When you wake me up, maybe I will scream. So ignore it and be sure to drop me off in Dijon. When Mark Twain woke up, it was already morning, and the train was approaching Paris. The writer realized that he had passed through Dijon and became very angry. He ran to the conductor and began to reprimand him. - I have never been as angry as I am now! - he shouted. “You are not as angry as the American whom I dropped off in Dijon at night,” answered the guide.
After the first telegram from Europe to America was successfully transmitted, Alexander Stepanovich Popov made another report in one of the capital's clubs about his invention of a wireless telegraph system. Representatives of the royal court were present in the audience in the hall, some of them were very skeptical about Popov’s message. Thus, one of the high society ladies, not understanding a word from the report, turned to Popov with what she thought was a tricky question: “However, how do you still explain that this is a telegram as it passes through the ocean, from continent to continent?” , didn’t drown and didn’t even get wet?” Alexander Stepanovich just shrugged his shoulders, and the lady, looking around, smiled smugly.
At the closing ceremony of the 1896 automobile exhibition in Paris, French physicist and electrical engineer Marcel Despres proposed a toast to the future automobile, which would reach a speed of 60 kilometers per hour. In response, one then famous car designer responded dissatisfiedly: “Why is there always someone who will ruin the whole celebration with his stupid predictions!”
One day, an acquaintance of Alexander Pushkin, officer Kondyba, asked the poet if he could come up with a rhyme for the words “cancer” and “fish”. Pushkin replied: “Fool Kondyba!” The officer was embarrassed and suggested making a rhyme for the combination “fish and cancer.” Pushkin was not at a loss here either: “Kondyba is a fool.”
“There is no great man for a servant.” An interesting confirmation of this old rule was the opinion of an old gardener who served Charles Darwin for several decades. He treated the famous natural scientist with love, but had a “minimal opinion” about his abilities: “Good old gentleman, it’s just a pity that he can’t find a worthwhile occupation for himself. Judge for yourself: he stands for several minutes, staring at some flower. Well, would a person who has some serious occupation do this?
Once, speaking at a debate on proletarian internationalism at the Polytechnic Institute, Vladimir Mayakovsky said: “Among Russians, I feel like a Russian, among Georgians, a Georgian...” “And among fools?” - suddenly someone shouted from the hall. “And this is my first time among fools,” Mayakovsky answered instantly.
The English theoretical physicist Paul Dirac married Wigner's sister. Soon an acquaintance came to visit him, who still knew nothing about the event. In the midst of their conversation, a young woman entered the room, calling Dirac by name, pouring tea and generally acting like the mistress of the house. After some time, Dirac noticed the guest’s embarrassment and, slapping himself on the forehead, exclaimed: “Sorry, please, I forgot to introduce you - this is... Wigner’s sister!”
Bernard Shaw, already a famous writer, once collided with a cyclist on the road. Fortunately, both escaped with only fright. The cyclist began to apologize, but Shaw objected: “You're out of luck, sir!” A little more energy - and you would deserve immortality as my killer.
One day a very fat man said to the skinny Bernard Shaw: “You look as if your family were starving.” - And to look at you, one might think that you are the cause of this disaster.
The Prussian King Frederick II, considering himself an erudite man, loved to talk with members of his Academy of Sciences, sometimes asking the most ridiculous questions during these conversations. He once asked academics: “Why does a glass filled with champagne produce a clearer sound than a glass filled with Burgundy?” Professor Sulzer, on behalf of all the academicians present, replied: “Members of the Academy of Sciences, with the low content assigned to them by Your Majesty, are unfortunately deprived of the opportunity to carry out such experiments.”
Once Ilf and Petrov were asked if they had to write under a pseudonym. To which they replied: “Of course, Ilf sometimes signed himself Petrov, and Petrov Ilf.”
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as a joke, chose the addresses of 12 of the largest London bankers, who enjoy the reputation of exceptionally honest and respectable people, and sent each of them a telegram with the following content: “Everything has come out. Hide." The next day, all 12 bankers disappeared from London. By the fact of their flight, they all recognized the criminal and antisocial nature of their activities.
Alexandre Dumas once dined with the famous doctor Gistal, who asked the writer to write something in his book of reviews. Dumas wrote: “Since Dr. Gistal is treating entire families, the hospital needs to be closed.” The doctor exclaimed: “You flatter me!” Then Dumas added: “And build two cemeteries...”
Guy de Maupassant worked for some time as an official in the ministry. A few years later, in the archives of the ministry they found a description of Maupassant: “A diligent official, but he writes poorly.”
In 1972, a young Indian wrote to John Lennon that he had a dream to travel around the world, but had no money, and asked him to send the necessary amount. Lennon replied: “Meditate and you can see the whole world in your mind.” In 1995, the Indian nevertheless went on a trip around the world. He received the required amount by auctioning Lennon's letter.
Once, a customs officer, inspecting the luggage of the British playwright, poet and writer Oscar Wilde, who was widely known for his wit, arrived in New York, asked the distinguished guest if he had jewelry and art objects with him that needed to be included in the declaration. “Nothing but my genius,” answered Oscar Wilde.
When the current heir to the British crown, Prince Charles, studied at Cambridge, a bodyguard went with him to all classes. The Cambridge education system allowed the bodyguard to participate in discussion and debate. And at the end of the training, the teachers asked him to take exams. As a result, the bodyguard scored more points than the prince himself and also received a diploma.
Once at a reception, Charlie Chaplin performed a very complex opera aria for the assembled guests. When he finished, one of the guests exclaimed: “Amazing!” I had no idea that you sing so wonderfully. “Not at all,” Chaplin smiled, “I never knew how to sing.” I was simply imitating now the famous tenor whom I heard at the opera.
