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Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

2011-01-05T01:23:00.000-08:00

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bengali: Shekh Mujibur Rohm) (March 17, 1920 - August 15, 1975) was a Bengali politician and the founding leader of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, generally regarded in the country as the father of the Bangladeshi nation. He headed the Awami League, first served as the President of Bangladesh and later became Prime Minister STI. He is popularly known as Sheikh Mujib, and with the honorary title of Bangabandhu (Bôngobondhu, "Friend of Bengal"). His eldest daughter Sheikh Hasina Wajed is the present leader of the Awami League and the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

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Political A student leader, rose Mujib in East Pakistani politics and within the ranks of the Awami League as a charismatic speaker and powerful. An advocate of socialism, Mujib became popular for historical and institutional leadership against the ethnic discrimination of Bengal. I call on the province greater autonomy and became a fierce opponent of the military dictatorship of Ayub Khan. The increase of the average voltage ratio Mujib outlined autonomy to 6-point plan, as was seen separatism in West Pakistan. He was allegedly in 1968 for conspiring with the Indian government tried but not convicted. Leading historical Despite a major party to victory in the 1970 elections, Mujib was not invited to form the government.

After talks with President Yahya Khan and West Pakistani politician Zulfikar Ali broke Bhutto, Sheikh Mujib to 26 March 1971 declaration of independence for East Pakistan and was announced the establishment of the sovereign People's Republic of Bangladesh. [1] [2] [3] was then arrested him and before a military court. To be 9 months in prison broke Düring, guerrilla war between government forces and Bengali nationalists of India supported. An all out war between the Pakistani army and Bangladesh and India Joint Forces led to the creation of Bangladesh, and after his release Mujib assumed office as provisional president and later prime minister. Already adopted as a constitution, proclaimed socialism and intensely secular democracy, Mujib battle for the challenges of unemployment and poverty, coupled with corruption. In the wake of the famine of 1974 [4] and in the midst Rising political agitation, are prohibited, SOLID, other political parties and a party state. After more than

ly seven months, Mujib MOST of the murdered along with his family by a group of officers.

Was Born in Tungipara Rahman, a village in Gopalganj district in the province of Bengal, [5] Lutf Sheikh Rahman, serestadar, an officer responsible for record-keeping at the Gopalganj civil court. I was the third child in a family with four daughters and two sons. In 1929, Rahman entered in three classes at public school Gopalganj, and two years later, four class Islamia High School Madaripur. [6] However, surgery Mujib Withdrawn from school in 1934 in the eye and came after just four years after the school because of the seriousness of the operation and slow recovery. [Edit] At the age of eighteen, Mujib married Begum Fazilatnnesa. She gave birth to her two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, and three sons, Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel [6].

Mujib was politically active as I have in the All India Muslim Students Federation in 1940. [7] I was at the Islamia College (now University Maulana Azad), a respected college as a member of the University of Calcutta, according to law and politics included a student survey used there. He joined the Bengal Muslim League in 1943 and raised in the vicinity of the Group of Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, led a leading Bengali Muslim leader. [Edit] During this time Mujib actively worked for the league cause of a separate Muslim state of Pakistan and in 1946 I was elected General Secretary of Islamia College Students Union. After the preservation of historical financial statements in 1947 Mujib became one of the Muslim politicians working under Suhrawardy that during the communal violence broke out in Calcutta in 1946, shortly before the partition of India. [8]
Mujib, a student leader in 1949

After his return to East Bengal, I wrote in the University of Dhaka, by legal and found the Muslim East Pakistan Students' League and one of the most prominent students studying Became Political leaders in the province. In those years, Mujib developed an affinity for socialism as the ideal solution for mass poverty, unemployment and poor living conditions. [Edit] On 26 January 1949 the government officially announced that the dignity of the state language of Pakistan Urdu be. Although he still in jail, Mujib encouraged fellow activist groups to launch strikes and prosthesis, and undertook a hunger strike for 13 days. [Edit] After the declaration of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the province chief minister Khwaja Nazimuddin in 1948 that people in East Pakistan, Bengal would mainly have adopted Urdu as official language, agitation broke out in the population. Mujib led organization, the Muslim Students League strikes and prostheses, and was on along with his colleagues of the 11th Police March arrested. [9] [10] The outcry of students and political activists led to the immediate release of Mujib and the others. Mujib was expelled from the university and arrested again in 1949 for attempting to organize the menial and clerical staff in an agitation on Workers' Rights [5].
[Edit] Early political career
See also: Bengali Language Movement

Mujib's political career, so join the Muslim League to Suhrawardy and Maulana Bhashani in the formation of the Awami Muslim League, the predecessor of the Awami League. He was the joint secretary of East Pakistan in 1949 STI unit selected. While Suhrawardy work to build a larger coalition of East Pakistani and socialist parties, Mujib focus on expanding the base organization. [Edit] In 1951, Mujib began organizing rallies and prosthesis in response to the killings by the police protesting students who opposed the declaration of Urdu as the sole official language. This period of turmoil, known later as the Bengali language movement saw Mujib and many other Bengali politicians arrested. In 1953 I was made the party's general secretary, and elected to the East Bengal Legislative Assembly on a United Front coalition ticket in 1954. [Edit] In short, arrested as the Minister of Agriculture, WAS Mujib short to set up a protest by the central government on the decision of the United Front Ministry dismissed. He was chosen in the second Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, and was based on based on 1955 to 1958. [5] During a speech in the Assembly on the proposed plan to the provinces in favor of Amalgamated West Pakistan and East Pakistan with a strong central government, Mujib called for to preserve the Bengali people's ethnic identity and popular to be ruling that when decide to resolve the issue:

"Sir [President of the Constituent Assembly], you will see that they want to place the word" East Pakistan "instead of" East Bengal. "We had asked that Many Sun Times, you should instead of Pakistan Bengal. The word" Bengal "has a history that has its own tradition. You can change it only after the men were interviewed. What is the issue of a unit concerned dog eats it in the Constitution. Why do you want it to now? be taken What is the state language, Bengali? We will be ready to consider a device with all these things. So I appeal to my The friends page, so that people its decision in Any Way Give way of referendum or in the form of plebiscite. "[11]

In 1956 Mujib Added a second coalition government as minister for industry, trade, labor, anti-corruption and help the village, but resigned in 1957 to work full time for the party organization. [Edit] When General Ayub Khan Imposed suspended the Constitution and the laws of war in 1958 Mujib was arrested and up for organizational resistance 1961st [5] After his release from prison began Mujib an underground political organization committee of the Swadhina Bangal Biplobi Parishad (Free Bangla Revolutionary Council), comprising: a student leader to oppose the regime of Ayub Khan and for increased political power for Bengalis work and independence of East Pakistan. In short, he was again arrested in 1962 for organizing prosthesis [10].
[Edit] Head of the East Pakistan
Main article: Six-point movement
Shaheed Suhrawardy with Husayn Mujib, 1949

After Suhrawardy death in 1963, Mujib meat head of the Awami League, which has become one of the largest political parties in Pakistan. [Edit] The party had the word "Muslim" name dropped from STI in a shift towards secularism and the Broader appeal to non-Muslim communities. Mujib was a key leader of the opposition Rally for President Ayub Khan's Basic Democracies Plan, the imposition of martial law and the one-unit system, which centralized power and merged the provinces. [12] Working with other political parties, I supported the opposition candidate against Ayub Khan Fatima Jinnah in the 1964 election. Mujib was arrested two weeks before the election, charged with sedition and imprisoned for one year. gave [10] In these years there are increasing discontent in East Pakistan on the atrocities committed by the Pakistani forces against Bengal and the neglect of the problems and needs of East Pakistan by the ruling regime. [13] Despite forming a majority of the population, representing the poor in Bengal civil service of Pakistan, police and military. gave [edit] Are there conflicts between the allocation of revenue and taxes. [Edit]

Continuing unrest in distributed denial of democracy to Pakistan and historical Mujib increased opposition to the resolution of the provinces. In 1966, Mujib proclaimed 6-point plan, entitled Our Charter of Survival at a national conference of opposition parties in Lahore, [5], in which I ask of self-government and considerable political, economic and defense policy autonomy for East Pakistan in a Pakistani federation with a weak central government. [12] according to his plan:

1. The constitution was for a federation of Pakistan in the true sense of the Lahore Resolution and the parliamentary form of government with supremacy of a legislature directly elected on the basis of universal adult franchise locations.
2. The federal government should be only two themes: defense and foreign affairs, and all other subjects are to be transferred to the Residuary federate States.
3. Two separate but freely convertible currencies for two wings should be entered, or is this possible, if not, it should be a single currency for the country to adopt, but effective constitutional provisions to stop the flight of capital from East to West Pakistan be. Furthermore, a bank book separate and separate fiscal and monetary policy units are established for East Pakistan.
4. The power of taxation and tax collection are to be transferred to the federating units and the federal center will have no such power. The Federation is entitled to a share in state taxes, spending STI Meet.
5. There should be two separate accounts for foreign exchange earnings of the two wings, should hit the foreign exchange requirements of the federal government through the two wings equally or in a fixed ratio to be indigenous products move duty free between the two wings, and the Constitution of the Empower- units, links to U.S. trade CREATE abroad.
6. East Pakistan, a separate partition militia or paramilitary forces.

Mujib's points Catalyse public support in East Pakistan, launching what some historians call the 6-point motion - Recognized as the final move for the autonomy and the rights of the Bengalis in Pakistan. [Edit] Mujib For the broad support of Bengal, including Hindus and other religious communities in East Pakistan. However, historically, were radical demands in western Pakistan and interpreted as a thinly veiled separatism. Proposals West alienated the Pakistani people and politicians, as well as non-Bengalis and Muslim fundamentalists in East Pakistan. [Edit]

Mujib was arrested by the army and after two years in jail opened, an official with sedition trial in a military court. Have been widely accused of Agartala Conspiracy Case, Mujib and 34 Bengali officers known to share the government of colluding with the Indian government agents in a scheme of Pakistan and threaten its unity, order and national security. The action should be planned in the city of Agartala Have, in the Indian state of Tripura. [5] The outcry and unrest over Mujib's arrest and the charges of sedition against East Pakistan, it destabilizes the midst of large prosthesis and strikes. Several Bengali political demands and student groups added to the questions of students, workers and the poor, forming a larger "11-point plan." The government Caved to the mounting pressure, had charged and released unconditionally Mujib. He returned to East Pakistan as a public hero. [Edit]

Joining an all-party conference convener of Ayub Khan in 1969, asked Mujib to accept his six points and the demands of other political parties and Walk Out After STI rejection. On 5 December of 1969 Mujib a statement in a public meeting held to observe the anniversary of East Pakistan in future Suhrawardy that would be called "Bangladesh"

"There was a time when all is going efforts to delete the word Were" Bangla "from this country and his card. The existence of the word" Bangla "was found nowhere except in the term of the Bay of Bengal. I speak on behalf of Pakistan to announce today that this country "Bangladesh" is called instead of East Pakistan. "[10]

Mujib statement raised tensions throughout the country. The West Pakistani politicians and the military was seeing him as a separatist leader. His claim Bengali cultural and ethnic identity also re-defined the debate over regional autonomy. Many scholars and observers believe the Bengali agitation emphasizing the rejection of the two-nation theory - the case, had made calls to finish Pakistan - by the assertion of ethno-cultural identity of Bengalis as a nation. can support [14] Mujib was Galvanise during East Pakistan, home to a majority of the national population, Malthus made him one of the most powerful political figures in the Indian subcontinent. It was after his 6-point plan Mujib was increasingly the historical, to the fans as "Bangabandhu" (literally, "Friend of Bengal" in Bengali). [Edit]
[Edit] 1970 elections and independence
See also: This time, fighting for our freedom
Maulana Sheikh Mujib with Bhashani in a protest march

A major coastal cyclone hit East Pakistan in 1970, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and millions of resentment. The subsequent period Exposed extreme outrage and unrest over the perceived weak and ineffective response by the central government. acted [edit] Public opinion and political parties in East Pakistan on purpose as a government organization Blame negligence. [Edit] The West Pakistani politicians Attack of the Awami League for allegedly use the crisis for political purposes. [Edit] The discontent led to divisions within the administration, police and Pakistani armed forces. [Edit] In the elections of December 1970, the Awami League under Mujib leadership massive majority won in the provincial legislature, and all but two of East Pakistan, the share of seats in the new National Assembly shall constitute a clear majority Malthus [5] .

The election results in polarization between the two wings of Pakistan's Revealed, with the largest and most successful party in the West as Pakistan Peoples Party of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Mujib was completely on the other hand, demand for greater autonomy. [Edit] Threat of Bhutto to boycott the Assembly and the government when Mujib was invited by Yahya Khan (the then President of Pakistan), to form the next government, demanding inclusion of his party. There was also opposition in the Pakistani military and Islamic political parties, Mujib Becoming Prime Minister of Pakistan is widespread. [Edit] And though Mujib Neither the league had rules expressly advocates for the political independence of East Pakistan (open at least), smaller nationalist groups demanding independence for Bangladesh. [Edit]

After the political deadlock, Yahya Khan delayed the convening of the Assembly - a step of Bengal as a plan to Mujib party seen Founded deny a majority of Taking Charge. [Edit] It was on 7 March 1971 Mujib's demand for independence and asked the people to start a large campaign of civil disobedience and organized armed resistance at a mass gathering of people on the racecourse ground in Dhaka instead. [Edit]

"The struggle now is the struggle for our emancipation is a struggle now to fight for our independence. Joy Bangla! .. We have been given blood, we will donate more blood. God willing, freed the people of this country Will Be .. . Every Turn Into a fortress home. Face (the enemy) with what you have. "[Edit]

After a last attempt to promote an agreement, "Yahya Khan Said martial law, banned the Awami League and ordered the army, Mujib Bengali and other leaders and activists arrested. [Edit] The army operation searchlight on the political and civil unrest stem the nationalist militias fighting that thought they had spoken to an education in India on army radio as the STI events started crackdown, Mujib's Bangladesh declared its independence at midnight on 26 March 1971. [10] [15]

"This is to be my last message, perhaps, from today Bangladesh independent. I the people of Bangladesh Wherever You Might call Be and with what you have to pay to the army of occupation to the last resistance. Continue your fight must until the last soldier of the Pakistani occupation army from the soil of Bangladesh distributed. Final victory is ours. "

Leaflets and brochures to the public opinion of independent Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman presented his iconic as the character drive

Sheikh Mujib was arrested and deported to Pakistan after midnight on Tejgaon international airport on a PAF C-130 flight in front of the nose of the ATC Officer Squadron Leader Khaja, Senior Operations Officer Khademul Bashar Wing Commander and Director of the Airport and Flight Security Squadron Leader M. Hamidullah Khan. These were in use throughout the night by the state of emergency. Mujib was moved to West Pakistan and held under heavy guard in a jail near Faisalabad (then Lyallpur). Many other League politicians evades arrest by fleeing to India and other countries. [Edit] WAS Khan Pakistani general Rahimuddin Appointed on Mujib military court case in Faisalabad chaired the discussions that have never been published. [16]

The Pakistani army degenerated campaign to restore order quickly in a rampage of terror and bloodshed. [17] With Known as Razakar militia, the army targeted Bengali intellectuals, politicians and union leaders, and ordinary civilians. It targeted Bengali and non-Bengali Hindus in the region, and throughout the year a large number of Hindus fled across the border into the neighboring Indian states of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. [18] The East Bengali army and police regiments soon revolt and leaders of the government in exile based in Calcutta on Tajuddin Ahmad, a politician close to Mujib. A major uprising of the Mukti Bahini (Freedom Fighters) was established in East Pakistan led. Despite international pressure, refused on the Pakistani government to release Mujib and negotiate with him. Most of the Mujib family under house arrest during this period. His is Sheikh Kamal was a key officer in the Mukti Bahini, which was part of the struggle between the forces of the state and the nationalist militia during the war, when the liberation war, Bangladesh was known. According to Indian intervention in December 1971, the Pakistani army surrendered to the common force of Bengali Mukti Bahini and Indian Army and the League leadership has a government in Dhaka.

