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- John Wilkes Booth was an American theatrical actor from Maryland. He was a member of the prominent Booth theatrical family. Booth assassinated president Abraham Lincoln, and was killed shortly after. He was the first of four presidential assassins in United States history.
In 1838, Booth was born in Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland. It was a small town with less than 200 residents. Booth's father was Junius Brutus Booth (1796 -1852), a British Shakespearean actor who had migrated to the United States in 1821. Booth's mother was Mary Ann Holmes, Junius' long-term mistress. His parents could not be legally married, as Junius had left his wife back in England when he migrated.
Booth was named after the British radical politician John Wilkes (1725 -1797), a member of the Hellfire Club (an exclusive club for high-society rakes). Wilkes happened to be a cousin of Booth's father, though they never met. Junius chose to emphasize their relation.
In 1851, Junius Booth finally secured a divorce from his first wife, following 30 years of separation. On May 10, 1851 Junius married Holmes. This allowed him to legitimize his children by her. Also in 1851, Junius started building Tudor Hall as a new summer home for his family. It would serve as John Booth's main residence from December 1852 to 1856.
In 1852, Junius Booth died during a steamboat trip from New Orleans to Cincinnati. He is thought to have been accidentally poisoned through drinking impure river water. John Booth became an orphan at age 14, and was forced to drop out of school. He had previously attended the "Milton Boarding School for Boys" and the military academy "St. Timothy's Hall". Booth was reportedly an indifferent student. A former teacher thought that Booth was intelligent, but not particularly interested in his studies.
As a teenager, Booth aspired to become an actor. His older brothers Junius Brutus Booth Jr. (1821-1883) and Edwin Booth (1833 - 1893) had already started their own acting careers. In preparation for an acting career, Booth practiced elocution daily and studied the works of William Shakespeare.
In August 1855, Booth made his stage debut at the "Charles Street Theatre" of Baltimore. He was playing the Earl of Richmond in Shakespeare's "Richard III". He missed some of his lines, and the audience jeered at him. At about that time, Booth started performing regularly at the " Holliday Street Theater" of Baltimore. This theater had previously hosted performances by other members of the Booth family.
In 1857, Booth joined the stock company of the "Arch Street Theatre" in Philadelphia. He used the alias "J.B. Wilkes" to avoid comparison with his father and brothers. He gained a reputation as a scene stealer, and the audience reacted positively to his enthusiasm. In February, 1858, Booth played the role of Petruchio Pandolfo in the opera "Lucrezia Borgia" by Gaetano Donizetti. He developed stage fright, and accidentally turned his opening lines into a comedic monologue. The audience reacted with roaring laughter.
Later within 1858, Booth started performing in Virginia. He joined the stock company of the "Richmond Theatre" in Virginia. He became popular due to his energetic performances, and the audience singled him out for praise. By the end of 1858, Booth had appeared in 83 plays in a single year. His favorite role was playing Marcus Junius Brutus, because he was "the slayer of a tyrant".
By the end of the 1850s, Booth had a yearly income of 20,000 dollars. Critics described him as "the handsomest man in America" and a "natural genius", and female audience members idolized him. His performances were often acrobatic in nature, with him leaping upon the stage. He was passionately gesturing as he spoke his lines. He regularly practiced swordsmanship to use its movements in his performances. He reportedly "cut himself with his own sword" on several occasions.
In 1860, Booth started his first national tour as a leading actor. He performed in major cities, such as New York City, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis, Columbus, Georgia, Montgomery, Alabama, and New Orleans. Critics praised his lively performances, though they noted that Booth was less cultured and graceful than his brother Edwin. Walt Whitman commented that Booth had flashes of real genius as he performed.
In 1861, the American Civil War started. Booth publicly expressed his admiration for the Southern United States secession. Several people wanted him to be banned from the stage for his supposedly treasonous statements, but no official action was taken against Booth. In 1862, Booth regularly performed in the Union states of the war, despite his Confederate sympathies. He also performed in the border states, the small group of slave states who refused to secede from the Union (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri).
