1. Edison, Thomas Alva (1847-1931), a famous America inventor with little formal schooling, developed the world's first electric power station (1882). His more than 1,000 inventions included: the automatic telegraph system (1862), the incandescent lamp (1879), the mimeograph, the carbon microphone for telephones, the film projector and the phonograph (1877). His early labs led to our modern research labs and his work pioneered the electronic revolution of the 20th Century. You can find out more about Edison by visiting the web site at http://www.tomedison.org.
2. Picasso, Pablo (1881-1973), a famous Spanish painter, lived in France from 1904. He dominated art in the first half of the 20th Century with his endless creativity and technical ability. His "blue period" (1901-1904) focused on the disadvantaged while his happier "rose period" (1904 -1907) marked the start of cubism with his painting "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" (1907). His increasingly violent, partly surrealistic paintings in the 1920s and 1930s included Guernica (1937). For further introduction to Picasso as well as an online collection of his paintings, please visit http://www.ocaiw.com/picasso.htm.
3. Shakespeare, William (1564-1616), famous English dramatist and poet, wrote the most influential body of literature in the Western world. His works include 36 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 narrative poems. His are the first modern plays with dramatic personalities who speak in the imaginative, dramatic blank verse he perfected. An actor and writer, Shakespeare did not participate in the printing of his plays. For further information about Shakespeare as well as collections of his works, you can visit http://www.shakespeare.com and http://web.uvic.ca/shakespeare.
4. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), one of the greatest German composers, lived in Vienna from 1792. Deaf by 1819, Beethoven is known for orchestral works that included both late classical and early romantic elements and changed the musical forms of symphony, sonata and concerto. For more information, visit http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/music/ and http://www.kingsbarn.freeserve.co.uk.
5. Salvador Dali (1904-1991), a famous Spanish painter, lived in Paris, studied the writings of Freud and became known for surrealism. His paintings show dream images in photographic reality on a Spanish desert background. Dali was recognized all over the world by his peculiar appearance especially his protruding eyes. For further information about Dali (such as biography and paintings, etc.) please visit http://www.dali-gallery.com.
6. Edwin Land (1909-1991), a mainly self-taught US physicist, invented the Polaroid camera in 1947 and founded the Polaroid Corporation which he headed until 1982. For a more thorough introduction to Land, please visit http://www.rowland.org/land/ and http://www.2think.org/land.shtml.
7. Santa Fe, the state capital in north central New Mexico, located along the Santa Fe River, has a population over 60,000. Surrounded by mountains, its historic past and Indian, Spanish and American cultures, as well as dry, sunny climate, make tourism its major industry. General information about the place and people as well as other tourist information can be found at http://www.santafe.org.