After taking over the presidency to Yahya Khan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto withdrawal response to international pressure and released Mujib to 8 January 1972. IF I flew to London I met with British Prime Minister Edward Heath and address of the international media. Mujib then flew to New Delhi on an aircraft of the Royal Air Force of the British government, which take him back to Dhaka. was in New Delhi, I received from Varahagiri Venkata Giri Indian President and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the entire Cabinet and Chief of the Indian armed forces. WAS Delhi Since a festive look as Mujib and Indira address huge crowds WHERE I publicly expressed gratitude Indira Gandhi historical and "the best friends of my people, the people of India. From New Delhi, flew Sheikh Mujib returned to Dhaka on the RAF where I was Received by a massive jet and emotional sea of people on Tejgaon Airport.
[Edit] Governing Bangladesh

Short Suspected Mujibur Rahman and the provisional presidency was later resigned as prime minister heading all organs of government and decision making. And I've Ahmad Tajuddin Dismissed After a controversial inner-party power struggle occurred during the arrest Mujib had. [Edit] Politicians in 1970 I formed the provisional parliament election of the new state. The Mukti Bahini and other militias Amalgamated to form a new army to transfer Bangladesh, the Indian forces on 17 to control March. [10] Mujib described the consequences of the war as "the greatest human catastrophe in the world," The claim by the death of as many as 3 million people and the rape of more than 200,000 women. The government there was serious challenges to the rehabilitation of millions of people displaced in 1971, including, organizing the supply of food, health, AIDS and other necessities. The impact of the 1970 cyclone had not carried out, and the state's economy had dramatically worse by the conflict. should [edit] Also there was violence against non-Bengalis and groups who are believed supported the Pakistani armed forces. By the end of the year, thousands of Bengalis from Pakistan, and thousands of non-Bengalis migrated to Pakistan, but many thousands remain in refugee camps. [Edit]

Achieved recognition from Bangladesh after major country clubs to give Bangladesh Mujib workers in the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement States. [Edit] I in the United States, the United Kingdom and other European countries, humanitarian aid and development biology for the nation are traveling. [10] He signed a treaty of friendship with India, which promises far-reaching economic and humanitarian assistance and began training in Bangladesh security forces and government personnel. [19] Mujib forged a close friendship with Indira Gandhi, [20] Stark praised the decision by India to teach, and confess admiration and friendship for India. The two governments, in close collaboration during the life remain Mujib. [20]

It is calculated to write the provisional parliament, a new constitution, and proclaimed the four fundamental principles of "nationalism, secularism, democracy and socialism" to come to the dignity known as "Mujibism." to [20] Mujib nationalized hundreds of industries and companies, and abandoned land and capital and initiated land reforms to help millions of poor farmers. [21] Great efforts have been initiated to rehabilitate an estimated 10 million Refuge. The economy and famine began to recover, was on sale. [22] was promulgated constitution and elections held in 1973 were the results of a majority of Mujib and historical party with absolute power. [5] He outlined additional programmed state to primary education, sanitation, food, health, water and electricity supply throughout the country expand. A five-year plan in 1973, targeted investments in the state of agriculture, rural infrastructure and crafts released. [23]

Although the state was committed to secularism, Mujib soon move closer to political Islam by government and personal conduct guidelines. [24] He revived the Islamic Academy (which was banned in 1972 for suspected collusion with the Pakistani armed forces) and banned the production of alcohol and prohibited the practice of gambling, which was one of the main demands of Islamic groups. [24] Bangladesh Mujib sought membership in the Organization of Islamic Conference and the Islamic Development Bank and opened significativa trip to Lahore in 1974 to attend the OIC summit to repair relations with Pakistan workers to an extent. [24] In his public appearances and speeches made use of the Mujib Islamic greetings, slogans and references to Islamic ideologies INCREASED. In his last years, Mujib largely abandoned his trademark "Joy Bangla" form of address for "Khuda Hafiz" by Muslim religious preference [24].

In 1974, Bangladesh Experience The deadliest famine However, the Bangladesh killed around 1.5 million people from hunger. The Bangladesh famine of 1974 is a major source of discontent against Mujib government. People in Bangladesh are ashamed, insulted and Demoralized as a nation for this famine, which was due to a food crisis, but to Amartya Sen, but because of the lack of democratic governance and practices.
[Edit] BAKSAL
Sheikh Mujib addresses the foundation meeting of the BAKSAL

Mujib government soon began to encounter dissatisfaction and unrest INCREASED. His program of industrial nationalization and socialism for want of trained personnel, inefficiency, corruption and poor leadership suffered. [21] Mujib almost exclusively on national issues and problems of Local Government and neglected Malthus Focused. The Party and the central government control was weak and full of exercise equipment democracy, organized with the election did not like that on the local or grass roots level. [25] Political opposition included communists and Islamic fundamentalists who were angered by the declaration of a secular state. Mujib WAS criticized nepotism in the family for the appointment of members to key positions. [20] A famine in 1974 further intensified the food crisis, and devastated agriculture - the mainstay of the economy. [5] the strong criticism of Mujib was about lack of political leadership failed policies on pricing and rising inflation amid heavy losses suffered nationalize industry. Mujib ambitious online programs interpreted Bad, because of the scarcity of resources, money and people, causing unrest among the masses. [21]

The famine of 1974 had deeply shocked and Mujib personally affected his views on governance [26], while political unrest has led to increasing violence. I then began to increase his powers. On 25 January 1975 Mujib declared state of emergency and his political followers approved a constitutional amendment banning all opposition parties. Assumed Presidency and WAS Mujib view of the emergency powers. [20] [27] His political supporters to form the Amalgamated only political party, the Awami League in Bangladesh Sramik Krishak, commonly legalized ITS BAKSAL initials acquaintances. [5] The party identifies with the rural masses, farmers and workers and took control of government machinery. Also, it started great socialist programs. With the government forces and the militia of the trailer is called, which led Mujib Bahini Jatiyo Rakkhi the arrest of opposition activists and strict control of political activities across the country. The members of the Jatiyo Rakkhi Bahini Were immunity from prosecution and other legal proceedings granted. [27] [28] The militia and police RakhiBahini known as accused of torture and political killings were suspected.

Kazi Nazrul Islam

2010-12-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

Kazi Nazrul Islam in 1920
Full name     Kazi Nazrul Islam
Born     25 May 1899(1899-05-25)
Burdwan District, Bengal
Died     27 August 1976(1976-08-27) (aged 77)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Era     20th century philosophy
Region     Islam
School     Hanafi Sunni
Main interests     Poetry, music, politics, society
Influenced by[show]
Islam, Allah, Rumi, Turkish War of Independence
Influenced[show]
Indian independence movement, Bengali poetry, Bangladesh, Bengali Language Movement, Bangladesh War

    For details about his philosophical works, see the Infobox.

Kazi Nazrul Islam (Bengali: কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম Kazi Nozrul Islam) (25 May 1899–27 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, musician and revolutionary who pioneered poetic works espousing intense spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. His poetry and nationalist activism earned him the popular title of Bidrohi Kobi (Rebel Poet). Accomplishing a large body of acclaimed works through his life, Nazrul is officially recognised as the national poet of Bangladesh and commemorated in India.

Born into a poor Muslim family, Nazrul received religious education and worked as a muezzin at a local mosque. He learned of poetry, drama, and literature while working with theatrical groups. After serving in the British Indian Army, Nazrul established himself as a journalist in Kolkata (then Calcutta). He assailed the British Raj in India and preached revolution through his poetic works, such as "Bidrohi" ("The Rebel") and "Bhangar Gaan" ("The Song of Destruction"), as well as his publication "Dhumketu" ("The Comet"). His impassioned activism in the Indian independence movement often led to his imprisonment by British authorities. While in prison, Nazrul wrote the "Rajbandir Jabanbandi" ("Deposition of a Political Prisoner"). Exploring the life and conditions of the downtrodden masses of India, Nazrul worked for their emancipation.

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Nazrul's writings explore themes such as love, freedom, and revolution; he opposed all bigotry, including religious and gender. Throughout his career, Nazrul wrote short stories, novels, and essays but is best-known for his poems, in which he pioneered new forms such as Bengali ghazals. Nazrul wrote and composed music for his nearly 4,000 songs (including gramophone records) [1], collectively known as Nazrul geeti (Nazrul songs), which are widely popular today. At the age of 43 (in 1942) he began suffering from an unknown disease, losing his voice and memory. It is often said, the reason was slow poisoning by British Government. It caused Nazrul's health to decline steadily and forced him to live in isolation for many years. Invited by the Government of Bangladesh, Nazrul and his family moved to Dhaka in 1972, where he died four years later.

Nazrul in the Army

Kazi Nazrul Islam was born in the village of Churulia in the Burdwan District of Bengal (now located in the Indian state of West Bengal).[2] He was born in a powerful Muslim Taluqdar family who is second of three sons and a daughter, Nazrul's father Kazi Fakeer Ahmed was the imam and caretaker of the local mosque and mausoleum. Nazrul's mother was Zaheda Khatun. Nazrul had two brothers, Kazi Shahebjan and Kazi Ali Hussain, and a sister, Umme Kulsum. Nicknamed Dukhu Mia (Sad Man), Nazrul began attending the maktab — the local religious school run by the mosque — where he studied the Qur'an and other scriptures, Islamic philosophy and theology. His family was devastated with the death of his father in 1908. At the young age of ten, Nazrul began working in his father's place as a caretaker to support his family, as well as assisting teachers in school. He later became the muezzin at the mosque, delivering the Athan and calling the people for prayer.[3][4]

Attracted to folk theatre, Nazrul joined a leto (travelling theatrical group) run by his uncle Bazle Karim. Working and travelling with them, learning acting, as well as writing songs and poems for the plays and musicals.[2] Through his work and experiences, Nazrul began learning Bengali and Sanskrit literature, as well as Hindu scriptures such as the Puranas. The young poet composed a number of folk plays for his group, which included "Chasar San" ("The story of a Farmer"), "Shakunibadh" ("The Killing of a Vulture"), "Raja Yudhisthirer San" ("The story of King Yudhisthir"), "Data Karna" ("Philanthropic Karna"), "Akbar Badshah" ("Emperor Akbar"), "Kavi Kalidas" ("Poet Kalidas"), "Vidyabhutum" ("The Learned Owl"), and "Rajputrer San" ("The story of a Prince"),[3]

In 1910, Nazrul left the troupe and enrolled at the Raniganj Searsole Raj School, and later transferred to the Mathrun High English School, studying under the headmaster and poet Kumudranjan Mallik. Unable to continue paying his school fees, Nazrul left the school and joined a group of kaviyals. Later he took jobs as a cook at the house of a Christian railway guard and at a bakery and tea stall in the town of Asansol. In 1914, Nazrul studied in the Darirampur School (now Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University) in Trishal, Mymensingh District. Amongst other subjects, Nazrul studied Bengali, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian literature and classical music under teachers who were impressed by his dedication and skill.[3]

Studying up to Class X, Nazrul did not appear for the matriculation pre-test examination, enlisting instead in the Indian Army in 1917 at the age of eighteen. He joined the British army mainly for two reasons: first, his youthful romantic inclination to respond to the unknown and, secondly, the call of politics[5]. Attached to the 49th Bengal Regiment, he was posted to the cantonment in Karachi, where he wrote his first prose and poetry. Although he never saw active fighting, he rose in rank from corporal to havildar, and served as quartermaster for his battalion.[3] During this period, Nazrul read extensively, and was deeply influenced by Rabindranath Tagore and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, as well as the Persian poets Hafez, Rumi and Omar Khayyam. He learnt Persian poetry from the regiment's Punjabi moulvi, practiced music and pursued his literary interests. His first prose work, "Baunduler Atmakahini" ("Life of a Vagabond") was published in May, 1919. His poem "Mukti" ("Freedom") was published by the "Bangla Mussalman Sahitya Patrika" ("Bengali Muslim Literary Journal") in July 1919.

Young Nazrul
Nazrul left the army in 1920 and settled in Calcutta, which was then the Cultural capital of India (it had ceased to be the political capital in 1911).[6] He joined the staff of the “Bangiya Mussalman Sahitya Samiti” ("Bengali Muslim Literary Society") and roomed at 32 College Street with colleagues. He published his first novel "Bandhan-hara" ("Freedom from bondage") in 1920, which he kept working on over the next seven years.[3] His first collection of poems included "Bodhan", "Shat-il-Arab", "Kheya-parer Tarani" and "Badal Prater Sharab" and received critical acclaim.[3]

Working at the literary society, Nazrul grew close to other young Muslim writers including Mohammad Mozammel Haq, Afzalul Haq, Kazi Abdul Wadud and Muhammad Shahidullah. He was a regular at clubs for Calcutta's writers, poets and intellectuals like the Gajendar Adda and the Bharatiya Adda. In October 1921, Nazrul went to Santiniketan with Muhammad Shahidullah and met Rabindranath Tagore. Despite many differences, Nazrul looked to Tagore as a mentor and the two remained in close association.[3] In 1921, Nazrul was engaged to be married to Nargis, the niece of a well-known Muslim publisher Ali Akbar Khan, in Daulatpur, Comilla. But on June 18, 1921—the day of the wedding—upon public insistence by Ali Akbar Khan that the term "Nazrul must reside in Daulatpur after marriage" be included in the marriage contract, Nazrul walked away from the ceremony.

Nazrul reached the peak of fame with the publication of "Bidrohi" in 1922, which remains his most famous work, winning admiration of India's literary classes by his description of the rebel whose impact is fierce and ruthless even as its spirit is deep:.[7]

I am the unutterable grief,
I am the trembling first touch of the virgin,
I am the throbbing tenderness of her first stolen kiss.
I am the fleeting glance of the veiled beloved,
I am her constant surreptitious gaze...
I am the burning volcano in the bosom of the earth,
I am the wild fire of the woods,
I am Hell's mad terrific sea of wrath!
I ride on the wings of lightning with joy and profundity,
I scatter misery and fear all around,
I bring earth-quakes on this world! “(8th stanza)” I am the rebel eternal,
I raise my head beyond this world,
High, ever erect and alone! “(Last stanza)”[8] (English translation by Kabir Choudhary)

Published in the "Bijli" (Thunder) magazine, the rebellious language and theme was popularly received, coinciding with the Non-cooperation movement — the first, mass nationalist campaign of civil disobedience against British rule.[3]

Nazrul explores a synthesis of different forces in a rebel, destroyer and preserver, expressing rage as well as beauty and sensitivity. Nazrul followed up by writing "Pralayollas" ("Destructive Euphoria"), and his first anthology of poems, the "Agniveena" ("Lyre of Fire") in 1922, which enjoyed astounding and far-reaching success. He also published his first volume of short stories, the "Byather Dan" ("Gift of Sorrow") and "Yugbani", an anthology of essays.

Nazrul with his first son Bulbul; his wife Pramila seated right and his mother-in-law Giribala Devi seated left, behind whom stands Bulbul's nanny

Nazrul started a bi-weekly magazine, publishing the first "Dhumketu" (Comet) on August 12, 1922. Earning the moniker of the "rebel poet”, Nazrul also aroused the suspicion of British authorities.[2] A political poem published in "Dhumketu" in September 1922 led to a police raid on the magazine's office. Arrested, Nazrul entered a lengthy plea before the judge in the court.

    I have been accused of sedition. That is why I am now confined in the prison. On the one side is the crown, on the other the flames of the comet. One is the king, sceptre in hand; the other Truth worth the mace of justice. To plead for me, the king of all kings, the judge of all judges, the eternal truth the living God... His laws emerged out of the realization of a universal truth about mankind. They are for and by a sovereign God. The king is supported by an infinitesimal creature; I by its eternal and indivisible Creator. I am a poet; I have been sent by God to express the unexpressed, to portray the unportrayed. It is God who is heard through the voice of the poet... My voice is but a medium for Truth, the message of God... I am the instrument of that eternal self-evident truth, an instrument that voices forth the message of the ever-true. I am an instrument of God. The instrument is not unbreakable, but who is there to break God?[9]

On April 14, 1923 he was transferred from the jail in Alipore to Hooghly in Kolkata, he began a 40-day fast to protest mistreatment by the British jail superintendent. Nazrul broke his fast more than a month later and was eventually released from prison in December 1923. Nazrul composed a large number of poems and songs during the period of imprisonment and many his works were banned in the 1920s by the British authorities.[3]
Kazi Nazrul Islam became a critic of the Khilafat struggle, condemning it as hollow, religious fundamentalism.[3] Nazrul's rebellious expression extended to rigid orthodoxy in the name of religion and politics.[10] Nazrul also criticised the Indian National Congress for not embracing outright political independence from the British Empire. He became active in encouraging people to agitate against British rule, and joined the Bengal state unit of the Congress party.[3] Nazrul also helped organise the Sramik Praja Swaraj Dal, a political party committed to national independence and the service of the peasant masses. On December 16, 1925 Nazrul started publishing the weekly "Langal”, with himself as chief editor.[3] The "Langal" was the mouthpiece of the Sramik Praja Swaraj Dal.

During his visit to Comilla in 1921, Nazrul met a young Hindu woman, Pramila Devi, with whom he fell in love and they married on April 25, 1924. Pramila belonged to the Brahmo Samaj, which criticised her marriage to a Muslim. Nazrul in turn was condemned by Muslim religious leaders and continued to face criticism for his personal life and professional works, which attacked social and religious dogma and intolerance. Despite controversy, Nazrul's popularity and reputation as the "rebel poet" rose significantly.[3][11]

    Weary of struggles, I, the great rebel,
    Shall rest in quiet only when I find
    The sky and the air free of the piteous groans of the oppressed.
    Only when the battle fields are cleared of jingling bloody sabres
    Shall I, weary of struggles, rest in quiet,
    I the great rebel.[8]

Nazrul on a hunting trip with friends in Sundarpur, India

With his wife and young son Bulbul, Nazrul settled in Krishnanagar in 1926. His work began to transform as he wrote poetry and songs that articulated the aspirations of the downtrodden classes, a sphere of his work known as "mass music."[12] Nazrul assailed the socio-economic norms and political system that had brought upon misery. From his poem Daridro (Pain or Poverty):

    O poverty, thou hast made me great.
    Thou hast made me honoured like Christ
    With his crown of thorns. Thou hast given me
    Courage to reveal all. To thee I owe
    My insolent, naked eyes and sharp tongue.
    Thy curse has turned my violin to a sword...
    O proud saint, thy terrible fire
    Has rendered my heaven barren.
    O my child, my darling one
    I could not give thee even a drop of milk
    No right have I to rejoice.
    Poverty weeps within my doors forever
    As my spouse and my child.
    Who will play the flute?[1

Kazi Nazrul Islam

In what his contemporaries regarded as one of his greatest flairs of creativity, Nazrul began composing the very first ghazals in Bengali, transforming a form of poetry written mainly in Persian and Urdu.[4] Nazrul became the first person to introduce Islam into the larger mainstream tradition of Bengali music. The first record of Islamic songs by Nazrul Islam was a commercial success and many gramophone companies showed interest in producing these. A significant impact of Nazrul was that it drew made Muslims more comfortable in the Bengali Arts, which used to be dominated by Hindus. Nazrul also composed a number of notable Shamasangeet, Bhajan and Kirtan, combining Hindu devotional music.[14] Arousing controversy and passions in his readers, Nazrul's ideas attained great popularity across India. In 1928, Nazrul began working as a lyricist, composer and music director for His Master's Voice Gramophone Company. The songs written and music composed by him were broadcast on radio stations across the country. He was also enlisted/attached with the Indian Broadcasting Company [15].

