Biographies of famous personalities. Outstanding citizens of Russia: list, biographies, interesting facts and achievements. Leonardo da Vinci

Usually great people differ from the average man in the street, and not only in their famous achievements but also in character and habits. Among these habits there are many oddities that distinguished many famous personalities. In this post - a selection of oddities of famous people.

Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov was one of the most famous Russian generals. He did not lose a single battle, and all of them were won with the numerical superiority of the enemy. Suvorov was famous for his strange antics: he went to bed at six in the evening, and woke up at two in the morning, and, upon waking up, poured himself cold water and loudly shouted “ku-ka-re-ku!”. With all his ranks, he slept in the hay. Preferring to walk in old boots, he could easily go out to meet high officials in a sleeping cap and underwear. He also gave the signal to attack to his beloved “ku-ka-re-ku!”, And, they say, after he was promoted to field marshal, he began to jump over chairs and say: “And I jumped over this one, and over this one - then!"

Often famous people were distinguished by great forgetfulness and absent-mindedness. For example, Diderot forgot the days, months, years and names of loved ones. Anatole France sometimes forgot to get a new sheet of paper or a notebook and wrote on everything that came to hand: envelopes, business cards, wrappers, receipts. But scientists are usually the most scattered.

Newton somehow received guests and, wanting to treat them, went to his office for wine. Guests are waiting, but the owner does not return. It turned out that upon entering the working room, Newton thought so deeply about his next work that he completely forgot about his friends. There is also a case when Newton, having decided to boil an egg, took a watch, noticed the time and after a couple of minutes found that he was holding an egg in his hand, and was cooking a watch. One day Newton had lunch, but did not notice it. And when by mistake he went to dine another time, he was very surprised that someone had eaten his food.

Einstein, having met his friend and, absorbed in thoughts, said: Come to me in the evening. I will also have Professor Stimson. His friend, puzzled, objected: But I am Stimson! Einstein replied: It doesn't matter, come anyway! In addition, Einstein's wife had to repeat the same thing three times before the meaning of her remarks reached the great physicist.

One day, the father of Russian aviation, Zhukovsky, after talking all evening with friends in his own living room, suddenly got up, looking for his hat, and began to hurriedly say goodbye, muttering: However, I stayed too long with you, it's time to go home!

The German historian Theodor Mommsen once rummaged through all his pockets to find glasses. A little girl sitting next to him handed them to him. "Thanks, little one," Mommsen said. "What's your name?" “Anna Mommsen, papa,” the girl replied.

One day, Ampere, leaving his apartment, wrote with chalk on his door: Ampere will be at home only in the evening. But he returned home in the afternoon. I read the inscription on my doors and went back, because I forgot that he himself was Ampere. Another story that was told about Ampere was this. One day, sitting in a carriage, he wrote a formula with chalk instead of a slate on the coachman's back. And he was very surprised when, having arrived at the place and got off the carriage, he saw that the formula began to move away along with the crew.

Galileo was no less absent-minded. He spent his wedding night reading a book. Noticing at last that it was already dawn, he went to the bedroom, but immediately went out and asked the servant: - Who is lying in my bed? “Your wife, sir,” replied the servant. Galileo completely forgot that he was married.

Some of the greats didn't get married at all. Now you will not surprise anyone with this, but a hundred years ago it was considered a great oddity. Voltaire, Dante, Rousseau, Spinoza, Kant and Beethoven died convinced bachelors, believing that the wife would only prevent them from creating, and the servant would look after the house perfectly.

True, in Beethoven's house, the servants were powerless to maintain at least some semblance of order: sheets with symphonies and overtures were scattered throughout the office mixed with bottles and plates, and woe to the one who tried to collect them, breaking this mess! And the owner himself at this time, despite any weather jogging around the streets of the city.

The famous satirist Lafontaine also liked to take a walk. At the same time, he loudly recited the lines and rhymes that came into his bright head, waving his arms and dancing. Fortunately for him, the people then treated such personalities quite calmly, and no one called the orderlies.

