Famous Figures: Newton, Twain, Chanel

Isaac Newton

• Born in 1642 in Lincolnshire, England
• Father was a farmer who died before he was born
• Mother was a clever woman he loved
• Studied mathematics at Cambridge University
• Made three great discoveries during 18 months at home due to the plague: differential calculus, the nature of white light, and the law of gravitation
• Died at 84 and was buried in Westminster Abbey

Mark Twain

• Born in 1835 in Missouri, USA
• Family moved frequently, preventing him from finishing secondary school
• Began working at age 12
• Became a pilot on the Mississippi River in 1857
• Wrote "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" in 1876
• Achieved world fame for his novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn

Coco Chanel

• Born Gabrielle Chanel in 1883 in Saumur, France
• Mother died when she was young, and she was raised in an orphanage
• Worked as a cabaret singer, earning the nickname "Coco"
• Opened her first fashion house in Paris in 1910
• Created Chanel No. 5 perfume in 1921, one of the world's best-selling perfumes
• Closed her fashion house during WWII, but reopened it in 1954
• Died in 1971, considered one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century

Roald Dahl

• Born in Llandaff, Wales, on September 13, 1916
• Parents were Norwegian: Harald and Sofie Dahl
• Had a challenging childhood; his father died when he was three
• Joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) during WWII as a fighter pilot
• Was shot down in the North African desert during a mission
• Known for children's books like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (1964) and "Matilda" (1988)
• Died on November 23, 1990 at age 74