Nazrul professed faith in the belief in the equality of women — a view his contemporaries considered revolutionary.[7] From his poet Nari (Woman):

I don't see any difference
Between a man and woman
Whatever great or benevolent achievements
That are in this world
Half of that was by woman,
The other half by man. (Translated by Sajed Kamal[16])

His poetry retains long-standing notions of men and women in binary opposition to one another and does not affirm gender similarities and flexibility in the social structure:

Man has brought the burning, scorching heat of the sunny day;
Woman has brought peaceful night, soothing breeze and cloud.
Man comes with desert-thirst; woman provides the drink of honey.
Man ploughs the fertile land; woman sows crops in it turning it green.
Man ploughs, woman waters; that earth and water mixed together, brings about a harvest of golden paddy.[16]

However, Nazrul's poems strongly emphasise the confluence of the roles of both sexes and their equal importance to life. He stunned society with his poem "Barangana" ("Prostitute"), in which he addresses a prostitute as "mother".[17] Nazrul accepts the prostitute as a human being, reasoning that this person was breast-fed by a noble woman and belonging to the race of "mothers and sisters"; he assails society's negative notions of prostitutes.[18]

Who calls you a prostitute, mother?
Who spits at you?
Perhaps you were suckled by someone
as chaste as Seeta.
....
And if the son of an unchaste mother is 'illegitimate',
so is the son of an unchaste father.
("Barangana" ("Prostitute") Translated by Sajed Kamal[19])

Nazrul was an advocate of the emancipation of women; both traditional and non-traditional women were portrayed by him with utmost sincerity.[17] Nazrul's songs are collectively called as Nazrul geeti.

Exploring religion

Kazi Nazrul Islam

Nazrul's mother died in 1928, and his second son Bulbul died of smallpox the following year. His first son, Krishna Mohammad had died prematurely. His wife gave birth to two more sons — Savyasachi in 1928 and Aniruddha in 1931 — but Nazrul remained shaken and aggrieved for a long time. His works changed significantly from rebellious expositions of society to deeper examination of religious themes. His works in these years led Islamic devotional songs into the mainstream of Bengali folk music, exploring the Islamic practices of namaz (prayer), roza (fasting), hajj (pilgrimage) and zakat (charity). This was regarded by his contemporaries as a significant achievement as Bengali Muslims had been strongly averse to devotional music.[20] Nazrul's creativity diversified as he explored Hindu devotional music by composing Shama Sangeet, bhajans and kirtans, often merging Islamic and Hindu values. Nazrul's poetry and songs explored the philosophy of Islam and Hinduism [21].

Let people of all countries and all times come together. At one great union of humanity. Let them listen to the flute music of one great unity. Should a single person be hurt, all hearts should feel it equally. If one person is insulted; it is a shame to all mankind, an insult to all! Today is the grand uprising of the agony of universal man.[22]

Nazrul's poetry imbibed the passion and creativity of Shakti, which is identified as the Brahman, the personification of primordial energy. He wrote and composed many bhajans, shyamasangeet, agamanis and kirtans. He also composed large number of songs on invocation to Lord Shiva, Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati and on the theme of love of Radha and Krishna.[4]

Nazrul assailed fanaticism in religion, denouncing it as evil and inherently irreligious. He devoted many works to expound upon the principle of human equality, exploring the Qur'an and the life of Islam's prophet Muhammad. Nazrul has been compared to William Butler Yeats for being the first Muslim poet to create imagery and symbolism of Muslim historical figures such as Qasim, Ali, Umar, Kamal Pasha, Anwar Pasha and the prophet Muhammad.[9] His vigorous assault on extremism and mistreatment of women provoked condemnation from Muslim and Hindu fundamentalists.

In 1920, Nazrul expressed his vision of religious harmony in an editorial in Yuga Bani,

“Come brother Hindu! Come Musalman! Come Buddhist! Come Christian! Let us transcend all barriers, let us foresake forever all smallness, all lies, all selfishness and let us call brothers as brothers. We shall quarrel no more”.[23]

In another article entitled Hindu Mussalman published in Ganabani on September 2, 192 he wrote -

‘’I can tolerate Hinduism and Muslims but I cannot tolerate the Tikism (Tiki is a tuft of never cut hair kept on the head by certain Hindus to maintain personal Holiness) and beardism. Tiki is not Hinduism. It may be the sign of the pundit. Similarly beard is not Islam, it may be the sign of the mollah. All the hair-pulling have originated from those two tufts of hair. Todays fighting is also between the Pundit and the Mollah: It is not between the Hindus and the Muslims. No prophet has said, ‘’I have come for Hindus I have come for Muslims I have come for Christians.” They have said, “I have come for the humanity for everyone, like light’’. But the devotees of Krishna says, “Krishna is for Hindus”. The followers of Muhammad (Sm) says, “Muhammad (Sm) is for the Muslims”. The Disciple of Christ is for Christian”. Krishna-Muhammad-Christ have become national property. This property is the root of all trouble. Men do not quarrel for light but they quarrel over cattle.”[24]

Nazrul was an exponent of humanism.[24] Although a Muslim, he named his sons with both Hindu and Muslim names: Krishna Mohammad, Arindam Khaled(bulbul), Kazi Sabyasachi and Kazi Aniruddha.[25
Later life and illness

Nazrul, in the 1930s

In 1933, Nazrul published a collection of essays titled "Modern World Literature", in which he analyses different styles and themes of literature. Between 1928 and 1935 he published 10 volumes containing 800 songs of which more than 600 were based on classical ragas. Almost 100 were folk tunes after kirtans and some 30 were patriotic songs. From the time of his return to Kolkata until he fell ill in 1941, Nazrul composed more than 2,600 songs, many of which have been lost.[4] His songs based on baul, jhumur, Santhali folksongs, jhanpan or the folk songs of snake charmers, bhatiali and bhaoaia consist of tunes of folk-songs on the one hand and a refined lyric with poetic beauty on the other. Nazrul also wrote and published poems for children.[4]

Nazrul's success soon brought him into Indian theatre and the then-nascent film industry. The first picture for which he worked was based on Girish Chandra Ghosh's story "Bhakta Dhruva" in 1934. Nazrul acted in the role of Narada and directed the film. He also composed songs for it, directed the music and served as a playback singer.[3] The film "Vidyapati" ("Master of Knowledge") was produced based on his recorded play in 1936, and Nazrul served as the music director for the film adaptation of Tagore's novel Gora. Nazrul wrote songs and directed music for Sachin Sengupta's bioepic play "Siraj-ud-Daula". In 1939, Nazrul began working for Calcutta Radio, supervising the production and broadcasting of the station's musical programmes. He produced critical and analytic documentaries on music, such as "Haramoni" and "Navaraga-malika". Nazrul also wrote a large variety of songs inspired by the raga Bhairav.[26] Nazrul sought to preserve his artistic integrity by condemning the adaptation of his songs to music composed by others and insisting on the use of tunes he composed himself.

Nazrul's wife Pramila Devi fell seriously ill in 1939 and was paralysed from waist down. To provide for his wife's medical treatment, he resorted to mortgaging the royalties of his gramophone records and literary works for 400 rupees.[27] He returned to journalism in 1940 by working as chief editor for the daily newspaper "Nabayug" ("New Age"), founded by the eminent Bengali politician A. K. Fazlul Huq.[27]

Nazrul also was shaken by the death of Rabindranath Tagore on August 8, 1941. He spontaneously composed two poems in Tagore's memory, one of which, "Rabihara" (loss of Rabi or without Rabi) was broadcast on the All India Radio. Within months, Nazrul himself fell seriously ill and gradually began losing his power of speech. His behaviour became erratic, and spending recklessly, he fell into financial difficulties. In spite of her own illness, his wife constantly cared for her husband. However, Nazrul's health seriously deteriorated and he grew increasingly depressed. He underwent medical treatment under homeopathy as well as Ayurveda, but little progress was achieved before mental dysfunction intensified and he was admitted to a mental asylum in 1942. Spending four months there without making progress, Nazrul and his family began living a silent life in India. In 1952, he was transferred to a mental hospital in Ranchi. With the efforts of a large group of admirers who called themselves the "Nazrul Treatment Society" as well as prominent supporters such as the Indian politician Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the treatment society sent Nazrul and Promila to London, then to Vienna for treatment.[28] Examining doctors said he had received poor care, and Dr. Hans Hoff, a leading neurosurgeon in Vienna, diagnosed that Nazrul was suffering from Pick's disease. His condition judged to be incurable, Nazrul returned to Calcutta on 15 December 1953.[28] On June 30, 1962 his wife Pramila died and Nazrul remained in intensive medical care. In 1972, the newly independent nation of Bangladesh obtained permission from the Government of India to bring Nazrul to live in Dhaka and accorded him honorary citizenship.[3] Despite receiving treatment and attention, Nazrul's physical and mental health did not improve. In 1974, his youngest son, Kazi Aniruddha, an eminent guitarist died, and Nazrul soon succumbed to his long-standing ailments on August 29, 1976. In accordance with a wish he had expressed in one of his poems, he was buried beside a mosque on the campus of the University of Dhaka. Tens of thousands of people attended his funeral; Bangladesh observed two days of national mourning and the Indian Parliament observed a minute of silence in his honour.[29]

Criticism and legacy

Nazrul's tomb near the Dhaka University campus mosque

Nazrul's poetry is characterised by an abundant use of rhetorical devices, which he employed to convey conviction and sensuousness. He often wrote without care for organisation or polish. His works have often been criticized for egotism, but his admirers counter that they carry more a sense of self-confidence than ego. They cite his ability to defy God yet maintain an inner, humble devotion to Him.[9] Nazrul's poetry is regarded as rugged but unique in comparison to Tagore's sophisticated style. Nazrul's use of Persian vocabulary was controversial but it widened the scope of his work.[9] Nazrul's works for children have won acclaim for his use of rich language, imagination, enthusiasm and an ability to fascinate young readers.[9]

Nazrul is regarded for his secularism. He was the first person to cite of Christians of Bengal in his novel Mrityukhudha. He was also the first user of folk terms in Bengali literature. He first printed the Sickle and Hammer in any Indian magazine.[citation needed] Nazrul pioneered new styles and expressed radical ideas and emotions in a large body of work. Scholars credit him for spearheading a cultural renaissance in Muslim-majority Bengal, "liberating" poetry and literature in Bengali from its medieval mould. Nazrul was awarded the Jagattarini Gold Medal in 1945 — the highest honour for work in Bengali literature by the University of Calcutta — and awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honours in 1960.[30] The Government of Bangladesh conferred upon him the status of being the "national poet". He was awarded the Ekushey Padak by the Government of Bangladesh. He was awarded Honorary D.Litt. by the University of Dhaka . Many centres of learning and culture in India and Bangladesh have been founded and dedicated to his memory. The Nazrul Endowment is one of several scholarly institutions established to preserve and expound upon his thoughts and philosophy, as well as the preservation and analysis of the large and diverse collection of his works. The Bangladesh Nazrul Sena is a large public organization working for the education of children throughout the country.[31]

Songs Kazi Nazrul Islam

1.		Aaj Modhur Bashi Baje
2.		Amay Nohe Go
3.		Ato Jol O Kajol Chokhe
4.		Bulbuli Nirob Nargis
5.		Choytali Chadni
6.		Darale Duare Mor
7.		Durgom Giri
8.		Emoni Barosha
9.		Harano Heyar
10.		Holud Gadhar Phool
11.		Jodi Radha Hothe
12.		Ke Bedeshi Mon Udasi
13.		Kheliche a Bissolowe
14.		Laili Tomar Esheche
15.		Mor Ghumo Ghore
16.		Mor Priya Hobe Eso
17.		Mora R Jonome Honso
18.		Nohe Nohe Priyo
19.		Noyon Vora Jol Go Tomar
20.		Priyo Emon O Rath
21.		Shawon O Rathe Jodi
22.		Sheuli Tolay
23.		Shukno Pathar Nupur
24.		Tumi Ki Ekhon Dekhicho
25.		Tumi Shunite Cheyona
26.		Tumi Sundor Tai Chewe
27.		Uchaton Mon Ghore

BILL GATES

2010-12-22T10:57:00.000-08:00

Early life
Gates was born in Seattle, Washington, to William H. Gates, Sr. and Mary Maxwell Gates, of English, German, and Scotch-Irish descent.[10][11] His family was upper middle class; his father was a prominent lawyer, his mother served on the board of directors for First Interstate BancSystem and the United Way, and her father, J. W. Maxwell, was a national bank president. Gates has one elder sister, Kristi
(Kristianne), and one younger sister, Libby. He was the fourth of his name in his family, but was known as William Gates III or "Trey" because his father had dropped his own "III" suffix.[12] Early on in his life, Gates' parents had a law career in mind for him.[13]

At 13 he enrolled in the Lakeside School, an exclusive preparatory school.[14] When he was in the eighth grade, the Mothers Club at the school used proceeds from Lakeside School's rummage sale to buy an ASR-33 teletype terminal and a block of computer time on a General Electric (GE) computer for the school's students.[15] Gates took an interest in programming the GE system in BASIC and was excused from math classes to pursue his interest. He wrote his first computer program on this machine: an implementation of tic-tac-toe that allowed users to play games against the computer. Gates was fascinated by the machine and how it would always execute software code perfectly. When he reflected back on that moment, he commented on it and said, "There was just something neat about the machine."[16] After the Mothers Club donation was exhausted, he and other students sought time on systems including DEC PDP minicomputers. One of these systems was a PDP-10 belonging to Computer Center Corporation (CCC), which banned four Lakeside students—Gates, Paul Allen, Ric Weiland, and Kent Evans—for the summer after it caught them exploiting bugs in the operating system to obtain free computer time.[17]

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At the end of the ban, the four students offered to find bugs in CCC's software in exchange for computer time. Rather than use the system via teletype, Gates went to CCC's offices and studied source code for various programs that ran on the system, including programs in FORTRAN, LISP, and machine language. The arrangement with CCC continued until 1970, when the company went out of business. The following year, Information Sciences, Inc. hired the four Lakeside students to write a payroll program in COBOL, providing them computer time and royalties. After his administrators became aware of his programming abilities, Gates wrote the school's computer program to schedule students in classes. He modified the code so that he was placed in classes with mostly female students. He later stated that "it was hard to tear myself away from a machine at which I could so unambiguously demonstrate success."[16] At age 17, Gates formed a venture with Allen, called Traf-O-Data, to make traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 processor.[18] In early 1973, Bill Gates served as a congressional page in the U.S. House of Representatives.[19]
Bill Gates' mugshot from a traffic violation in 1977

Gates graduated from Lakeside School in 1973. He scored 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT[20] and enrolled at Harvard College in the autumn of 1973.[21] While at Harvard, he met Steve Ballmer, who later succeeded Gates as CEO of Microsoft. In his sophomore year, Gates devised an algorithm for pancake sorting as a solution to one of a series of unsolved problems,[22] presented in a combinatorics class by Harry Lewis, one of his professors. Gates' solution, which was later formalized in a published paper in collaboration with Harvard computer scientist Christos Papadimitriou,[23] held the record as the fastest version for over thirty years;[22][24] its successor is faster by only one percent.[22] Gates did not have a definite study plan while a student at Harvard[25] and spent a lot of time using the school's computers. He remained in contact with Paul Allen, joining him at Honeywell during the summer of 1974.[26] The following year saw the release of the MITS Altair 8800 based on the Intel 8080 CPU, and Gates and Allen saw this as the opportunity to start their own computer software company.[27] He had talked this decision over with his parents, who were supportive of him after seeing how much Gates wanted to start a company.[25]
Microsoft
Main articles: History of Microsoft and Microsoft
BASIC
MITS Altair 8800 Computer with 8-inch (200 mm) floppy disk system

After reading the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics that demonstrated the Altair 8800, Gates contacted Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), the creators of the new microcomputer, to inform them that he and others were working on a BASIC interpreter for the platform.[28] In reality, Gates and Allen did not have an Altair and had not written code for it; they merely wanted to gauge MITS's interest. MITS president Ed Roberts agreed to meet them for a demo, and over the course of a few weeks they developed an Altair emulator that ran on a minicomputer, and then the BASIC interpreter. The demonstration, held at MITS's offices in Albuquerque, was a success and resulted in a deal with MITS to distribute the interpreter as Altair BASIC. Paul Allen was hired into MITS,[29] and Gates took a leave of absence from Harvard to work with Allen at MITS in Albuquerque in November 1975. They named their partnership "Micro-Soft" and had their first office located in Albuquerque.[29] Within a year, the hyphen was dropped, and on November 26, 1976, the trade name "Microsoft" was registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico.[29] Gates never returned to Harvard to complete his studies.