The famous writer Leo Tolstoy was famous among his contemporaries not only for his works, but also for his quirks. As a count, he worked in the field on a par with the peasants. At the same time, working in the field side by side with the peasants was not an extravagant hobby for him, he sincerely loved and respected hard physical labor. Tolstoy, with pleasure and, importantly, with skill, sewed boots, which he then gave to relatives, mowed grass and plowed the land, surprising the local peasants who were watching him and grieving his wife.

Over the years, Tolstoy was increasingly captured by spiritual quests, and he paid less and less attention to everyday life, striving for asceticism and “simplification” in almost everything. The count is engaged in hard peasant labor, sleeps on the bare floor and walks barefoot until the very cold, thus emphasizing his closeness to the people. Just like that - on a bare foot, in a belted peasant shirt, simple trousers - Ilya Repin captured him in his picture.

Lev Nikolaevich maintained physical vigor and strength of mind until the very last days. The reason for this is the count's passionate love for sports and all kinds of exercise which, in his opinion, were obligatory, especially for those engaged in mental work. Walking was Tolstoy's favorite discipline; it is known that already at the fairly respectable age of sixty, he made three foot crossings from Moscow to Yasnaya Polyana. In addition, the count was fond of skating, mastered cycling, horseback riding, swimming, and started every morning with gymnastics.

Already at the advanced age of 82 years, the writer decided to go wandering, leaving his estate, leaving his wife and children. AT farewell letter to his Countess Sophia, Tolstoy writes: “I can no longer live in those conditions of luxury in which I lived, and I do what old people of my age usually do: they leave worldly life to live in solitude and silence. last days own life".

And among scientists, Nikola Tesla was known as one of the most eccentric people. Tesla did not have his own house or apartment - only laboratories and land. great inventor I usually spent the night right in the laboratory or in hotels in New York. Tesla never married. According to him, a solitary lifestyle helped develop his scientific abilities.

He was terribly afraid of germs, constantly washed his hands, and in hotels he could demand up to a couple of dozen towels a day. By the way, in hotels he always checked whether the number of his apartments would be a multiple of three, otherwise he flatly refused to be settled. If a fly landed on the table during lunch, Tesla demanded that the waiters bring it all over again. In modern psychiatry, there is a special term for this kind of oddity - “misophobia”.

Tesla counted steps while walking, the volume of bowls of soup, cups of coffee and pieces of food. If he failed to do this, then the food did not give him pleasure, so he preferred to eat alone.

Becoming the author of many inventions that changed lives modern civilization, Nikola Tesla left behind even more rumors and conjectures about incredible discoveries, which for some reason never reached their publication and application.

Interesting stories from life famous of people .

the site believes that each of us can become a famous person, the main thing is to always believe in yourself and move forward. We have collected stories and facts from the life of famous people from all over the world.

Roman emperor Julius Caesar always wore a laurel wreath on his head to hide his progressive baldness.

In the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan died while having sex.

And the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Arthur Conan Doyle, was an ophthalmologist by profession.

The creator of Mickey Mouse, the famous Walt Disney?, was afraid of mice all his life.

The eminent Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh sold only one of his works during his lifetime, Red Vineyard at Arles.

And the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began composing music at the age of 3. For 35 years, Mozart created over 600 works. But after his death, his widow did not even have money for a separate place in the cemetery.

The theoretical physicist Albert Einstein did not speak a word until the age of 3, but at the age of 12 he understood Euclidean geometry.

German poet, statesman, thinker and naturalist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once tasted Franconian wine from Bavaria, and was so impressed that since then he demanded to send him 900 Franconian liters a year.

Many of Remarque's characters, like himself, prefer Normandy apple brandy - Calvados - from alcoholic drinks.

M the Macedonian king from the Argead dynasty, commander Alexander the Great? knew by sight 30,000 soldiers of his army.

On May 24, 2000, the Clay Institute of Mathematics (Cambridge, USA) offers a million dollars for solving each of the seven mathematical "millennium problems", including the Poincare conjecture formulated in 1904. On November 1, 2002, the Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman posted on the website of the mathematical archive the first of three articles, according to the results of which he will be recognized as a scientist who defeated one of the most difficult problems in topology. In March 2010, the Clay Institute awards Perelman a million dollar prize. On July 1, 2010, Perelman refuses the prize, as he had previously rejected the "mathematical Nobel Prize" - the Fields medal. The refusal is explained by ethical reasons: Perelman believes that he owes success to the mathematician Hamilton, on whose work he relied.