By 1863, Booth won more acclaim for portraying villains on stage. He frequently performed as Richard III, King of England (1452 - 1485, reigned 1483-1485) in Shakespeare's tragedy "Richard III". He also played the villainous Duke Pescara in "The Apostate". By the autumn of 1863, Booth was regularly performing in Boston, Providence, Rhode Island, and Hartford, Connecticut.
In November 1863, Booth first performed on "Ford's Theatre" in Washington, D.C. The theatre building was new, debuting in August 1863. It was owned by John Thompson Ford (1829-1894), an old friend of the Booth family. Booth was among the first leading men to appear in the theatre. Among the audience in Booth's original performance was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln and his family noted that Booth frequently glared at the president throughout the performance. Booth declined an invitation to meet Lincoln in person. Booth gained a new fan in Tad Lincoln (1853 -1871), Lincoln's youngest son, who was thrilled with Booth's performances. Booth delivered a rose to Tad as a gift, in appreciation of the boy's vocal admiration for him.
Booth continued regularly performing in 1864 and early 1865, making his final theatrical performance on on March 18, 1865. In 1864, Booth helped raise funds for the erection of a statue of William Shakespeare for Central Park. Also in 1864, Booth invested part of his income in Fuller Farm Oil, a Pennsylvania-based oil drilling company. Their oil well reportedly yielded 25 barrels (4 kl) of crude oil daily. Booth withdrew his financial support of the company by the end of the year, possibly in reaction to an industrial accident involving explosives.
In February 1865, Booth was engaged to the famed socialite Lucy Lambert Hale (1841-1915), daughter of the Republican senator John Parker Hale. Booth's mother approved their relationship, though Holmes warned her son that his romantic infatuations tended to be short-lived. Booth reportedly had never explained his hatred of Lincoln to his fiancee.
By late 1864, Booth had formed a small network of Confederate sympathizers. They plotted to kidnap Abraham Lincoln. But in April 1865, Booth heard the news that Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Court House. He decided that the kidnapping plot was no longer feasible, and started plotting to assassinate Lincoln instead.
By April 14, Booth had finalized his plan to personally assassinate Lincoln while the President attended a performance at Ford's Theatre. Booth's fellow conspirators were supposed to also assassinate vice-president Andrew Johnson and secretary of state William H. Seward, the two men at the top of the presidential succession order. Their plan was to throw the Union into a state of panic and confusion, in hopes of prolonging the civil war.
On the night of April 14, Booth shot Lincoln in the back of the head with with a .41 caliber Deringer pistol. Major Henry Rathbone (1837-1911) then attempted to apprehend Booth, but Booth stabbed him with a knife. Booth then jumped on the state, loudly proclaiming "sic semper tyrannis". (Latin for "Thus always to tyrants"). He was quoting a phrase attributed to Marcus Junius Brutus, in reference to Julius Caesar's assassination. His fellow conspirators failed in their own assassination tasks. Johnson was left unharmed, while Seward received non-fatal wounds in the attack targeting him.
After leaving Washington, D.C on horseback, Booth fled into southern Maryland. By that time, Booth had injured his leg in uncertain circumstances. His leg was briefly treated by Dr. Samuel Mudd (1833 - 1883). Booth spend days hiding in the Maryland woods, waiting for an opportunity to cross the Potomac River into Virginia. By April 26, Booth was located by Union troops while hiding in Richard H. Garrett tobacco barn in Virginia. When Booth refused to surrender, the soldiers set the barn on fire. Booth was shot by sergeant Boston Corbett (1832-c. 1894), who was acting against orders.
Booth was fatally wounded in the neck, with the bullet partially severing his spinal cord. He was left paralyzed, and had to be transported to Garrett's farmhouse. He died there three hours later, at the age of 26. His last request was for the soldiers to tell his mother that he died for his country. His final words were "useless, useless", in reference to his paralyzed hands.
Booth's corpse was transported by ship to the Washington Navy Yard for identification and an autopsy. The body was then buried in a storage room at the Old Penitentiary. In 1867, Booth's remains were moved to a warehouse at the Washington Arsenal. In 1869, his remains were released to the Booth family, and buried in the family plot at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.
