The first so-called "thieves in law" appeared at the dawn of the Soviet regime. At first, for certain reasons, the authorities, this stratum of society was profitable, but years passed, and the Soviet government entered into an uncompromising struggle with the thieves' world
In 1994, the famous Polish director created the film "Nastasya", which can be safely called unique and amazing. In this film adaptation of The Idiot, Prince Myshkin and Nastasya Filippovna were played by the same actor. In order for the unusual idea to be realized, Vaida had to persuade the star of the Japanese theater Bando Tamasaburo V. The role of the wayward beauty he really liked and was interesting, but in order to agree to be
Everyone knows that Gogol burned the second part of Dead Souls. But it turns out that not only Nikolai Vasilyevich set his creations on fire. Many Russian writers and poets also destroyed manuscripts, both finished and drafts. Why did they do it? Hardly to prove that the manuscripts do not burn. Probably, the reasons were more serious. Read why Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Akhmatova and other classics burned or tore their works to shreds
Despite the fact that all the worst aspects of human life were mixed in the war, it continued, and therefore there was a place for love, creating a family and having children. Considering that irreconcilable enemies were forced to coexist with each other for quite a long time, warm feelings often arose between them. Moreover, the hostilities assumed that men on both sides were away from home and their women. Next to strangers and also yearning for a strong shoulder
When the surname Suvorov is pronounced, everyone remembers his feats of arms. Yes, Alexander Vasilyevich was a great commander - he did not have a single lost battle. But not everyone knows that the brilliant military man was also a large landowner who owned large territories with many serfs. Some researchers argue that Suvorov treated his peasants like slaves, others write that he took care of them. How did the peasants of the landlord commander live?
At the beginning of 1942, the German leadership set itself the goal of taking out (or it would be more correct to say "hijack", take away by force) 15 million inhabitants of the USSR - future slaves. For the Nazis, this was a forced measure, to which they agreed gritting their teeth, because the presence of citizens of the USSR would have a corrupting ideological influence on the local population. The Germans were forced to look for cheap labor, as their blitzkrieg failed, the economy, as well as ideological dogmas, began to burst at the seams
Textbook questions "Who is to blame?" and "What to do" are known even to those whose acquaintance with Russian literature was nodding. However, the wealth of Russian classics has presented many more questions to which mankind has no answers. Perhaps this is the meaning of a work of art - to push for reflection, and not to give answers to questions. However, sometimes, as, for example, in the case of Turgenevsky Gerasim, who dealt with Mumu, it is not completely clear (even after school lessons) for th
It is likely that if the fem movement had been developed during the time of Sergei Yesenin, then he would not have been reputed at all as a praised lyric poet, romantic hooligan and "the last poet of the village", but as a tyrant, womanizer and bogeyman. However, for all this, a fashionable word "abuser" is invented, which is used to refer to anyone who commits violence against others, including psychological. In fact, Yesenin was not at all as romantic and gentle as it might seem to those who are familiar with his work and why it is worth seeing
The history of the Great Patriotic War consists of many separate episodes, each of which can become a monument to human heroism, generosity, cowardice or stupidity. The story about the collection collected by the Nazis in the Altaussee salt mines is probably one of the brightest pages in history, because if not for a happy ending, humanity in April 1945 could have lost a significant part of its cultural treasures
He went through three wars, and celebrated Victory Day with the rank of Colonel-General of Artillery. On the account of General Kazakov were the development of original methods of artillery combat, which later began to be studied in military academies. He was a successful military leader, but Vasily Ivanovich's personal life was dramatic. The wife was mortally wounded right in the arms of her husband, and the wound on the general's heart did not heal for a very long time after that. But there, on the front line, there was a girl who revived
They won't tell about this at school, but talent and genius often go hand in hand with sin, immorality and oddities, with which the relatives and friends of genius creators had to put up with. It was especially hard for the second halves and children, who day after day watched the "creative torment" and growing vices, which, as a rule, were only seasoned with the disgusting nature of the genius creator
Not every person is capable of taking someone else's child into a family for upbringing, giving him his warmth and care. This requires a special generosity of the soul, a desire to make happy not only oneself, and an understanding of all the possible difficulties that one will have to face. And the more respect deserve people who have managed to take responsibility for someone else's fate and give happiness to a little person
Wedding worries every girl. It was so many centuries ago, and it is so today. But if at present the bride's thoughts are occupied by the organization of the celebration, that is, drawing up a list of guests, renting a restaurant, inviting musical groups, buying a chic dress and other things, then in Russia young brides experienced the greatest anxiety because of their wedding night. The husband was the only partner in life, so an intimate relationship with him was of great importance. How will the first night go - so