Literary success came to I. Goncharov only at the age of 40.

And the English physicist, mathematician, mechanic and astronomer Isaac Newton wrote a preface to his works when he was 72 years old.

The Sero-Russian Empress from 1762 to 1796 Catherine the Great (Catherine II) loved beer. It was for her that the British brewed especially strong beer - so that it would not spoil on the road. This type of beer is called "Russian stout". It is not pasteurized, but matures in barrels for 2 months, after which it is aged in bottles for a year.

The German historian Theodor Mommsen once rummaged through all his pockets to find glasses. A little girl sitting next to him handed them to him. "Thank you, little one," said Mommsen, "what's your name?" "Anna Mommsen, papa," the girl replied.

Tupak Shakur is an American rapper, film actor and public figure.
He entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most successful hip-hop artist, selling a total of more than 75 million copies of his albums.

The late Tupac Shakur is the first representative of the hip-hop world to be honored with a monument. A seven-foot bronze statue of a black American hero was unveiled on September 13, 2005 at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

One day, young Thomas Edison returned home from school and gave his mother a letter from his teacher.
Mom read the letter aloud to her son, with tears in her eyes: “Your son is a genius. This and the school is too small, and there are no teachers here to teach him anything. Please teach it yourself.”
Many years after the death of his mother (Edison was by then one of the greatest inventors of the century), he once revised the old family archives and came across this letter.
He opened it and read:
“Your son is mentally retarded. We can no longer teach it at school with everyone else. Therefore, we recommend that you learn it yourself at home.”
Edison sobbed for several hours. Then he wrote in his diary: “Thomas Alva Edison was a mentally retarded child.
Thanks to his heroic mother, he became one of the greatest geniuses of his age.”

Since the sculptor Lina Po, completely devoid of sight, she created more than a hundred wonderful works by touch.

In the 16th century, an influential statesman and philosopher, Francis Bacon, died because he stuffed a gutted chicken with snow (it occurred to him that snow could be used instead of salt to preserve meat, and he tried to test his theory). As a result of the experiment, the chicken did not freeze, but Bacon himself froze.

King Solomon had about 700 wives in Israel, as well as hundreds of mistresses.

Justin Timberlake is afraid of spiders.

In 1972, a young Indian wrote to John Lennon that he had a dream to travel around the world, but no money, and asked him to send the necessary amount. Lennon replied: "Meditate and you will be able to see the whole world in your imagination." In 1995, an Indian, having sold Lennon's letter at auction, went on a trip around the world.

Einstein adored the films of Charlie Chaplin and had great sympathy for both him and his touching characters. One day he sent a telegram to Chaplin:
“Your film “Gold Rush” is understood by everyone in the world, and I am sure that you will become a great person. Einstein".
Chaplin replied:
“I admire you even more. Nobody in the world understands your theory of relativity, but you still became a great person.
Chaplin".

Charles Dickens always slept with his head to the north. He thought it would improve his writing ability.

The house where Jefferson wrote the US Declaration of Independence now sells hamburgers.

Marilyn Monroe's bra sold for $14,000 at auction.

During the reign of Elizabeth I, there was a tax on the beard of men.

The national flag of Italy was designed by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Tesla did not have his own house or apartment - only laboratories and land. The great inventor usually spent the night right in the laboratory or in hotels in New York. Tesla never married. According to him, a solitary lifestyle helped develop his scientific abilities.

The myth that Marilyn Monroe has six toes on her left foot arose from one shot. Photographer Joseph Jagura photographed a young Norma Jean in 1946 on Zuma Beach. In one photo, due to the accumulation of sand that stuck to her foot, it seems that the actress has six fingers.

One day, the father of Russian aviation, Zhukovsky, after talking all evening with friends in his own living room, suddenly got up, looking for his hat, and began to hurriedly say goodbye, muttering: However, I stayed too long with you, it's time to go home!

laconically about famous people(part 1) updated: February 26, 2017 by: website

There are many famous people that I admire. Most of them are talented in one or more fields. They lead a busy life, traveling from one place to another to meet their fans. My favorite celebrity is Johnny Depp. Although he had starred in many interesting movies, his best role was Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean.