Microsoft's BASIC was popular with computer hobbyists, but Gates discovered that a pre-market copy had leaked into the community and was being widely copied and distributed. In February 1976, Gates wrote an Open Letter to Hobbyists in the MITS newsletter saying that MITS could not continue to produce, distribute, and maintain high-quality software without payment.[30] This letter was unpopular with many computer hobbyists, but Gates persisted in his belief that software developers should be able to demand payment. Microsoft became independent of MITS in late 1976, and it continued to develop programming language software for various systems.[29] The company moved from Albuquerque to its new home in Bellevue, Washington on January 1, 1979.[28]

During Microsoft's early years, all employees had broad responsibility for the company's business. Gates oversaw the business details, but continued to write code as well. In the first five years, he personally reviewed every line of code the company shipped, and often rewrote parts of it as he saw fit.[31]
IBM partnership

In 1980, IBM approached Microsoft to write the BASIC interpreter for its upcoming personal computer, the IBM PC. When IBM's representatives mentioned that they needed an operating system, Gates referred them to Digital Research (DRI), makers of the widely used CP/M operating system.[32] IBM's discussions with Digital Research went poorly, and they did not reach a licensing agreement. IBM representative Jack Sams mentioned the licensing difficulties during a subsequent meeting with Gates and told him to get an acceptable operating system. A few weeks later Gates proposed using 86-DOS (QDOS), an operating system similar to CP/M that Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products (SCP) had made for hardware similar to the PC. Microsoft made a deal with SCP to become the exclusive licensing agent, and later the full owner, of 86-DOS. After adapting the operating system for the PC, Microsoft delivered it to IBM as PC-DOS in exchange for a one-time fee of $50,000. Gates did not offer to transfer the copyright on the operating system, because he believed that other hardware vendors would clone IBM's system.[33] They did, and the sales of MS-DOS made Microsoft a major player in the industry.[34]

Gates oversaw Microsoft's company restructuring on June 25, 1981, which re-incorporated the company in Washington state and made Gates President of Microsoft and the Chairman of the Board.[28]
Windows

Microsoft launched its first retail version of Microsoft Windows on November 20, 1985, and in August, the company struck a deal with IBM to develop a separate operating system called OS/2. Although the two companies successfully developed the first version of the new system, mounting creative differences undermined the partnership. Gates distributed an internal memo on May 16, 1991, announcing that the OS/2 partnership was over and Microsoft would shift its efforts to the Windows NT kernel development.[35]
Management style

From Microsoft's founding in 1975 until 2006, Gates had primary responsibility for the company's product strategy. He aggressively broadened the company's range of products, and wherever Microsoft achieved a dominant position he vigorously defended it.

As an executive, Gates met regularly with Microsoft's senior managers and program managers. Firsthand accounts of these meetings describe him as verbally combative, berating managers for perceived holes in their business strategies or proposals that placed the company's long-term interests at risk.[36][37] He often interrupted presentations with such comments as, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"[38] and, "Why don't you just give up your options and join the Peace Corps?"[39] The target of his outburst then had to defend the proposal in detail until, hopefully, Gates was fully convinced.[38] When subordinates appeared to be procrastinating, he was known to remark sarcastically, "I'll do it over the weekend."[4][40][41]

Gates's role at Microsoft for most of its history was primarily a management and executive role. However, he was an active software developer in the early years, particularly on the company's programming language products. He has not officially been on a development team since working on the TRS-80 Model 100 line, but wrote code as late as 1989 that shipped in the company's products.[40] On June 15, 2006, Gates announced that he would transition out of his day-to-day role over the next two years to dedicate more time to philanthropy. He divided his responsibilities between two successors, placing Ray Ozzie in charge of day-to-day management and Craig Mundie in charge of long-term product strategy.[42]
Antitrust litigation
Further information: United States Microsoft antitrust case and European Union Microsoft competition case
Bill Gates giving his deposition at Microsoft on August 27, 1998

Many decisions that led to antitrust litigation over Microsoft's business practices have had Gates' approval. In the 1998 United States v. Microsoft case, Gates gave deposition testimony that several journalists characterized as evasive. He argued with examiner David Boies over the contextual meaning of words like "compete", "concerned" and "we".[43] BusinessWeek reported:

Early rounds of his deposition show him offering obfuscatory answers and saying 'I don't recall,' so many times that even the presiding judge had to chuckle. Worse, many of the technology chief's denials and pleas of ignorance were directly refuted by prosecutors with snippets of e-mail Gates both sent and received.[44]

Gates later said that he had simply resisted attempts by Boies to mischaracterize his words and actions. As to his demeanor during the deposition, he said, "Did I fence with Boies? ... I plead guilty. Whatever that penalty is should be levied against me: rudeness to Boies in the first degree."[45] Despite Gates's denials, the judge ruled that Microsoft had committed monopolization and tying, and blocking competition, both in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.[45]
Appearance in ads

Gates appeared in a series of ads to promote Microsoft in 2008. The first commercial, co-starring Jerry Seinfeld, is a 90-second talk between strangers as Seinfeld walks up on a discount shoe store (Shoe Circus) in a mall and notices Gates buying shoes inside. The salesman is trying to sell Mr. Gates shoes that are a size too big. As Gates is buying the shoes he holds up his discount card, which uses a slightly altered version of his own mugshot of his arrest in New Mexico in 1977 for a traffic violation.[46] As they are walking out of the mall, Seinfeld asks Gates if he has melded his mind to other developers, after getting a yes, he then asks if they are working on a way to make computers edible, again getting a yes. Some say that this is an homage to Seinfeld's own show about "nothing" (Seinfeld).[47] In a second commercial in the series, Gates and Seinfeld are at the home of an average family trying to fit in with normal people.
Post-Microsoft

Since leaving Microsoft, Gates continues his philanthropy and, among other projects, purchased the videos rights to the Messenger Lectures series titled The Character of Physical Law, given at Cornell University by Richard Feynman in 1964 and recorded by the BBC. The videos are available online to the public at Microsoft's Project Tuva.[48][49]

In April 2010, Gates was invited to visit and speak at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he asked the students to take on the hard problems of the world in their futures.[50][51]
Personal life
Bill and Melinda Gates, June 2009.

Gates married Melinda French from Dallas, Texas on January 1, 1994. They have three children: daughters Jennifer Katharine Gates (born 1996) and Phoebe Adele Gates (born 2002), and son Rory John Gates (born 1999). The Gates' home is an earth-sheltered house in the side of a hill overlooking Lake Washington in Medina. According to King County public records, as of 2006 the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is $125 million, and the annual property tax is $991,000.

His 66,000 sq ft (6,100 m2) estate has a 60-foot (18 m) swimming pool with an underwater music system, as well as a 2,500 sq ft (230 m2) gym and a 1,000 sq ft (93 m2) dining room.[52]

Also among Gates's private acquisitions is the Codex Leicester, a collection of writings by Leonardo da Vinci, which Gates bought for $30.8 million at an auction in 1994.[53] Gates is also known as an avid reader, and the ceiling of his large home library is engraved with a quotation from The Great Gatsby.[54] He also enjoys playing bridge, tennis, and golf.[55][56]

Gates was number one on the "Forbes 400" list from 1993 through to 2007 and number one on Forbes list of "The World's Richest People" from 1995 to 2007 and 2009. In 1999, Gates's wealth briefly surpassed $101 billion, causing the media to call him a "centibillionaire".[57] Since 2000, the nominal value of his Microsoft holdings has declined due to a fall in Microsoft's stock price after the dot-com bubble burst and the multi-billion dollar donations he has made to his charitable foundations. In a May 2006 interview, Gates commented that he wished that he were not the richest man in the world because he disliked the attention it brought.[58] Gates has several investments outside Microsoft, which in 2006 paid him a salary of $616,667, and $350,000 bonus totalling $966,667.[59] He founded Corbis, a digital imaging company, in 1989. In 2004 he became a director of Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company headed by long-time friend Warren Buffett.[60] In March 2010 Bill Gates was bumped down to the 2nd wealthiest man behind Carlos Slim.
Philanthropy
Gates (second from right) with Bono, Queen Rania of Jordan, Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, President Yar Adua of Nigeria and other participants in a 'Call to Action on the Millennium Development Goals' during the Annual Meeting 2008 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Further information: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Gates began to realize the expectations others had of him when public opinion mounted that he could give more of his wealth to charity. Gates studied the work of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller and in 1994 sold some of his Microsoft stock to create the William H. Gates Foundation. In 2000, Gates and his wife combined three family foundations into one to create the charitable Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is the largest transparently operated charitable foundation in the world.[61] The foundation is set up to allow benefactors access to how its money is being spent, unlike other major charitable organizations such as the Wellcome Trust.[62][63] The generosity and extensive philanthropy of David Rockefeller has been credited as a major influence. Gates and his father have met with Rockefeller several times and have modeled their giving in part on the Rockefeller family's philanthropic focus, namely those global problems that are ignored by governments and other organizations.[64] As of 2007, Bill and Melinda Gates were the second most generous philanthropists in America, having given over $28 billion to charity.[65]

The foundation has also received criticism because it invests the assets that it has not yet distributed with the exclusive goal of maximizing the return on investment. As a result, its investments include companies that have been criticized for worsening poverty in the same developing countries where the Foundation is attempting to relieve poverty. These include companies that pollute heavily and pharmaceutical companies that do not sell into the developing world.[66] In response to press criticism, the foundation announced in 2007 a review of its investments to assess social responsibility.[67] It subsequently cancelled the review and stood by its policy of investing for maximum return, while using voting rights to influence company practices.[68] Gates has made The Giving Pledge to donate over half of his wealth to charity.[69]
Recognition

In 1987 Gates was officially declared a billionaire in the pages of Forbes' 400 Richest People in America issue, just days before his 32nd birthday. As the world's youngest self-made billionaire, he was worth $1.25 billion, over $900 million more than he'd been worth the year before, when he'd debuted on the list.[70]

Time magazine named Gates one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century, as well as one of the 100 most influential people of 2004, 2005, and 2006. Time also collectively named Gates, his wife Melinda and U2's lead singer Bono as the 2005 Persons of the Year for their humanitarian efforts.[71] In 2006, he was voted eighth in the list of "Heroes of our time".[72] Gates was listed in the Sunday Times power list in 1999, named CEO of the year by Chief Executive Officers magazine in 1994, ranked number one in the "Top 50 Cyber Elite" by Time in 1998, ranked number two in the Upside Elite 100 in 1999 and was included in The Guardian as one of the "Top 100 influential people in media" in 2001.[73]

In 1994, he was honoured as the twentieth Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society. Gates has received honorary doctorates from Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Breukelen, The Netherlands, in 2000;[74] the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, in 2002; Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, in 2005; Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in April 2007;[75] Harvard University in June 2007;[76] the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, in January 2008,[77] and Cambridge University in June 2009.[78] He was also made an honorary trustee of Peking University in 2007.[79] Gates was also made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005,[80] in addition to having entomologists name the Bill Gates flower fly, Eristalis gatesi, in his honor.[81]

In November 2006, he and his wife were awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle for their philanthropic work around the world in the areas of health and education, particularly in Mexico, and specifically in the program "Un país de lectores".[82] In October 2009, it was announced that Gates will be awarded the 2010 Bower Award for Business Leadership of The Franklin Institute for his achievements in business and for his philanthropic work. In 2010 he was honored with the Silver Buffalo Award by the Boy Scouts of America, its highest award for adults, for his service to youth.[83]

Early life

Gates was born in Seattle, Washington, to William H. Gates, Sr. and Mary Maxwell Gates, of English, German, and Scotch-Irish descent.[10][11] His family was upper middle class; his father was a prominent lawyer, his mother served on the board of directors for First Interstate BancSystem and the United Way, and her father, J. W. Maxwell, was a national bank president. Gates has one elder sister, Kristi (Kristianne), and one younger sister, Libby. He was the fourth of his name in his family, but was known as William Gates III or "Trey" because his father had dropped his own "III" suffix.[12] Early on in his life, Gates' parents had a law career in mind for him.[13]

At 13 he enrolled in the Lakeside School, an exclusive preparatory school.[14] When he was in the eighth grade, the Mothers Club at the school used proceeds from Lakeside School's rummage sale to buy an ASR-33 teletype terminal and a block of computer time on a General Electric (GE) computer for the school's students.[15] Gates took an interest in programming the GE system in BASIC and was excused from math classes to pursue his interest. He wrote his first computer program on this machine: an implementation of tic-tac-toe that allowed users to play games against the computer. Gates was fascinated by the machine and how it would always execute software code perfectly. When he reflected back on that moment, he commented on it and said, "There was just something neat about the machine."[16] After the Mothers Club donation was exhausted, he and other students sought time on systems including DEC PDP minicomputers. One of these systems was a PDP-10 belonging to Computer Center Corporation (CCC), which banned four Lakeside students—Gates, Paul Allen, Ric Weiland, and Kent Evans—for the summer after it caught them exploiting bugs in the operating system to obtain free computer time.[17]

At the end of the ban, the four students offered to find bugs in CCC's software in exchange for computer time. Rather than use the system via teletype, Gates went to CCC's offices and studied source code for various programs that ran on the system, including programs in FORTRAN, LISP, and machine language. The arrangement with CCC continued until 1970, when the company went out of business. The following year, Information Sciences, Inc. hired the four Lakeside students to write a payroll program in COBOL, providing them computer time and royalties. After his administrators became aware of his programming abilities, Gates wrote the school's computer program to schedule students in classes. He modified the code so that he was placed in classes with mostly female students. He later stated that "it was hard to tear myself away from a machine at which I could so unambiguously demonstrate success."[16] At age 17, Gates formed a venture with Allen, called Traf-O-Data, to make traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 processor.[18] In early 1973, Bill Gates served as a congressional page in the U.S. House of Representatives.[19]
Bill Gates' mugshot from a traffic violation in 1977

Gates graduated from Lakeside School in 1973. He scored 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT[20] and enrolled at Harvard College in the autumn of 1973.[21] While at Harvard, he met Steve Ballmer, who later succeeded Gates as CEO of Microsoft. In his sophomore year, Gates devised an algorithm for pancake sorting as a solution to one of a series of unsolved problems,[22] presented in a combinatorics class by Harry Lewis, one of his professors. Gates' solution, which was later formalized in a published paper in collaboration with Harvard computer scientist Christos Papadimitriou,[23] held the record as the fastest version for over thirty years;[22][24] its successor is faster by only one percent.[22] Gates did not have a definite study plan while a student at Harvard[25] and spent a lot of time using the school's computers. He remained in contact with Paul Allen, joining him at Honeywell during the summer of 1974.[26] The following year saw the release of the MITS Altair 8800 based on the Intel 8080 CPU, and Gates and Allen saw this as the opportunity to start their own computer software company.[27] He had talked this decision over with his parents, who were supportive of him after seeing how much Gates wanted to start a company.[25]
Microsoft
Main articles: History of Microsoft and Microsoft
BASIC
MITS Altair 8800 Computer with 8-inch (200 mm) floppy disk system

After reading the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics that demonstrated the Altair 8800, Gates contacted Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), the creators of the new microcomputer, to inform them that he and others were working on a BASIC interpreter for the platform.[28] In reality, Gates and Allen did not have an Altair and had not written code for it; they merely wanted to gauge MITS's interest. MITS president Ed Roberts agreed to meet them for a demo, and over the course of a few weeks they developed an Altair emulator that ran on a minicomputer, and then the BASIC interpreter. The demonstration, held at MITS's offices in Albuquerque, was a success and resulted in a deal with MITS to distribute the interpreter as Altair BASIC. Paul Allen was hired into MITS,[29] and Gates took a leave of absence from Harvard to work with Allen at MITS in Albuquerque in November 1975. They named their partnership "Micro-Soft" and had their first office located in Albuquerque.[29] Within a year, the hyphen was dropped, and on November 26, 1976, the trade name "Microsoft" was registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico.[29] Gates never returned to Harvard to complete his studies.

Microsoft's BASIC was popular with computer hobbyists, but Gates discovered that a pre-market copy had leaked into the community and was being widely copied and distributed. In February 1976, Gates wrote an Open Letter to Hobbyists in the MITS newsletter saying that MITS could not continue to produce, distribute, and maintain high-quality software without payment.[30] This letter was unpopular with many computer hobbyists, but Gates persisted in his belief that software developers should be able to demand payment. Microsoft became independent of MITS in late 1976, and it continued to develop programming language software for various systems.[29] The company moved from Albuquerque to its new home in Bellevue, Washington on January 1, 1979.[28]

During Microsoft's early years, all employees had broad responsibility for the company's business. Gates oversaw the business details, but continued to write code as well. In the first five years, he personally reviewed every line of code the company shipped, and often rewrote parts of it as he saw fit.[31]
IBM partnership

In 1980, IBM approached Microsoft to write the BASIC interpreter for its upcoming personal computer, the IBM PC. When IBM's representatives mentioned that they needed an operating system, Gates referred them to Digital Research (DRI), makers of the widely used CP/M operating system.[32] IBM's discussions with Digital Research went poorly, and they did not reach a licensing agreement. IBM representative Jack Sams mentioned the licensing difficulties during a subsequent meeting with Gates and told him to get an acceptable operating system. A few weeks later Gates proposed using 86-DOS (QDOS), an operating system similar to CP/M that Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products (SCP) had made for hardware similar to the PC. Microsoft made a deal with SCP to become the exclusive licensing agent, and later the full owner, of 86-DOS. After adapting the operating system for the PC, Microsoft delivered it to IBM as PC-DOS in exchange for a one-time fee of $50,000. Gates did not offer to transfer the copyright on the operating system, because he believed that other hardware vendors would clone IBM's system.[33] They did, and the sales of MS-DOS made Microsoft a major player in the industry.[34]

Gates oversaw Microsoft's company restructuring on June 25, 1981, which re-incorporated the company in Washington state and made Gates President of Microsoft and the Chairman of the Board.[28]
Windows

Microsoft launched its first retail version of Microsoft Windows on November 20, 1985, and in August, the company struck a deal with IBM to develop a separate operating system called OS/2. Although the two companies successfully developed the first version of the new system, mounting creative differences undermined the partnership. Gates distributed an internal memo on May 16, 1991, announcing that the OS/2 partnership was over and Microsoft would shift its efforts to the Windows NT kernel development.[35]
Management style

From Microsoft's founding in 1975 until 2006, Gates had primary responsibility for the company's product strategy. He aggressively broadened the company's range of products, and wherever Microsoft achieved a dominant position he vigorously defended it.

