People who left their mark in history or art are still remembered, although quite a long time has passed since their departure. Each of them had families, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Contrary to popular belief that the heirs of geniuses are not able to compete with their famous ancestors, some of them decide to follow in the footsteps of celebrities and even achieve some success. True, not all
It just so happened that on each postage stamp the name of the country that issued this stamp is printed. But one of the countries received from the world community the privilege of not fulfilling this requirement - as a sign of special merit in the development of mail. And even her mistakes turned into success, sometimes raising the cost of the postal "marriage" to heaven
Jan van Eyck's worship of the mystical Lamb, better known as the "Ghent Altarpiece", is one of the most popular paintings of the Northern Renaissance. The subject of both imitation and pilgrimage, the altar was well known throughout Europe during the artist's lifetime. When parishioners first saw the Ghent Altarpiece in 1432, they were delighted with its unprecedented naturalism. About what is the secret of such a huge popularity of this masterpiece - further in the article
The Ottoman Empire was famous for its cruelty and ruthlessness towards enemies. But these are trifles compared to how women and girls lived in the sultan's harem for many years. Women, as well as girls from the age of seven - all of them were kept in special conditions where they could be controlled, trained and, first of all, enjoyed by the Sultan and his court
Today, a child is considered the joy of parents if he studies well and plans to enter a prestigious university. But literally 100-150 years ago, excessive book wisdom in most peasant families was considered self-indulgence, and the children spent most of their time at work. Even just listing their normal daily chores can have a nervous breakdown in any modern teenager
When you hear about how the revolution overthrows the emperor, king or tsar, one of the thoughts - what about the children? They didn't have time to do anything wrong. But society, unfortunately, was not always loyal to the descendants of monarchs
The contribution of Catherine II to the cultural development of Russia is quite large. The Empress was fond of literature, collected masterpieces of painting and corresponded with French enlighteners. This woman was incredibly energetic, and directed her energies to governing the country. Thanks to her, polygamy was almost introduced in Russia. Read in the material for what reasons the ruler wanted to legitimize this and why her attempt failed
On the eve of the revolution in the Russian Empire, one could often hear the word "Arkharovtsy". And if today this colloquial nickname is associated with hooligans and bandits, then earlier the word was of a completely different nature. Moreover, the origin of the word form is associated with the surname of a respected person: a friend of Count Orlov, a thunderstorm of criminals and a knight of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. What is the connection between the "Arkharovtsy" and the best detective in Moscow - in our material
Around the Freemasons - an organization is very conditionally secret, because belonging to it is always known - there are many myths. They, they say, put their rulers - and that is precisely why coups took place so many times in Russia in the eighteenth century until the anti-Free Tsar came to power. The complicated relationship of the Russian tsars with the Freemasons is really worth a separate story
"Behind a great man is a great woman" is a popular phrase that is confirmed by a huge number of historical examples. At a time when women could not make a political career on their own, but felt a penchant for politics, they stood near men and ruled with them or for them. History knows many examples when a woman near a politician proved to be a more successful politician
In the first half of the 19th century, the problem of sexually transmitted diseases truly took on the character of an epidemic: up to 15% of soldiers and citizens in large cities were infected with syphilis. The main disseminators of the disease were prostitutes, who were not controlled by either the state or medical specialists. In 1843, Nicholas I made an attempt to rectify the situation and issued a law allowing girls of easy virtue to work after they received a special document - a yellow ticket
Historical costumed films will never go out of style. And the Russian Empire for them is just a storehouse of plots. True, when films are shot far from Russia and other lands of the empire, incidents happen … Yes, of such a level that sometimes you want to introduce a bear with a balalaika into the plot at the same time
More and more people are deciding to leave the dusty bustling metropolises, reconsider their lifestyle and slow down: stop buying what they don't need, feel the greatness of nature, and do what they love. For what reasons they choose hermitism, and what colors their new life takes on when they are removed from the consumer society and career hysteria - in our material
On the screen, Catherine Deneuve played restrained beauties, cold and seemingly indifferent. But she could not be indifferent to her herself - neither the audience, who enthusiastically greeted each new film with the participation of Deneuve, nor the directors, who bet on the talent of the actress and won, nor from the representatives of the fashion industry who drew inspiration from Deneuve's cinematic images and her real, life image. And now she is one of the best examples of how you can spend your mature years beautifully - communicating with children