While Vladimir Vysotsky was vacationing in Sochi, thieves looked into his hotel room. Along with their belongings and clothes, they took all the documents and even the key to the Moscow apartment. Having discovered the loss, Vysotsky went to the nearest police station, wrote a statement, and they promised to help him. But no help was needed. When he returned to the room, the stolen things and a note were already lying there: “Sorry, Vladimir Semenovich, we didn’t know whose things these were. Unfortunately, we have already sold the jeans, but we are returning the jacket and documents safe and sound.”
I found the photo on the Internet
The inglorious death of a great genius
The great Dutch artist Van Gogh suffered from bouts of madness. During one of these attacks, he even cut off a piece of his ear. Shortly before his death, the artist decided to settle in Saint-Paul de Mausole, a French shelter for the mentally ill. Here he received an isolated room in which he could also paint from time to time. Van Gogh, accompanied by a doctor, was allowed to walk around the area and paint his masterpieces - landscapes. It was here that he met Anna Bosch, who bought the painting “The Red Vine” for 400 francs. By the way, this was the first and last time during the artist’s life that his painting was bought.
In 1890, one July day, Van Gogh escaped and left his monastery. He walked for a while alone, and then wandered into a peasant farmstead. The owners were absent at the time. The artist, taking out a pistol, tried to shoot himself in the heart, but the bullet, catching a rib bone, missed. Then he, pressing his hand over the wound, slowly walked to his room and lay down.
When the minister saw Van Gogh bleeding, a doctor and police were immediately called from a nearby village. But, to their surprise, the doctor and policeman saw the artist lying calmly in bed and sucking on his pipe.
Van Gogh died that night.
The brain of all Russian literature
Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev could easily be called “the brain of Russian literature.” After his death, pathologists determined that the weight of the writer’s gray matter was 2 kilograms, which is more than that of other famous personalities. And that’s probably why doctor Botkin said that the Almighty simply didn’t have enough materials for a head of that size. But every joke has a rational grain: the writer’s parietal bone was very thin. Turgenev himself, laughing at himself, said that one could feel the brain through it. It happened that, even after receiving a slight blow to the head, he fainted or remained in a semi-fainting state for some time.
One of distinctive features Ivan Sergeevich had excessive cleanliness and a love of order almost at a manic level. At least twice a day he changed into clean underwear, before wiping his entire body with a sponge soaked in cologne. Before sitting down to work at his desk, he always cleaned the room and folded all the papers. Sometimes he could jump out of bed in the middle of the night, remembering that some thing was out of place. He was also annoyed if the curtains on the windows were sloppily drawn. Each thing or piece of paper on the table had its own specially designated place.
Great Dictator Complexes
Hitler's father was married several times. When he was about to enter into his third marriage with Clara Pelzl (and they were in family ties), Alois had to apply to the Vatican for special permission. The family had six children, among whom Hitler was the third. Knowing about incest in the family, he tried to avoid talking about his parents. However, this fact did not prevent him from demanding from others confirmation, and documentary evidence, about the origin.
In addition to the idea of dominating the whole world, the Fuhrer was also very concerned about the issue of maintaining his health, so he took a lot of pills. Theodore Morell, Adolf's personal physician, recorded this fact in medical documents. The dictator's entourage considered Morell a charlatan, but Hitler himself trusted him immensely. In 1944, the doctor recommended the patient injections, which included an extract from the sperm and prostate gland of young calves - testosterone. Adolf really hoped that this medicine, essentially the “Viagra” of that time, would greatly help him during his close relationship with Eva Braun. Apparently, it was precisely his incomplete success in relationships with women, phobias and complexes that can explain Hitler’s perverted cruelty and his desire to subjugate the whole world.
Little prodigy
Mozart was a gifted child. At the age of four he had already written a concerto for stringed keyboard instruments. Moreover, this concert was very difficult, such that hardly any European musician could play it. The father, realizing this, took away from young Wolfgang the notes with notes that he had not yet managed to finish. The indignant young talent answered the parent: “And this music is not at all difficult to perform; even a child, for example, me, can perform it.”
All of Mozart's childhood years were associated with musical studies and a large number of performances. Often performing musical works in front of refined European audiences, little genius surprised the audience: the father blindfolded him with a handkerchief, and the child played the clavier blindly, or covered the keys with a piece of cloth, and Wolfgang masterfully coped with the game. During one of the concerts, a cat suddenly entered the stage. And a child is a child - Mozart, leaving the instrument, forgetting about the audience, rushed to her, picked her up, stroked her, and then began to play with the animal. The angry father demanded to go back immediately, to which Wolfgang replied:
“The harpsichord will stand still, but the cat will now run away.”
Good psychologist with excellent memory
Stalin had an extremely rich, capacious and tenacious memory. Thus, D.V. Ustinov recalled that the leader always remembered to the smallest detail all the issues that were discussed, and never allowed even the slightest deviation from previously made decisions. He knew everyone who led the Armed Forces and the economy, commanded divisions and managed factories by last name, first name and patronymic. Moreover, he kept in his head the necessary data that characterized them as individuals, and knew almost everything about the state of affairs in the areas of work entrusted to them. Stalin had an analytical mind, which allowed him to focus on the most essential from a large amount of information, facts, and data. He presented his conclusions and thoughts briefly, clearly, and accessiblely, so that there could be no objections. He himself did not like unnecessary verbosity and did not allow others to talk much.
Reproaching any foreign figure in his speech or during a discussion, Joseph Vissarionovich looked at him very expressively and carefully, without looking away for some time. And it should be noted that the object to which he turned his attention did not feel entirely comfortable. Stalin's gaze pierced like arrows.
