FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈɛtsõ (w)ɐˈɾɐ̃tʃiz du nɐsiˈmẽtu]; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé ([peˈlɛ]), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled “the greatest” by FIFA, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. In 1999 he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. In 2000, Pelé was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century. His total of 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which included friendlies, is recognised as a Guinness World Record.
Pelé began playing for Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national team at 16. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, the only player to do so. Pelé is the all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games. At club level he is Santos’ all-time top goalscorer with 643 goals from 659 games. In a golden era for Santos, he led the club to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores, and to the 1962 and 1963 Intercontinental Cup. Credited with connecting the phrase “The Beautiful Game” with football, Pelé’s “electrifying play and penchant for spectacular goals” made him a star around the world, and his teams toured internationally in order to take full advantage of his popularity. During his playing days, Pelé was for a period the best-paid athlete in the world. Since retiring in 1977, Pelé has been a worldwide ambassador for football and has made many acting and commercial ventures. In 2010, he was named the Honorary President of the New York Cosmos.
Averaging almost a goal per game throughout his career, Pelé was adept at striking the ball with either foot in addition to anticipating his opponents’ movements on the field. While predominantly a striker, he could also drop deep and take on a playmaking role, providing assists with his vision and passing ability, and he would also use his dribbling skills to go past opponents. In Brazil, he is hailed as a national hero for his accomplishments in football and for his outspoken support of policies that improve the social conditions of the poor. His emergence at the 1958 World Cup where he became the first black global sporting star was a source of inspiration. Throughout his career and in his retirement, Pelé received several individual and team awards for his performance in the field, his record-breaking achievements, and legacy in the sport.
Pele is 81 years old today.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Full Beaver Moon
November’s full Moon was called the Beaver Moon because it was the time to set traps, before the waters froze over. This Moon was also called the Full Frost Moon. Learn more about the Full Moon for November!
Question of the Day
What does it mean to “pull out all the stops”?This phrase means to put all one’s efforts and energies into something in order to have it succeed. It originally referred to an organ player, who must manipulate the numerous “stops” of the instrument to achieve the desired musical effect, usually involving both hands, both feet, and several keyboards. If all the stops were pulled out on many traditional organs, the volume would be intolerable.
Advice of the Day
Nature, time, and patience are the three great physicians.
Home Hint of the Day
A rocking chair will “walk” forward or from side to side when one rocker is smaller or more worn than the other. To correct this, turn the chair over and plane the bottom of the larger rocker to match the size of the smaller one.
Word of the Day
WallopA quick, rolling movement; a gallop. To boil with a continued bubbling or heaving and rolling, with noise.
Puzzle of the Day
From a word of five letters, take two and leave one.Stone. Alternate answers include: Clone, Drone, Prone
Born
- George Rogers Clark(military leader)– 1752
- James Garfield(20th U.S. president)– 1831
- Clifton Webb(actor)– 1896
- Tommy Dorsey(musician)– 1905
- Roy Campanella(baseball player)– 1921
- Larry King(radio & television personality)– 1933
- Dick Cavett(talk show host)– 1936
- Ted Turner(businessman)– 1938
- Calvin Klein(fashion designer)– 1942
- Eileen Collins(astronaut)– 1956
- Meg Ryan(actress)– 1961
- Jodie Foster(actress)– 1962
Died
- Franz Schubert(composer)– 1828
- John P. Hale– 1873
- Emma Lazarus(poet)– 1887
- Sir Basil Spence(architect)– 1976
- Mike Nichols(director)– 2014
- Ron Hynes(Canadian singer-songwriter)– 2015
- Della Reese(singer and actress)– 2017
- Larry Korn(agricultural educator and author)– 2019
Events
- Christopher Columbus first sighted what is now Puerto Rico– 1493
- Jay’s Treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain signed– 1794
- President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address– 1863
- Hudson Bay Co. ceded territory to Canada– 1869
- Boss Tweed sentenced to 12 years in prison, New York City– 1873
- Frederick Blaisdell was granted a patent for a paper-wrapped pencil– 1895
- Five-year old TIME magazine presented a cover portrait for the first time– 1928
- Leonard Bernstein appointed Music Director of the New York Philharmonic– 1957
- Ford Motor Co. discontinued the Edsel– 1959
- Pele, Brazilian soccer star, scores his 1000th goal, at Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janiero.– 1969
- John Carpenter became the first contestant to win $1,000,000 on the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire– 1999
- David L. Pickens granted patent for registered pedigree stuffed animals””– 2002
Weather
- Up to 18 inches of snow fell on the Great Plains of Colorado, with 5-foot drifts in suburban Denver– 1956
- Seventy-nine degrees F, Denver, Colorado– 1989
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