As an executive, Gates met regularly with Microsoft's senior managers and program managers. Firsthand accounts of these meetings describe him as verbally combative, berating managers for perceived holes in their business strategies or proposals that placed the company's long-term interests at risk.[36][37] He often interrupted presentations with such comments as, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"[38] and, "Why don't you just give up your options and join the Peace Corps?"[39] The target of his outburst then had to defend the proposal in detail until, hopefully, Gates was fully convinced.[38] When subordinates appeared to be procrastinating, he was known to remark sarcastically, "I'll do it over the weekend."[4][40][41]

Gates's role at Microsoft for most of its history was primarily a management and executive role. However, he was an active software developer in the early years, particularly on the company's programming language products. He has not officially been on a development team since working on the TRS-80 Model 100 line, but wrote code as late as 1989 that shipped in the company's products.[40] On June 15, 2006, Gates announced that he would transition out of his day-to-day role over the next two years to dedicate more time to philanthropy. He divided his responsibilities between two successors, placing Ray Ozzie in charge of day-to-day management and Craig Mundie in charge of long-term product strategy.[42]
Antitrust litigation
Further information: United States Microsoft antitrust case and European Union Microsoft competition case
Bill Gates giving his deposition at Microsoft on August 27, 1998

Many decisions that led to antitrust litigation over Microsoft's business practices have had Gates' approval. In the 1998 United States v. Microsoft case, Gates gave deposition testimony that several journalists characterized as evasive. He argued with examiner David Boies over the contextual meaning of words like "compete", "concerned" and "we".[43] BusinessWeek reported:

Early rounds of his deposition show him offering obfuscatory answers and saying 'I don't recall,' so many times that even the presiding judge had to chuckle. Worse, many of the technology chief's denials and pleas of ignorance were directly refuted by prosecutors with snippets of e-mail Gates both sent and received.[44]

Gates later said that he had simply resisted attempts by Boies to mischaracterize his words and actions. As to his demeanor during the deposition, he said, "Did I fence with Boies? ... I plead guilty. Whatever that penalty is should be levied against me: rudeness to Boies in the first degree."[45] Despite Gates's denials, the judge ruled that Microsoft had committed monopolization and tying, and blocking competition, both in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.[45]
Appearance in ads

Gates appeared in a series of ads to promote Microsoft in 2008. The first commercial, co-starring Jerry Seinfeld, is a 90-second talk between strangers as Seinfeld walks up on a discount shoe store (Shoe Circus) in a mall and notices Gates buying shoes inside. The salesman is trying to sell Mr. Gates shoes that are a size too big. As Gates is buying the shoes he holds up his discount card, which uses a slightly altered version of his own mugshot of his arrest in New Mexico in 1977 for a traffic violation.[46] As they are walking out of the mall, Seinfeld asks Gates if he has melded his mind to other developers, after getting a yes, he then asks if they are working on a way to make computers edible, again getting a yes. Some say that this is an homage to Seinfeld's own show about "nothing" (Seinfeld).[47] In a second commercial in the series, Gates and Seinfeld are at the home of an average family trying to fit in with normal people.
Post-Microsoft

Since leaving Microsoft, Gates continues his philanthropy and, among other projects, purchased the videos rights to the Messenger Lectures series titled The Character of Physical Law, given at Cornell University by Richard Feynman in 1964 and recorded by the BBC. The videos are available online to the public at Microsoft's Project Tuva.[48][49]

In April 2010, Gates was invited to visit and speak at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he asked the students to take on the hard problems of the world in their futures.[50][51]
Personal life
Bill and Melinda Gates, June 2009.

Gates married Melinda French from Dallas, Texas on January 1, 1994. They have three children: daughters Jennifer Katharine Gates (born 1996) and Phoebe Adele Gates (born 2002), and son Rory John Gates (born 1999). The Gates' home is an earth-sheltered house in the side of a hill overlooking Lake Washington in Medina. According to King County public records, as of 2006 the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is $125 million, and the annual property tax is $991,000.

His 66,000 sq ft (6,100 m2) estate has a 60-foot (18 m) swimming pool with an underwater music system, as well as a 2,500 sq ft (230 m2) gym and a 1,000 sq ft (93 m2) dining room.[52]

Also among Gates's private acquisitions is the Codex Leicester, a collection of writings by Leonardo da Vinci, which Gates bought for $30.8 million at an auction in 1994.[53] Gates is also known as an avid reader, and the ceiling of his large home library is engraved with a quotation from The Great Gatsby.[54] He also enjoys playing bridge, tennis, and golf.[55][56]

Gates was number one on the "Forbes 400" list from 1993 through to 2007 and number one on Forbes list of "The World's Richest People" from 1995 to 2007 and 2009. In 1999, Gates's wealth briefly surpassed $101 billion, causing the media to call him a "centibillionaire".[57] Since 2000, the nominal value of his Microsoft holdings has declined due to a fall in Microsoft's stock price after the dot-com bubble burst and the multi-billion dollar donations he has made to his charitable foundations. In a May 2006 interview, Gates commented that he wished that he were not the richest man in the world because he disliked the attention it brought.[58] Gates has several investments outside Microsoft, which in 2006 paid him a salary of $616,667, and $350,000 bonus totalling $966,667.[59] He founded Corbis, a digital imaging company, in 1989. In 2004 he became a director of Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company headed by long-time friend Warren Buffett.[60] In March 2010 Bill Gates was bumped down to the 2nd wealthiest man behind Carlos Slim.
Philanthropy
Gates (second from right) with Bono, Queen Rania of Jordan, Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, President Yar Adua of Nigeria and other participants in a 'Call to Action on the Millennium Development Goals' during the Annual Meeting 2008 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Further information: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Gates began to realize the expectations others had of him when public opinion mounted that he could give more of his wealth to charity. Gates studied the work of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller and in 1994 sold some of his Microsoft stock to create the William H. Gates Foundation. In 2000, Gates and his wife combined three family foundations into one to create the charitable Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is the largest transparently operated charitable foundation in the world.[61] The foundation is set up to allow benefactors access to how its money is being spent, unlike other major charitable organizations such as the Wellcome Trust.[62][63] The generosity and extensive philanthropy of David Rockefeller has been credited as a major influence. Gates and his father have met with Rockefeller several times and have modeled their giving in part on the Rockefeller family's philanthropic focus, namely those global problems that are ignored by governments and other organizations.[64] As of 2007, Bill and Melinda Gates were the second most generous philanthropists in America, having given over $28 billion to charity.[65]

The foundation has also received criticism because it invests the assets that it has not yet distributed with the exclusive goal of maximizing the return on investment. As a result, its investments include companies that have been criticized for worsening poverty in the same developing countries where the Foundation is attempting to relieve poverty. These include companies that pollute heavily and pharmaceutical companies that do not sell into the developing world.[66] In response to press criticism, the foundation announced in 2007 a review of its investments to assess social responsibility.[67] It subsequently cancelled the review and stood by its policy of investing for maximum return, while using voting rights to influence company practices.[68] Gates has made The Giving Pledge to donate over half of his wealth to charity.[69]
Recognition

In 1987 Gates was officially declared a billionaire in the pages of Forbes' 400 Richest People in America issue, just days before his 32nd birthday. As the world's youngest self-made billionaire, he was worth $1.25 billion, over $900 million more than he'd been worth the year before, when he'd debuted on the list.[70]

Time magazine named Gates one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century, as well as one of the 100 most influential people of 2004, 2005, and 2006. Time also collectively named Gates, his wife Melinda and U2's lead singer Bono as the 2005 Persons of the Year for their humanitarian efforts.[71] In 2006, he was voted eighth in the list of "Heroes of our time".[72] Gates was listed in the Sunday Times power list in 1999, named CEO of the year by Chief Executive Officers magazine in 1994, ranked number one in the "Top 50 Cyber Elite" by Time in 1998, ranked number two in the Upside Elite 100 in 1999 and was included in The Guardian as one of the "Top 100 influential people in media" in 2001.[73]

In 1994, he was honoured as the twentieth Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society. Gates has received honorary doctorates from Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Breukelen, The Netherlands, in 2000;[74] the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, in 2002; Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, in 2005; Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in April 2007;[75] Harvard University in June 2007;[76] the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, in January 2008,[77] and Cambridge University in June 2009.[78] He was also made an honorary trustee of Peking University in 2007.[79] Gates was also made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005,[80] in addition to having entomologists name the Bill Gates flower fly, Eristalis gatesi, in his honor.[81]

In November 2006, he and his wife were awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle for their philanthropic work around the world in the areas of health and education, particularly in Mexico, and specifically in the program "Un país de lectores".[82] In October 2009, it was announced that Gates will be awarded the 2010 Bower Award for Business Leadership of The Franklin Institute for his achievements in business and for his philanthropic work. In 2010 he was honored with the Silver Buffalo Award by the Boy Scouts of America, its highest award for adults, for his service to youth.[83]

SHAKIRA

2010-12-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

Biography

Shakira After achieving superstardom throughout Latin America, Colombian-born Shakira became Latin pop's biggest female crossover artist since Jennifer Lopez broke down the doors to English-language success. Noted for her aggressive, rock-influenced approach, Shakira maintained an extraordinary degree of creative control over her music, especially for a female artist; she wrote or co-wrote nearly all of her own material, and in the process gained a reputation as one of Latin music's most ambitiously poetic lyricists. When she released her first English material in late 2001, she became an instant pop sensation, thanks to her quirky poetic sense and a sexy video image built on her hip-shaking belly-dance moves.
Shakira Mebarak (full name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) was born February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, into a poor family. Her mother was a native Colombian and her father was of Lebanese descent, and so as a child Shakira soaked up music from both cultures; she also listened heavily to English-language rock & roll, listing her favorite bands in later interviews as Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Police, the Cure, and Nirvana.

When Shakira returned to recording in 1995, she asserted more control over the direction of her music, and worked more rock & roll rhythms -- as well as occasional Arabic tinges -- into her Latin pop material. The first results were Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet), which was initially released in 1995; a slow seller at first, the album gradually caught on thanks to the rock-tinged single "Estoy Aqui," which became a hit all over Latin America, as well as Spain. After that breakthrough, Pies Descalzos just kept spinning off singles: "Dónde Estás Corazón?," "Antología," "Pienso en Ti," "Un Poco de Amor," "Se Quiere, Se Mata." The album hit number one in eight different countries and eventually went platinum in the U.S. as well; Shakira toured for nearly two years promoting it (she finally left El Oasis in 1997).

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Seeking to build on her success, Shakira signed Emilio Estefan -- Gloria's husband and a highly successful music-biz insider -- as her manager and producer. The move paid off when her follow-up album, 1998's Dónde Están los Ladrones? (Where Are the Thieves?), became an even bigger worldwide hit than its predecessor. What was more, it cracked the lucrative U.S. market wide open, spending 11 weeks at number one on Billboard's Latin album chart and producing two U.S. number ones (on the Latin chart) with "Ciega, Sordomuda" and "Tu." The album's signature track, however, was the worldwide hit "Ojos Así," her most explicit nod yet to the Arabic music she'd picked up from her father (not to mention its latent belly-dancing connotations). Dónde Están los Ladrones? was also the most effective presentation yet of Shakira's strong-willed persona; her self-analysis made her even more popular among female fans, while her anger over love gone wrong drew comparisons to Alanis Morissette.

When Gloria Estefan offered to translate "Ojos Así" into English, the prospect of a crossover suddenly seemed tangible, and Shakira decided that the most effective way to maintain control over her material was to learn English well enough to write in it herself. In the meantime, she set the stage for her crossover bid with a performance on MTV Unplugged; the channel's first Spanish-language broadcast. MTV Unplugged was released as an album in early 2000, and topped the Latin charts for two weeks on its way to becoming her third straight platinum album; it also won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album. At the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in 2000, Shakira delivered a much-discussed, show-stopping performance of "Ojos Así," and took home Unplugged-related trophies for Best Female Pop Vocal ("Ojos Así") and Best Female Rock Vocal ("Octavo Dia").

Mainstream pop stardom beckoned. Shakira dyed her long brown hair blonde, romanced Antonio de la Rua (son of the former president of Argentina), and went to work on her first (mostly) English-language album, Laundry Service. The single/video "Whenever, Wherever" was released in advance of the album in late 2001, and made her a star in the English-speaking world almost overnight. Laundry Service entered the American pop charts at number three, and "Whenever, Wherever" climbed into the Top Ten of the singles chart, peaking at number six. The follow-up "Underneath Your Clothes" also hit the Top Ten, halting at number nine; less than a year after its release, Laundry Service had gone triple platinum. Reviews of Laundry Service were divided as to the effectiveness of Shakira's English lyrics, but nearly all agreed on her unique poetic imagery.

BARACK OBAMA

2010-12-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama
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Barack Obama
A portrait shot of a serious looking middle-aged African-American male (Barack Obama) looking straight ahead. He has short black hair, and is wearing a dark navy blazer with a blue striped tie over a light blue collared shirt. In the background are two flags hanging from separate flagpoles: an American flag, and one from the Executive Office of the President.

44th President of the United States
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 20, 2009
Vice President     Joe Biden
Preceded by     George W. Bush
United States Senator
from Illinois
In office
January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008
Preceded by     Peter Fitzgerald
Succeeded by     Roland Burris
Member of the Illinois Senate
from the 13th district
In office
January 8, 1997 – November 4, 2004
Preceded by     Alice Palmer
Succeeded by     Kwame Raoul
Born     August 4, 1961 (1961-08-04) (age 49)[1]
Honolulu, Hawaii[2]
Political party     Democratic Party
Spouse(s)     Michelle Robinson Obama
Children     Malia
Sasha
Residence     White House (official)
Chicago, Illinois (private)
Alma mater     Occidental College
Columbia University
Harvard University
Profession     Community organizer
Lawyer
Constitutional law professor
Author
Religion     Christianity[3]
Signature     Barack Obama
Website     The White House
Barack Obama
This article is part of a series on
Barack Obama
Background · Illinois Senate · U.S. Senate · Political positions · Public image · Family · 2008 primaries · Obama–Biden campaign · Transition · Inauguration · Electoral history · Presidency (Timeline '09 '10, First 100 days) · 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
more...

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Barack Hussein Obama II (Listeni /bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned after his election to the presidency in November 2008.

A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004.

Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid against a Democratic incumbent for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, he ran for United States Senate in 2004.[4] Several events brought him to national attention during the campaign, including his victory in the March 2004 Democratic primary and his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He won election to the U.S. Senate in November 2004. His presidential campaign began in February 2007, and after a close campaign in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries against Hillary Rodham Clinton, he won his party's nomination. In the 2008 general election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009.

As president, Obama signed economic stimulus legislation in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February 2009 and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 in December 2010. Other domestic policy initiatives include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – a major piece of health care reform legislation which he signed into law in March 2010 – and the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which forms part of his financial regulatory reform efforts, which he signed in July 2010. In foreign policy, Obama gradually withdrew combat troops from Iraq, increased troop levels in Afghanistan, and signed an arms control treaty with Russia. In October 2009, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Contents
[hide]

    * 1 Early life and career
          o 1.1 Chicago community organizer and Harvard Law School
          o 1.2 University of Chicago Law School and civil rights attorney
    * 2 Legislative career: 1997–2008
          o 2.1 State Senator: 1997–2004
          o 2.2 U.S. Senate campaign
          o 2.3 U.S. Senator: 2005–2008
                + 2.3.1 Legislation
                + 2.3.2 Committees
    * 3 Presidential campaign: 2008
    * 4 Presidency
          o 4.1 First days
          o 4.2 Domestic policy
                + 4.2.1 Economic policy
                + 4.2.2 Health care reform
                + 4.2.3 Gulf of Mexico oil spill
          o 4.3 Foreign and defense policy
                + 4.3.1 Iraq war
                + 4.3.2 War in Afghanistan
          o 4.4 2010 midterm election
          o 4.5 Cultural and political image
    * 5 Family and personal life
          o 5.1 Religious views
    * 6 Notes
    * 7 References
    * 8 Further reading
    * 9 External links

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Early life and career
Main article: Early life and career of Barack Obama

Obama was born August 4, 1961, at Kapi'olani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii.[5][6] His mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, was born in Wichita, Kansas, of mostly English, some German,[7][8][9] and Irish descent.[10] His great-great-great grandfather hailed from County Offaly.[11] His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was a Luo from Nyang’oma Kogelo, Nyanza Province, Kenya. Obama is the first President to have been born in Hawaii.[12][13] Obama's parents met in 1960 in a Russian language class at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, where his father was a foreign student on scholarship.[14][15] The couple married on February 2, 1961,[16] but separated when Obama Sr. went to Harvard University on scholarship, and divorced in 1964.[15] Obama Sr. remarried and returned to Kenya, visiting Barack in Hawaii only once, in 1971. He died in an automobile accident in 1982.[17]

After her divorce, Dunham married Indonesian student Lolo Soetoro, who was attending college in Hawaii. When Suharto, a military leader in Soetoro's home country, came to power in 1967, all Indonesian students studying abroad were recalled, and the family moved to the Menteng neighborhood of Jakarta.[18][19] From ages six to ten, Obama attended local schools in Jakarta, including Besuki Public School and St. Francis of Assisi School.[20][21]