Booth's legacy has remained controversial in the 150 years that followed his death. Confederate veterans and their families praised him for years as a martyr to their cause, while Northerners cursed him as the madman who killed the "savior of the Union" (Lincoln). By the early 20th century, Booth was popularly blamed for supposedly causing all the mutual hostility and violence associated with the Reconstruction era (1865-1877). But he remains one of the most famous figures associated with the American Civil War. His tomb annually attracts visitors. - Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Georges Bizet was a child prodigy. Entering the Paris Conservatory at the age of nine, he counted among his teachers Antoine Marmontel, François Benoist and Jacques Halévy. At nineteen Bizet won a Prix de Rome. That same year he wrote his first opera, 'Le Docteur Miracle', a one-act comedy. After his studies in Italy he returned to Paris with the intention of writing music for the stage. His 'Les Pêcheurs de perles' (1863), 'La jolie fille de Perth' (1867) and 'Djamileh' however met no more than moderate success. Bizet remained in relative obscurity until 1872, when his incidental music for Daudet's "L'Arlésienne" won him a degree of fame. It was at the suggestion of Camille du Locle, director of the Opéra-Comique, that Bizet composed his opera 'Carmen'. Bizet's librettists, Henri Leilhac and Ludovic Halévy, had based their adaptation on a short novel by Prosper Mérimée. After initial bad reviews, today 'Carmen' is probably the most known opera in the world. The composer's strong dramatic sense, sensuous melodies, vivid orchestration and pulsating rhythms combine into what more than one critic has termed "the perfect opera."- Writer
- Music Department
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was born on 26 June 1838 in Kathalpara, Naihati, Bengal Presidency, British India. Bankim Chandra was a writer, known for Krishnakanter Will (1926), Bisha Brikshya (1928) and Bishabriksha (1922). Bankim Chandra died on 8 April 1894 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India.- Henry Irving was born on 6 February 1838 in Keinton-Mandeville, Somerset, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Bells (1913). He was married to Florence O'Callaghan. He died on 13 October 1905 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK.
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
The last reigning monarch of the Hawai'ian Islands, she became Queen of Hawai'i upon the death of her brother, King KalÄkaua I, in 1891. She reigned for just under two years and was then overthrown in 1893 by a group in the white business community led by Sanford Dole, cousin of pineapple magnate James Dole. This effort was backed with the threat of force from combined forces of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The American minister in Hawai'i, John L. Stevens, had troops take over Iolani Palace, the Honolulu residence of the Queen, as well as other governmental buildings and in 1894, the Queen was deposed, ending centuries of monarchial rule and establishing the Republic of Hawai'i with Sanford Dole as its first president.
In 1895, Liliuokalani was accused of attempting to regain the throne after weapons were found in the gardens of her home in Washington Place in Honolulu. She was arrested but denied knowledge of the existence of these weapons, claiming that any plan of rebellion was due to the efforts of others and in 1896, she was released after the perpetrators were caught. At the request of the Queen, Dole subsequently granted all of them a pardon. The former Queen lived the remainder of her life at Washington Place, now the official residence of the Governor of Hawai'i. Dole led a successful effort to lobby Congress for the annexation of Hawai'i to the United States for economic exploitation, which occurred in 1898 through a joint resolution of Congress. Liliuokalani died due to complications from a stroke in 1917.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Max Bruch was born on 6 January 1838 in Cologne, Prussia [now North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany]. He was a composer, known for Kinsey (2004), Knight of Cups (2015) and The Jazz Singer (1927). He was married to Clara Tuczek. He died on 2 October 1920 in Berlin-Friedenau, Germany.- Howard P. Taylor was born on 8 March 1838 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. He was a writer, known for Caprice (1913). He was married to Agnes Chalmers. He died on 7 July 1916 in New York, New York, USA.
- Emile Loubet was born on 30 December 1838 in Marsanne, Drôme, France. He was married to Marie Louis Picard. He died on 20 December 1929 in Montélimar, Drôme, France.
