Category Personalities

What is Jack Kirby famous for?

Kirby’s origin story

From Captain America and The Hulk to The X-Men and the adorable Groot, comic look artist Jack Kirby breathed life into some of Marvel’s biggest and most popular superheroes. Sadly, he never got due recognition in his lifetime.

Written in the form of a graphic novel, “The Epic Life of the King of Comics” by Tom Scioli tells the improbable tale of how a young kid raised in the streets of New York became the most important figure in the evolution of comics.

Rough-and-tumble life

Born as Jacob Kurtzberg on August 28, 1917, Kirby lived in the Lower East Side of Manhattam – a neighbourhood infamous for its violent street gangs, Kirby too joined one of the gangs and led a rough life – partly due to poor financial conditions at home. Years later, these experiences helped him come up with dynamic fight and action sequences in his comics.

Drawing from scrap

The timeless characters that Kirby created are testament to his talent. But id you know how Kirby learnt to draw? No, he could not afford to study at any fancy art school. Instead, he practised his art skills using newspapers stolen from his neighbour’s trash can.

At the age of 11, he started drawing cartoons for the local newspaper. A few years later, he was hired to illustrate columns such as “Your Health Comes First” and “Facts You Never Knew” by another newspaper. From there he moved on to Max Fleischer’s animation studio where he worked for a while creating backgrounds for “Popeye” cartoons.

A timely choice

Working with Timely Comics (which eventually became Marvel), Kirby partnered with writer Joe Simon to come up with the shield-bearing Captain America.

While he was busy illustrating the eye-popping fight scenes of the Cap on paper, he soon experienced them in real life. In 1943, he got drafted into the Army to fight in WWII. On learning of Kirby’s background in the comics industry, his lieutenant made him a scout who would advance into towns and draw reconnaissance maps and pictures, an extremely dangerous duty. During one such mission in Normandy, he nearly lost his leg to frost-bite.

Working with Stan Lee

Kirby worked on several projects with Marvel comics figurehead Stan Lee, and Steve Ditko. They came up with legendary characters such as Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Anti-Man, the collective Avengers, Silver Surfer and the X-Men. But while Lee come into the limelight, Kirby and Ditko remained in the shadows.

At Marvel, Kirby struggled for better pay, royalties, and the return of original artwork.

Later, he worked for other publications including DC Comics, created the Fourth World saga, which includes New Gods, an integral part of the DC universe. He also worked with Neil Gaiman to revive the “Sandman” series.

Work ethic

Kirby was known for his strict work ethic. In his prime, Kirby would draw three or four pages a day, resulting in thousands of pages over the course of his career.

Legacy

Kirby died in 1994, but his name remains etched in stone in the comic world.

Did you know?

  • In 2017, Kirby was posthumously named a Disney Legend with Lee for their co-creations, which formed the heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  • The Jack Kirby Award was presented in his honour from 985-1987 for achievement in comic books.
  • Kirby produced over 25,000 pages during his lifetime as well as hundreds of comic strips and sketches.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Who are Earle and Wisdom?

The Midway Atoll is a territory of the U.S. that is roughly equidistant from both North America and Asia. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument includes 10 islands and atolls and is a World Heritage-listed U.S. National Monument.

Sylvia Earle is an American oceanographer whose work concerns marine biology mainly. (Oceanographers, as the name suggests, study oceans. The science of oceanography, however, covers a wide range of topics, which includes, but is not limited to, marine life and ecosystems, plate tectonics and geology of the sea floor, ocean circulation, and physical and chemical properties of the ocean.)

Her 2012 photos show her talking to a Laysan albatross amidst marine debris that has drifted into the Midway Atoll and observing another Laysan albatross named Wisdom.

Why are they important?

Earle, who was born on August 30, 1935, was the first woman to become chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Her first oceanographic expedition was in 1964 and there’s been no turning back ever since.

Wisdom, the albatross, is not just the oldest confirmed wild bird in the world, but is also the oldest banded bird in the world. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she is “a world renowned symbol of hope for all species that depend upon the health of the ocean to survive”. While it is impossible to know precisely, we can say for certain that she has laid nearly 40 eggs during the course of her lifetime, which around 70 years now.

 

Picture Credit : Google

In 1936, who became the first Indian woman to fly an aircraft?

Sarla Thakral was India’s first ever woman to take to the skies. She got an ‘A’ grade license after 1,000 hours of flying, making history as she was the first one to do so. 

Married at the tender age of 16, Sarla Thakral was mother to a 4 year old when she created history. In pre -partition times, the young woman took off in the two-seater plane in 1936 in Lahore. 

Sarla Thakral turned out to be a natural pilot. After only eight hours and ten minutes of training, her instructor deemed her ready to fly solo! Sarla, clad in a sari, climbed into the cockpit of a Gypsy Moth plane. She proceeded to climb to the required altitude and managed to land the plane on her own, passing her first solo with flying colours. She then underwent intensive training and successfully earned her “A” license after accumulating more than 1,000 hours of flying, becoming the first Indian woman to ever do so, that too at the age of 21.