In 1971, Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Armour Dunham, and attended Punahou School, a private college preparatory school, from the fifth grade until his graduation from high school in 1979.[22] Obama's mother returned to Hawaii in 1972, remaining there until 1977 when she went back to Indonesia to work as an anthropological field worker. She finally returned to Hawaii in 1994 and lived there for one year, before dying of ovarian cancer.[23]
A young boy possibly in his early teens, a younger girl (about age 5), a grown woman and an elderly man, sit on a lawn wearing contemporary circa-1970 attire. The adults wear sunglasses and the boy wears sandals.
Barack Obama and half-sister Maya Soetoro, with their mother Ann Dunham and grandfather Stanley Dunham, in Hawaii (early 1970s)

Of his early childhood, Obama recalled, "That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind."[24] He described his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage.[25] Reflecting later on his formative years in Honolulu, Obama wrote: "The opportunity that Hawaii offered—to experience a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect—became an integral part of my world view, and a basis for the values that I hold most dear."[26] Obama has also written and talked about using alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years to "push questions of who I was out of my mind."[27] At the 2008 Civil Forum on the Presidency, Obama identified his high-school drug use as a great moral failure.[28]

Following high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to attend Occidental College.[29] In February 1981, he made his first public speech, calling for Occidental's divestment from South Africa.[29] In mid-1981, Obama traveled to Indonesia to visit his mother and sister Maya, and visited the families of college friends in India and Pakistan for three weeks.[29]

Later in 1981 he transferred to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialty in international relations[30] and graduated with a B.A. in 1983. He worked for a year at the Business International Corporation,[31][32] then at the New York Public Interest Research Group.[33][34]
Chicago community organizer and Harvard Law School

After four years in New York City, Obama was hired in Chicago as director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland (Roseland, West Pullman and Riverdale) on Chicago's far South Side. He worked there as a community organizer from June 1985 to May 1988.[33][35] During his three years as the DCP's director, its staff grew from one to thirteen and its annual budget grew from US$70,000 ($142,911 in 2010) to US$400,000 ($742,647 in 2010). He helped set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization in Altgeld Gardens.[36] Obama also worked as a consultant and instructor for the Gamaliel Foundation, a community organizing institute.[37] In mid-1988, he traveled for the first time in Europe for three weeks and then for five weeks in Kenya, where he met many of his paternal relatives for the first time.[38] He returned in August 2006 for a visit to his father's birthplace, a village near Kisumu in rural western Kenya.[39]

In late 1988, Obama entered Harvard Law School. He was selected as an editor of the Harvard Law Review at the end of his first year,[40] and president of the journal in his second year.[41] During his summers, he returned to Chicago, where he worked as a summer associate at the law firms of Sidley Austin in 1989 and Hopkins & Sutter in 1990.[42] After graduating with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude[43] from Harvard in 1991, he returned to Chicago.[40] Obama's election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review gained national media attention[41] and led to a publishing contract and advance for a book about race relations,[44] which evolved into a personal memoir. The manuscript was published in mid-1995 as Dreams from My Father.[44]
University of Chicago Law School and civil rights attorney

In 1991, Obama accepted a two-year position as Visiting Law and Government Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School to work on his first book.[45] He then served as a professor at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years—as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and as a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004—teaching constitutional law.[46]

From April to October 1992, Obama directed Illinois's Project Vote, a voter registration drive with ten staffers and seven hundred volunteer registrars; it achieved its goal of registering 150,000 of 400,000 unregistered African Americans in the state, and led to Crain's Chicago Business naming Obama to its 1993 list of "40 under Forty" powers to be.[47] In 1993 he joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a 13-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and neighborhood economic development, where he was an associate for three years from 1993 to 1996, then of counsel from 1996 to 2004, with his law license becoming inactive in 2002.[48]

From 1994 to 2002, Obama served on the boards of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago, which in 1985 had been the first foundation to fund the Developing Communities Project, and of the Joyce Foundation.[33] He served on the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge from 1995 to 2002, as founding president and chairman of the board of directors from 1995 to 1999.[33]
Legislative career: 1997–2008
State Senator: 1997–2004
Main article: Illinois Senate career of Barack Obama

Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, succeeding State Senator Alice Palmer as Senator from Illinois's 13th District, which at that time spanned Chicago South Side neighborhoods from Hyde Park – Kenwood south to South Shore and west to Chicago Lawn.[49] Once elected, Obama gained bipartisan support for legislation reforming ethics and health care laws.[50] He sponsored a law increasing tax credits for low-income workers, negotiated welfare reform, and promoted increased subsidies for childcare.[51] In 2001, as co-chairman of the bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, Obama supported Republican Governor Ryan's payday loan regulations and predatory mortgage lending regulations aimed at averting home foreclosures.[52]

Obama was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998, defeating Republican Yesse Yehudah in the general election, and was reelected again in 2002.[53] In 2000, he lost a Democratic primary run for the U.S. House of Representatives to four-term incumbent Bobby Rush by a margin of two to one.[54]

In January 2003, Obama became chairman of the Illinois Senate's Health and Human Services Committee when Democrats, after a decade in the minority, regained a majority.[55] He sponsored and led unanimous, bipartisan passage of legislation to monitor racial profiling by requiring police to record the race of drivers they detained, and legislation making Illinois the first state to mandate videotaping of homicide interrogations.[51][56] During his 2004 general election campaign for U.S. Senate, police representatives credited Obama for his active engagement with police organizations in enacting death penalty reforms.[57] Obama resigned from the Illinois Senate in November 2004 following his election to the U.S. Senate.[58]
U.S. Senate campaign
See also: United States Senate election in Illinois, 2004

In May 2002, Obama commissioned a poll to assess his prospects in a 2004 U.S. Senate race; he created a campaign committee, began raising funds and lined up political media consultant David Axelrod by August 2002, and formally announced his candidacy in January 2003.[59]

Obama was an early opponent of the George W. Bush administration's 2003 invasion of Iraq.[60] On October 2, 2002, the day President Bush and Congress agreed on the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War,[61] Obama addressed the first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally,[62] and spoke out against the war.[63] He addressed another anti-war rally in March 2003 and told the crowd that "it's not too late" to stop the war.[64]

Decisions by Republican incumbent Peter Fitzgerald and his Democratic predecessor Carol Moseley Braun not to contest the race resulted in wide-open Democratic and Republican primary contests involving fifteen candidates.[65] In the March 2004 primary election, Obama won in an unexpected landslide—which overnight made him a rising star within the national Democratic Party, started speculation about a presidential future, and led to the reissue of his memoir, Dreams from My Father.[66]

In July 2004, Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts,[67] and it was seen by 9.1 million viewers. His speech was well received and elevated his status within the Democratic Party.[68]

Obama's expected opponent in the general election, Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race in June 2004.[69] Six weeks later, Alan Keyes accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan.[70] In the November 2004 general election, Obama won with 70% of the vote.[71]
U.S. Senator: 2005–2008
Main article: United States Senate career of Barack Obama
Obama delivering a speech at the University of Southern California, on October 28, 2006.

Obama was sworn in as a senator on January 4, 2005,[72] at which time he became the only Senate member of the Congressional Black Caucus.[73] CQ Weekly characterized him as a "loyal Democrat" based on analysis of all Senate votes in 2005–2007. The National Journal ranked him among the "most liberal" senators during 2005 through 2007[74] (the ranking has been criticized by liberal groups such as Media Matters for America[75][76]). He enjoyed high popularity as senator with a 72% approval in Illinois.[77] Obama announced on November 13, 2008, that he would resign his Senate seat on November 16, 2008, before the start of the lame-duck session, to focus on his transition period for the presidency.[78]
Legislation
See also: List of bills sponsored by Barack Obama in the United States Senate
A man with glasses and Obama sit and hold a sheet of paper. Obama points at the paper and talks. Both men wear dark suits and ties.
Senate bill sponsors Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Obama discussing the Coburn–Obama Transparency Act[79]

Obama cosponsored the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act.[80] He introduced two initiatives bearing his name: Lugar–Obama, which expanded the Nunn–Lugar cooperative threat reduction concept to conventional weapons,[81] and the Coburn–Obama Transparency Act, which authorized the establishment of USAspending.gov, a web search engine on federal spending.[82] On June 3, 2008, Senator Obama, along with Senators Tom Carper, Tom Coburn, and John McCain, introduced follow-up legislation: Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008.[83]

Obama sponsored legislation that would have required nuclear plant owners to notify state and local authorities of radioactive leaks, but the bill failed to pass in the full Senate after being heavily modified in committee.[84] Regarding tort reform, Obama voted for the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 and the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which grants immunity from civil liability to telecommunications companies complicit with NSA warrantless wiretapping operations.[85]
Gray-haired man and Obama stand, wearing casual polo shirts. Obama wears sunglasses and holds something slung over his right sholder.
Obama and U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) visit a Russian mobile launch missile dismantling facility in August 2005.[86]

In December 2006, President Bush signed into law the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act, marking the first federal legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor.[87] In January 2007, Obama and Senator Feingold introduced a corporate jet provision to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which was signed into law in September 2007.[88] Obama also introduced Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act, a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections,[89] and the Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007,[90] neither of which has been signed into law.

Later in 2007, Obama sponsored an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act adding safeguards for personality disorder military discharges.[91] This amendment passed the full Senate in the spring of 2008.[92] He sponsored the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act supporting divestment of state pension funds from Iran's oil and gas industry, which has not passed committee, and co-sponsored legislation to reduce risks of nuclear terrorism.[93] Obama also sponsored a Senate amendment to the State Children's Health Insurance Program providing one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries.[94]
Committees

Obama held assignments on the Senate Committees for Foreign Relations, Environment and Public Works and Veterans' Affairs through December 2006.[95] In January 2007, he left the Environment and Public Works committee and took additional assignments with Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.[96] He also became Chairman of the Senate's subcommittee on European Affairs.[97] As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. He met with Mahmoud Abbas before Abbas became President of the Palestinian Authority, and gave a speech at the University of Nairobi condemning corruption within the Kenyan government.[98]
Presidential campaign: 2008
Main articles: United States presidential election, 2008, Barack Obama presidential primary campaign, 2008, and Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Obama stands on stage with his family. They wave.
Obama stands on stage with his wife and two daughters just before announcing his presidential candidacy in Springfield, Illinois, Feb. 10, 2007.

On February 10, 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for president of the United States in front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois.[99][100][101] The choice of the announcement site was viewed as symbolic[99][102] because it was also where Abraham Lincoln delivered his historic "House Divided" speech in 1858.[101] Obama emphasized the issues of rapidly ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence, and providing universal health care,[103] in a campaign that projected themes of "hope" and "change".[104]
Obama delivers a speech at a podium while several flashbulbs light the background.
Obama delivers his presidential election victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park.
A large number of candidates entered the Democratic Party presidential primaries. The field narrowed to a duel between Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton after early contests, with the race remaining close throughout the primary process but with Obama gaining a steady lead in pledged delegates due to better long-range planning, superior fundraising, dominant organizing in caucus states, and better exploitation of delegate allocation rules.[105] Clinton ended her campaign and endorsed him on June 7, 2008.[106]

Obama announced on August 23 that he had selected Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate,[107] from a field speculated to include Senator Evan Bayh and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.[108] At the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, Hillary Clinton called for her delegates and supporters to endorse Obama, and she and Bill Clinton gave convention speeches in support of Obama.[109] Obama delivered his acceptance speech, not at the convention center where the Democratic National Convention was held,[110] but at Invesco Field at Mile High to a crowd of over 75,000[111] and presented his policy goals; the speech was viewed by over 38 million people worldwide.[112]
Obama meets with Bush in the Oval Office. Both sit at a distance in front of the presidential desk with their legs crossed and their backs on an angle toward the camera. They sit at right angles to each other.
President George W. Bush meets with President-Elect Obama in the Oval Office on November 10, 2008.

During both the primary process and the general election, Obama's campaign set numerous fundraising records, particularly in the quantity of small donations.[113] On June 19, 2008, Obama became the first major-party presidential candidate to turn down public financing in the general election since the system was created in 1976.[114]

McCain was nominated as the Republican candidate and the two engaged in three presidential debates in September and October 2008.[115] On November 4, Obama won the presidency by winning 365 electoral votes to 173 received by McCain,[116] capturing 52.9% of the popular vote to McCain's 45.7%,[117] to become the first African American[118] to be elected president. Obama delivered his victory speech before hundreds of thousands of supporters in Chicago's Grant Park.[119]
Presidency
Main article: Presidency of Barack Obama
See also: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet and List of presidential trips made by Barack Obama
First days
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The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President, and Joe Biden as Vice President, took place on January 20, 2009. In his first few days in office Obama issued executive orders and presidential memoranda directing the U.S. military to develop plans to withdraw troops from Iraq,[120] and ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp "as soon as practicable and no later than" January 2010.[121] Obama also reduced the secrecy given to presidential records[122] and changed procedures to promote disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.[123] The president also reversed George W. Bush's ban on federal funding to foreign establishments that allow abortions.[124]
Domestic policy
Barack Obama takes the oath of office as President of the United States.

The first bill signed into law by Obama was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, relaxing the statute of limitations for equal-pay lawsuits.[125] Five days later, he signed the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover an additional 4 million children currently uninsured.[126]

In March 2009, Obama reversed a Bush-era policy which had limited funding of embryonic stem cell research. Obama stated that he believed "sound science and moral values...are not inconsistent" and pledged to develop "strict guidelines" on the research.[127]

Obama appointed two women to serve on the Supreme Court in the first two years of his Presidency. Sonia Sotomayor, nominated by Obama on May 26, 2009, to replace retiring Associate Justice David Souter, was confirmed on August 6, 2009,[128] becoming the first Hispanic to be a Supreme Court Justice.[129] Elena Kagan, nominated by Obama on May 10, 2010, to replace retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, was confirmed on August 5, 2010, bringing the number of women sitting simultaneously on the Court to three, for the first time in American history.[130]

On September 30, 2009, the Obama administration proposed new regulations on power plants, factories and oil refineries in an attempt to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to curb global warming.[131][132]

On October 8, 2009, Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a measure that expands the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.[133][134][135]

On March 30, 2010, Obama signed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, a reconciliation bill which ends the process of the federal government giving subsidies to private banks to give out federally insured loans, increases the Pell Grant scholarship award, and makes changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[136][137][138][139]

In a major space policy speech in April 2010, Obama announced a planned change in direction at NASA, the U.S. space agency. He ended plans for a return of manned spaceflight to the moon and ended development of the Ares I rocket, Ares V rocket and Constellation program. He is focusing funding (which is expected to rise modestly) on Earth science projects and a new rocket type, as well as research and development for an eventual manned mission to Mars. Missions to the International Space Station are expected to continue until 2020.[140]
Economic policy

On February 17, 2009, Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion economic stimulus package aimed at helping the economy recover from the deepening worldwide recession.[141] The act includes increased federal spending for health care, infrastructure, education, various tax breaks and incentives, and direct assistance to individuals,[142] which is being distributed over the course of several years.
President Barack Obama signs the ARRA into law on February 17, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. Vice President Joe Biden stands behind him.

In March, Obama's Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, took further steps to manage the financial crisis, including introducing the Public-Private Investment Program for Legacy Assets, which contains provisions for buying up to $2 trillion in depreciated real estate assets.[143]

Obama intervened in the troubled automotive industry[144] in March 2009, renewing loans for General Motors and Chrysler to continue operations while reorganizing. Over the following months the White House set terms for both firms' bankruptcies, including the sale of Chrysler to Italian automaker Fiat[145] and a reorganization of GM giving the U.S. government a temporary 60% equity stake in the company, with the Canadian government shouldering a 12% stake.[146] In June 2009, dissatisfied with the pace of economic stimulus, Obama called on his cabinet to accelerate the investment.[147] He signed into law the Car Allowance Rebate System, known colloquially as "Cash for Clunkers", that had mixed results.[148][149][150]

Although spending and loan guarantees from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department authorized by the Bush and Obama administrations totaled about $11.5 trillion, only $3 trillion had actually been spent by the end of November 2009.[151] However, Obama and the Congressional Budget Office predict that the 2010 budget deficit will be $1.5 trillion or 10.6% of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) compared to the 2009 deficit of $1.4 trillion or 9.9% of GDP.[152][153] For 2011, the administration predicted the deficit will slightly shrink to $1.34, while the 10-year deficit will increase to $8.53 trillion or 80% of GDP.[154]

Unemployment numbers rose briefly to as high as 10.1% in October 2009 (the highest since 1983)[155] before decreasing to 9.5% in June 2010.[156] In the first quarter of 2010, the U.S. economy expanded at a 2.7% pace[157] after growing at its fastest rate in six years in the fourth quarter, 5.7%.[158] In July 2010, the Federal Reserve expressed that although economic activity continued to increase, its pace had slowed and its Chairman, Ben Bernanke, stated that the economic outlook was "unusually uncertain."[159]

The Congressional Budget Office and a broad range of economists credit Obama's stimulus plan for economic growth.[160][161] The CBO released a report stating that the stimulus bill increased employment by 1–2.1 million,[162][163][164][165] while conceding that "It is impossible to determine how many of the reported jobs would have existed in the absence of the stimulus package."[166] Although an April 2010 survey of members of the National Association for Business Economics showed an increase in job creation (over a similar January survey) for the first time in two years, 73% of the 68 respondents believed that the stimulus bill has had no impact on employment.[167]

Within a month of the 2010 midterm elections, Obama announced a compromise deal with the Congressional Republican leadership that included a temporary, two-year extension of the 2001 and 2003 income tax rates, a one-year payroll tax reduction, continuation of unemployment benefits, and a new rate and exemption amount for estate taxes.[168] The compromise overcome opposition from some in both parties, and the resulting $858 billion Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 passed with bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress before Obama signed it on December 17, 2010.[169]
Health care reform
Main article: Health care reform in the United States
Obama signs bill at desk while others look on.
Barack Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the White House, March 23, 2010.

