FOOTPRINTS

  Art, is an act of expressing feelings, thoughts, and observations.  This article, is about a Mexican artist, Pedro Linares López, who turned his dreams into reality. He was known for animal sculptures, known as alebrijes.  Pedro Linares López, was born in Mexico City, Mexico, on 29 June in 1906.  His father worked as a papier-mâché sculptor, and he trained Linares to follow in his footsteps.  At 12 years old, Linares, had become a skilled craftsman of papier-mâché items, like piñatas, and the traditional skeletal figures, called calaveras, which are featured in the annual Day of the Dead celebration.  In 1945, as Linares tells the story, he became very sick, and drifted into a fever dream.  There he encountered fantastical creatures, who shouted nonsensical phrase, “Alebrijes!”. Upon his recovery, he set out to represent these mythical beings in sculpture.  With little success initially, over time, his reputation grew, and he attracted the admir...

Mary Two-Axe Earley, was an Kanien’keháka (Mohawk) woman, from Kahnà:wake, Mohawk Territory. Two-Axe Earley, fought for over two decades against sex discrimination, in the Indian Act, which stripped First Nations women of their Indian status, (now referred to as First Nations), if they married non-Indian men.  “First Nation”, is a term used to describe Aboriginal peoples of Canada, who are ethnically neither Métis nor Inuit. This term came into common usage, in the 1970s and '80s, and generally replaced the term “Indian”.  Under the Indian Act , status Indians, also known as registered Indians, may be eligible for a range of benefits, rights, programs and services offered by the federal and provincial or territorial governments.  Mary Two-Axe Earley, moved to New York, at 18, where she married an Irish-American engineer. Under the provisions of Canada’s Indian Act, her marriage to a non-Indigenous man, meant the loss of her Indian status. The laws, banned First Nations wo...

Australian athlete, Wilhelmina Wylie is the first Australian woman to win a silver medal in Olympic swimming. Wilhelmina “Mina” Wylie, was born on 27 June, 1891, in Sydney, Australia, as the second child of Australasian distance-diving champion, Henry Wylie.  Wylie grew up in South Coogee, Sydney, where her father Henry Wylie, built Wylie's Baths, in 1907. The Baths are the oldest surviving communal sea baths in Australia. Her swimming achievements began much earlier than most. Wylie joined her father and brothers, in successfully swimming with her hands and feet tied, at only five years old! She placed second, in her first conventional swim meet, before turning 10. She continued to train rigorously throughout her youth, at Wylie’s Baths.  The next year, Wylie broke the world record, in the 100-yard freestyle event. She set her sights, on the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, which was the first to hold a women’s swimming event.  But Wylie’s aims were complicated, by an outdated r...

  Polish filmmaker and screenwriter, Krzysztof Kieślowski, who is widely regarded, as one of the world’s most influential directors of art-house cinema.   Before we begin this video, if you are new to footprints, subscribe to our channel, for more videos on history, biography, world facts, etc...  Kieślowski, was born on 27 June, 1941, in Warsaw, Poland. At sixteen, he attended a firefighters' training school, but dropped out after three months.  Without any career goals, he then entered, the College for Theatre Technicians in Warsaw, in 1957, because it was run by a relative.  He wanted to become a theatre director, but lacked the required bachelor's degree for the theatre department, so he chose to study film as an intermediate step.  He developed a love for storytelling, through a childhood passion for literature. He pursued his obsession with the narrative arts, at the esteemed, Lódz Film School.  He is known internationally, for Dekalog (1989...

  Juneteenth, is a federal holiday in the United States, commemorating the emancipation of African American slaves. It is also often observed for celebrating African American culture. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on June 19, in various parts of the United States since 1866. The day was recognized as a federal holiday, on June 17, 2021, when The President of the United States, Joe Biden, signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Juneteenth's commemoration, is on the anniversary date of the June 19, 1865, announcement of General Order No. 3, by Union Army general Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas.  On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, received news of the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order, that mandated the end of slavery in Confederate states, during the American Civil War.   Despite its passage on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation, remained opposed...

  Iceland gained independence from Denmark, in the year 1944.  Iceland lost its independence way back in 1262, when it became a part of the Norwegian crown, but it later became a Danish colony, in 1380.  Celebrations of National Day, fall on June 17, in honor of the birthday of, Jón Sigurðsson, a historian, philologist, and leader of Iceland’s 19th-century independence movement.  The Republic of Iceland, was officially declared on 17 June, 1944, in Þingvellir, a city with great significance, as it’s also where the nation’s parliament was first established in 930 A.D.  Although now operating in the capital city of Reykjavík, Iceland’s parliament continues to serve the nation, as the longest-running representative assembly in the world! Icelanders take to the streets, to celebrate independence. Colourful ceremonies are followed by parades, street theatre, sideshows, and outdoor dancing, in the midnight sun, all over Iceland. Happy National Day, Iceland!

