Miscellaneous 2024, November

Edith Utesova - the bright rise and tragic fate of the forgotten princess of the Soviet stage

Edith Utesova - the bright rise and tragic fate of the forgotten princess of the Soviet stage

Today, few people remember the name of the daughter of the great Leonid Utesov, although for many years she traveled with her father throughout the country, was a faithful assistant in her work and sang a duet with him magnificently. For example, their "family" performance of the song "My Dear Muscovites" is still considered the best, and in the recording of the cheerful "Beautiful Marquise" we also hear the soft lyric soprano of Dita Utesova

The dark secrets of the Kennedy clan: secrets, disasters, treason and doom

The dark secrets of the Kennedy clan: secrets, disasters, treason and doom

The Kennedy family in the last century was considered one of the most famous and influential in the United States. Representatives of the Kennedy clan held important positions, had weight and influence in political circles. However, rumors of a curse constantly arose around this family, because of which power, fame and money did not make Kennedy happy. The Kennedy clan seemed to be pursuing some evil fate

Drama by Radner Muratov: What Ruined the Life of Vasily Alibabaevich from the Comedy "Gentlemen of Fortune"

Drama by Radner Muratov: What Ruined the Life of Vasily Alibabaevich from the Comedy "Gentlemen of Fortune"

Since childhood, he dreamed of becoming a pilot and even graduated from the Air Force school in Kazan. But his further fate was determined by chance, and Radner Muratov became an actor. He will forever remain in the memory of the audience in the image of the hapless Vasily Alibabaevich in "Gentlemen of Fortune". However, neither the family nor the huge popularity of the actor could make him happy. His life was difficult, and its ending was actually tragic

7 famous personalities whose disappearance remains a mystery today

7 famous personalities whose disappearance remains a mystery today

The number of people missing is growing every year. The saddest thing is that there have been similar cases in the past. Not only ordinary people disappear without a trace, but also quite famous personalities, who are always under the scrutiny of the public. Sometimes the secret of their disappearance is revealed after hundreds of years, but often it remains a mystery

Why "Little Vera" Natalia Negoda does not like to remember her romance with Mikhail Efremov

Why "Little Vera" Natalia Negoda does not like to remember her romance with Mikhail Efremov

Mikhail Efremov has long gained a reputation not only as a talented actor, but also as a famous conqueror of women's hearts. It is as if he is constantly in search of happiness, trying to find the only one that will make him unconditionally happy. But once in a distant youth in the life of Mikhail Efremov there was already a relationship with a girl who, it seems, suited him perfectly. But only years later, Natalya Negoda categorically refuses to remember that romantic story

What censors cut out of popularly beloved Soviet comedies

What censors cut out of popularly beloved Soviet comedies

The Soviet censorship, famous for its intransigence, “protected” Soviet audiences from scenes that could embarrass them, or seduce, or, worst of all, evoke unhealthy associations. Before her “knife”, everyone was equal - it was the same for both novice directors and venerable ones. Surprisingly, even in the old comedies we love today, "Prisoner of the Caucasus", "Ivan Vasilyevich changes his profession", "Operation" Y "and other adventures of Shurik", "The Diamond Hand" and "Love and Doves" vigilant

How Two Great Directors Filmed 12 Chairs Almost Simultaneously

How Two Great Directors Filmed 12 Chairs Almost Simultaneously

In June 1971, Soviet viewers stormed cinemas to watch the new comedy of Leonid Gaidai, and exactly five years later they could not tear themselves away from TV screens when Mark Zakharov created his own version of the film adaptation of the novel by Ilf and Petrov. Gaidai did not like the competitor's film so much that he called it a "criminal offense", but today both films are included in the golden fund of our cinema and are equally loved by the audience

How director Gaidai saved the life of actor Sergei Filippov

How director Gaidai saved the life of actor Sergei Filippov

Films directed by the great director Leonid Gaidai have not lost their relevance for many years. He took his films very seriously, perfecting each episode, paying attention to the smallest details, whether it was the choice of costumes for the actors or the props for filming. Even more carefully he selected the actors for the roles, and once, in the literal sense of the word, he saved the life of Sergei Filippov

