Scott Joplin (1868-1917) was an American composer and pianist. He was the father of ragtime. In the 19th century he turned ragtime into an American form of classical music. Joplin was known as the King of Ragtime because his famous ragtime compositions.
Joplin considered ragtime to be a form of classical music.
Ragtime was born out of the African-American community. Joplin wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces. a ragtime ballet, and two operas. His Maple Leaf Rag was ragtime’s first and most influential hit, an iconic rag.
Florence Nightingale was a British nurse and a social reformer.
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was a British nurse, social reformer. She was the founder of modern nursing. Known as “The Lady With the Lamp,” her experiences as a nurse during the Crimean War were foundational in her views about sanitation. Nightingale was a manager and nursing trainer during the Crimean War, organizing care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople. Amazon T-shirts at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TVZ1M2F
Charlemagne (742-814) Charles the Great, King of Franks
Charlemagne was a warrior king (742-814). Known as Charles the Great and King of Franks he united Europe through 50 campaigns in the 9th century. He spent much of his reign in battle. His mission was to unite all German people into one kingdom. Having learned to read and write he brought a cultural and intellectual revival to Europe. In 771 Pope Leo II crowned Charlemagne, Emperor of the Romans, the first emperor in more than three centuries. Amazon T-shirts at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DGS8WG7 & in Germany at https://www.amazon.de/dp/B09PXB9KXT
André Le Nôtre was the principal gardener for French King Louis XIV. Nôtre, (1613-1700) was born in Paris and became a successful French landscape architect. He designed the gardens of Versailles. The gardens were his masterpiece, earning him a fortune and international fame. He was originally named André Le Nostre.
Ukraine has a long history of heroes. warriors, musicians, poets and activists. All have been willing to fight for their country against repression. Ukraine was founded in the 8th century by Volodymyr the Great. Moscow didn’t exist until three centuries later.
Mykhailo Drahomanov was a political theorist, economist, historian, & philosopher. In the 19th century he fought against Ukrainian repression against Russia’s internal and foreign policies.
Élie Metchnikoff pioneered research in immunology, writing ground breaking works on immunology, bacteriology, & epidemiology. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1908.
Volodymyr the Great, Vladimir the Great, Grand Prince of Kiev
Vladimir the first or Volodymyr the Great (956-1015) was born Volodymyr Sviatoslavycht. His father was Prince Sviatoslav the first of Kiev of the Rurik dynasty. Vladimir was Prince of Novgorod, Grand Prince of Kiev and the ruler of Kievan Rus from 980 to 1015. He was the first to mint his own coins, putting the trident, his mark on the coins. The trident is on the Ukraine coat of arms.
Vladimir brought Christianity to Kievan Rus. Both Kiev & Moscow have statues of Vladimir the Great, though Moscow didn’t exist until the 12th ctry, two centuries after Vladimir’s death.
Putin claims a strong connection to the Prince. They do have the same first name, but then so does Ukraine President Zelensky. Putin sees himself as powerful royalty like the medieval prince.
Taras Shevchenko or Kobzar Taras, Ukraine poet, artist, political figure
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (1814-1861) also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar, is a symbol of freedom for Ukrainians. He was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, as well as folklorist and ethnographer. Many of Shevchenko’s poems and songs became folk songs. His collection of poems Kobzar (1840) was translated into more than 100 languages. Monuments in his honor have been installed in 35 countries.
In Ukraine the name Hryhorii Skovoroda is synonymous with freedom.
Hryhorii Skovoroda (1722-1794) was a great Ukrainian philosopher, poet and teacher. He was the founder of landscape lyrics, a genre of poetry representing the author’s attitude toward nature. Skovoroda added to the contributions of ancient Greek philosophers’ works on local culture and academic education. He also created a concept of intrinsic labor that simplified a way to achieve happiness, establishing the idea of “love what you do and do what you love.”
Ivan Yakovych Franko (1856 -1916) was nominated for a Nobel Prize in 1915. The multi-talented Ukrainian was poet, writer, and a social and literary critic. He was also a journalist, interpreter, economist, political activist, doctor of philosophy, ethnographer. Franko was the author of the first detective novels and modern poetry in the Ukrainian language.