Great Avicenna
Born in Bukhara, he was both a grand vizier and a criminal, whose “atrocities” were debunked government, and an eternal wanderer.
Avicenna lived for almost 57 years, but in such a short period he proved himself in 29 branches of knowledge, and his medical conclusions cannot be overestimated. And it is believed that the word “medicine” itself comes from the Latin version of “Madad Sina,” which translates as “cure from Sina.”
Avicenna did not study officially anywhere, but long before Louis Pasteur discovered pathogenic viruses, he concluded that fever could be caused by “very small creatures.” He also established the cause of most diseases - human experiences and nervousness; he was the first to draw attention to the contagiousness of infectious diseases, described the nature of meningitis, jaundice, stomach ulcers and many other diseases.
Just look at the diagnosis developed by Ibn Sina based on pulse beats. One day, a famous merchant from Bukhara’s daughter fell ill, and no one could help her. The father turned to Avicenna for salvation. The doctor, having felt the pulse, began to name the girl the streets of the city, and then asked her to list the names of those who lived on these streets. When the girl said one of the names, her pulse quickened and her face turned red. This is how the sage found out that she was in love, but her father would never allow her to marry this man. This caused the fatal disease. The merchant was forced to bless his daughter, and Avicenna gained fame and respect among people.
A letter that found its addressee seven years later
Yuri Gagarin, getting ready to fly into space and not knowing how his expedition might end, wrote a letter to his wife Valentina, saying goodbye to her. Addressing his beloved and the mother of his children, the first cosmonaut said that technology could fail at any time. Therefore, no matter what happens, you need to live on, not lose heart, and most importantly, love, take care of and raise your daughters.
The letter found its recipient seven years later, when the plane carrying Yuri Gagarin fell and crashed.
The pilot met his future wife while a cadet at the Orenburg Pilot School at a dance. Valentina had luxurious hair that reached the floor. And she, the beauty, did not at all like the thin, short young man with a large head, short-cropped hair and sticking out. But Yuri was such a persistent gentleman that after some time the girl’s heart melted. After graduating from college, they got married, and soon Valentina gave her husband two wonderful, desired daughters.
Saying goodbye to his wife in his last letter, Gagarin also said that after his death she has the right to arrange her life as she wants, and he, in turn, does not impose any obligations on her. But his beloved wife, left a widow at the age of thirty-two, never married again, sacredly preserving the memory of the man who was the first to conquer space.
The great philosopher despised women
Confucius, one of China's greatest philosophers, married early. Over time, he kicked his wife out of the house so that she would not interfere with his studies. And in general, the philosopher considered women to be mundane people, unable to comprehend heavenly wisdom. He said that an ordinary woman is endowed with the mind of a chicken, and an extraordinary woman is endowed with the mind of two such birds.
Such behavior and statements do not seem strange, because Confucius was not endowed with an attractive appearance from birth. Once, a queen, not endowed with chaste morality, having heard enough stories about the great wisdom of this man, explicitly invited him to her place alone, unaccompanied. The philosopher always walked surrounded by his students, but this time he decided to heed the requests of the royal person... And so Confucius was taken to his chambers. While the queen was away, the learned husband began to examine the room. A rustling sound was heard, and he turned to face the entering crowned lady. At this time, she wanted to say words of greeting, but she froze with her mouth open - she was so amazed by the appearance of the sage. When the queen's first shock passed, she looked contemptuously at Confucius and hastily left. But this did not surprise the great philosopher, because beauty and intelligence go separately.
The great tenor dreamed of becoming a football player
Luciano Pavarotti was born into a simple Italian family. The boy's father loved opera singing and bought a lot of records. In the evenings he listened to them with his son. Thus, Luciano became addicted to singing. But the parents did not support the young talent in this, because they believed that a man should master a serious craft.
Pavarotti's other hobby was football. Since childhood, he was the captain of the city's youth football team and saw himself as a professional goalkeeper in the future. But on the advice of his mother, he becomes a school teacher, then works in an insurance agency. Still, over time, the craving for singing wins. An agreement was drawn up with his father that until he turned thirty, Luciano could occupy a room in his parents’ house and also eat here. Pavarotti promises his father that if after this period he does not achieve anything as an opera singer, he will be forced to earn a living by any means.
Only at the age of nineteen does the great tenor learn that he has perfect pitch. Soon his first success came: in 1961 he won the competition for young performers. Before this important performance, the mother put a rusty nail against the evil eye for her son. From then until the end of his days, Luciano Pavarotti cherished this talisman of his.
The great conqueror was a coward
It is no secret that Genghis Khan (real name Temuchen) was incredibly cruel to his enemies. His horde massacred everyone who resisted. The rest, of course, were taken prisoner. Then, if there was a need to storm fortresses or cities, these prisoners were placed in front of the troops as a human shield. It turns out that it was not for nothing that Muslim peoples considered Mongol the destroyer of their cultural heritage.
Despite all his cruelty, he himself was terrified of dying. Feeling the approach of old age, Genghis Khan searched for the elixir of immortality, but did not find it. Still, he managed to extend his life. For every warrior lost in battle, the great conqueror mercilessly took revenge. It seemed that his life was many times more important than the lives taken by this man.
Genghis Khan haunted the inhabitants of the cities destroyed and burned by his horde. During the Mongol invasion, people tried to escape by hiding in forests and mountains. After the army left, they returned back. The conqueror created a special detachment whose task was to return to the destroyed village and slaughter all the survivors.
A distinctive feature of Genghis Khan's attack was that he never led his horde into battle, but led it from afar. The Mongol was such a coward.