How Russian regimental priests defended their homeland and what feats of arms they performed

How Russian regimental priests defended their homeland and what feats of arms they performed

The tradition of the participation of Russian priests in military campaigns of soldiers and officers appeared many centuries ago - in fact, with the advent of Christianity in Russia. And very often the priests showed themselves as real heroes, inspiring soldiers to heroic deeds by their example. They were not afraid of bullets or enemy shells, and some even led troops. History knows many examples of such feats

20 wise thoughts on the life of a real sorceress J.K. Rowling

20 wise thoughts on the life of a real sorceress J.K. Rowling

A whole generation of children has grown up on the books of J.K. Rowling, world famous as the author of the Harry Potter series of books. And she herself began to invent her first stories when she was only 5 years old. But to the writer's recollections, the first fairy tale she invented was the story of how her sister fell into a rabbit hole, and a family of rabbits fed her strawberries. Our review has collected wise and soulful quotes from J.K. Rowling, which, we hope, will help our readers in difficult life

Why in the old days water carriers were respected so much, and Where can you find monuments to this disappeared profession?

Why in the old days water carriers were respected so much, and Where can you find monuments to this disappeared profession?

It is difficult for modern city dwellers to imagine that once there was no running water in their houses, and yet some 100-150 years ago, not all city dwellers could afford such a luxury. The profession "water carrier", which was so in demand at the beginning of the last century, alas, became one of the practically extinct ones. And now, when we think of her, the only thing that comes to mind is the song of a water carrier from the old film "Volga-Volga"

Marrying a prince: the English wedding fever in the works of cartoonists

Marrying a prince: the English wedding fever in the works of cartoonists

Western media have their own quirks, and the tandem, which it is customary to shout about every day, has its own. I mean the now married Prince William and Kate Middleton. An unnatural concern for someone else's personal life and an eternal desire to control every step of celebrities, oh yes, the blueness of the spouse's blood added up to an invigorating cocktail, from which the press drool like a mad dog, and readers and viewers began to actively gossip and gossip. But now the ceremony is in the past, and you can

Why did US President Reagan collect Russian jokes about himself, and How acting helped him in politics

Why did US President Reagan collect Russian jokes about himself, and How acting helped him in politics

The 40th President of the United States will be remembered by descendants as the first actor in this high post, a loyal family man and an ardent anti-communist, who once announced during a weekly radio address that in five minutes he would start bombing Russia. Of course, it was a joke that from this side of the ocean still seems completely unfunny, but at the time most Americans did not think so. Small "humorous inserts" became a characteristic feature of Ronald Reagan's performances and brought him immense popularity

When for the first time they began to celebrate the New Year in Russia, and who gave champagne to the Russian people

When for the first time they began to celebrate the New Year in Russia, and who gave champagne to the Russian people

Different peoples have different traditions, and sometimes different times for celebrating the New Year. In Russia, the date of the beginning of the New Year has changed several times - depending on important historical events and the worldview of the ruling persons. It was celebrated both on March 1 and September 1. And traditions were also completely different at different times

Osama bin Laden, Be He Wrong: Political Cartoons of the Death of Terrorist # 1

Osama bin Laden, Be He Wrong: Political Cartoons of the Death of Terrorist # 1

About the dead - either good or nothing. But apparently not this time. After all, what to do with all those political cartoons that appeared in the world press after Barack Obama made a pretentious speech about the death of the main villain of our time? An ironic look at sensational news - in the works of foreign cartoonists

Why Zhukov rejected the legendary "Volga" GAZ-21: Wheels that glorified the USSR

Why Zhukov rejected the legendary "Volga" GAZ-21: Wheels that glorified the USSR

Before the Great Patriotic War, Soviet citizens did not buy cars. At that time, it was possible to become a car owner only for hard work. So the first personal cars appeared in the pre-war USSR not at all among members of the party elite, but among the Stakhanovites. For the first time, a Soviet person officially received permission to buy a car only in 1948. The domestic auto industry has established the production of serial cars, which are still recognizable in the world