In 1837, the artist Grigory Chernetsov completed the commission of Nicholas I - a large-scale canvas depicting a parade that took place on Tsaritsyno Meadow in St. Petersburg in October 1831. The emperor's desire was dictated by the desire not only to perpetuate the fateful event in the history of Russia - the suppression of the Polish uprising of 1830-1831, but also to portray the outstanding personalities of the era. It is noteworthy that in the list of three hundred celebrities approved by the Tsar personally, there was a native of the peasant class
Many estate-museums amaze with descriptions of their former owners, often of Catherine's nobles. They were both enlightened and progressive, and people of great taste and intelligence. But it is worth considering many of the movers of progress of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries not from the side of the estate, and you understand … That now, on average, people will be better. Although, maybe, the taste is not the same, and the manners
The outcome of the seventies of the last century turned out to be extremely violent for Kazan. This period was remembered for the brutal youth brawls and the Tyap-Lyap bandit group that thundered throughout the Soviet Union. In the conditions of measured Soviet reality, this phenomenon seemed so outlandish that it received the name "Kazan Phenomenon". It was the first criminal group to carry out contract killings in the USSR. From other bandits "Tyap-Lyap" was distinguished by a perverted ideology and a strict structure on ty
In the 17th century, important foreign policy and objective internal reasons prompted Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich to reform the Church. The sovereign wanted to take advantage of the situation when Russia had the opportunity to become a stronghold of world Orthodoxy. Because of the old centuries-old rituals, Russian church traditions were at odds with the canonical Greek ones, which needed to be urgently corrected. But the radicalism of the reformers and the crude methods of innovation gave rise to a schism unprecedented until then, the echo of which cannot be
The period from the middle of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th centuries is the heyday of Russian perfumery. Famous brands of that time were in demand by members of the imperial family, received high marks and awards at world exhibitions, were known not only inside, but also far beyond the borders of the country. Young people with European roots, who received an excellent education, came to Russia to develop perfumery. There was no competition in this area, and there were all the opportunities for a successful commercial person
Soviet intelligence agent Georgy Agabekov was the first renegade in the history of the secret services in the USSR, who, after escaping to another country, released classified information about Soviet intelligence. For 7 years of his stay abroad in the status of a defector, a traitorous Chekist wrote several books, and in 1937 he was punished for this by the NKVD
At the end of March 1949, a mass deportation of residents of the Baltic republics to Siberia and the far northern regions began. More than 90 thousand people were forcibly evicted from their homes and transported to a new place of residence. They were resettled by whole families, together with children and old people, allowing them to take only personal belongings and food with them. What was the reason for the Great March deportation, called Operation Surf, and what happened to the deported residents of the Baltic states?
Not only wars and natural disasters - earthquakes, floods, hurricanes - have left a destructive mark in the history of mankind. Pandemics and plague epidemics were "marked" by huge devastations. The disease, called black death, black pestilence, pestilence, and evil fever, has repeatedly made destructive raids on our planet. And each time the number of her victims was estimated at millions of people
Relations between the Soviet Union and the Chinese did not develop smoothly and evenly. Even in the 1940s, when the military potential of Mao Zedong depended on the amount of Stalinist aid, his supporters fought against everyone they saw as a conduit of Moscow influence. On June 24, 1960, at a meeting of the Communist Parties in Bucharest, the delegations of the USSR and the PRC publicly exposed each other to open criticism. This day is considered to be the final split in the camp of the recent allies, which soon led to local armed clashes
Japanese culture, which is noticeably different from the European one, always seems to be something exotic, but at the same time attractive. The criminal culture of the land of the rising sun is no exception. Unlike the West, the yakuza did not hide, conducted open activities and even had their own offices. An unthinkable format of criminal activity by Western standards. As well as youth gangs were taken for granted, as one of the stages of growing up. Perhaps it is the conniving
When they talk about fortune-telling in Russia, a girl appears with a mirror and a candle, or a whole group of Russian beauties throwing a slipper. As a last resort, a mysterious fortune-teller who predicts the future. But men wondered at least as often and with the same pleasure. They just did it a little differently, like a man
Many are familiar with nightmares or just strange dreams, after which it takes a long time to recover. Our ancestors also dreamed of different things, only a modern person is horrified by the fact that he dreamed of a breakdown of a new car, an arrival of aliens, loss of a job or a failed interview. When this happens, many go to a psychotherapist and try to find out why the subconscious mind gives out this. And in ancient times, completely different things frightened. Read why in Russia they were afraid to see a bee in a dream
This April marks the 33rd anniversary of the worst nuclear disaster in human history. In June of the same year, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Chernobyl an official tourist attraction. For tourists visiting the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the fourth reactor - the one where the explosion occurred - remained closed. Now Chernobyl travel companies arrange excursions for daredevils who want to tickle their nerves. So what's inside? In the room that is the center