When India gained Independence in the year 1947, Sarla was still living in Lahore, which was now in Pakistani territory- because of the Partition of India, which had created the two independent states of Pakistan and India. Thakral’s neighbour, worried about her safety because she was a Hindu, warned her of potential threats and advised her to leave Lahore with her daughters. Soon, Sarla and her daughters got on a train headed to Delhi and came back to the city where she was born.

Sarla Thakral passed away on March 15, 2008, at the age of 94, leaving a glorious legacy behind. Juggling the roles of a wife, a mother, a pilot and eventually a successful businesswoman, she not only inspired other women to navigate the skies, but also became an epitome of perseverance and resilience.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Who is the first woman school teacher in India?

Savitribai was the first female teacher of the first women’s school in India and also considered as the pioneer of modern Marathi poetry. In 1852 she opened a school for Untouchable girls.

Savitribai was born in Naigaon village in Satara district to her mother LaxmiBai and father Khandoji Navse Patil, who was the village chief. Savitribai was just nine years old when she was married to JyotiRao Phule (age thirteen) in the year 1840.

SavitriBai had been given a book by a Christian missionary before her marriage which she brought with her to her in-laws house. This shows the attraction she had for words and books despite being uneducated. SavitriBai set up a school for SagunaAau on 1st May 1847 in a backward community. This was their first school.

However, apart from all these oppositions, Savitribai yet continued to teach the girls. Whenever Savitribai went out of her house, groups of orthodox men would follow her and abuse her in obscene language. They would throw rotten eggs, cow dung, tomatoes and stones at her. She would walk meekly and arrive at her school. Fed up with the treatment meted out to her, she decided to give up. But it was because of her husband that she continued with her efforts. He told Savitribai that Jyotirao, who was working for women’s education, had started the first girls’ school and required women teachers to assist him.

Jyotirao and Savitribai opposed idolatry and championed the cause of peasants and workers. Both faced social isolation and vicious attacks from the people whom they questioned. Savitribai’s letters give us a good idea about the experiences of women during this social movement. On her death anniversary, a postage stamp was released by the Department of Post and Telegraph.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Who is the only boxer in the world to win eight World Championship medals?

After defeating Columbia’s Valencia Victoria 5-0 at the World Women’s Boxing Championship on Wednesday, MC Mary Kom added an unprecedented eighth World Cup medal to her tally. Mary has 6 gold medals and a silver in the 48 kg category but this will be her first in the 51 kg category. Apart from 7 world cup medals, the southpaw from Manipur also secured an Olympic bronze medal in 2012, five Asian titles, besides other international honours in the Commonwealth games.

Kom was accompanied to London by her mother. Kom’s coach Charles Atkinson could not join her at the Olympic Village as he didn’t possess an International Boxing Association (AIBA) 3 Star Certification, which is mandatory for accreditation. She had all her luggage and passport stolen on the way to the selection camp in Bangkok, Thailand for her first Asian Women’s Boxing Championships. The first Olympic round was held on 5 August 2012, with Kom defeating Karolina Michalczuk of Poland 19–14 in the third women’s boxing match ever to be fought at the Olympics. In the quarter-final, the following day, she defeated Maroua Rahali of Tunisia with a score of 15–6. She faced Nicola Adams of UK in the semi-final on 8 August 2012 and lost the bout 6 points to 11. However, she stood third in the competition and garnered an Olympic bronze medal. In recognition, the Manipur Government awarded her Rs 50 lakhs and two acres of land in a cabinet meeting held on 9 August 2012.

Mary Kom set a new standard in amateur boxing without ever competing in professional boxing. In 2015, Kom became the first amateur to surpass several professional athletes in India in earnings, endorsements and awards. She is the first amateur athlete to win the Padma Bhushan.

 

Picture Credit : Google

In 1959, which swimmer from Kolkata became the first Indian woman to cross the English Channel?

The reason Arati is famous is because back in 1959, she became the first Asian woman to swim across the English Channel. She was just 19 at the time. Of course while that is the highlight of her career, there is more to her than just crossing the water body. Her story is one of courage, perseverance and of course endurance. 

She was born into a middle class family in 1940 in Kolkata. Her father was in the armed forces and she lost her mother when she was a toddler. At the age of 4 she used to go with her uncle to Champatala Ghat to bathe and that was where she learned to swim. Her father recognised her interest in swimming and started getting her trained.

Arati’s specialties were 100m freestyle, 100m breast stroke and 200m breast stroke. She dominated the nationals in 1948 and at the 1951 West Bengal state meet, she clocked 1 minute 37.6 seconds in 100m breast stroke to set an all-India record which was previously held by Dolly Nazir. 

She was the toast of the nation and later that year she married her manager Dr. Arun Gupta. A Padma Shri was awarded to her in 1960 and she had also joined Bengal Nagpur Railway.

 

Picture Credit : Google