A Northern White rhinoceros, Sudan had been in captivity since he was 2 years old — in 1975. In 2009, he was transferred to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya with several other white rhinos as part of its “Last Chance to Survive” breeding program — an attempt to save them. White rhinos are so heavily … Read more
From This is True for 18 March 2018
Born in London, England, Baylis was a powerful swimmer, and just missed being chosen for the 1956 Olympics team. For a job, he worked for a swimming pool company, and to attract customers, performed high dives — which led to his performing as a stuntman. That, in turn, put him into contact with a lot … Read more
From This is True for 11 March 2018
A film producer, Melniker worked at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio during Hollywood’s “Golden Age”, and was such a strong negotiator he earned the nickname “The MGM Lion”. As he rose in the company, he put together the financing deals to enable films, such as Gigi (1958), Ben-Hur (1959), Dr. Zhivago (1965), and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), and rose to be the company’s … Read more
From This is True for 4 March 2018
As a boy growing up in England, March had an affinity for mathematics. At 17 he wrote an original mathematical paper generalizing the theory of complex numbers to n-dimensions — using his own ideas. He didn’t bother to show it to his schoolteachers: he instead sent it directly to University College London, which sent it … Read more
From This is True for 25 February 2018
In 1933, Desfor got a job with the Associated Press as a messenger — and darkroom assistant: his brother also worked for AP, doing touch-ups on news photos. By 1938, he was a staff photographer for the wire service. On December 7, 1941, Desfor, stationed in Washington D.C., learned that the Japanese had bombed Pearl … Read more
From This is True for 18 February 2018
After growing up in rural Wyoming, where he attended a one-room schoolhouse, he went to high school in Colorado, where he joined a small rock band, and helped them write lyrics to their songs. The band turned out OK — it was called the Grateful Dead — and the success of the group gave Barlow … Read more
From This is True for 11 February 2018
Born in Yorkshire, England, to missionary parents, Taylor’s father died before he was born, and once he was six months old, his mother returned to work in Africa, taking him with her. He grew up in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he learned the local language, Kiluba, before he learned … Read more
From This is True for 4 February 2018
Growing up in Kansas, Walker’s mother was the staff illustrator at the Kansas City Star, sometimes illustrating her husband’s poetry for the paper. That influence may be why Mort decided by age 3 that he wanted to be a newspaper cartoonist. His first comic was published when he was 11. By 12, he made his … Read more
From This is True for 28 January 2018
The physical inspiration for the “Rosie” cultural icon.
From This is True for 21 January 2018
An art historian specializing in the Renaissance, Cole had Master’s and doctorate degrees in art history, and taught art history at the University of Rochester from 1969 to 1973, then at Indiana University in Bloomington. That career was interrupted when, three months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he was tapped by President George W. Bush … Read more
From This is True for 14 January 2018