Lomonosov knew how to stand up for himself
At a time when Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov was already an adjunct, his apartment was located on Vasilyevsky Island. The great scientist made it a rule to take walks in the evenings. One day in the fall, at the end of the day, he took a promenade along his usual route - from Bolshoy Prospekt to the bay. In those distant times, Bolshoi Prospekt, located on Vasilyevsky Island, was nothing more than a wide clearing cut through the forest. Lomonosov was returning back when night had already begun to fall over St. Petersburg. The area was deserted. And then three robbers jumped out of the bushes.
Mikhail Vasilyevich was endowed with extraordinary strength from birth, so he was not afraid, but began to fight back. One of the villains, not expecting resistance at all, took to his heels. Lomonosov managed to knock the second one to the ground with a strong blow. The third, seeing such a situation, began to ask for forgiveness, swearing that they only wanted to take clothes from a lonely passerby. Then the scientist decided to rob the robber: he ordered the villain to undress, tie his clothes in a bundle and give them to him. Putting the luggage on his shoulder, Mikhail Lomonosov himself delivered it home, and the next day he visited the Admiralty and reported there about the attack by robber sailors.
A genius among us
Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman, who discovered the millennium, now lives in St. Petersburg. It was this mathematician who solved the Poincaré conjecture, which they tried to prove for hundreds of years. Moreover, Grigory Yakovlevich did not publish his research in scientific works, but simply posted it on the Internet.
For such a brilliant discovery, the Clay Institute awarded the brilliant scientist a prize of one million dollars. But Perelman refused it, explaining his action by saying that he was not interested in money and that he had everything necessary for life.
Today Grigory Yakovlevich leads a solitary life, communicating with practically no one.
Since childhood, he has been accustomed to training his brain. IN school years Perelman took part in the Mathematical Olympiad in Budapest, where he won a gold medal. The ability to think abstractly helped him in this.
Almost his entire scientific life, the scientist worked on issues of the three-dimensional structure of the Universe. The scale of his discoveries at the present stage is ahead of the achievements that science has made to date. That is why the intelligence services of many countries became interested in the activities of Grigory Perelman.
If a person is talented, then he is talented in everything
Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev had diverse interests. In addition to his life's occupation - research in the field of chemistry - his range of hobbies was very wide.
The famous discovery of the Periodic Table initially brought him only ridicule, condemnation and accusations of plagiarism. True, fame came with time.
Whatever the great scientist undertook, he did it perfectly. So, in his free time, Mendeleev liked to make suitcases. Dmitry Ivanovich bought the materials for their production in the same store, so the sellers selling the goods perceived the regular customer with a large beard and long, shoulder-length hair as a suitcase maker. As a joke, he even wanted to make a business card with the inscription “D. I. Mendeleev is a master of suitcases.”
The scientist was also interested in meteorology. Already at an old age he flew in a hot air balloon. His achievement in metrology is the organization of the Chamber of Weights and Measures. He also proved himself in shipbuilding, taking part in the creation of Russia's first icebreaker. Well, and finally, it was Mendeleev who managed to establish the most optimal ratio of water and alcohol in the production of vodka - this is sixty parts to forty.
She made herself
One of the wealthiest women in the world, TV presenter, popular actress, public figure, host of her own show - all this is her, Oprah Winfrey. This woman came to the pinnacle of fame and success thanks to incredible hard work, the ability to communicate and, of course, enormous willpower.
After all, a girl was born into a very poor family. Her parents separated because her mother was not distinguished by her chaste behavior. Oprah was barely nine years old when she was raped by her maternal cousin, then by her uncle. Since the mother very often brought her clients home, the daughter also provided intimate services, receiving money for it. The mother most likely knew about this, but turned a blind eye to everything.
When Oprah found out she was pregnant at the age of fourteen, she wanted to take her own life. Finding herself in a hopeless situation, the girl drank detergents in an attempt to get rid of her unwanted child. And this “helped”: the child was born dead.
After returning to school, Winfrey completely immersed herself in public life: she participates in all events and heads the student council. And today the TV presenter is convinced that if it had become known then that she was pregnant, her fate would have been completely different.
Sigmund Freud has Ukrainian roots
Sigmund Freud, a famous psychologist, professor at the University of Vienna, founder of the method of psychoanalysis, has Ukrainian roots.
Jacob Freud - his father - was born in the city of Tysmenitsa, which is located in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. He lived in this locality for 25 years. Tismenitsa at that time was a multinational city: Poles, Jews, and Ukrainians got along well with each other here. In this city he married and gave birth to Emmanuel and Philip, the elder brothers of the future professor. However, the Ukrainian roots of this surname are even deeper. Many generations of Freuds lived in the town of Buchach in the Ternopil region. Sigmund Freud's grandfather moved to Tismenitsa to continue his education and stayed here forever.
The mother of the famous psychoanalyst, nee Amalia Nathanson, was born in the town of Brody, Lviv region. Then she lived in Odessa for some time, and after some time she left for Vienna, where she met her future husband. Her siblings remained in Odessa, with whom Jacob Freud’s family maintained family relations.
When Sigmund Freud was 27 years old, his father decided to start his own business in Odessa and lived, engaged in commercial activities, in this city for some time. True, this activity did not bring much profit, and Jacob returned to Austria again.
The world-famous artist was also an inventor
God endowed Salvador Dali with more than just artistic talent. He also owns inventions that were brought to life, although at first they seemed strange.
For those traveling by car, the brilliant artist came up with multispectral glasses in case the landscape they contemplate becomes boring.
To create a good mood while walking and enjoy the process of walking, he created shoes with springs.
Salvador Dali did not deprive himself of his attention in terms of inventions and women. False nails with a built-in mirror were invented for them. small size so that at the right moment you can look at yourself. Another gift is a dress with various anatomical pads as accessories. They were designed by the artist, having previously carried out a series of precise calculations that corresponded to the ideal of female beauty, born in a man’s head as an erotic imagination. One of the unusual details of such a dress was the additional breasts, which should have been attached to the back. According to Dali, such an outfit was supposed to radically change fashion.