In my opinion, he is a multi-talented person. Apart from being a famous actor, he is a film producer and a musician. At the moment he is 51 years old, but he doesn't look his age. I would assume he is only 30 or 35. He was born in Kentucky, the USA, in a poor background. His family often moved from one place to another, because of his father's job. When he was 15, his parents were divorced. He started dreaming about the career of a rock star at the age of 12, when his mother bought him a guitar. He then joined various garage bands to come closer to his dream.


The first big movie where he starred was “Nightmare on Elm Street”, although he had taken some smaller parts before. He became really popular after appearing in television series for teens “21 Jump Street”. I also liked his performance in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Alice in Wonderland”. I know that Johnny Depp has been nominated for major acting awards many times, although his best achievement is the Golden Globe Award. He has a certain style of acting, which distinguishes him from the crowd of other actors. I like his manner of conducting at the ceremonies or during the interviews. He seems to be a level-headed and reserved person.


By the way, acting is not his only passion. He also grows grapes and makes his own wine. translation I admire many famous people. Many of them are talented in one or more areas. They lead busy lives, traveling from one place to another to meet their fans. My favorite celebrity is Johnny Depp. Although he starred in many interesting films, his best role considered Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.


In my opinion, this man has many talents. Besides the fact that he famous actor, he is a producer and musician. On the this moment he is 51 years old, but he does not look his age. I would give him 30 or 35 years. He was born in Kentucky, USA, to a poor family. His family often moved from one place to another for the work of his father. When he was 15, his parents divorced. He began to think about the career of a rock star at the age of 12, when his mother bought him a guitar. Then he played various groups garage rock to somehow get closer to your dream.


The first major film he appeared in was A Nightmare on Elm Street, although he had some small roles before. He became very popular after appearing on the teen television series 21 Jump Street. I also liked his acting in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland. I know that Johnny Depp has been nominated for major awards many times, but his best achievement was the Golden Globe Award. He has a certain style of acting that sets him apart from the crowd of other actors. I like his demeanor at ceremonies or during interviews. He seems to be a level-headed and reserved person.

Life always teaches us many lessons, but you can learn not only from your mistakes. After all, you can open biographies of great people and get a lot of valuable advice from them. When you read success stories prominent personalities, then you understand that not everything is given at once, that for many famous people It was not an easy fate, there were ups and downs. But they succeeded, which means that everyone can succeed!

“I, Faina Ranevskaya ... and absurd, and lonely”, Faina Ranevskaya

Faina Georgievna Ranevskaya - the legendary Soviet actress Belarusian-Jewish origin. Her sharp statements scattered into quotes and became winged. Ranevskaya devoted 60 years of her life acting work, played on the stage of the theater and in the cinema. In 1949 and twice in 1951, the actress was awarded the Stalin Prize, and in 1961 she was awarded the title People's Artist of the USSR.

But, despite universal love and recognition, she lived most of her life alone and far from being in luxury. And she put the received orders in a separate box with the inscription: “Funeral accessories” ...

"Steve Jobs", Walter Isaacson

Biography of the co-founder of Apple Corporation was created with his direct participation. The book was written by journalist Walter Isaacson. When Steve Jobs learned about his terrible diagnosis, then he himself suggested that Walter write a book. There were no strict restrictions on the content, so in the end the biography turned out to be extremely honest and unbiased.

Walter Isaacson's book "Steve Jobs" is based on conversations with Steve Jobs himself, as well as with his relatives, friends, enemies, competitors and colleagues. This is a story about a life full of ups and downs, oh strong man and a talented businessman who was one of the first to understand that to succeed in the 21st century, you need to combine creativity and technology. Book delivery here.

“Life without limits. The path to an amazingly happy life, Nick Vujicic

Book “Life without limits. Way to amazing happy life» is an inspiring, emotional story about how to overcome difficulties, despair, believe in yourself and become happy.

Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs, but this does not prevent him from being independent, living a full and vibrant life. He got two higher education, independently types on a computer at a speed of 43 words per minute, surfs, is fond of fishing, swims and even dives from a springboard into the water. Nick took a long time to see your problems not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity for growth, learn to put in front of yourself big goals and always pursue them. The book formulated the rules of life that helped the author. And now he shares them with readers. Look for books here.