- Charles Barnard was born on 13 February 1838 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was a writer, known for The County Fair (1920). He was married to Mary Elisa Knight. He died on 11 April 1920 in Pasadena, California, USA.
- John Augustin Daly was born on July 20, 1838, in Plymouth, North Carolina. He graduated from a public school in New York City. He worked as theatre critic for several New York newspapers during the 1850's and 1860's. At that time he was writing adaptations as well as his own plays. In 1869 he had his first success with his play 'Under the Gaslight'. In 1869 he became the manager of the Fifth Avenue Theatre. Then years later he built and opened Daly's Theatre in New York. In 1893 he opened Daly's Theatre in London.
Augustin Daly was an acclaimed acting teacher. He scouted aspiring actors and provided them with training and performing opportunities. Daly's troupe in New York was the starting point for some of the famous actors, such as Isadora Duncan, Tyrone Power Sr., Clara Morris, and others. Daly was also an avid reader and a book-lover; he assembled a valuable library, which was dispersed by auction after his death. Augustin Daly died on June 7, 1899, in Paris, France. - Edwin A. Abbott was born on 20 December 1838 in Marylebone, London, England, UK. Edwin A. was a writer, known for Flatland: The Musical (2021), Flatland (1965) and Flatland (1982). Edwin A. died on 12 October 1926 in Hampstead, London, England, UK.
- Auguste de Villiers de L'Isle-Adam was born on 7 November 1838 in Saint-Brieuc, France. Auguste de Villiers was a writer, known for Tomorrow's Eve, Conte cruel (1930) and L'évasion (1922). Auguste de Villiers died on 18 August 1889 in Paris, France.
- Tom Thumb was born on 4 January 1838 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was married to Lavinia Warren. He died on 15 July 1883 in Middleboro, Massachusetts, USA.
- After completing school, Rathenau completed practical training in his uncle's machine factory in Lower Silesia from 1855 to 1859. He then studied at the Polytechnic in Hanover and at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. He began his professional life in 1862 at the "August Borsig Locomotive Factory". He then worked for various companies in England. In 1865, together with a school friend, he acquired a machine factory in Berlin to build portable steam engines. In 1866 he married Mathilde Nachmann, daughter of a wealthy Frankfurt banker. The marriage resulted in two sons.
In 1873 the company was converted into a stock corporation that left Rathenau. With new capital he now tried to set up a telephone network in Berlin. However, the plans failed due to the Reichspost's claim to a monopoly. The attempt to promote the expansion of electric street lighting together with Werner von Siemens also failed. At the International Electricity Exhibition in Paris in 1881, he met the American scientist Thomas Alva Edison. In 1882, Emil Rathenau received licenses from Edison to commercially exploit his patents in Germany.
In 1983, the "German Edison Society" was founded under the leadership of Oskar von Miller and Rathenau. In 1887 the American Edison Company broke away from the company, which from then on operated as "AEG Allgemeine Electricity Company". In 1890 Oskar von Miller left the company and Rathenau became general director. Siemens and Deutsche Bank then invested in the company, which became an internationally active group in the following years. AEG produced power plants, railways and electrical machines and devices in various areas. The major cooperation agreement with Siemens ended in 1894, but continued to exist through the expansion of the "Telefunken Gesellschaft für Telegraphie", founded in 1903.
When the crisis in the electrical industry arose at the turn of the century, AEG emerged unscathed through a targeted merger and investment policy. In 1903 his son Walther Rathenau became a member of the AEG board of directors. From 1912 onwards, Emil Rathenau withdrew from active business due to illness, and his son followed him in the position of general director. - John Hay was born on 8 October 1838. He was a writer, known for Jim Bludso (1917) and Prince Henry (of Prussia) Arriving in Washington and Visiting the German Embassy (1902). He was married to Clara Stone. He died on 1 July 1905.