And for the paparazzi, the artist invented photo masks. They are especially relevant today, when many reporters are being summoned to court for invading privacy. And so - put on a photo mask with the face of a famous person - and look for the wind in the field.
Great Diva of Russia
When Alla Pugacheva was born, upon examination, doctors discovered a tumor on her throat. An operation was immediately performed to remove it. Perhaps that is why the singer had a special timbre of her voice.
As a child, a red-haired girl with thin pigtails loved to play in the yard, but only with boys. Alla had a thin build, and also wore glasses, as she had vision problems. After she gave birth to her daughter Christina, she recovered. I went on different diets many times, but it did not give the desired result.
Another hobby of Pugacheva is drawing. She has had this hobby since childhood. She painted several hundred paintings, which she gave to close friends. In the future, the Primadonna plans to take a pseudonym for herself and take up painting in some place where she can retire.
Once Alla Borisovna, having opened up, admitted that no man could sleep next to her in bed. As it turned out, she snores heavily at night. I did a lot to cure this deficiency, but no procedures brought results.
The diva wants to look good, so she does it from time to time plastic surgery. After one of them, carried out in Switzerland, she almost died due to an abscess that developed. A surgeon from Moscow barely saved the singer. As a token of gratitude, Pugacheva presented him with a gift - an apartment.
These two young men met at Stanford while studying at the university. At first they often argued, and at times even fought. And although both were absolute opposites, they soon became such friends that they could not take a step without each other.
After they created a system for searching information on the requested page at their home university, and the management was going to close it, Sergei and Larry had to think about how to save their brainchild. A search for sponsors began, but many wealthy people did not understand what this system was and did not want to invest money in the “dubious” project.
But fate was kind to the young men and sent them Andy Bechtolstein. Unable to listen for a long time to a story about the advantages of the new search engine, the businessman took out his checkbook. Having picked up a check issued for 100 thousand dollars, the stunned and surprised Brin and Page did not immediately notice that it was issued to Google. Inc., not Google. That's what they planned to call it. Googol is a unit followed by one hundred zeros, which means “an immeasurably large search system.”
To get this money, it was necessary to urgently found a company. Friends take academic leave and do what they love.
The difficult path to fame
At the age of eight, Yuri Kuklachev, a famous cat trainer, saw Charlie Chaplin perform on TV. The boy really liked how the great actor moved, and he asked his parents to send him to ballet school. For five years, Yura studied ballet, but when he graduated from school, he firmly decided to enter a circus school.
For seven years in a row, Kuklachev tried to become a student at the school, but he was not accepted, explaining that his face was not suitable and his height was short.
Then he began performing in the folk circus, and later even became the winner of the All-Union Festival. Once the folk circus gave a performance in a building on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, and the director of the school was present in the hall. After Kuklachev’s performance, he approached the artist and invited him to study at his institution.
Yuri took up cat training later. He couldn't help but wonder what he could do to differentiate himself from the famous clowns. While on tour in Cherkassy, I came across a stray cat with smart eyes and adopted her. In Moscow I picked up another cat – Strelka, with whom I staged my first number. The success was unprecedented, because before him no one had ever entered the arena with such a number. This was the trick that Yuri Kuklachev was looking for.
The youngest of the boxer brothers
In his childhood, Vladimir Klitschko dreamed of becoming a doctor. At the end of the eighth grade, he even tried to enter a medical school to become a paramedic, but the attempt was unsuccessful. He was not accepted due to the fact that at the time of the entrance exams he had not yet reached the age of fourteen.
Older brother Vitaly was already seriously involved in boxing at that time, and he invited Vladimir to attend a training session and try his hand at the sport. So, trying to be like Vitaly in everything, the younger brother ended up in the boxing section. And after six years of hard work in gym During training, Vladimir wins the title of Olympic champion.
Almost no one knows that the so intriguing meeting in the ring between the Klitschko brothers is long in the past. Back in mid-1992, secretly from the coach, despite his prohibitions, the brothers decided to compete. It was not possible to determine the strongest and best, since the round ended with an injury: Vladimir, for a reason unknown to both brothers, broke his leg. So that the parents would not worry again, Vitaly and Vladimir did not say a word about the fight that took place. Their coach, Vladimir Zolotarev, also helped them with this, and he immediately took the brothers to a training camp in Crimea.
The “true” biographies of the giants of thought are much more interesting...
Hans Christian Andersen — Danish writer and poet, author of world-famous fairy tales for children and adults: “The Ugly Duckling”, “The King’s New Clothes”, “The Shadow”, “The Princess and the Pea”.
* Hans Christian Andersen wrote many poems, plays and novels, but went down in history primarily as a great storyteller. But few people know that this talented writer could not write almost a single word correctly, and editors simply clutched their heads when he brought them his manuscripts. Until the end of his days, Andersen wrote with terrible grammatical and spelling errors. The situation was especially difficult with punctuation marks, and Andersen spent a lot of money on girls who rewrote his fairy tales before taking them to the publishing house.
* Andersen did not have his own children. He willingly told stories to strangers, but did not tolerate them sitting on his lap. Shortly before his death - and he lived for 70 years - Hans Christian asked the composer Hartmann to compose a march for his funeral. And adjust the rhythm to the children's step, since children will participate in the ceremony.
* He was not afraid to traumatize the child’s psyche by hating a happy ending and leaving us with sad and sometimes gloomy tales. The only work that, as he admitted, touched him was “The Little Mermaid.”