"My Life, My Achievements" Henry Ford

His last name is known to everyone. Henry Ford- American industrialist and inventor. He was on fire with ideas to create a "car for everyone" and he succeeded. Ford developed cheapest cars at the dawn of the automotive era. Book "My life. My achievements " is an interesting philosophical and historical treatise explaining the temporary world order.

"Walt Disney: All this was started by one mouse", Nikolai Nadezhdin

"Coco Chanel", Henri Gidel

Coco Chanel- one of the brightest French fashion designers, founder of the Chanel fashion house, which seriously influenced the European fashion of the 20th century. But she is known not only for her passion for work, but also for her vibrant personal life, as well as friendship with brilliant people - Winston Churchill, Sergei Diaghilev, Cocteau, Jean Marais, Igor Stravinsky. All this makes Henri Guidel's biographical narrative an exciting "high reading".

“The world is ruled by the Rothschilds. History of my family, Guy de Rothschild

The author of this book is Baron Guy de Rothschild, a banker, member financial dynasty of the Rothschilds. This dynasty is one of the most powerful financial groups, which is why many believe that it is the Rothschilds who rule the world today. Is this really so, what is the wealth of this family based on, how do they conduct business, what is their role in international politics, how is their personal life built? Guy de Rothschild reveals the whole history of his house.

Madonna. A True Biography of the Queen of Pop by Lucy O'Brien

This book is an unbiased study of a British music journalist Lucy O'Brien, which became the most full biography queens of the pop scene. There are many different opinions about what Madonna in fact. Her songs are simple, but her personality is very complex. Her style is controversial, her vanity is boundless, and in doing so, she constantly turns her life into a mesmerizing work of art.

Madonna absorbed thousands of different cultures and became the best-selling female singer in the history of music. Experiencing drama and loss, she used music as a way to resist pain, looking for a new source of joy in it.

"Farewell to Illusions", Vladimir Pozner

This book has been waiting for its translation for 18 years. The fact is that Vladimir Pozner wrote it in English, and the book was published in the USA. "Farewell to Illusions" was on the New York Times bestseller list for twelve weeks. The book is interesting in that Vladimir Pozner observed many of the major events of the 20th century “from different sides of the barricades” and is able to tell about it in a fascinating and very sharp way. But the most important thing is that he is trying to soberly and impartially evaluate Russia, America and Europe. For the first time in Russian literature of the 21st century, the author dares to honestly discuss issues of national identity, religion, politics and the peculiarities of the Russian mentality.

"Remember everything. My Incredibly True Story, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger- American bodybuilder, businessman and actor of Austrian origin, Republican politician, 38th Governor of California. In the book, he shares a unique story of his life. He comes from a small Austrian town from a simple family. And at 21, he already lived in Los Angeles and bore the title “ Mister Universe“. His career developed rapidly. How did an actor, athlete and politician come together in one person? And in this book, Arnold Schwarzenegger will really remember everything ...

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

We answered the most popular questions - check, maybe they answered yours?

  • We are a cultural institution and we want to broadcast on the Kultura.RF portal. Where should we turn?
  • How to propose an event to the "Poster" of the portal?
  • Found an error in the publication on the portal. How to tell the editors?

Subscribed to push notifications, but the offer appears every day

We use cookies on the portal to remember your visits. If the cookies are deleted, the subscription offer pops up again. Open your browser settings and make sure that in the "Delete cookies" item there is no "Delete every time you exit the browser" checkbox.

I want to be the first to know about new materials and projects of the Kultura.RF portal

If you have an idea for broadcasting, but there is no technical possibility to carry it out, we suggest filling out an electronic application form within national project"Culture": . If the event is scheduled between September 1 and December 31, 2019, the application can be submitted from March 16 to June 1, 2019 (inclusive). The selection of activities to be supported is carried out by expert commission Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

Our museum (institution) is not on the portal. How to add it?

You can add an institution to the portal using the Unified Information Space in the Sphere of Culture system: . Join it and add your places and events according to . After verification by the moderator, information about the institution will appear on the Kultura.RF portal.

Have questions?

Report a typo

Text to be sent to our editors: