John Lennon (1940–1980) was an English musician and singer-songwriter
who achieved worldwide fame as a founding member of The Beatles, one of
the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the
history of popular music. Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon had a
rebellious nature and acerbic wit, and at 16-years-old, formed a
skiffle group which evolved into The Beatles in 1960. With bandmate
Paul McCartney, he established the Lennon/McCartney songwriting
partnership, which provided the bulk of the Beatles' catalogue until
they dissolved at the end of the decade. Lennon then embarked on a solo
career that produced the critically acclaimed albums John
Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine. He became controversial through
his work as a peace activist; his iconic songs, "Give Peace a Chance"
and "Imagine", were adopted as anthems of the anti-war movement. With
his wife and muse Yoko Ono, he moved to New York City in 1971, where
his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a lengthy attempt by
Richard Nixon's administration to deport him. He took a sabbatical from
the music business in 1975 to devote time to his family, reemerging in
1980 with a new album, Double Fantasy, but was murdered on December 8,
three weeks after its release.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1432:
Lithuanian Civil War: The first battle between the forces of
Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis was fought near the modern town
of Ashmyany.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_Civil_War_%281431%E2%80%931435%29>
1609:
Milan's Biblioteca Ambrosiana opened its reading room to the public,
becoming the second public library in Europe.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblioteca_Ambrosiana>
1963:
After being hit by a lightning strike while in a holding pattern, Pan
Am Flight 214 crashed near Elkton, Maryland, USA, killing all 81 people
on board.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_214>
1998:
The Australian Cricket Board's cover-up of Shane Warne and Mark Waugh's
involvement with bookmakers was revealed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_bookmaker_controversy>
2004:
Twelve South American countries signed the Cusco Declaration,
announcing the foundation of what is now the Union of South American
Nations, an intergovernmental union modelled after the European Union.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_South_American_Nations>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
John Lennon glasses (n):
A pair of eyeglasses (spectacles) with round lenses
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/John_Lennon_glasses>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am not bound over to swear allegiance to any master; where the storm
drives me I turn in for shelter.
--Horace
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Horace>