FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. KBE (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered one of the film industry’s most important figures. His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977, and encompassed both adulation and controversy.
Chaplin’s childhood in London was one of poverty and hardship. His father was absent and his mother struggled financially — he was sent to a workhouse twice before age nine. When he was 14, his mother was committed to a mental asylum. Chaplin began performing at an early age, touring music halls and later working as a stage actor and comedian. At 19, he was signed to the Fred Karno company, which took him to the United States. He was scouted for the film industry and began appearing in 1914 for Keystone Studios. He soon developed the Tramp persona and attracted a large fan base. He directed his own films and continued to hone his craft as he moved to the Essanay, Mutual, and First National corporations. By 1918, he was one of the world’s best-known figures.
In 1919, Chaplin co-founded distribution company United Artists, which gave him complete control over his films. His first feature-length film was The Kid (1921), followed by A Woman of Paris (1923), The Gold Rush (1925), and The Circus (1928). He initially refused to move to sound films in the 1930s, instead producing City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936) without dialogue. His first sound film was The Great Dictator (1940), which satirised Adolf Hitler. The 1940s were marked with controversy for Chaplin, and his popularity declined rapidly. He was accused of communist sympathies, and some members of the press and public were scandalised by his involvement in a paternity suit and marriages to much younger women. An FBI investigation was opened, and Chaplin was forced to leave the U.S. and settle in Switzerland. He abandoned the Tramp in his later films, which include Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Limelight (1952), A King in New York (1957), and A Countess from Hong Kong (1967).
Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, edited, starred in, and composed the music for most of his films. He was a perfectionist, and his financial independence enabled him to spend years on the development and production of a picture. His films are characterised by slapstick combined with pathos, typified in the Tramp’s struggles against adversity. Many contain social and political themes, as well as autobiographical elements. He received an Honorary Academy Award for “the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century” in 1972, as part of a renewed appreciation for his work. He continues to be held in high regard, with The Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator often ranked on lists of the greatest films.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
It’s no accident that Groundhog Day and Candlemas are celebrated together, for both signify the triumph of light over darkness, spring over winter.
Candlemas was originally a Celtic festival marking the “cross-quarter day,” or midpoint of the season. The Sun is halfway on its advance from the winter solstice to the spring equinox. The Christian church expanded this festival of light to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and her presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple. Candlelit processions accompanied the feast day.
Since the traditional Candlemas celebration anticipated the planting of crops, a central focus of the festivities was the forecasting of either an early spring or a lingering winter. Sunshine on Candlemas was said to indicate the return of winter. Similarly, “When the wind’s in the east on Candlemas Day / There it will stick till the second of May.”
A bear brought the forecast to the people of France and England, while those in Germany looked to a badger for a sign. In the 1800s, German immigrants to Pennsylvania brought their Candlemas legends with them. Finding no badgers but lots of groundhogs, or woodchucks, there, they adapted the New World species to fit the lore.
Today that lore has grown into a full-blown festival, with Punxsutawney Phil presiding. For all things groundhog, visit the folks at Punxsutawney and see what Phil is predicting this year.
Question of the Day
How often has the groundhog really predicted the coming of spring?
According to researchers, the groundhog has accurately predicted the coming of spring only 39 percent of the time.
Advice of the Day
Pesto sauce will keep its bright color in pasta that is cooked with a few drops of lemon juice.
Home Hint of the Day
On a relatively warm (40¡ F) February or March day, spray fruit trees with dormant oil to smother insect masses. You can buy the spray at a farm supply store and rent a sprayer there if necessary.
Word of the Day
Barograph
A recording barometer.
Puzzle of the Day
What is the longest word in the English language?
Smiles, because there is a mile between the first and last letters.
Born
- Havelock Ellis (scientist) – 1859
- James Joyce (author) – 1882
- William Rose Benet (poet) – 1886
- Charles Correll (actor) – 1890
- George Halas (football player) – 1895
- Gale Gordon (actor) – 1906
- Ann Fogarty (fashion designer) – 1919
- James Dickey (poet) – 1923
- Stan Getz (musician) – 1927
- Thomas Smothers III (comedian) – 1937
- Bo Hopkins (actor) – 1942
- Graham Nash (musician ) – 1942
- Farrah Fawcett (actress) – 1947
- Jessica Savitch (broadcast journalist) – 1948
- Christie Brinkley (model) – 1953
- Michael Weiss (champion figure skater) – 1976
- Shakira (singer) – 1977
Died
- Boris Karloff (actor) – 1969
- Bertrand Russell (mathematician & philosopher) – 1970
- Gene Kelly (dancer & actor) – 1996
- Philip Seymour Hoffman (actor) – 2014
Events
- Cardiff Giant hoax revealed– 1870
- The Knights of Columbus formed, New Haven, CT– 1882
- Grand Central Terminal, the great train station of New York City, opened. Over 150,000 people visited on opening day– 1913
- Charlie Chaplin made his film debut in Making a Living– 1914
- The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV– 2020
Weather
- The Wabash River in Indiana crested nine feet above flood stage– 1916
- Groundhog Day gale hit northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada– 1976
- An East Coast blizzard brought winds up to 50 mph and below-zero temperatures– 1978
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COURTESY www.almanac.com
