Short Biography of SIMÓN BOLÍVAR, SÓCRATES, SOPHIE BLANCHARD, | 200 Words | in English
Biography of SIMÓN BOLÍVAR in Short
(1783-1830)
From 1492, Spanish explorers called Conquistadors began sailing across the Atlantic Ocean and seizing control of parts of America. They enslaved native people, killed others, spread disease, and carried away huge amounts of gold and silver to pay for their wars in Europe.
Simón first learned all of this in 1799, when he moved to Spain after his parents died. He had grown up in Venezuela in South America, in a rich family whose money came from gold and copper mines. While he was in Europe, Simon studied history, philosophy, and literature. He went on rambling walks with one of his old teachers, where they discussed ideas about what it means to be free.
Returning to his homeland, Simón declared that he wanted to start a revolution. He wanted to lead the people of South America as they fought for their freedom after three hundred years of rule by the Spanish.
He gathered a group of soldiers who shared his dream, armed them and marched alongside them over hundreds of miles of jungle, swamp. and dry plains. Deep in the Andes mountains, Simon’s group of revolutionaries fought the royalists and won. It was the start of a long and complicated period of battles. time spent in hiding, and assassination attempts.
In 1819, Simón was made president of the first union of South American countries, and the country of Bolivia was named in his honor. Five years later, on December 9th, the Battle of Ayacucho took place and the Spanish forces were defeated once and for all.
People called Simón The Liberator because he was determined to set them free.
Ultimately, Simón didn’t just liberate Venezuela. He also helped Bolivia, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to free themselves from Spanish rule too. Today, his birthday is a national holiday.
Biography of SÓCRATES in Short
(1954-2011)
Sócrates was born in Brazil, besides the mouth of the mighty Amazon river. He was named after the great Greek philosopher. When he was eight, Sócrates saw his father destroying the books in his library out of fear. Brazil was ruled by a military dictatorship and any material they didn’t agree with could land you in prison. Sócrates never forgot this and promised himself that he would fight oppression when he grew up.
When he got older, he went to play football for a team called Corinthians. A lot of football in Brazil was played by the rich but Sócrates’s team had been started by a group of immigrant laborers in São Paulo.
He founded a group called Corinthians Democracy, which aimed to take on the brutal leaders of Brazil and win back some freedom for its people. The club won the championship in 1982, in shirts that had Democracia printed on them.
During his career, Sócrates was also studying for a degree in medicine. He qualified as a doctor in between training sessions and matches.
Dr. Sócrates quickly gained a reputation as one of the best footballers in the world. He had a style that made it look as though he wasn’t trying and he was always bouncing the ball off the back of his foot. Pelé once said that Sócrates played better going backward than most players did going forwards.
He scored a lot of goals for Brazil internationally and became a hero. He spoke at a rally in front of 1.5 million people, saying that unless the government started free and fair elections, he’d move to Italy and play there. The government didn’t listen Sócrates went to Fiorentina.
Sócrates loved football but he never held it up as being anything other than a game. To him, people’s freedom of expression was more important, and while football could help make that happen, it wasn’t enough. He was named one of the best footballers ever to play, but he is remembered as much for his work off the pitch as what he did on it.
Biography of SOPHIE BLANCHARD in Short
(1778-1819)
In 1804, a Frenchwoman called Sophie Blanchard became the first female aeronaut in the world.
On the ground, Sophie was nervous and shy, too afraid to ride in horse-drawn carriages. In the air, though, she became intrepid. She filled her balloon with fireworks and let them off to the amazement of enthralled crowds. She sent dogs parachuting out of her basket. She even embarked on a treacherous balloon journey over the Alps, where frost froze her face and hands.
Sophie would often pass out from going far too high in her balloon. Sometimes, she would fly out at night and sleep in her balloon among the clouds.
The sky was where she felt most at home.
But it was also dangerous. Having fireworks so close to the flammable hydrogen gas meant the entire balloon could go up in flames at any time. Balloons were also notoriously difficult to control and Sophie often crash-landed. But the fearless woman and her balloon became famous all over France.
Napoleon made Sophie Chief Air Minister of Ballooning. He had plans to use balloons to attack his enemies in future wars and wanted her help.
One day in July 1819, crowds gathered at the Tivoli Gardens in Paris. As Sophie’s balloon rose, she lit fireworks and dropped them, so that they lit up beneath her like shooting stars.
All of a sudden, the sky flashed and flames engulfed the balloon. It rapidly began to sink. Cutting loose the ballast, Sophie thought she was going to make it until she got caught on the side of a house and was thrown into the street below.
With that, Sophie also became the first woman to die in an aviation accident. She was buried in Paris, under a tombstone carved with the image of her balloon in flames.