How 99-year-old Briton raised £ 28m to fight pandemic

How 99-year-old Briton raised £ 28m to fight pandemic

In a few days, British WWII veteran Tom Moore will celebrate his 100th birthday, which in itself would be a significant event in his life. However, on the eve of his anniversary date, the 99-year-old captain managed to become another national hero, raising 28 million pounds to help the British National Health System (NHS) to fight the pandemic. And this is already an event for the whole UK. Moreover, he literally became a media star, and the whole world is talking about him now

What's new about the last days of the writer Edrag Poe, who mysteriously disappeared and died at the age of 40

What's new about the last days of the writer Edrag Poe, who mysteriously disappeared and died at the age of 40

The great writer died at the age of 40 under very strange circumstances. Shortly before his death, Po disappeared, and was then found in a tavern, for some reason in someone else's clothes. He could not move independently and speak coherently. Many theories have arisen around the strange, sudden death. According to one of them, the writer tried to commit suicide by taking any drugs, this could explain his unusual state. However, recent scientific studies have refuted this option

Savior of Russian Alaska: How Nikolai Rezanov married the daughter of the governor of California and what he did for the region

Savior of Russian Alaska: How Nikolai Rezanov married the daughter of the governor of California and what he did for the region

Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov was one of the founders of the Russian-American Company, the first ambassador of the Russian Empire to Japan, compiled the first dictionary of the Japanese language, received the title of Chamberlain of the Imperial Court and the Order of St. Anne. However, oddly enough, it was not his services to the state that brought him fame, but a romantic love story overgrown with legends and myths with the Californian beauty Maria Concepcion de Arguello

12 horror films that became classics of the genre, but are still fearful today

12 horror films that became classics of the genre, but are still fearful today

Each film deserves the attention of the viewer, and horror films have not been left out. However, in modern times it is difficult to find such paintings that would really scare us with their story, plot, or at least visual effects. To do this, we have compiled for you a list of old (and not so) paintings that really inspire a feeling of deep horror

Zhirinovsky in the painting of Hieronymus Bosch and other doubles of modern stars found on the canvases of the old masters

Zhirinovsky in the painting of Hieronymus Bosch and other doubles of modern stars found on the canvases of the old masters

It's no secret that the famous people of our time have a whole mass of doubles and imitators who do their best to be like them. But that's not all, because many stars, as it turned out, existed long before their birth, and painting and sculpture from different countries of the world are a vivid evidence of this. To your attention - a dozen celebrities, whose doubles existed in different historical periods

Tsar's table: What kind of food did the Russian rulers prefer, and How did it differ from the peasant's

Tsar's table: What kind of food did the Russian rulers prefer, and How did it differ from the peasant's

The rulers of Russia had a variety of culinary preferences. Someone preferred gourmet food, someone liked simple peasant food. Today, many would be surprised to learn what exactly was served on the royal table, and some dishes are firmly forgotten. Read what excesses the emperors allowed themselves, who was a great teetotaler, and to whom they brought vodka to dinner every day

10 best sci-fi movies that made a splash

10 best sci-fi movies that made a splash

The science fiction genre is one of the most popular in cinematography. And it is not surprising, because it is so interesting to plunge into the world created by the scriptwriter's fantasy and see what our reality could be if life on Earth were a little different. We have prepared for you a dozen of science fiction films, which not only have interesting and exciting worlds, but also a very unusual, fascinating plot

How to Become a Star After 70 and Chemotherapy: Harry Potter's Godmother and Downton Abbey Prima Maggie Smith

How to Become a Star After 70 and Chemotherapy: Harry Potter's Godmother and Downton Abbey Prima Maggie Smith

December 28, 2019 marked the 85th anniversary of the beautiful English actress, who with her work proves to the whole world that age for an active acting life is not a hindrance. And although Maggie Smith admits that now the work is not so easy for her, nevertheless, the latest film with her participation - a new version of Downton Abbey - breaks popularity records

Hollywood icon and ancestor of the famous dynasty Kirk Douglas 103 years old: How the star offspring congratulate him

Hollywood icon and ancestor of the famous dynasty Kirk Douglas 103 years old: How the star offspring congratulate him

December 9 marks the 103rd anniversary of the honorary veteran of Hollywood, the founder of one of the most successful and famous acting dynasties - Kirk Douglas. An incredibly talented actor who has such iconic roles as Spartacus and Van Gogh in his arsenal! He is practically an icon of American cinema. How do famous sons congratulate a famous father? What secrets are hidden by the Douglas family?