Soviet censors tried to select for Soviet collections only those fairy tales that had a good ending and did not deal with spiritual subjects. In fact, almost half of Andersen's fairy tales end rather sadly: the Ballerina and the Tin Soldier burn together in fire, the Little Mermaid says goodbye to life in order to find an immortal soul.
Few people remember how the fairy tale “Ole Lukoje” ends. And all because in the Soviet version of the fairy tale, Ole-Lukoye’s brother, the wizard on a horse, is not called by his name - Death. In the full version of the tale, death is shown as something natural, not scary, and even pleasant for those who behaved well. That is why the hero of the fairy tale, the boy Yalmar, says: “I am not afraid of death.”
To understand these and many other fairy tales, which are now being published in large numbers, you will need not only to look into the Holy Scriptures, but, perhaps, into the soul of the storyteller himself.
* Andersen explained the meaning of his “Ugly Duckling” differently than we are used to.
“You can grow up in a poultry house, the main thing is that you hatched from a swan’s egg. If you turned out to be the son of a drake, then from an ugly duckling you would turn into just an ugly duck, no matter how kind you were!” - here is the unexpected moral of the tale. The writer was sure: his father was King Christian the Eighth, who, as a prince, allowed himself numerous novels.
From a relationship with a noble girl Elisa Ahlefeld-Laurvig, a boy was allegedly born, who was given to the family of a shoemaker and a washerwoman. During a trip to Rome, the Danish princess Charlotte Frederica actually told Andersen that he was the king's illegitimate son. Apparently, she just laughed at the poor dreamer. However, when a penniless writer at the age of 33 unexpectedly received an annual royal scholarship, he became even more convinced that “his father did not forget him.”
* Fairy tale by G.Kh. Andersen’s “The King’s New Clothes” was placed in the first primer by L.N. Tolstoy.
* “To live is to travel.” - uh That phrase from Andersen has been adopted by thousands of travel agencies in our time. The storyteller was obsessed with movement; in total, he made 29 large journeys, which at that time seemed almost incredible. During his travels, he showed himself to be a brave and hardy man, rode horseback and swam well.
* Hans Christian Andersen got angry when he was called a children's storyteller and said that he wrote fairy tales for both children and adults. For the same reason, he ordered that there should not be a single child on his monument, where the storyteller was originally supposed to be surrounded by children.
By the way, Andersen has a fairy tale about Isaac Newton.
* Hans Christian Andersen was a great coward. It is difficult to say what Andersen was not afraid of and what he did not suffer from. He was a terrible alarmist. The slightest scratch brought him to a fit of horror, and the names of diseases caused him to tremble. He shied away from dogs and was afraid of strangers. Robberies seemed to him at every step, and his habit of saving made him constantly tormented by the question of whether he had overpaid for the purchase.
In addition, Andersen surprised those around him with his pyrophobia: he was terrified of dying in a fire, so when he traveled, he always took a rope with him, hoping to save himself with it in case of fire.
He dined only “on the side,” and for years he kept a list of “those to eat” so that he could come to them in turn.
In his nightmares, he imagined that he would be buried alive, and asked his friends that in any case, one of his arteries would be cut before they put him in the coffin. When he was sick, he often left a note on the table next to his bed. It said: “It just seems like I’m dead.”
Andersen's eternal suffering was toothache. Losing another tooth, he was upset, and after saying goodbye to the last one at the age of 68, he declared that now he would not be able to write fairy tales.
* On the love front, Hans Christian Andersen became famous as a “platonic lover.” “I am still innocent, but my blood burns,” Andersen wrote at age 29. It seems that Hans Christian never bothered to put out this fire.
He promised to marry his first girlfriend when he began to earn one and a half thousand riksdalers a year. At 35, his annual income was already higher, but he never married. Although by the end of his life his fortune had grown to half a million dollars (by today's standards), and his apartment in Copenhagen cost at least 300 thousand.
All of Andersen’s “great loves” remained platonic. For two years he went to Sweden to visit the singer Jenny Lindt (she was nicknamed the nightingale for her beautiful voice), showered her with flowers and poems, but was rejected. But readers got a fairy tale about a wonderful songbird.
For the second half of Andersen’s life, young friends accompanied him on his travels, but no open evidence of the friends’ close relationships has been preserved.
* Hans Christian Andersen had the autograph of A.S. Pushkin
* The most famous Danish writer of all times is Hans Christian Andersen.
Johann Wolfgang Goethe — German poet, statesman, thinker and naturalist.
* Johann Wolfgang Goethe was a multi-talented person: he not only created literary masterpieces, but also directed the local theater and conducted scientific research (he, in particular, was the founder of morphology, and his scientific works on plants were ahead of the brilliant discoveries of Darwin).
He was also familiar with anatomy, he undertook empirical research in this area and discovered one hitherto unknown bone - in the middle of the human face - the premaxillary bone (Sutura incisiva Goethei).
Goethe also knew how to paint: “Historical view of Heidelberg Palace from the Stückgarten”, Germany, watercolor by Johann Wolfgang Goethe, 1815.
* Goethe devoted entire volumes to describing his romantic feelings. He often found himself in strange love triangles with opposite women: one was sweet and meek, the other was mature and experienced. His novels rarely went smoothly.
One biographer points out that in his youth Goethe probably had problems with premature ejaculation, and for this reason he had virtually no sexual relations until he was 39 years old. There is no direct evidence of this, but there is a lot of documentary evidence that Goethe, indeed, was easily aroused by even the most ordinary physical contact. A kiss could send him into a state of ecstasy. Many of the women Goethe loved were unattainable for him. Some of them were the wives of his friends.
