... friends. Silent and dreamy, he was at the bottom of his class. Oddly, it was a savage kick by a school bully that caused Newton's great mind to awaken. The mild, dreamy boy flew into a rage and beat the other boy thoroughly. Isaac determined to beat the bully in school work as well. Soon Isaac was at the head of his class. In 1656 Newton's stepfather died. His mother returned to Woolsthorpe to take care of the farm left by Newton's father. But she could not manage the farm by herself. Isaac was taken out of school and brought home to help her. As a farmer, Newton proved to be a dismal failure. He neglected the necessary chores and thought only of ...

... business himself. The store struggled to survive and eventually failed completely. A close friend of John’s father got him a job as an account for the Spreckles Sugar Company. "Although he had a job, John’s father was extremely devastated by the lose of his business"(Stephen) "Encouraged by his parents John began to develop a love literature"(Morrow). At his ninth birthday John received a copy of the book Morte d’Arthur. This was the first book John ever owned. He later said it was a great influence upon his life. During his years at Salinas High School, John excelled in English. At the end of his Freshman year in High School John ha ...

... five percent of Russia. The elite, like the serfs, were not very well educated at all. Timmerman, a knowledgeable man from Germany, taught and showed Peter all of the nautical instruments need to navigate a ship. Peter became very interested in nautical things. Peter soon left Russia and plundered Europe for knowledge, inventions, and great minds to bring back to Russia. His voyage ended in the rich and luxurious city of Amsterdam. Peter began to study Holland’s ships and navy, and hired ship builders to go home with him, and help him prepare a sea power. Peter, wanting to really learn how to build a ship, signed on as a carpenter to hide his true identity, becaus ...

... Got A Friend", "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", and "Carolina in My Mind". The lyrics in these three songs all talk about the importance of friends and how you should be a good friend, because they are important. The chorus of "You’ve got A Friend" has a line in it that is extremely significant to all of Taylor’s writings. The line says "you just call out my name, and you know wherever I am, I’ll be there, you’ve got a friend." I feel that is such an excellent classic rock artist and an all around good person because of the messages he portrays in his writings and his music. His attitude while performing re ...

... father, Joe, Sr., was a successful businessman with many political connections. Appointed by President Roosevelt, Joe, Sr., was given the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission and later the prestigious position of United States ambassador to Great Britain(Anderson 98). His mother, Rose, was a loving housewife and took young John on frequent trips around historic Boston learning about American revolutionary history. Both parents impressed on their children that their country had been good to the Kennedys. Whatever benefits the family received from the country they were told, must be returned by performing some service for the country(Anderson 12). The Kenne ...

... He died in 1536. Erasmus's writings included The Praise of Folly, a satire which pointed out major problems in the clergy, saying that monks were beggars, the clergy was greedy, and that the pope had no resemblance to the Apostles. He also wrote a short satirical skit in which Pope Julius II had trouble getting into heaven. In the skit, Pope Julius II is made out to be more of a Muslim than a Catholic. Writing this had to take considerable courage, for, though the Church was in decline, it still had considerable power. He also published the Greek version of the New Testament in Latin, so Europeans could read it. Erasmus was a traveller. He lived ...

... way. "I feel through color, and so by color that my canvass will always be organized." Matisse's work explored an explosion of pictorial energy. "Colors must be thought out." According to Picasso, "Matisse has color and is searching for drawing." Matisse's travels were always the inspiration for his works. As Amy Freeman Lee believes, "the creative process begins in intuition, with a bringing into consciousness and awareness of experience gained in something other than through sensory perception." Matisse enjoyed painting not only the real world, but the spiritual world as well. Matisse wanted to share his findings and knowledge. He always stressed the sign ...

... in political office, Machiavelli studied the men and/or groups in power, specifically noting their successes and failures. Using this information from his observations, Machiavelli wrote The Prince in order to try to re-enter politics by “assisting” the man whom had exiled him, Lorenzo de Medici, in his ruling. Though this was more of a plot to try to gain the favor of Lorenzo, he does note in his book that in order to gain the favor of a prince, you must present him with a gift; that was the purpose of his novel. In it, Machiavelli analysis’s the various types of monarchies, analysis’s of the different types of states, how they may be ...

... the theorems of levers proposed by the Greek mathematician Archimedes. Growing up with curiosity and determination integrated in his mind, Galileo was unsatisfied with the boring views of philosophers like Aristotle. MacLachlan gives an example. Natural philosophers taught a set of precepts about the causes of all earthly actions and the nature of the whole universe. They did no measuring, performed no experiments, and made few calculations. Galileo found their explanations of motion unconvincing. He was particularly dissatisfied because Aristotle had concentrated on why objects move. Galileo wanted to know how they move (9). As one could see then, how keen this s ...

... became a revolutionist at the age of 70. But more than just his political views help in the formation of the United States. His common sense, his whit, and his ability to negotiate behind the scenes, all lent a hand in the formation of the new country across the sea. Franklin's good humor and gift for compromise often helped prevent bitter disputes which could have stalled the formation of the new government. Interestingly, Ben Franklin, who was a chief participant in the battle for independence, “had a lot to lose by it.” (Wright 1986, page 204). He had a residence in London and was influential in England. However, his love of liberty and his desire to ...