| Washington,
George (1732-1799) |
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"'Tis well." |
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George Washington was a hero of the American Revolution and the first
President of the United States. Some have claimed that Washington
requested a Bible with his dying breath, but neither his doctors nor his
private secretary recorded any such request, and they were all with him
until the moment he died. Washington did tell one of his physicians,
"Doctor, I die hard, but I am not afraid to go. My breath cannot
last long." A short time later, he expressed concern that he not
be buried alive, "I am just going. Have me decently buried, and do
not let my body be put into the vault in less than three days after I am
dead. Do you understand?" "Yes, sir," the doctor replied.
"'Tis well," answered Washington. |
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For more information:
George Washington
The Papers of
George Washington |
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Recommended reading:
Founding
Father: Rediscovering George Washington by Richard Brookhiser
The
Presidency of George Washington by Forrest McDonald |
| Wells,
Herbert George "H. G." (1866-1946) |
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"Go away. I'm all right." |
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H. G. Wells was an English writer and social theorist. One of
his time's most influential writers, he, along with Jules Verne, is credited
with inventing Science Fiction. His best known novels, The Invisible
Man, The Time Machine, and The War of the Worlds are
still frequently read today, and his one-volume history of the world is
recognized as the best ever compiled by a single author. |
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For more information:
H. G. Wells |
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Recommended readings:
The
Time Machine and the Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
The
War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells |
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Recommended listening:
War
of the Worlds radio broadcast by Orson Welles (audio cassette) |
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Recommended viewing:
Invisible
Man starring Claude Rains
Time
Machine starring Rod Taylor |
| Wirz,
Henry, Captain, C.S.A. (?-1865) |
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"This is too tight." |
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Captain Wirz was a Swiss-born Confederate officer who had the misfortune
to be given command of the infamous Andersonville prison camp following
his recovery from wounds received at the Battle of Seven Pines. Thousands
of Union prisoners died from the poor conditions at Andersonville (as they
did at nearly every other Civil War prison camp). Following the war,
Wirz was tried for conspiring to "impair and injure the health and
to destroy the lives of large numbers of Federal prisoners at Andersonville"
and ordering or personally committing acts of assault or murder.
Despite a complete lack of evidence Wirtz was convicted and hung. |
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For more information:
The Trial of
Major Henry Wirz
Civil
War Concentration Camps |
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Recommended reading:
Andersonville
by MacKinlay Kantor
John
Ransom's Andersonville Diary/Life Inside the Civil War's Most Infamous
Prison edited by Bruce Catton |
| Wolfe,
James, General (1727-1759) |
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"What, do they run already? Then I die happy." |
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General James Wolfe was the British General that wrested Quebec away
from the French in 1759. His victory made the subsequent British
conquest of Canada possible. A fine commander, Wolfe was, none the
less, killed during the battle and became a legendary hero. |
| Ziegfeld,
Florenz (1869-1932) |
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"Curtain! Fast music! Lights! Ready for the last
finale! Great! The show looks good. The show looks good." |
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Florenz Ziegfeld was a famous Broadway producer whose musical reviews
featured fantastic sets and beautiful women. He died hallucinating
that he was directing one last show. |
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In the 1936 Oscar winning movie, The Great Ziegfeld, William
Powell plays the producer, and Ziegfeld's last words are "I've got to have
more steps. I need more steps. I've got to get higher.
Higher." |
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Recommended viewing:
Great
Ziegfeld starring William Powell |
| Zizka,
Jan (1358-1424) |
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"Make my skin into drumheads for the Bohemian cause." |
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Jan Zizka was a Czech general who, after the execution of Jan
Huss, became the leader of the Bohemian Protestants. He refused
to accept the Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund, as the king of Bohemia even
though he was offered a viceroyalty. Zizka fought a series of battles
against the empire and eventually liberated the entire country. He
entered Prague in June, 1424, but his success was short lived. He
died of bubonic plague later that year. |
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For more information:
Military Strategies
of the One-Eyed Genius, Jan Zizka from Radio Prague |
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