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1961 In Literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1961. Events *January 24 – The American dramatist Arthur Miller and the film star Marilyn Monroe are granted a divorce in Mexico on grounds of incompatibility. *February – Sylvia Plath suffers a miscarriage. Several of her poems, including "Parliament Hill Fields", address the event. *March 15 – Hugh Wheeler's comedy '' Big Fish, Little Fish'' opens at the ANTA Theater in New York City, directed by Sir John Gielgud. It is one of the early Broadway plays to explore frankly the issue of male homosexuality. *March 20 – The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, becomes the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and its company the Royal Shakespeare Company, with Peter Hall as director. *May – Grove Press publishes Henry Miller's ''Tropic of Cancer'' in the United States 27 years after its original publication in France. The book leads to one of many obscenity trials (Grove Press, Inc., v. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Hall (director)
Sir Peter Reginald Frederick Hall (22 November 1930 11 September 2017) was an English theatre, opera and film director. His obituary in ''The Times'' described him as "the most important figure in British theatre for half a century" and on his death, a Royal National Theatre statement declared that Hall's "influence on the artistic life of Britain in the 20th century was unparalleled". In 2018, the Laurence Olivier Awards, recognising achievements in London theatre, changed the award for Best Director to the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director. In 1955, Hall introduced London audiences to the work of Samuel Beckett with the UK premiere of '' Waiting for Godot''. Hall founded the Royal Shakespeare Company and was its director from 1960 to 1968. He went on to build an international reputation in theatre, opera, film and television. He was director of the National Theatre (1973–88) and artistic director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera (19841990). He formed the Peter Ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
September 8
Events Pre-1600 * 70 – After the capture of Herod's Palace the previous day, a Roman army under Titus secures and plunders the city of Jerusalem. * 617 – Battle of Huoyi: Li Yuan defeats a Sui dynasty army, opening the path to his capture of the imperial capital Chang'an and the eventual establishment of the Tang dynasty. * 1100 – Election of Antipope Theodoric. * 1198 – Philip of Swabia, Prince of Hohenstaufen, is crowned King of Germany (King of the Romans) * 1253 – Pope Innocent IV canonises Stanislaus of Szczepanów, killed by King Bolesław II. * 1264 – The Statute of Kalisz, guaranteeing Jews safety and personal liberties and giving '' battei din'' jurisdiction over Jewish matters, is promulgated by Bolesław the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland. * 1276 – Pope John XXI is elected Pope. * 1331 – Stefan Dušan declares himself king of Serbia. * 1334 – The Battle of Adramyttion begins in which a Christian naval l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Osborne
John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor, and entrepreneur, who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in post-war theatre. Born in London, he briefly worked as a journalist. before starting out in theatre as a stage manager and actor.. He lived in poverty for several years before his third produced play, '' Look Back in Anger'' (1956), brought him national fame. Based on Osborne's volatile relationship with his first wife, Pamela Lane, it is considered the first work of kitchen sink realism, initiating a movement which made use of social realism and domestic settings to address disillusion with British society in the waning years of the Empire.Heilpern, pp. 93–102 The phrase “ angry young man”, coined by George Fearon to describe Osborne when promoting the play, came to embody the predominantly working class and left-wing writers within this movement. Osborne was considered its leading figure ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tribune (magazine)
''Tribune'' is a democratic socialist political magazine founded in 1937 and published in London, initially as a newspaper, then converting to a magazine in 2001. While it is independent, it has usually supported the Labour Party from the left. Previous editors at the magazine have included Aneurin Bevan, the minister of health who spearheaded the establishment of the National Health Service, former Labour leader Michael Foot, and writer George Orwell, who served as literary editor. From 2008 it faced serious financial difficulties until it was purchased by ''Jacobin'' in late 2018, shifting to a quarterly publication model. Since its relaunch the number of paying subscribers has passed 15,000, with columns from high-profile socialist politicians such as former leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, former Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain Pablo Iglesias and former Bolivian President Evo Morales. In January 2020, it was used as the platform on which Rebecca Long-B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
August 18