Tractor Girls, Sparrow Fighting & Birth Control: What Chinese Posters Can Tell You

Tractor Girls, Sparrow Fighting & Birth Control: What Chinese Posters Can Tell You

Chinese propaganda painting is a unique page in history. Someone may consider the pictures created in the style of socialist realism, sugary and deceitful, someone is nostalgic, recalling a bygone era, but both of them will undoubtedly agree that this section of art can tell us a lot about the history of the huge ideological brother of the USSR … Posters were real weapons for the leaders of the country, therefore, for example, in the 60s and 70s they were stamped like shells during the war - a few cm

What happened to the Soviet submarine K-129: Mysterious disappearance, 98 funerals and the silence of the authorities

What happened to the Soviet submarine K-129: Mysterious disappearance, 98 funerals and the silence of the authorities

On March 8, 1968, the control signal from the K-129 submarine, which was in the northern Pacific waters, disappeared. The search lasted more than 70 days, but to no avail. The Soviet ship seemed to have disappeared into the ocean along with a crew of 98 people. This episode remained classified for a long time. Even today, experts do not agree on the versions of the death of the submarine. Krivotolki is also caused by the fact that the top of the USSR renounced the K-129, and almost a hundred submariners were declared "dead"

Why did the Bear actually steal Masha and other secrets of folk tales about girls in the forest?

Why did the Bear actually steal Masha and other secrets of folk tales about girls in the forest?

Wherever the forest grows, girls of different nations live. But not all peoples have a fairy tale about a girl (or rather, a very young girl) in the forest. There is a theory that such tales appeared where women in society were more or less significant, visible and active - after all, this is a tale about initiation, and a trip to the forest is a form of initiation, which emphasizes that a girl should be able to act independently. In other cases, tales are told about girls in a tower or a mansion - such an initiation is popular with

How Velazquez and Goya inspired haute couture for the 20th century's most daring fashion designer

How Velazquez and Goya inspired haute couture for the 20th century's most daring fashion designer

Cristobal Balenciaga once said that "a good fashion designer must be an architect for patterns, a sculptor for form, an artist for design, a musician for harmony, and a philosopher for fit." Not surprisingly, in the 20th century, he ruled high fashion with innovative clothing inspired by unusually traditional Spanish sources. The Basque fashion designer took cues from regional clothing, folk costumes, bullfighting, flamenco dances, Catholicism and, of course, from the history of painting. And in ito

10 best disaster movies that don't bode well for humanity

10 best disaster movies that don't bode well for humanity

Action films, dramas, comedies, horror films and more - these are what, as a rule, are included in the list of the most popular genres of cinema of our time. However, do not forget about such a very specific genre as disaster films, which attract the attention of the public not only with realistic and large-scale computer graphics, but also with interesting stories that can easily turn into reality with far from a happy ending

6 great women composers of the past who are rarely remembered today: A memo on creativity and life

6 great women composers of the past who are rarely remembered today: A memo on creativity and life

In virtually every last five to six centuries, there have been women who have composed music. They were accepted in the circles of male composers and received high marks from them, their works were widely performed and are still performed today. But usually male names are heard. Composing music for a woman seemed to be considered no more than a hobby, no matter what heights she took off

How did the fate of talented children, of whom parents wanted to make stars

How did the fate of talented children, of whom parents wanted to make stars

Each parent is sure that his child is talented, one and only. But often this conviction, together with their own unfulfilled ambitions, make moms and dads strive to make stars out of children. The desire is laudable, but sometimes adults, striving for wanting daughters and sons, go so far that they do not think that they are destroying their destinies. After all, the price of popularity is sometimes too high. And fame, as you know, is a capricious lady and is not synonymous with happiness

