Portal:1960s/Featured biography/1
Bob Dylan (; born
Robert Allen Zimmerman; May 24, 1941) is an American musician,
singer-songwriter, artist, and writer. He has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly reluctant figurehead of social unrest. A number of Dylan's early songs, such as "
Blowin' in the Wind" and "
The Times They Are a-Changin'", became anthems for the
US civil rights and
anti-war movements. Leaving behind his initial base in the culture of the
folk music revival, Dylan's six-minute single "
Like a Rolling Stone" radically altered the parameters of popular music in 1965. His recordings employing
electric instruments attracted
denunciation and criticism from others in the folk movement. Dylan's lyrics have incorporated a variety of political, social, philosophical, and literary influences. They defied existing pop music conventions and appealed hugely to the then burgeoning
counterculture. Initially inspired by the performance style of
Little Richard, and the songwriting of
Woody Guthrie,
Robert Johnson, and
Hank Williams, Dylan has both amplified and personalized musical
genres.
Portal:1960s/Featured biography/2
John Winston Ono Lennon,
MBE (born
John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide fame as a founding member of
The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon had a rebellious nature and acerbic wit. At the age of 16, he formed a
skiffle group which would evolve into The Beatles in 1960. With bandmate
Paul McCartney, he established the
Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership, which provided the bulk of the Beatles' catalogue until the band dissolved at the end of the decade. Lennon then embarked on a solo career that produced the critically acclaimed albums
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and
Imagine. He became controversial through his work as a peace activist; his iconic songs, "
Give Peace a Chance" and "
Imagine", were adopted as anthems of the anti-war movement. In 1971, with his wife and muse
Yoko Ono, he moved to New York City, where his criticism of the
Vietnam War resulted in a lengthy attempt by
Richard Nixon's administration to deport him. He took a sabbatical from the music business in 1975 to devote time to his family, re-emerging in 1980 with a new album,
Double Fantasy, but
was murdered on 8 December, three weeks after its release.
Portal:1960s/Featured biography/3
Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the
civil rights movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of
civil rights using nonviolent
civil disobedience. King has become a national icon in the history of
American progressivism. A
Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955
Montgomery bus boycott and helped found the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. With the SCLC, King led an unsuccessful struggle against segregation in
Albany, Georgia, in 1962, and organized nonviolent protests in
Birmingham, Alabama, that attracted national attention following television news coverage of the brutal police response. King also helped to organize the 1963
March on Washington, where he delivered his "
I Have a Dream" speech. There, he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. King
was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in
Memphis, Tennessee. His death was followed by
riots in many U.S. cities.
Portal:1960s/Featured biography/4
Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was the second
President of Indonesia, holding the office for 31 years from the ousting of
Sukarno in 1967 until his resignation in 1998. During the
Japanese occupation of Indonesia, Suharto served in Japanese-organised Indonesian security forces.
Indonesia's independence struggle saw his joining the newly formed Indonesian army. Suharto rose to the rank of major general following Indonesian independence.
An attempted coup on 30 September 1965 allegedly backed by the
Indonesian Communist Party was countered by Suharto-led troops. The army subsequently led an
anti-communist purge and
Suharto wrested power from Indonesia's founding president, Sukarno. He was appointed
acting president in 1967, replacing Sukarno, and elected President the following year. Under his "
New Order" administration, Suharto constructed a strong, centralised and military-dominated government. For most of his presidency, Indonesia experienced significant economic growth and industrialisation, dramatically improving health, education and living standards. By the 1990s, the New Order's
authoritarianism and widespread corruption were a source of discontent and, following a
severe financial crisis, led to
widespread unrest and
his resignation in May 1998. Suharto died in 2008 and was given a state funeral.
Portal:1960s/Featured biography/5
Edson Arantes do Nascimento,
KBE (born October 23, 1940 in
Três Corações,
Brazil), best known by his nickname
Pelé, is a former
Brazilian football player, rated by many as the greatest footballer of all time. He was given the title of
Athlete of the Century by the
International Olympic Committee and jointly received
FIFA Player of the Century chosen by officials at the organisation, shared with
Diego Maradona who won the people's vote. In his native Brazil, Pelé is hailed as a national hero. He is known for his accomplishments and contribution to the game, in addition to being officially declared the
football ambassador of the world by
FIFA and a national treasure by the Brazilian government. He is also acknowledged for his vocal support of policies to improve the social conditions of the poor. He is also a member of the American
National Soccer Hall of Fame. He is the all-time top scorer in the history of the
Brazil national team and is the only footballer to be a part of three World Cup-winning teams. Since his full retirement in 1977 Pelé has been an ambassador for football and has also undertaken various
acting roles and
commercial ventures.
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