Golda Meir (Hebrew: גּוֹלְדָּה מֵאִיר) (born Golda Mabovitz; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was one of the founders of the State of Israel. Meir served as the Minister of Labor, Foreign Minister, and from March 17, 1969 to April 11, 1974 as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. Golda Meir was the "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics years before the epithet was coined for Margaret Thatcher. David Ben-Gurion once described her as "the only man in the Cabinet." She is the first...

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7 Fascinating Facts About Stephen Hawking

Few people emerge from the fields of cosmology and theoretical physics with the sort of name recognition equal to that of a celebrity athlete or actor, but that's exactly what's happened with Stephen Hawking. Thanks to his groundbreaking work with black holes and relativity, he's gone on to hold distinguished academic posts, be appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and earn the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. . .all while his body deteriorates from a crippling...

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5 Facts About Alfred Hitchcock: Binge Eating, Creepy Pranks, & Snubbing Spielberg

Food & Loathing Alfred Hitchcock was seriously overweight for most of his life, and at one time carried 365 pounds on his 5’8” frame. A typical dinner consisted of “a roast chicken, a small void ham, potatoes, two vegetables, bread, a bottle of wine, salad, dessert, and brandy." "His lifelong craving for ice cream was usually satisfied later in the evening,” one biographer wrote. Besides the pleasure food gave him, he expressed his absolute fear and loathing of eggs in...

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Ultimate Renaissance Man: 5 Fascinating Facts about Leonardo da Vinci

Born on April 15, 1452, Leonardo da Vinci managed to be so many things in one lifetime—painter, engineer, architect and scientist. His painting, Mona Lisa, is one of the world’s most famous artworks. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. With his intensive studies of nature and anatomy, da Vinci used science as a way to revolutionize his art.  This man of vision also imagined many of our modern-day marvels. He sketched ideas for an underwater diving suit, a self-propelled...

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Alex Haley and the Making of the Original “Roots”

If you weren’t there—if you’ve only known television in its post-Big Three networks era—it’s hard to understand the impact of the original Roots. Based on Alex Haley’s book of “faction,” the ABC miniseries’ 12 hours (with commercials) were spread across eight consecutive nights in January 1977, an unprecedented programming move that consolidated the show’s status as an event. The subsequent audience ratings were also unprecedented: 85% of television households, or 130 to 140...

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All About Marilyn

Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1, 1926 as Norma Jeane Mortenson (also known as Norma Jeane Baker). At age 20, with a blossoming career in modeling beginning to take off, she adopted her mother’s maiden name and assumed her stage name of Marilyn Monroe. Overcoming a tragic childhood and an early marriage at age 16, she went on to become one of the most well-known and in-demand actresses of the 1950s.  Growing up largely in foster homes as her mother battled mental...

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7 Surprising Facts About King Henry VIII

On June 24, 1509, the coronation of Henry VIII was completed. But as his reign progressed, he grew desperate for a son who’d carry on the Tudor dynasty. When the pope wouldn't annul his first marriage so that Henry could wed again, he took matters into his own hands. Henry was a king who hadn’t been expected to rule — he only took the throne because his older brother had died — but he ended up embarking upon a religious reformation, cracking down on dissent and marrying...

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