* After 18 years of dating, on October 14, 1806, Goethe legalized his relationship with Christiane Vulpius (died 1816). Johann Wolfgang Goethe and his wife Christiane had five children. The children born after Augustus's eldest son did not survive: one child was stillborn, the rest died within a few days or weeks. August had three children: Walter Wolfgang, Wolfgang Maximilian and Alma. Augustus died two years before his father's death in Rome. After the death of her husband, his wife Ottilie Goethe gave birth to a daughter, Anna Sibylla, who died a year later. The children of Augustus and Ottilie did not marry, so Goethe’s direct line was interrupted in 1885 - there were no direct descendants left
* When Goethe was 74 years old, he proposed to Ulrike von Leventzow, who was not yet 20 years old and whom he himself called “daughter.” Ulrika refused his proposal
* The poet worked on Faust almost all his life. The idea came to him when he was just over twenty years old. He finished the tragedy a few months before his death and bequeathed to publish it after his death
* Goethe was born a sickly child and was often and seriously ill throughout his life. In his quest for healthy image Throughout his life, he abstained from “pleasurable poisons” such as tobacco and coffee, he swam in cold water, danced enthusiastically, traveled and rode horses.
However, despite his early heart attack, lung disease, melancholy and rheumatism, he lived for 82 years. His last words were: "Mehr Licht..." ("More light...")
* At the end of his life, Goethe sent A.S. Pushkin has his own pen. The golden age of German literature symbolically passed the baton to the golden age of Russian literature.
* Johann Wolfgang Goethe loved violets and practiced in an original way their breeding. So, when going for a walk around the outskirts of his native Weimar, he always took with him a bag of seeds of these flowers and sowed them in all suitable places. As a result, even during the poet’s lifetime, the suburbs of Weimar were covered with blooming lawns of violets, which the Germans still call “Goethe’s flowers.” And German gardeners developed a huge number of varieties of fragrant violets, which they named in honor of the heroes of Goethe’s works.
* Goethe could not stand the smoke. He simply got sick at the sight of someone smoking, and in a smoky room he began to have nightmares, he could smell the slightest smell of tobacco! One day he fired his, I must say, careless cook. In revenge, the offended cook, in the absence of her former master, entered his office and smoked a pipe of the strongest tobacco there.
* In social psychology, there is such a thing as the “Werther effect” (or “Werther syndrome”) - a massive wave of copycat suicides that occur after a suicide that was widely covered on television or other media - named after the hero of Goethe’s very first work, “The Sorrows of Young Werther”
* By order of the English Admiralty, since 1776, when producing ropes for the navy, red thread must be woven into them so that it cannot be removed even from a small piece of rope. Apparently, this measure was intended to reduce rope theft. This is where the expression “run like a red thread” comes from about the main idea of the author throughout the entire literary work, and Goethe was the first to use it in the novel “Kind Natures”
Gaius Julius Caesar (Latin gaivs ivlivs cæsar) - dictator, orator, emperor, scriptor. One of the greatest and most famous Roman rulers and generals. There is evidence that he knew all his soldiers by sight and name
* Julius Caesar was distinguished by his diversity of talents. A great politician, a brilliant military leader, an excellent orator and writer. His books “Notes on the Gallic War” and “Notes on the Civil War” are of historical value, and the book “Commentarii de Bello Gallico,” which describes the conquest of Gaul, has long been considered a literary classic.
* Emperor and commander Gaius Julius Caesar was well built and tall. He can rightfully be called the first metrosexual in the history of mankind. He took very good care of his body, and not only cut and shaved all the hair on his body, but also plucked it, which was not accepted then.
* Caesar wore a laurel wreath largely not because he was a great poet, but because he hated his bald head and tried to hide it.
* In his youth, Caesar served military service in Asia Minor and he also had to carry out diplomatic assignments at the court of the Bithynian king Nicomedes. In Rome there was a persistent rumor, even to a certain extent the belief, that Caesar had entered into a homosexual relationship with King Nicomedes, and, according to some evidence, at the royal feasts he openly acted as a boy-cupbearer. Accusations and ridicule in connection with this episode haunted Caesar for the rest of his life. What is worth is only the wit of Curio the Elder, who in some speech called him “the husband of all wives and the wife of all husbands.” At the same time, accusations of homosexual debauchery were almost obligatory in ancient invective
As for his homosexual behavior in the future, there is no evidence of that. Indeed, despite the fact that, according to the testimony of ancient authors, we are relatively thoroughly aware of Caesar’s numerous affairs with women, there is not a single mention of his connections with any man, or even of his favorite boys, although having a favorite slave was considered in the order of things for a rich Roman, and the names of a number of favorites are known famous people- a number of sources, especially letters from Cicero, brought to us the smallest everyday details of those years
* Caesar became famous not only for his military and political victories. According to the unanimous testimony of all ancient authors, Caesar was distinguished by sexual promiscuity. The ancient historian Suetonius in the book “The Lives of the Twelve Caesars” wrote: “He, by all accounts, was greedy and wasteful for love pleasures. He was the lover of many noble women - including Postumia, the wife of Servius Sulpicius, Lollia, the wife of Aulus Gabinius, Tertulla , the wife of Marcus Crassus, and even Mucia, the wife of Gnaeus Pompey. Indeed, both the Curios, father and son, and many others reproached Pompey for the fact that, out of a thirst for power, he married the daughter of the man for whom he drove away the wife who bore him three children, and whom he more than once, with a groan, called his Aegisthus. But more than anyone else he loved Brutus’s mother, Servilia: even in his first consulate, he bought for her a pearl worth six million, and in civil war, not counting other gifts, he sold her the richest estates at auction for next to nothing. When many marveled at this cheapness, Cicero wittily remarked: “Why is the deal bad if the third part remains with the seller?” The fact is that Servilia, as they suspected, brought her daughter Junia the Third together with Caesar.