Water in Russia has always been perceived as a liquid with magical properties. It was used in various rituals and ceremonies. The most valuable was the "untreated" water, which had to be collected in certain places in accordance with strict rules. It was believed that such water is healing and sacral power, since they took it before the sun rose, while no one had yet approached the source. If we translate the name, we can say "untouched" or "unpolished" water. Our ancestors dialect
Sleep in old Russia was taken very seriously. It was believed that this is an opportunity to visit the other world, look into the future or the past, see people long gone and even find out your fate. Many characters in fairy tales and lullabies were credited with the ability to establish sleep or deprive a person of this benefit. From the beginning of the 19th century, the heroes of the dream world began to be described in literary works, their images were used in painting and music. Read what the cat Bayun was like, was there a fabulous dream-herb
A special creative expression of beauty that evokes a powerful emotional response is what is called art. After all, the desire to receive aesthetic pleasure and love for beauty are the two most important spiritual needs of a person. Unfortunately, humanity has lost so many priceless works of art, the loss of which cannot be measured in money. Learn more about the eight greatest missing masterpieces in history. From the Russian national treasure plundered by the Nazis
In Russia, guests were always welcome, and Russian hospitality amazes foreigners even today. The tradition of setting the table and inviting people to it comes from antiquity. The concept of "open table" is very interesting, according to which not only family members, but even strangers could have dinner with the owner. Read how hospitable hosts invited strangers to the table, who the messengers were, and what the intelligentsia considered a modest dinner
In Russia, guests were greeted cordially and hospitably. Hospitality is a wonderful Russian trait that demonstrates not only a willingness to share some material benefits, but also to give a piece of your soul. It was believed that a person who respects people, shows generosity, will never be alone, his house will always remain filled with laughter and happiness. Hospitality was in everything: it was the reception of welcome guests, and the serving of dishes, and even an overnight stay. The owners could not only feed, but also give
Trees in Russia were treated with respect. After all, they are capable of a lot - to protect the house, to save from the devil, to save from diseases. Many trees were considered sacred, others were used by healers for treatment, and there were some that were not even worth approaching. Read what the king-tree is, how the destiny was followed with the help of the named trees and why it is impossible to climb the cemetery trees
At the end of January 1969, the junior lieutenant decided the Soviet army to fight the system. Impressed by the impoverished life of Soviet people in the outback, he considered that the main source of all troubles was Brezhnev, and therefore it was enough to eliminate him for life in the country to sparkle with new red
Arnold and Meinhard Schwarzeneggers were very close. Arnie, having already become famous, always spoke of his brother with warmth, although he admitted: his parents treated Meinhard better than he himself. When Arnie had already moved to the United States and was seriously pursuing his career in bodybuilding, his 24-year-old brother died in a car accident. But Arnold didn't even fly to Germany to say goodbye to him
The life of queens, which was so different from the life of commoners, ended, nevertheless, in the same way: in difficult childbirth, from the attack of a contagious disease or from cancer. But there were also exceptions. Some queens died in such a way that their death surprised people for a long time
In the 30s of the last century, many residents of Europe and America went to the performances of the Ringling Brothers' touring circus specifically in order to watch the tamer Matryona Rasputina, fearlessly working with lions and tigers in a cage. She was advertised as "the daughter of a famous mad monk whose exploits in Russia surprised the world." And, of course, that at that time many were interested to see firsthand the daughter of the legendary mystic and prophet Grigory Rasputin. What made a woman risking her life
The personality of Colonel-General Viktor Abakumov is rather contradictory - on the one hand, he is a courageous man and an excellent counterintelligence officer, on the other, he is a cruel and merciless fighter against the notorious "enemies of the people." Whatever it was, but he lived an extraordinary life: being born in a simple family, he made a dizzying career takeoff and “fell”, having experienced all the hardships of a victim of unjust repression before his death
December 10 marks the 119th anniversary of the birth of the legend of the circus arena, People's Artist of the USSR Mikhail Rumyantsev, whom everyone knew as the clown Karandash performing with the dog Klyaksa. He was called one of the most highly qualified professionals, his participation in the program provided sold out throughout the USSR, his students were famous circus artists. But none of them could work with the teacher for a long time - they could not stand his tough temper. The most famous student of Pencil - Yuri Niku
Women, with whom officers and commanders had romance in wartime, were called field wives, often contemptuously abbreviating: ППЖ. Their reputation was like that of women of easy virtue, and the attitude was appropriate. However, is it possible to condemn women who tried to be happy in the crucible of the Great Patriotic War? Who were the field wives of famous personalities of the Soviet era, and how their front-line romances ended
Talented people are talented in everything. Arnold Schwarzenegger has dabbled in professional sports, Hollywood, business, politics, writing, charity and more. And in almost all areas he has achieved success. We have collected in one review interesting and little-known facts related to this famous actor