Famous Figures
5 Famous Figures Who Nearly Made the Olympics
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Article
In 67 CE, the Roman Emperor Nero decided to take part in the Olympic Games. He competed in a number of events, including chariot racing, singing, poetry, and lyre playing. Needless to say, the eccentric emperor made sure he was declared the winner in each discipline — including the chariot race, despite him falling out of his chariot and never finishing the event. Other famous figures have made far more dignified appearances in the modern Olympics. George S. Patton, one of the United States’ most famous military generals, competed in the modern pentathlon at the ...Read More
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Famous FiguresFact2Jackie Robinson was honorably discharged from the Army after refusing to move to the back of a segregated bus.
Five years before he broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, Jackie Robinson was drafted into the military. He received his notice on April 3, 1942, just a few…
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Famous FiguresFact8Harriet Tubman was a spy during the Civil War.
Though she’s most famous for her role as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman — better known as “Minty” to her loved ones — wore many hats throughout…
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Famous FiguresFact9Thomas Edison proposed to his second wife in Morse code.
Some proposals are more memorable than others. Take, for instance, Thomas Edison’s second marriage, which began in an appropriately scientific manner when the inventor proposed to Mina Miller via Morse…
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Famous FiguresFact10Maya Angelou was one of San Francisco’s first Black female streetcar conductors.
As a teenager during World War II, Maya Angelou took a job that might seem unexpected for the future renowned author: working as a streetcar conductor in San Francisco. She…