Among his mistresses were queens - for example, the Moorish Eunoe, Bogud's wife: he gave both him and her, according to Nazon, numerous and rich gifts. But most of all, of course, the love story of Caesar and Cleopatra is known: with her he feasted more than once until dawn; on her ship with rich chambers, he was ready to sail through all of Egypt to Ethiopia itself, if the army had not refused to follow him. Egypt was completely conquered by Caesar and thrown at the feet of Cleopatra - he could have made Egypt a Roman province, and no one would have dared to contradict him.
Caesar ordered the casting of a golden statue of Cleopatra, which he installed in the temple of Venus, which brought upon himself the unprecedented wrath of the Romans, who were sacred to their gods.
Finally, he invited her to Rome, showered her with great honors and rich gifts, even allowing her to name her newborn son after him - Ptolemy-Caesarion. Some Greek writers report that this son was similar to Caesar in both face and posture. Mark Antony argued before the Senate that Caesar recognized the boy as his son and that this was known to Gaius Matius, Gaius Oppius and other friends of Caesar.
The people's tribune Helvius Cinna admitted that he had written and prepared a bill, which Caesar ordered to be carried out in his absence: according to this law, Caesar was allowed to take as many wives as he wanted, to give birth to heirs, which gave rise to a lot of gossip that Caesar is about to name Cleopatra's son, Caesarion, as his heir
* IN Ancient Rome re-enactments of real naval battles were often staged on real warships in specially filled amphitheaters or artificial reservoirs called naumachia. The first naumachia known to historians was organized by Julius Caesar on the occasion of his triumph - it involved 2,000 prisoners of war and 4,000 oarsmen, and the largest naumachia with 30,000 fighters was organized by Emperor Claudius on Lake Fucino. Many participants were criminals or prisoners sentenced to death, and victory in the naumachia was a real chance for them to avoid this fate and be released.
* During the invasion of Africa, the army of Julius Caesar suffered setbacks from the very beginning. Strong storms scattered ships in the Mediterranean Sea, and Caesar arrived on the African shores with only one legion. While leaving the ship, the commander tripped and fell face down, which was a strong sign for his superstitious soldiers to return back. However, Caesar was not at a loss and, grabbing handfuls of sand, exclaimed: “I hold you in my hands, Africa!” Later he and his army triumphantly conquered Egypt.
* One day, Gaius Julius Caesar was captured by pirates. The robbers demanded a ransom of 20 coins from him. “You value me inexpensively,” Caesar laughed and offered them 50 coins for his release. Having sent his companions to collect money for the ransom, Caesar, with a friend and two servants, remained on the ship, where he lived for more than two months. Julius forbade the pirates to make noise when he went to bed, took part in their competitions, and also practiced oratory and read to them his works, which did not cause delight in them. Then Caesar called them savages and promised to crucify them on the cross. The robbers only chuckled, surprised by such an unusual behavior of the captive. However, after his release, he kept his promise. Having received the ransom, the pirates released the hostages. Caesar immediately equipped the ships and took the offenders by surprise. He took the money from the robbers and ordered the robbers to be crucified. But, since they treated him well at one time, Caesar ordered their legs to be broken before the crucifixion in order to alleviate their suffering (if you break the legs of a crucified person, he will die quite quickly from asphyxia). Then he often showed condescension towards defeated opponents. This is where the “mercy of Caesar”, so praised by ancient authors, was manifested.
* For the first time in the Roman Empire, Gaius Julius Caesar was declared dictator for life, “father of the fatherland”
* According to legend, Caesar was predicted to die on the Ides of March (March 15). On that day in 44, he really died at the hands of the Republican conspirators, among whom was Marcus Junius Brutus, whom Gaius Julius Caesar loved very much and considered a friend (there is a version according to which Brutus was the illegitimate son of Caesar) The famous phrase “And you, Brutus! was uttered by the already mortally wounded dictator. The conspirators inflicted a total of twenty-three blows on Caesar with a dagger and sword - in the neck, in the back, in the side and in the groin (Brutus) - “since it was agreed that all the conspirators would take part in the murder and, as it were, taste the sacrificial blood” (Plutarch ).
* Leap year was introduced by Gaius Julius Caesar. February 24th was called the “sixth day before the Kalends of March,” and the additional day fell on the next day and became the “second sixth day,” in Latin “bis sextus,” which is where the word “leap year” comes from.
* Caesar achieved the greatness he dreamed of in his youth, but for a short time. He was one of the best rulers of Rome, and all Roman emperors from then on began to call themselves Caesars.
By the way, the name Guy means “happy”, and Julius means “young”. And the month of July is named by another of his names, and kings are still allegorically called by another. In addition, the German Kaiser (“Kaiser”), as well as the Russian concepts “Caesar”, “tsar”, “tsarevich” are the Old Slavonic and Old Russian transfer of the Roman name and imperial title Caesar (Caesar) through the Greek kaisar - monarch, ruler
* After the death of Gaius Julius Caesar, he became the first man-god in the history of the Roman state religion.
* Gaius Julius Caesar is more famous than his great-nephew Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (Octovian Augustus), adopted by him according to his will. - the true founder of the Roman Empire, during which the empire reached the pinnacle of power, prosperity and cultural development.
And Caesar's most important achievement was that he defeated huge armies of the Celts and conquered Gaul (southern France and northern Italy). The territories he captured remained under Roman rule for approximately five centuries. During this period they were subject to significant influence from Rome. Laws, customs, language, and later also Roman Christianity were adopted there. Modern French largely derived from the spoken Latin of those times. Caesar's conquest of Gaul had an important impact on Rome itself, providing Italy with protection from attacks from the north for several centuries. In general, the capture of Gaul was a security factor for the entire Roman Empire.