Olga Koposova has acted in films since 1989, but the series "Trace" brought her popularity, in which she brilliantly embodied the image of the principled and strict head of the FES Galina Rogozina. For 12 years of work in the project, the actress, finally, was able to find a sense of professional relevance and stability, but "Trace" became a catalyst, which, as a result, led to the disintegration of Olga Koposova's family
She was one of the most famous and beautiful actresses in the Soviet Union. Viewers still remember the roles played by Ninel Myshkova: the fabulous Marya the artisan and Ilmen the princess, Vasilisa and Olga Zotova from The Viper. Her beauty attracted men like a magnet, the actress always enjoyed success with the stronger sex, managed to be married four times, but she could not recover from the loss of her last husband
In the summer of 1980, the Soviet Union hosted the Olympic Games. Never before have such renowned competitions been held in Eastern Europe. Of course, all funds were thrown into the organization of such a level of event. But, as often happens, politics got in the way. The introduction of the Soviet military contingent into Afghanistan served as a pretext for a boycott of the games by foreigners, and the most crucial stage of preparation took place in the difficult conditions of the Soviet-American confrontation. Despite the high tension, not a single
Vyacheslav Lemeshev is the youngest Soviet Olympic boxing champion: at the time of his triumph in Munich, he was only 20 years old. Just think, in the "golden" Games for himself, he won four out of five fights by knockout. Moreover, the athlete was distinguished not only by tremendous strength, but also by a unique reaction that allowed him to take his rivals by surprise. In the USSR, he was a favorite of the public: crowds of fans literally followed on his heels. But the star of the outstanding boxer went out as quickly as
Sports games - what could be more apolitical? - bring people together, help to find like-minded people, take time and, finally, do, as in the song "a healthy mind in a healthy body." However, the authorities in the Soviet Union looked at this differently: they believed that even a sport could become an ideological enemy, capable of negatively affecting the morality of a citizen of the country
Historians assess the reign of Alexander III ambiguously: some call him a peacemaker and a people's monarch, others - a retrograde and a counter-reformer. However, none of them argues about the contribution that the emperor made to the cultural development of the country. It was thanks to the love of Alexander III for wind instruments that numerous orchestras appeared in Russia, and his craving for music gave rise to a unique court group that performed works on wind and string instruments
Archaeologists continue to stun us with new and unprecedented discoveries. Recently, a building was discovered in Nazareth, which many experts consider to be the home of Jesus Christ. This is a building of the 1st century, carved in limestone. Did archaeologists actually find the place where Jesus grew up? According to the British scientist, the Son of God lived in this cave with his mother Mary and her husband Joseph. Where was the childhood home of Christ discovered and what discoveries gave the world of science the artifacts found in it?
So far, no one knows for sure what this "Holy Grail" really is. Even where this strange word itself comes from. Only one thing is known for certain: the Grail is a medieval legend. Unlike all other relics related to the Passion of Christ, this one is not so strongly associated with the canonical Bible. It is believed that Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood of the crucified Jesus in the cup from the Last Supper. So the cup became the Grail. Finding this sacred vessel is the dream of many! H
Taking a new name means changing one's destiny. From time immemorial, peoples and tribes believed in this, which were not connected in any way, did not exchange rituals and myths - they simply felt the special role that a person's name plays in his life. Those who want to change their name today, in the 21st century, have something to rely on - there are plenty of traditions associated with this, at first glance, formal action
The holiday of Bright Easter is perhaps the most important holiday for Christians. After all, it is the miraculous Resurrection of Jesus Christ that is considered the center of all episodes of biblical history. All Orthodox Christians are looking forward to this holiday with impatience and trepidation, preparing for it carefully and in advance. In our time, the traditions of the holiday have changed a bit. But the main attributes of the celebration, colored eggs and Easter cake, remain unchanged. Where did this tradition come from? What do they represent?
She was the first Soviet figure skater to bring the country the very first Olympic medal in single skating. The first trainers of Kira Ivanova noted: the athlete has a sense of purpose and hard work, along with the obvious ability to master the most difficult elements. She was able to climb the podium, the whole world applauded her, the actress Keira Knightley was named after her, but was Kira Ivanova happy outside the ice arena?