The Dragon Boat Festival , ( Duan Wu Jie ), also known as Duan Yang , falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month around the summer solstice.  It's origins can be traced to southern China , and festivities include boat races , and eating rice dumplings .  The festival had evolved from the practice of revering the river dragon , to the commemoration of Qu Yuan , a third-century poet and political figure of the state of Chu in ancient China .  The dragon was initially viewed as the benevolent spirit of the waters .  Among common people, it was believed that, the river dragon controlled the rain , and was thus worshipped during the summer solstice.  Requests would be made for a balanced rainfall , sufficient to ensure a good harvest , without over-abundance that would cause destructive flooding .  The early Chinese dragon, had the head of a horse, the body of a snake, wings of a bird, and four or five legs .  There would be five claws on each fo...

  On 13 June, 1866 , Maria Aurélia Martins de Souza was born to Portuguese immigrants in Valparaíso, Chile .  The family lived in Brazil and Chile , before moving back to Porto, Portugal in 1869 , when she was three years old .  They lived in the Quinta de China , near the Douro River , in a home bought by her father, before he died in 1874 , when she was eight years old .  It was on these idyllic banks that de Souza began to paint and draw at the age of 16 .  After only three years, she painted her first self-portrait , an art form that became her hallmark.  In 1893 , de Souza further refined her talent, in the Portuguese tradition, as a student of the Porto Academy of Fine Arts .  De Souza moved to Paris in 1899 , where she was an apprentice of several French masters.  After one year in her new home, she captured herself dressed wearing a red-coat in the oil painting, “ Self-Portrait ,” a work widely regarded as her most famous.  De ...

  Many Russians think that this holiday is Russia's Independence Day , but the holiday has never had such a name in official documents.  On 12 June, 1990 , Russia proclaimed state sovereignty , and adopted its modern declaration , flag , and national anthem .  Although Russia Day has been celebrated since 1992 , it is considered one of the country’s youngest holidays due to its official renaming on February 1, 2002 .   The country's new name, the Russian Federation , was adopted on December 25, 1991 .  In 1992 , the Supreme Soviet of Russia , proclaimed June 12 as a national holiday .  By presidential decree on June 2, 1994, the date was again proclaimed Russia's national holiday .  Under a subsequent presidential decree on June 16, 1998 , the holiday was officially named " Russia Day ".  In 2002 , the new Labour Code gave its official seal to this title. 

Shirley Temple , was born on April 23, 1928 , at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, California .  She was the third child of homemaker Gertrude Temple , and bank employee George Temple .   Her mother encouraged Shirley, to develop her singing, dancing, and acting talents.  In September 1931 , her mother enrolled her in Meglin's Dance School, in Los Angeles .  Temple had her signature dimples, blonde ringlet curls (styled by her mother), and strong work ethic .  In 1934 , Temple starred in a number of films, including, “ Stand Up And Cheer ", “ Bright Eyes ,” “ On the Good Ship Lollipop ”, etc.. She became the first child star, to receive an Academy Award , at just six years old !   She continued to star in films throughout her teenage years, and at 22 , she retired from the movie industry as a Hollywood icon.  In 1958 , Temple narrated, the “ Shirley Temple’s Storybook ,” a children’s television series which was her last before she went to ...

  Roberto Antonio Cantoral García , was born in Tampico, on 7 June, 1935 .  From an early age, he showed an ability for music and its composition. Cantoral moved to Mexico City to attend college, but dropped out to become a band leader.  He launched his career at 15 , when he, and his brother, Antonio, formed the duet, “ Hermanos Cantoral ” (“ Cantoral Brothers ”).  But he music became a success, once he banded together, with Chamin Correa , and Leonel Galver , to form the trio aptly named, “ Los Tres Caballeros ” (“ The Three Gentlemen ”).  The trio traveled far and wide throughout the 50s, taking their romantic ballads on worldwide tours, in countries ranging from Japan to Argentina.  In 1960 , Cantoral broke out on his own.  His original solo compositions were performed by some of Mexico’s most distinguished singers, and he continued to share his music with the world into the 2000s , performing at music festivals, radio shows, and TV programs in ov...

Egyptian feminist author, Fatimah Rifaat is also known by her pen name Alifa Rifaat. Fatma Abdullah Rifaat, was born on June 5, 1930 , in  Cairo, Egypt .  Her father was an architect, and her mother was a housewife.  Alifa Rifaat's short stories, boldly challenged societal norms, by exploring female relationships, sexuality, and emotional battles. Fatimah Rifaat penned her first short story, a tale centered around the village her family frequented in the summers, at only nine years old .  Although her older sister reprimanded her for her writing, she continued her dreams of becoming a writer through English studies at the University of Cairo in the late 40s. For the first few years of their marriage, her husband allowed her to write, and publish stories.  She published her stories from 1955 until 1960 when she chose to stop, after facing pressure from her husband, to end her writing career. In the early 1970s , she finally began to write short stories again,...