Events Pre-1600 * 684 – Battle of Marj Rahit: Umayyad partisans defeat the supporters of Ibn al-Zubayr and cement Umayyad control of Syria. * 707 – Princess Abe accedes to the imperial Japanese throne as Empress Genmei. * 1304 – The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle is fought to a draw between the French army and the Flemish militias. * 1487 – The Siege of Málaga ends with the taking of the city by Castilian and Aragonese forces. *1492 – The first grammar of the Spanish language (''Gramática de la lengua castellana'') is presented to Queen Isabella I. * 1572 – The Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre marries the Catholic Margaret of Valois, ostensibly to reconcile the feuding Protestants and Catholics of France. * 1590 – John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, returns from a supply trip to England and finds his settlement deserted. 1601–1900 * 1612 – The trial of the Pendle witches, one of England's most famous ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin Goodman as Timely Comics, and by 1951 had generally become known as Atlas Comics (1950s), Atlas Comics. The Marvel era began in August 1961 with the launch of ''Fantastic Four (comic book), The Fantastic Four'' and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and numerous others. The Marvel brand, which had been used over the years and decades, was solidified as the company's primary brand. Marvel counts among List of Marvel Comics characters, its characters such well-known superheroes as Spider-Man, Wolverine (character), Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor, Doctor Strange, Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), Daredevil, Black Panther (character), Black ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew up in New York City and learned to draw cartoon figures by tracing characters from comic strips and editorial cartoons. He entered the nascent comics industry in the 1930s, drawing various comics features under different pen names, including Jack Curtiss, before settling on Jack Kirby. In 1940, he and writer-editor Joe Simon created the highly successful superhero character Captain America for Timely Comics, predecessor of Marvel Comics. During the 1940s, Kirby regularly teamed with Simon, creating numerous characters for that company and for National Comics Publications, later to become DC Comics. After serving in the European Theater of Operations, United States Army, European Theater in World War II, Kirby produced work for DC Comics, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later became Marvel Comics. He was Marvel's primary creative leader for two decades, expanding it from a small publishing house division to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics and film industries. In collaboration with others at Marvelparticularly co-writers and artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditkohe co-created iconic characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor, the Hulk, Hank Pym, Ant-Man, the Wasp (character), Wasp, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther (character), Black Panther, Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), Daredevil, Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch, and Black Widow (Natasha Romanova), Black Widow. These and other characters' introductions in the 1960s pioneered a more naturalistic approa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first superhero team created by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and editor/co-scripter Stan Lee, and through this title the "Marvel method" style of production came into prominence. The four characters traditionally associated with the Fantastic Four, who gained superpowers after exposure to cosmic rays during a scientific mission to outer space, are Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards), a scientific genius and the leader of the group, who can stretch his body into incredible lengths and shapes; the Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards), Reed's girlfriend and later wife, who can render herself invisible and project powerful invisible force fields and blasts; the Human Torch (Johnny Storm), Sue's younger brother, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
August 8
Events Pre-1600 * 685 BC – Spring and Autumn period: Battle of Qianshi: Upon the death of the previous Duke of Qi, Gongsun Wuzhi, Duke Zhuang of Lu sends an army into the Duchy of Qi to install the exiled Qi prince Gongzi Jiu as the new Duke of Qi – but is defeated at Qianshi by Jiu's brother and rival claimant, the newly inaugurated Duke Huan of Qi. * 870 – Treaty of Meerssen: King Louis the German and his half-brother Charles the Bald partition the Middle Frankish Kingdom into two larger east and west divisions. * 1220 – Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. * 1264 – Mudéjar revolt: Muslim rebel forces took the Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera after defeating the Castilian garrison. * 1503 – King James IV of Scotland marries Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland. * 1509 – Krishnadeva Raya is crowned Emperor of Vijayanagara at Chittoor. * 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WHSmith
WH Smith plc, trading as WHSmith (also written WH Smith and formerly as W. H. Smith & Son), is a British retailer, with headquarters in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of railway station, airport, port, hospital and motorway service station shops selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers, entertainment products and confectionery. The company was formed by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna in 1792 as a news vendor in London. It remained under the ownership of the Smith family for many years and saw large-scale expansion during the 1970s as the company began to diversify into other markets. Following a rejected private equity takeover in 2004, the company began to focus on its core retail business. It was responsible for the creation of the ISBN book identifier. The company reached an agreement in 2025 to sell its high street store business to Modella Capital. Upon completion of the sale, that business will be renamed TGJones. WHSmith is listed on the Lond ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
