“The postman wants an autograph. The cab driver wants a picture. The waitress wants a handshake. Everyone wants a piece of you.” John Lennon
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Mario Andretti, an Italian-born American former racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport
During his career, Andretti won the 1978 Formula One World Championship, four IndyCar titles (three under USAC-sanctioning, one under CART), and IROC VI. To date, he remains the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967) and the Formula One World Championship, and, along with Juan Pablo Montoya, the only driver to have won a race in the NASCAR Cup Series, Formula One, and an Indianapolis 500. No American has won a Formula One race since Andretti's victory at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix.[2] Andretti had 109 career wins on major circuits.[3]
Andretti had a long career in racing. He was the only person to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades (1967, 1978, and 1984).[4] He was also one of only three drivers to have won major races on road courses, paved ovals, and dirt tracks in one season, a feat that he accomplished four times.[4] With his final IndyCar win in April 1993, Andretti became the first driver to have won IndyCar races in four different decades[5] and the first to win automobile races of any kind in five.[4]
In American popular culture, his name has become synonymous with speed, as with Barney Oldfield in the early twentieth century and Stirling Moss in the United Kingdom.
In 1986, he was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. In 2000, the Associated Press and RACER magazine named him Driver of the Century.[53] He was the Driver of the Year (in the United States) for three years (1967, 1978, and 1984),[54] and is the only driver to be Driver of the Year in three decades.[16] Andretti was named the U.S. Driver of the Quarter Century in 1992.[3] He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2001,[3] the United States National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1996,[7] the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America[55] in 1990, the Hoosier Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1970,[7] the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Diecast Hall of Fame in 2012.
On October 23, 2006, Andretti was awarded the highest civilian honor given by the Italian government, the Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (known as the Commendatore), in honor of his racing career, public service, and enduring commitment to his Italian heritage.[53] Enzo Ferrari is the only other recipient of the Commendatore from the world of automobile racing.
In 2007, Andretti was honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. The award was created to honor Coach Lombardi's legacy, and is awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the Coach.
From 2007 Mario Andretti is the "Mayor" (Sindaco) of the "Free Commune of Motovun in Exile" (Libero Comune di Montona in esilio), an association of Italian exiles from Motovun.
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
Stewart Copeland, an American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Will Smith, known as the Fresh Prince, is an American actor, rapper and film producer
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), briefly known as the Fresh Prince, is an American actor, rapper and film producer. He has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and four Grammy Awards. As of 2023, his films have grossed over $9.3 billion globally, making him one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.
Monday, November 7, 2022
Steve Hackett, an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He was the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis
Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis studio albums, three live albums, seven singles and one EP[2] before he left to pursue a solo career. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.
Hackett released his first solo album, Voyage of the Acolyte, while still a member of Genesis in 1975. After a series of further solo albums beginning in 1978, Hackett co-founded the supergroup GTR with Steve Howe in 1986. The group released the self-titled album GTR, which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 in the United States and spawned the Top 20 single "When the Heart Rules the Mind". When Hackett left GTR in 1987, the group disbanded. Hackett then resumed his solo career. He has released albums and toured worldwide on a regular basis since.
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Marcel Răducanu, a former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder for Steaua and Borussia Dortmund
Marcel Răducanu (born 21 October 1954) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Marcel Răducanu was born in Bucharest on 21 October 1954. Răducanu made his Divizia A debut on 22 April 1973, playing for Steaua in a 2–0 loss against CSM Reșița.He won The Double in the 1975–76 season, contributing with 17 goals in 31 Divizia A matches. He won another title in the 1977–78 season for which he contributed with 18 goals in 31 matches and a cup in 1979 in which he scored two goals in the final which ended 3–0 against Sportul Studențesc București. Răducanu also played 11 matches in which he scored 5 goals in European competitions for Steaua and in the 6–0 victory against Young Boys from the 1979–80 European Cup Winners' Cup, Răducanu scored one of his most beautiful goals after showing his dribbling abilities in front of Young Boys's defense, the Swiss goalkeeper, Walter Eichenberger saying in an interview years later after that match:"He humiliated us and laughed at us". Răducanu has a total of 229 Divizia A appearances in which he scored 94 goals and in 1980 he was the Romanian Footballer of the Year, also in the same year he was nominated for the Ballon d'Or.