10 films that will help parents understand their own children

10 films that will help parents understand their own children

Very often, growing up, people forget about what feelings and emotions they experienced in childhood. As a small problem, it seemed like a real disaster, the interference of adults in relationships with peers interfered with normal communication, and the lack of mutual understanding with the closest people led to conflicts. In our today's selection of films that will help you understand the thoughts and feelings of children

October revolution: facts that are not written about in history textbooks

October revolution: facts that are not written about in history textbooks

November 7 is the red day of the calendar. Most Russians associate this day (albeit somewhat vaguely) with red carnations, Lenin on an armored car, and the statement that "the lower classes do not want the old way, but the upper classes cannot do it in a new way." On this "revolutionary" day, we will cite just a few facts about the Great October Socialist Revolution or the October Revolution - whichever is more convenient

How Henry Ford Wanted to Conquer the Amazon Jungle: The 20th Century's Most Ambitious Failed Project

How Henry Ford Wanted to Conquer the Amazon Jungle: The 20th Century's Most Ambitious Failed Project

This picture was taken in 1934 in the remote jungle of the Brazilian Amazon. In the photo, the workers of Henry Ford - the famous American industrialist, one of the pioneers of the automotive industry. Ford dreamed of building a dream city here. To create a kind of utopian society, a social experiment. Why was the businessman's plans not destined to come true, and only ruins in the jungle remained of the dream?

How is the relationship of Anna Mikhalkova, the daughter of a famous director, with her own children

How is the relationship of Anna Mikhalkova, the daughter of a famous director, with her own children

Anna Mikhalkova became the eldest daughter in the family of the famous director Nikita Mikhalkov and his wife Tatyana. As you know, Nikita Sergeevich himself is a strict and even authoritarian father, he demands that everything in the house obey his requirements. Today Anna Nikitichna is a successful actress and mother of three children, two sons and a daughter. How are relations in the family of Anna Mikhalkova developing, and how did she react to the scandal associated with the eldest son Andrei and his friend Ksenia Puntus?

How to hint a gentleman about feelings with a fan: ballroom etiquette in 19th century Russia

How to hint a gentleman about feelings with a fan: ballroom etiquette in 19th century Russia

Balls - social events that served as the main form of entertainment for the nobility - appeared in Russia in the era of Peter I and since then have enjoyed extraordinary popularity. Behavior at the ball was strictly regulated by a system of general rules, and observance of ballroom etiquette was absolutely mandatory for both ladies and gentlemen. Today, many of these requirements sound rather strange, although during mass celebrations, many would not hurt to remember the rules of behavior that do not lose their relevance

10 deadly facts about the executioner profession

10 deadly facts about the executioner profession

The death penalty, around which disputes between human rights defenders and the public are raging today, is a punishment that appeared in ancient times and has survived to our days. In some periods of human history, the death penalty was almost the predominant punishment in the law enforcement system of various states. For reprisals against criminals, executioners were required - tireless and ready to "work" from dawn to dawn. This profession is covered with sinister myths and mysticism. Who is the executioner really?

Hyper-realistic sculptures: 15 stunningly vivid images of people

Hyper-realistic sculptures: 15 stunningly vivid images of people

A scattering of wrinkles and moles, hairs and pores on the body, a lively, penetrating look, ornate patterns of veins on the arms are just a tiny part that gives the sculptures such a real look that it is incredibly difficult to distinguish them from ordinary people

How a hunting lodge became a luxurious palace: 10 little-known facts about Versailles

How a hunting lodge became a luxurious palace: 10 little-known facts about Versailles

Versailles is a place where luxury, culture and art are closely intertwined. This palace, nestled outside of Paris, has become a real gem of its century and a symbol of the power of King Louis XIV. Every little detail, from the brushstroke in the painting to the splashing fountains in the garden, was carefully thought out and designed by the best minds of the time. Therefore, for your attention - a dozen fascinating facts about the most beautiful palace in the world