- B.L. Farjeon was born on 12 May 1838 in London, England, UK. B.L. was a writer, known for A Just Deception (1917), Miriam Rozella (1924) and Das waren noch Zeiten (1959). B.L. was married to Margaret Jefferson. B.L. died on 23 July 1903 in London, England, UK.
- Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin was born on 8 July 1838 in Konstanz, Baden [now Baden-Württemberg, Germany]. He died on 8 March 1917 in Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany.
- Rufus W. Peckham was born on 8 November 1838 in Albany, New York, USA. He was married to Harriette Maria Arnold. He died on 24 October 1909 in Altamont, New York, USA.
- Frantisek Ferdinand Samberk was born on 21 April 1838 in Prague, Bohemia, Austria [now Czech Republic]. He was a writer, known for Jedenácté prikázání (1925), Podskalák (1929) and Jedenácté prikázání (1935). He died on 25 December 1904 in Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic].
- Meyer van Beem was born on 10 June 1838 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He was an actor, known for Mottige Janus (1922). He was married to Eveline Kapper. He died on 6 March 1924 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands.
- August Senoa was born on 14 October 1838 in Zagreb, Croatia, Austrian Empire [now Croatia]. August was a writer, known for Matija Gubec (1919), Diogenes (1971) and Seljacka buna (1963). August died on 13 December 1881 in Zagreb, Croatia-Slavonia, Austria-Hungary [now Croatia].
- Loyd Wheaton was born on 15 July 1838 in Pennfield, Michigan, USA. He died on 17 September 1918.
- Elwell Stephen Otis was born on 25 March 1838 in Frederick, Oklahoma, USA. He died on 21 October 1909 in Rochester, New York, USA.
- Okada Izo was born on 13 February 1838.
- Music Department
Colonne was born on 23 July 1838 in Bordeaux, France. He is known for Terror's Advocate (2007). He was married to Eugenie Vergin and Irma Marié de l'Isle. He died on 28 March 1910 in Paris, France.- Joseph F. Smith was born on 13 November 1838 in Far West, Missouri, USA. He was married to Jessie Ella Evans and Ethel Georgina Reynolds. He died on 19 November 1918 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
- Giuseppe Cesare Abba was born on 6 October 1838 in Cairo Montenotte, Liguria, Kingdom of Sardinia. He was a writer, known for A Sicilian Heroine (1912). He died on 6 November 1910 in Brescia, Italy.
- John Davis Long was born on 27 October 1838 in Buckfield, Maine, USA. He died on 28 August 1915 in Hingham, Massachusetts, USA.
- Soundtrack
Philip P. Bliss was born on 9 July 1838 in Hollywood, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 29 December 1876 in Ashtabula, Ohio, USA.- Edward Payson Roe was born on 7 March 1838 in Moodna, New York, USA. Edward Payson was a writer, known for Barriers Burned Away (1925). Edward Payson was married to Anna Sands. Edward Payson died on 21 July 1888 in Cornwall-on-the-Hudson, New York, USA.
- Soundtrack
Joseph Barnby was born on 12 August 1838 in York, Yorkshire, England, UK. He died on 28 January 1896 in London, England, UK.- Léon Gambetta was born on 2 April 1838 in Cahors, France. He died on 31 December 1882 in Ville d'Avray, France.
- Adolphe L'Arronge was born on 8 March 1838 in Hamburg, Germany. He was a writer, known for Mein Leopold (1914), Mein Leopold (1924) and Hasemanns Töchter (1920). He died on 25 May 1908 in Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
- Set Decorator
Walter Hann was born on 11 January 1838 in London, England, UK. Walter was a set decorator, known for King John (1899). Walter was married to Emily Matthews and Harriet Daws. Walter died on 16 July 1922 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK.- Ernst Mach was born on 18 February 1838 in Brno, Moravia, Austrian Empire [now Czech Republic]. He died on 19 February 1916 in Munich, Germany.
- F. Hopkinson Smith was born on 23 October 1838 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. F. Hopkinson was a writer, known for Desperate Youth (1921), A Kentucky Cinderella (1917) and Felix O'Day (1920). F. Hopkinson died on 7 April 1915 in New York City, New York, USA.