Obama called for Congress to pass legislation reforming health care in the United States, a key campaign promise and a top legislative goal.[170] He proposed an expansion of health insurance coverage to cover the uninsured, to cap premium increases, and to allow people to retain their coverage when they leave or change jobs. His proposal was to spend $900 billion over 10 years and include a government insurance plan, also known as the public option, to compete with the corporate insurance sector as a main component to lowering costs and improving quality of health care. It would also make it illegal for insurers to drop sick people or deny them coverage for pre-existing conditions, and require every American carry health coverage. The plan also includes medical spending cuts and taxes on insurance companies that offer expensive plans.[171][172]

On July 14, 2009, House Democratic leaders introduced a 1,017-page plan for overhauling the U.S. health care system, which Obama wanted Congress to approve by the end of 2009.[170] After much public debate during the Congressional summer recess of 2009, Obama delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress on September 9 where he addressed concerns over his administration's proposals.[173]

On November 7, 2009, a health care bill featuring the public option was passed in the House.[174][175] On December 24, 2009, the Senate passed its own bill—without a public option—on a party-line vote of 60–39.[176] On March 21, 2010, the health care bill passed by the Senate in December was passed in the House by a vote of 219 to 212.[177] Obama signed the bill into law on March 23, 2010.[178]
Gulf of Mexico oil spill
Main article: Deepwater Horizon oil spill

On April 20, 2010, an explosion destroyed an offshore drilling rig at the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a major sustained oil leak. The well's operator, BP, initiated a containment and cleanup plan, and began drilling two relief wells intended to stop the flow. Obama visited the Gulf on May 2 among visits by members of his cabinet, and again on May 28 and June 4. He began a federal investigation and formed a bipartisan commission to recommend new safety standards, after a review by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and concurrent Congressional hearings. On May 27, he announced a 6-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling permits and leases, pending regulatory review.[179] As multiple efforts by BP failed, some in the media and public expressed confusion and criticism over various aspects of the incident, and stated a desire for more involvement by Obama and the federal government.[180][181][182][183][184]
Foreign and defense policy
President Obama in discussion with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the 2009 Pittsburgh G-20 Summit
Main article: Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration

In February and March, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made separate overseas trips to announce a "new era" in U.S. foreign relations with Russia and Europe, using the terms "break" and "reset" to signal major changes from the policies of the preceding administration.[185] Obama's granting of his first television interview as president to an Arabic cable network, Al Arabiya, was seen as an attempt to reach out to Arab leaders.[186]

On March 19, Obama continued his outreach to the Muslim world, releasing a New Year's video message to the people and government of Iran.[187] This attempt at outreach was rebuffed by the Iranian leadership.[188] In April, Obama gave a speech in Ankara, Turkey, which was well received by many Arab governments.[189] On June 4, 2009, Obama delivered a speech at Cairo University in Egypt calling for "a new beginning" in relations between the Islamic world and the United States and promoting Middle East peace.[190]
British Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama, during the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit.

On June 26, 2009, in response to the Iranian government's actions towards protesters following Iran's 2009 presidential election, Obama said: "The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. We see it and we condemn it."[191] On July 7, while in Moscow, he responded to a Vice President Biden comment on a possible Israeli military strike on Iran by saying: "We have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the Middle East."[192]

On September 24, 2009, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to preside over a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.[193]

In March 2010, Obama took a public stance against plans by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue building Jewish housing projects in predominantly Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.[194][195] During the same month, an agreement was reached with the administration of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with a new pact reducing the number of long-range nuclear weapons in the arsenals of both countries by about one-third.[196]

During his presidential campaign, Obama supported allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military.[197] As president, he continued to call for the end of policies restricting gays from serving[198] which culminated in both houses of Congress repealing the ban on December 18, 2010.[199]
Iraq war
Obama declares the end of combat operations in Iraq.
Main article: Iraq War

During his presidential transition, President-elect Obama announced that he would retain the incumbent Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, in his Cabinet.[200]

On February 27, 2009, Obama declared that combat operations would end in Iraq within 18 months. His remarks were made to a group of Marines preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. Obama said, "Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end."[201] The Obama administration scheduled the withdrawal of combat troops to be completed by August 2010, decreasing troops levels from 142,000 while leaving a transitional force of 35,000 to 50,000 in Iraq until the end of 2011. On August 19, 2010, the last US combat brigade exited Iraq. The plan is to transition the mission of the remaining troops from combat operations to counter-terrorism and the training, equipping, and advising of Iraqi security forces.[202][203] On August 31, 2010, Obama announced that the U.S. combat mission in Iraq was over.[204]
War in Afghanistan
Main article: War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

Early in his presidency, Obama moved to bolster U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan.[205] He announced an increase to U.S. troop levels of 17,000 in February 2009 to "stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan", an area he said had not received the "strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires".[206] He replaced the military commander in Afghanistan, General David D. McKiernan, with former Special Forces commander Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal in May 2009, indicating that McChrystal's Special Forces experience would facilitate the use of counterinsurgency tactics in the war.[207] On December 1, 2009, Obama announced the deployment of an additional 30,000 military personnel to Afghanistan.[208] He also proposed to begin troop withdrawals 18 months from that date.[209][210] McChrystal was replaced by David Petraeus in June 2010 after McChrystal's staff criticized White House personnel in a magazine article.[211]
2010 midterm election

Obama called the November 2, 2010 election, where the Democratic Party lost many seats in, and control of, the House of Representatives,[212] "humbling" and a "shellacking".[213] He said that the results came because not enough Americans had felt the effects of the economic recovery.[214]
Cultural and political image
Group portrait of five presidential men in dark suits and ties
President George W. Bush invited then-President-elect Barack Obama and former Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter to a meeting in the Oval Office on January 7, 2009.
Main article: Public image of Barack Obama
See also: International media reaction to Barack Obama's 2008 election

Obama's family history, early life and upbringing, and Ivy League education differ markedly from those of African-American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the civil rights movement.[215] Obama is also not a descendent of American slaves.[216] Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough", Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists that "we're still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."[217] Obama acknowledged his youthful image in an October 2007 campaign speech, saying: "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."[218]

Obama is frequently referred to as an exceptional orator.[219] During his pre-inauguration transition period and continuing into his presidency, Obama has delivered a series of weekly Internet video addresses.[220]
20090124 WeeklyAddress.ogv
Play video
Obama presents his first weekly address as President of the United States on January 24, 2009, discussing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

According to the Pew Research Center, Obama's approval ratings dropped from 64% in February, 2009 to 49% in December, a trend similar to Ronald Reagan's and Bill Clinton's first years.[221] Polls show strong support for Obama in other countries,[222] and before being elected President he has met with prominent foreign figures including then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair,[223] Italy's Democratic Party leader and then Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni,[224] and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.[225]

According to a May 2009 poll conducted by Harris Interactive for France 24 and the International Herald Tribune, Obama was rated as the most popular world leader, as well as the one figure most people would pin their hopes on for pulling the world out of the economic downturn.[226]

Obama won Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Awards for abridged audiobook versions of Dreams from My Father in February 2006 and for The Audacity of Hope in February 2008.[227] His concession speech after the New Hampshire primary was set to music by independent artists as the music video "Yes We Can", which was viewed by 10 million people on YouTube in its first month[228] and received a Daytime Emmy Award.[229] In December 2008, Time magazine named Barack Obama as its Person of the Year for his historic candidacy and election, which it described as "the steady march of seemingly impossible accomplishments".[230]

On October 9, 2009, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Obama had won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".[231] Obama accepted this award in Oslo, Norway on December 10, 2009, with "deep gratitude and great humility."[232] The award drew a mixture of praise and criticism from world leaders and media figures.[233][234] Obama is the fourth U.S. president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the third to become a Nobel laureate while in office.

A 2010 Siena College poll of 238 Presidential scholars found that Obama was ranked 15th out of 43, with high ratings for imagination, communication ability and intelligence and a low rating for background (family, education and experience).[235]
Family and personal life
Barack and Michelle Obama, their children, and her mother, along with a costumed Easter Bunny, on a balcony waving.
Barack Obama together with his family and a costumed Easter Bunny, as they wave from the South Portico of the White House to guests attending the White House Easter Egg Roll.
Main articles: Early life and career of Barack Obama and Family of Barack Obama

In a 2006 interview, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "It's like a little mini-United Nations", he said. "I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher."[236] Obama has seven half-siblings from his Kenyan father's family – six of them living – and a half-sister with whom he was raised, Maya Soetoro-Ng, the daughter of his mother and her Indonesian second husband.[237] Obama's mother was survived by her Kansas-born mother, Madelyn Dunham,[238] until her death on November 2, 2008,[239] two days before his election to the Presidency. In Dreams from My Father, Obama ties his mother's family history to possible Native American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.[240] Obama's great-uncle served in the 89th Division that overran Ohrdruf,[241] the first of the Nazi concentration camps to be liberated by U.S. troops during World War II.[242]

Obama was known as "Barry" in his youth, but asked to be addressed with his given name during his college years.[243] Besides his native English, Obama speaks Indonesian at the conversational level, which he learned during his four childhood years in Jakarta.[244] He plays basketball, a sport he participated in as a member of his high school's varsity team.[245]
Obama holding a basketball above his head in midair while four other players look at him. He looks toward the camera over his right shoulder.
Obama playing basketball with U.S. military at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti in 2006[246]
Obama receiving a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey from Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who campaigned for Obama in 2008[247]

Obama is a well known supporter of the Chicago White Sox, and threw out the first pitch at the 2005 ALCS when he was still a Senator.[248] In 2009, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the all star game while wearing a White Sox jacket.[249] He is also primarily a Chicago Bears fan in the NFL, but is known to also support the Pittsburgh Steelers,[247] and openly rooted for them in their victory in Super Bowl XLIII 12 days after Obama took office as President.[250]

In June 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson when he was employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin.[251] Assigned for three months as Obama's adviser at the firm, Robinson joined him at group social functions, but declined his initial requests to date.[252] They began dating later that summer, became engaged in 1991, and were married on October 3, 1992.[253] The couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born on July 4, 1998,[254] followed by a second daughter, Natasha ("Sasha"), on June 10, 2001.[255] The Obama daughters attended the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. When they moved to Washington, D.C., in January 2009, the girls started at the private Sidwell Friends School.[256] The Obamas have a Portuguese Water Dog named Bo, a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy.[257]

Applying the proceeds of a book deal, the family moved in 2005 from a Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to a $1.6 million house in neighboring Kenwood, Chicago.[258] The purchase of an adjacent lot and sale of part of it to Obama by the wife of developer, campaign donor and friend Tony Rezko attracted media attention because of Rezko's subsequent indictment and conviction on political corruption charges that were unrelated to Obama.[259]

In December 2007, Money magazine estimated the Obama family's net worth at $1.3 million.[260] Their 2009 tax return showed a household income of $5.5 million—up from about $4.2 million in 2007 and $1.6 million in 2005—mostly from sales of his books.[261][262]

Obama tried to quit smoking several times over the years and has used nicotine replacement therapy.[263][264][265] However in June 2010, during a congratulatory phone call to president-elect Benigno Aquino of the Philippines, Obama told Aquino that he had quit and would offer advice on how to stop smoking when Aquino was himself ready for that step.[266]
Religious views

As he described in The Audacity of Hope, Obama is a Christian whose religious views developed in his adult life. He wrote that he "was not raised in a religious household". He described his mother, raised by non-religious parents (whom Obama has specified elsewhere as "non-practicing Methodists and Baptists"), to be detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known". He described his father as "raised a Muslim", but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful". Obama explained how, through working with black churches as a community organizer while in his twenties, he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change".[267]

More recently, Obama has commented on his religious views in the following statement:

    I'm a Christian by choice. My family didn't—frankly, they weren't folks who went to church every week. And my mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew, but she didn't raise me in the church. So I came to my Christian faith later in life, and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead—being my brothers' and sisters' keeper, treating others as they would treat me. I think also understanding that Jesus Christ dying for my sins spoke to the humility we all have to have as human beings, that we're sinful and we're flawed and we make mistakes, and that we achieve salvation through the grace of God. But what we can do, as flawed as we are, is still see God in other people and do our best to help them find their own grace. That's what I strive to do. That's what I pray to do every day. I think my public service is part of that effort to express my Christian faith.
    —President Barack Obama, September 27, 2010[268][269]

Obama was baptized at the Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988 and was an active member there for two decades.[270] Obama resigned from Trinity during the Presidential campaign after controversial statements made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright became public.[271] After a prolonged effort to find a church to attend regularly in Washington, Obama announced in June 2009 that his primary place of worship would be the Evergreen Chapel at Camp David.[272

AAMIR KHAN

2010-12-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

Khan was born in Bandra's Holy Family Hospital, Mumbai, India, to a Muslim[7] family that has been actively involved in the Indian motion picture industry for several decades. His father, Tahir Hussain, was a film producer while his uncle, Nasir Hussain, was a film producer as well as a director and an actor.

He is a descendant of the Muslim scholar and politician Maulana Abul Kalam Azad[8] and a second cousin to former Chairperson of Rajya Sabha Dr Najma Heptullah.
Aamir Khan (Hindi: आमिर ख़ान, Urdu: عامر حسسیں خان), pronounced [ˈaːmɪr ˈxaːn]; born Aamir Hussain Khan on 14 March 1965) is an Indian film actor, director and producer who has worked in a number of critically and commercially successful films, and has established himself as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema.[1][2][3]

Starting his career as a child actor in his uncle Nasir Hussain's film Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Khan began his professional career eleven years later with Holi (1984) and had his first commercial success with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). He received his first National Film Award (Special Jury Award) for his role in the film Raakh (1989). After seven previous nominations during the 1980s and 1990s, Khan received his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance in the major grosser Raja Hindustani (1996)[4][5] and later earned his second Best Actor award for his performance in the Academy Award-nominated Lagaan, which also marked the debut of his own production company.
Following a four-year break from acting, Khan made his comeback playing the title role in the historical Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005), and later won a Critics Award for Best Performance for his role in Rang De Basanti (2006). The following year, he made his directorial debut with Taare Zameen Par, for which he received a Filmfare Award for Best Director. This was followed by Ghajini (2008), which became the highest grossing film of that year, and 3 Idiots (2009), which became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all-time, unadjusted for inflation.[6] The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010 for his contributions to Indian cinema.

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Actor
Year    Film    Role    Notes
1973    Yaadon Ki Baaraat    Young Ratan
1974    Madhosh    Child artist
1984    Holi    Madan Sharma
1988    Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak    Raj    Winner, Filmfare Best Male Debut Award
Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1989    Raakh    Aamir Hussein    Winner, National Film Award - Special Jury Award
Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
Love Love Love    Amit
1990    Awwal Number    Sunny
Tum Mere Ho    Shiva
Dil    Raja    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
Deewana Mujh Sa Nahin    Ajay Sharma
Jawani Zindabad    Shashi
1991    Afsana Pyaar Ka    Raj
Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin    Raghu Jetley    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
Isi Ka Naam Zindagi    Chotu
Daulat Ki Jung    Rajesh Chaudhry
1992    Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar    Sanjaylal Sharma    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1993    Parampara    Ranbir Prithvi Singh
Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke    Rahul Malhotra    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1994    Andaz Apna Apna    Amar Manohar    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1995    Baazi    Inspector Amar Damjee
Aatank Hi Aatank    Rohan
Rangeela    Munna    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
Akele Hum Akele Tum    Rohit
1996    Raja Hindustani    Raja Hindustani    Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1997    Ishq    Raja
1998    Ghulam    Siddharth Marathe    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
Nominated, Filmfare Best Male Playback Award
1999    Sarfarosh    Ajay Singh Rathod    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
Mann    Dev Karan Singh
Earth (1947)    Dil Navaz
2000    Mela    Kishan Pyare
2001    Lagaan    Bhuvan    Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award
Dil Chahta Hai    Akash Malhotra    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
2005    Mangal Pandey: The Rising    Mangal Pandey    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
2006    Rang De Basanti    Daljit Singh 'DJ'    Winner, Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance
Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
Fanaa    Rehan Quadri
2007    Taare Zameen Par    Ram Shankar Nikumbh    Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award
2008    Ghajini    Sanjay Singhania    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
2009    Luck by Chance    Himself    Special appearance
3 Idiots    Ranncchoddas Shamalaldas
Chanchad (Rancho)/
Phunsukh Wangdu    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
2011    Dhobi Ghat    Arun    Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 2010.
Delhi Belly        Guest appearance
See also

