Robert Mugabe was elected Zimbabwe’s first black Prime Minister on March 4, 1980, following his role as a rebel leader against white minority rule. Mugabe is the leader of Zimbabwe’s African National Union – Patriotic Front, or ZANU-PF. Shortly after coming to power, Mugabe established a one-party state. Mugabe also … Continue reading
Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan writer and physician. Hosseini’s father was a diplomat, and when Khaled was eleven the family moved to France. His debut novel, The Kite Runner, won critical acclaim and went on to become a feature film. In this video, Hosseini talks about what it was like … Continue reading
Ira Glass is the host of This American Life, a weekly hour-long radio show broadcast on public radio stations both in the United States and internationally. This American Life is also available as a weekly podcast. This American Life’s first episode aired on November 17, 1995. In this video, Ira … Continue reading
Mario Andretti is one of the most successful Americans in the history of world champion racing. Andretti and fellow driver Dan Gurney are the only two to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR. Andretti is also the only person to be named the United … Continue reading
Jack Abramoff is a former American lobbyist who was the center of a corruption investigation that led to his conviction. In addition to Abramoff, 21 other people either plead guilty or were found guilty of corruption. Abramoff worked as the top lobbyist for the firm Preston Gates & Ellis from … Continue reading
Johnny Cash is widely considered to be one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century. In this video, musicians Little Richard, Sheryl Crow and Merle Haggard, as well as Cash’s children, discuss the artist’s wide-ranging influence.
Corazon Aquino became the 11th President of the Philippines, and the first female President in Asia, on February 25, 1986. Aquino came to power following the 20-year authoritarian rule of President Ferdinand Marcos, helping to restore democracy to the Philippines. Aquino’s rise to presidency began with tragedy. Aquino’s husband, Senator … Continue reading
On February 22, 1974, Samuel Byck attempted to hijack a plane flying out of Baltimore/Washington International Airport in the hopes of crashing it into the White House and killing U.S. President Richard Nixon. Byck first got attention from the Secret Service in 1972, when he threatened Nixon for the first … Continue reading
On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth, completing three orbits in just under five hours. Glenn orbited the earth as part of the Mercury Seven, who were a group of military test pilots selected by NASA in 1959 to become the first astronauts. … Continue reading
Betty Friedan was an American writer and activist, best known for initiating the second wave of American feminism in the 20th century with the release of her book The Feminine Mystique in 1963. In 1966, Friedan founded and was elected to be the first president of the National Organization for … Continue reading