Sometimes scenes in historical cinema seem too pretentious or grotesque - but sometimes the director does not play so badly, filming the events of old battles as if someone, retelling them, recklessly trolled the audience. People remain people, which means that they are capable of any absurdity - and sometimes indeed a ridicule that was unexpectedly witty for, for example, the Middle Ages. Here are some stories that moviegoers would not like for the far-fetched plot … If they weren't real
In the 4th century, a Christian monk named Evagrius of Pontus identified the so-called "eight evil thoughts": gluttony, lust, greed, anger, laziness, despondency, vanity and pride. This list was not written for everyone. It was only for other monks. Evagrius wanted to show how these thoughts can greatly interfere with their spiritual growth. After these thoughts were repeatedly revised by the church - something was removed, something was added … How did the final list of the seven deadly sins come about and who is credited with it
Today there are more than 2 billion Christians on our planet, and they believe that Jesus of Nazareth was not just one of the most important figures in world history, he was the Messiah. At the same time, many others reject the very idea that he ever existed at all. For example, a 2015 poll by the Anglican Church found that 22 percent of adults in England do not believe that Jesus was a real person. The Bible says that Jesus is a real person. What other docks exist
Don't be fooled by all the films that sometimes portray the Middle Ages as a "golden time". Not to mention the peasants, the everyday life of even the nobility, who just owned the castles, were not in the least like non-stop holidays and bright fights. Life in castles, even for the upper class, was not at all comfortable. What are the dank, dark and gloomy rooms lit through and through, lit by smoldering candles and a widespread stench in the castles of aristocrats? So, let's move on to one of them
Not all people manage to find their vocation and succeed in their profession. If a person has not quite standard external data, the task becomes much more complicated. However, the heroines of our today's review had enough resilience and determination in order to self-actualize in the profession and rise to the heights of fame, despite their small, if not to say tiny, growth
Old cemeteries in London are not only a resting place, but also magnificent parks and unique architecture. Some appeared in the capital of Great Britain during the Middle Ages, others became a symbol of the Victorian era, and still others were created in honor of pets. People come to London cemeteries to remember their ancestors, visit the graves of famous writers and poets, and sometimes just relax with their family by arranging a photo session
Some of them are known as great and fearless commanders, others - as marauders and robbers, catching fear on everyone in the district, keeping in check not only cities, but also neighboring countries. Some of them even became the prototypes of the heroes of films and cartoons, telling about the difficult female fate of Chinese women who managed to prove to themselves and to the whole world that women are capable of much. They are able not only to enchant and conquer men's hearts, but also to conquer cities, leading troops into battle
These people lived in the spotlight, enjoyed the fame and attention of their fans. But at some point in their lives, everything changed. They preferred not only to retire, but also to limit their contacts with the outside world as much as possible. Some celebrities found the long-awaited peace away from the hustle and bustle of the world and the constant pursuit of the paparazzi, others prefer to lead a closed lifestyle, while others are simply forgotten
On February 18, 2021, Andrei Myagkov passed away. It is difficult to imagine domestic cinema without this wonderful actor, who knew how to touch the brightest feelings in the soul of every spectator with his talent. Touchingly naive and open in his roles, he was actually a very closed person, not prone to revelations. Andrei Vasilievich rarely spoke about his personal life, although there was something to tell
She was amazingly talented and tenacious. Elena Mukhina was the absolute champion of the USSR and the world in artistic gymnastics, showed an incredibly difficult program, some elements of which are currently prohibited in competitions because of their danger. The gymnast dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion, but the injury she received in training forever deprived her of this opportunity. But even being bedridden, Elena Mukhina continued to fight for the right to live
It is impossible to imagine modern cinema without complex special effects and tricks. Usually celebrities just play their part, but if dangerous elements are required during filming, stuntmen appear in the frame instead of actors. But among the stars there are those who can not only talentedly embody any image on the screen, but also refuse the services of stuntmen, preferring to do everything on their own
Many viewers still remember this actress, although Natalia Saiko has not starred for more than twenty years. She appeared on the stage of the Taganka Theater with Vladimir Vysotsky in Hamlet, where she played Ophelia, acted in films, including in the cult Soviet film How the Steel Was Tempered and in the film The Testament of Professor Dowell. The actress was in demand in the profession and is happy with her husband Yakov Bezrodny. But for many years now, Natalya Saiko prefers to lead a very closed lifestyle
There is a category of men who have such a powerful charisma that it is simply impossible not to respond to their courtship. There are others who consider all women almost their property. However, in both the first and second cases, women need to stock up on courage if they decide to deny attention to their famous colleagues. Moreover, if this woman is an actress, and she is courted by a rather influential person in the world of cinema
Ireland has not forgotten how one of the Native American tribes helped them in difficult times. This happened during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s, which was a disaster for the people of Ireland. About a million people died, about one and a half million left the country - such were the horrific consequences of this tragedy. Upon learning of the famine on the Emerald Isle, the impoverished Choctaw tribe, who had followed the road of tears just a few years ago, raised money to help the Irish. For them it was
What can be in common between sports and an artist's career? In sports, there are fans, and in cinema and theater, loyal spectators. In one and another area, colossal will and hard work are required on the path to success, and the victories of a successful athlete are in no way inferior to a successfully played role in emotionality. Perhaps that is why in the cinema, theater and on the stage, successful athletes feel quite comfortable, on account of whom serious sports achievements