    * List of Indian film actors

[edit] References
   1. ^ "Readers' Picks: Top Bollywood Actors". Rediff. 17 August 2006. http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/17sd11.htm. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
   2. ^ "Powerlist: Top Bollywood Actors". Rediff. 8 August 2006. http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/08sld11.htm. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
   3. ^ "Box Office 2000s Decade in Review". IBOS. 19 January 2010. http://www.ibosnetwork.com/newsmanager/templates/template1.aspx?a=21931&z=9. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
   4. ^ Press Trust India (30 November 2000). "'I become the audience'". Rediff. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2000/nov/30aamir.htm. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
   5. ^ "The Aamir Khan Station". IBOS Network. http://www.ibosnetwork.com/asp/clsActorDisplay.asp?actor=Aamir+Khan&layout=filmography. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
   6. ^ a b Nama Ramachandran (6 January 2010). "'3 Idiots' nabs Bollywood B.O. crown". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118013378.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&ref=bd_film. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
   7. ^ "Bollywood Gets Political". Foreign Policy In Focus. 2008-10-24. http://www.fpif.org/articles/bollywood_gets_political.
   8. ^ Kidwai, Rasheed (31 May 2004). "Badshah at durbar and dinner - I am really proud of you, Shah Rukh tells Sonia". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040531/asp/frontpage/story_3313328.asp. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
   9. ^ "Box Office 1990". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=196&catName=MTk5MA==. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
10. ^ "Box Office 1992". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=198&catName=MTk5Ng==. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
11. ^ "Box Office 1993". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=199&catName=MTk5Mw==. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
12. ^ "Box Office 1995". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=201&catName=MTk5NQ==. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
13. ^ Ashley Gujaadhur. "Andaz Apna Apna". Planet Bollywood. http://www.planetbollywood.com/Film/AndazApnaApna/. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
14. ^ "Box Office 1996". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=202&catName=MTk5Ng==. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
15. ^ "Box Office 1998". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=204&catName=MTk5OA==. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
16. ^ "Box Office 2000". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=206&catName=MjAwMA==. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
17. ^ a b "Box Office 2001". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=207&catName=MjAwMQ==. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
18. ^ Taran Adarsh (26 January 2006). "Rang De Basanti". Bollywood Hungama. http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/review/12493/index.html. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
19. ^ a b "Box Office 2006". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=212&catName=MjAwNg==. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
20. ^ Taran Adarsh (26 May 2006). "Fanaa: Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama.
21. ^ "Ghajini Opens To A Phenomenal Response All Over". BoxOfficeIndia. 27 December 2008. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=671&nCat=box_office_report&PHPSESSID=0fc7ca1333fc137213d103000d2eac37. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
22. ^ ‘3 Idiots’ Best Film; Big B, Vidya Best Actors at Filmfare Awards
23. ^ "Awards for Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169102/awards. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
24. ^ "Taare Zameen Par, Chak De top directors' pick in 2007". Economic Times. 29 December 2007. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080421200216/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Directors_pick_Taare_Zameen_Chak_De/articleshow/2661102.cms. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
25. ^ "Filmfare: 'Jodha...' bags 5, Priyanka, Hrithik shine". Times of India. 1 March 2009. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4205152,prtpage-1.cms. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
26. ^ "Will Dhobi Ghat appeal to Indians?'". movies.rediff.com.
27. ^ "Aamir Khan Kiran Rao Wedding Marriage Amir Wife Reena Dutta Divorce". http://celebrity.psyphil.com/aamir-khan-kiran-rao-wedding-amir-khan-wife-reena-dutta-divorce/. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
28. ^ Press Trust of India (1 January 2006). "Grand reception for Aamir Khan-Kiran Rao wedding". Indian Express. http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=60745. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
29. ^ Anil Sinanan (27 February 2008). "Aamir Khan's defiant stand against Bollywood awards". Times. London. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/bollywood/article3445727.ece. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
30. ^ "Aamir declines Madame Tussauds". Indiatimes. 22 November 2007. http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2561771.cms. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
31. ^ "Aamir Khan turns down Madam Tussauds". IBOS. 26 November 2007. http://www.ibosnetwork.com/newsmanager/templates/template1.aspx?a=21052&z=4. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
32. ^ Press Trust of India (2 November 2007). "Aamir's family supports him against father". Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Aamirs_family_supports_him_against_father/articleshow/2513131.cms. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
33. ^ "Aamir Khan's father Tahir Hussain passes away". Bollywood Hungama. 2 February 2010. http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/02/13730/index.html. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
34. ^ Janki Dave (10 February 2009). "Gandhiji inspires me, says Aamir". Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_Buzz/Gandhiji_inspires_me_says_Aamir/articleshow/4100924.cms. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
35. ^ IndiaFM News Bureau (26 December 2007). "Aamir Khan to produce Delhi Belly". Bolywood Hungama. http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2007/12/26/10662/index.html. Retrieved 26 January 2010.

SALMAN KHAN

2010-12-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

Salman Khan PicturesAbdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (Hindi: सलमान ख़ान, Urdu: سلمان خان, pronounced [səlˈmɑːn ˈxɑːn]; born 27 December 1965) is anIndian film actor who appears in Bollywood films.

Khan, who made his acting debut with the film Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), had his first commercial success with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), and won a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for his performance. He went on to star in some of Bollywood’s most successful films, such as Saajan (1991), Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994), Karan Arjun (1995), Biwi No.1 (1999), having appeared in the highest earning films of five separate years during his career.
In 1999, Khan won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his extended appearance in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), and since then has starred in several critical and commercial successes, including Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Tere Naam (2003), No Entry (2005)Partner (2007) and Wanted (2009). Khan has thus established himself as one of the most prominent leading actors of Hindi cinema.

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Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
1988	Biwi Ho To Aisi	Vicky Bhandari
1989	Maine Pyar Kiya	Prem Choudhary	Winner, Filmfare Best Male Debut Award Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1990	Baaghi: A Rebel for Love	Saajan Sood
1991	Sanam Bewafa	Salman Khan
	Patthar Ke Phool	Inspector Suraj
	Kurbaan	Akash Singh
	Love	Prithvi
	Saajan	Akash Varma
1992	Suryavanshi	Vicky/Suryavanshi Vikram Singh
	Ek Ladka Ek Ladki	Raja
	Jaagruti	Jugnu
	Nishchaiy	Rohan Yadav/Vasudev Gujral
1993	Chandra Mukhi	Raja Rai
1993	Dil Tera Aashiq	Vijay
1994	Andaz Apna Apna	Prem Bhopali
	Hum Aapke Hain Kaun…!	Prem Niwas
	Chaand Kaa Tukdaa	Shyam Malhotra
	Sangdil Sanam	Kishan
1995	Karan Arjun	Karan Singh/Ajay	Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1995	Veergati	Ajay
1996	Majhdhaar	Gopal
	Khamoshi: The Musical	Raj
	Jeet	Raju	Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award
	Dushman Duniya Ka		Special appearance
1997	Judwaa	Raja/Prem Malhotra	Double role
	Auzaar	Inspector Suraj Prakash
	Dus	Captain Jeet Sharma	Incomplete film
	Deewana Mastana	Prem Kumar	Special appearance
1998	Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya	Suraj Khanna	Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
	Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai	Suraj Dhanrajgir
	Sar Utha Ke Jiyo		Special appearance
	Bandhan	Raju
	Kuch Kuch Hota Hai	Aman Mehra	Winner, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award Special appearance
1999	Jaanam Samjha Karo	Rahul
	Biwi No.1	Prem	Nominated, Filmfare Best Comedian Award
	Sirf Tum	Prem	Special appearance
	Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam	Sameer Rafillini	Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
	Hello Brother	Hero
	Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United	Prem
2000	Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge	Raja Oberoi
	Chal Mere Bhai	Prem Oberoi
	Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega	Raj/Romi
	Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke		Friendly appearance
	Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye	Prem Kapoor
2001	Chori Chori Chupke Chupke	Raj Malhotra
2002	Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge	Veer Singh Thakur/Ali
	Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam	Suraj
	Yeh Hai Jalwa	Raj ‘Raju’ Saxena/Raj Mittal
2003	Love at Times Square		Special appearance (song)
	Stumped		Special appearance (song)
	Tere Naam	Radhe Mohan	Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award
	Baghban	Alok Raj	Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award Special appearance
2004	Garv: Pride and Honour	Inspector Arjun Ranavat
	Mujhse Shaadi Karogi	Sameer Malhotra
	Phir Milenge	Rohit Manchanda
	Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa	Rishabh
2005	Lucky: No Time for Love	Aditya
	Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?	Dr. Samir Malhotra
	No Entry	Prem	Nominated, Filmfare Best Comedian Award
	Kyon Ki	Anand
2006	Saawan: The Love Season	Bhagwan’s Messenger
	Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar	Ayaan
	Jaan-E-Mann	Suhaan
	Baabul	Avinash Kapoor
2007	Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love	Rahul
	Partner	Prem
	Marigold: An Adventure in India	Prem
	Om Shanti Om	Himself	Special appearance in song Deewangi Deewangi
	Saawariya	Imaan
2008	God Tussi Great Ho	Arun Prajapati
	Hello	Himself	Special appearance
	Heroes	Balkar Singh/Jassvinder Singh
	Yuvvraaj	Deven Yuvvraaj
2009	Wanted	Radhe
	Main Aurr Mrs Khanna	Samir Khanna
	London Dreams	Maanu
	Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani	Himself	Special appearance
2010	Veer	Veer
	Prem Kaa Game	The Sutradhaar (narrator)
	Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai		Releasing on July 9, 2010
	Dabangg	Chulbul Pandey	Releasing on September 10, 2010

SHAHRUKH KHAN

2010-12-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

BOLLYWOOD
    Mumbai, India

    ♥♥♥ BOLLYWOOD ♥♥♥ Bangladesh India United States Pakistan Egypt Netherlands Indonesia Saudi Arabia United Kingdom United Arab Emirates Malaysia Germany Italy Morocco Tunisia France Australia Turkey Sri Lanka Bulgaria Norway Brunei Switzerland Colombia Spain
General manager:
    ANAMUL HOQ KHAN (iamahk)
Public transport:
    "I cannot repay my fans for what they have done for me, they have given me so much love and that love has taken me to the number 1 position where I am today, the only thing I can do for my fans is to never stop working "

    "The dream I chased, took me on a journey. A journey more rewarding then the goals, the achievements. When I look back it's like facing a million mirrors. Each reflection opens a window. A window to the world I've just discovered...... The world I want to share with all of you"

    "I'd die if people didn't recognize me. I would not be able to walk on the road if people didn't mob me. That's what I work for.".............

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    SHAHRUKH KHAN
    Surname :
    KHAN
    Called:
    The King Khan, Baadshah of Bollywood " The King of Bollywood"
    Day of Birth:
    2nd of November, 1965
    Place of Birth:
    Talwar Nursing Home (Rajinder Nagar) New Delhi-India
    Shah Rukh was born with the umbilical cord entangled around his neck. A nurse said that it was by the blessings of Hanuman and that he would be a very lucky child.
    Wife: Gauri Chibber Khan who graduated from Modern school, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi.
    Father:
    Mir Taj Mohammed
    (a lawyer and a freedom fighter, who died of cancer in 1981)
    Mother:
    Fatima Begum
    (A social worker and a first class magistrate, who died of complications from diabetes in 1991)
    Siblings:
    one sister named Shehnaz fondly called Lala Rukh
    Zodiac Sign:
    Scorpio
    Religion:
    Muslim
    Height:
    5'9'' (around 1,75 m)
    Weight:
    Around 75 kg
    Eyes:
    Magic brown
    Hair Color:
    Shiney black
    Education:
    High School: St. Columbia High School In New Delhi.
    College: Graduated from Hansraj College, & then Masters in Mass Communication from Jamiya Miliya Islamiya, New Delhi
    Occupation:
    Actor, producer
    If not an Actor:
    In the arm force or a school teacher.
    Start his Career:
    In a TV serial called "Fauji"
    Film Debut:
    Deewana (1992)
    Hobbies & Interests:
    his family, his work, playing computer games
    Martial Status:
    Married, since October 25, 1991 with Gauri Chibber / Khan
    (born 8th of October 1970)
    Children:
    son Aryan (born on the 13th of November, 1997)
    daughter Suhana (born on 22nd of May 2000)

    Upcoming Flim :

    Don 2
    Cast- Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Arjun Rampal, Lara Dutta, Boman Irani, Om Puri
    Director -Farhan Akhtar

    Happy New Year
    Cast- Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone
    Director- Farha Khan

    Ra. One – G.One
    Star Cast – Shahrukh Khan, Arjun Rampal, Shahana Goswami, Kareena Kapoor
    Director- Anubhav Sinha

    Always Kabhi Kabhi
    Star Cast- Shahrukh Khan, Zoa Morani, Archana Puran Singh, Satish Shah
    Director- Roshan Abbas

    Ferrari Ki Sawaari
    Star Cast- Shahrukh Khan and others
    Director- Rajesh Mapuskar
    1. Don (2006/I) (playback singer)
    2. Josh (2000) (playback singer)
    3. Baadshah (1999) (playback singer)
    Stunts:
    1. Main Hoon Na (2004) (stunt director: thrills)
    2. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) (stunt director: thrills)
    Thanks:
    1. Luck by Chance (2009) (very special thanks)
    2. Krazzy 4 (2008) (special thanks) (as Shah Rukh Khan)
    3. Heyy Babyy (2007) (thanks)
    4. Americanizing Shelley (2007) (grateful acknowledgment)
    5. Eklavya (2007) (special thanks)
    6. Zindaggi Rocks (2006) (special thanks)
    7. Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye (2005) (special thanks)
    8. My Karma (2004) (the producers wish to thank)
    9. Saathiya (2002) (very special thanks)
    10. Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega... (2000) (special thanks)
    8. Kismat Konnection (2008) (voice) .... Narrator
    9. Bhoothnath (2008) .... Aditya Sharma
    10. Shaurya (2008) (voice)
    11. Om Shanti Om (2007) .... Om Prakash Makhija/Om 'OK' R. Kapoor
    12. Heyy Babyy (2007) .... Raj Malhotra
    13. Chak De! India (2007) .... Kabir Khan
    14. I See You (2006) .... Street Guitarist
    15. Don (2006/I) .... Don / Vijay
    16. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) .... Dev Saran
    17. Alag: He Is Different.... He Is Alone... (2006) .... Special Appearance - Song
    18. Paheli (2005) .... Kishanlal/Ghost
    19. Silsiilay (2005) .... Sutradhar
    20. Kaal (2005) .... Special Appearance (Song)
    21. Swades: We, the People (2004) .... Mohan Bhargav
    22. Veer-Zaara (2004) .... Veer Pratap Singh
    23. Main Hoon Na (2004) .... Maj. Ram Prasad Sharma
    24. Yeh Lamhe Judaai Ke (2004) .... Dushant
    25. Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) .... Aman Mathur
    26. Chalte Chalte (2003) .... Raj Mathur
    27. Saathiya (2002) .... Yeshwant Rao
    28. Shakthi: The Power (2002) .... Jaisingh (Drifter)
    29. Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (2002) .... Gopal
    30. Devdas (2002/I) .... Devdas Mukherji
    31. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) .... Rahul Y. Raichand
    32. Asoka (2001) .... Asoka
    33. One 2 Ka 4 (2001) .... Arun Verma
    34. Gaja Gamini (2000) .... Shahrukh (Special Appearance)
    35. Mohabbatein (2000) .... Raj Aryan Malhotra
    36. Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega... (2000) .... Rahul (Special Appearence)
    37. Josh (2000) .... Max
    38. Hey Ram (2000) .... Amjad Ali Khan
    39. Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000) .... Ajay Bakshi
    40. Baadshah (1999) .... Raj 'Baadshah'
    41. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) .... Rahul Khanna
    42. Dil Se.. (1998) .... Amarkanth Varma
    43. Duplicate (1998) .... Bablu Chaudhary/Manu Dada
    44. Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) .... Rahul
    45. Yes Boss (1997) .... Rahul
    46. Koyla (1997) .... Shanker
    47. Gudgudee (1997) .... Special Appearance
    48. Pardes (1997) .... Arjun Saagar
    49. Dushman Duniya Ka (1996) .... Badru (Rickshaw driver)
    50. Chaahat (1996) .... Roop Singh Rathod
    51. Army (1996) .... Arjun
    52. English Babu Desi Mem (1996) .... Vikram/Hari/Gopal Mayur
    53. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) .... Raj Malhotra
    54. Guddu (1995) .... Guddu Bahadur
    55. Karan Arjun (1995) .... Arjun Singh
    56. Oh Darling Yeh Hai India (1995) .... Hero
    57. Ram Jaane (1995) .... Ram Jaane
    58. Trimurti (1995) .... Romi Singh/Bholey
    59. Zamaana Deewana (1995) .... Rahul Malhotra
    60. Anjaam (1994) .... Vijay Agnihotri
    61. Darr (1993) .... Rahul Mehra
    62. Baazigar (1993) .... Ajay Sharma/Vicky Malhotra
    63. Maya (1993) .... Lalit
    64. Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993) .... Sunil
    65. King Uncle (1993) .... Anil Bansal
    66. Dil Aashna Hai (...The Heart Knows) (1992) .... Karan D. Singh
    67. Chamatkar (1992/I) .... Sunder Srivastava
    68. Deewana (1992) .... Raja Sahai
    69. Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992) (as Shah Rukh Khan) .... Raj Mathur 'Raju'
    70. "Idiot" (1991) TV mini-series .... Pawan Raghujan
    71. "Circus" (1989) TV series
    72. In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989) (TV) .... Senior
    73. "Fauji" (1988) TV series .... Abhimanyu Rai
    Producer:
    1. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) (co-producer)
    2. Om Shanti Om (2007) (producer)
    3. Paheli (2005) (producer)
    4. Kaal (2005) (producer)
    5. Main Hoon Na (2004) (producer)
    6. Chalte Chalte (2003) (producer)
    7. Asoka (2001) (producer)
    8. Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000) (producer)
    Soundtrack:
    1. "So You Think You Can Dance" (2 episodes, 2008)
    - Results Show: Winner Announced (2008) TV episode (performer: "Dhoom Taana")
    - The Top 12 Perform (2008) TV episode (performer: "Dhoom Taana")
    2. Chak De! India (2007) (performer: "Ek Hockey Doongi Rakh Ke")
    Music Department:
    • 2000s
    • 1990s

    This is simply a fan page created and maintained by ...............ANAMUL HOQ KHAN (iamahk). Thank you for being a part of this wonderful fan club. Hope to keep all of you updated on the King of Bollywood. :)
    Thanks by

    ANAMUL HOQ KHAN (iamahk)
    Admin of SHAHRUKH KHAN FAN CLUB

Software and Making account.

2010-10-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

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