Which celebrity/historical figure has a dark past that everyone seems to ignore?

 

• Abraham Lincoln.
  He is known as the president who abolished slavery in America in 1865. But many people do not know that he did this solely for the political stability of the country.
  In a presidential debate in 1858, he himself had stated that he did not believe in racial equality or that Black people should be allowed to vote.

• Winston Churchill.
  In Europe, everyone sees him as a good man who played an important role in stopping World War II.
  After the First World War, the Ottoman Empire fell apart, and the British controlled a few parts of it in the Middle East at the time due to conflict.
  And this is what he had written in a memo: "I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes" when the British were there in 1919.
  Also, under his leadership, millions of Indians died of famine when the British still held India.

• Nelson Mandela,
  the former South African president, is a massive symbol of civil rights who spent nearly three decades in prison protesting against the apartheid regime. While
  most people believe his imprisonment was due to mere racism, the fact is that Mandela belonged to a terrorist splinter group of the African National Congress that employed sabotage, torture, and rigid tactics in their operations and was collectively responsible for over 130 deaths.
  In 1961, he broke with fellow African National Congress members who advocated non-violence, creating a terrorist wing.
  Mandela even proposed cutting off the noses of Black people considered collaborators.

• Mahatma Gandhi
  is known for making India independent from the British in a loving and peaceful way.
  However, he did not always practice what he preached.
  Despite this, he had many affairs with women.
  He is said to have slept right next to underage girls.
  And he also said racist things about Black South Africans.

• Martin Luther King
  had prostitutes and relationships with as many as 40 women.
  And he also plagiarized a number of works.

What are some little known facts about famous historical figures?

 One underappreciated figured was Lt General Matthew Ridgway. He was a general during the Korean War in the 1950s.

He saw tons of problems at front lines and in combat related to racial segregation.

He finally declared that segregation of units was “wholly inefficient to military readiness and effectiveness and also said it was un-American and un-Christian.

Then, he ordered the all-black units dissolved and the men reassigned to other units.

Within a few months, the entire 8th Army was integrated, and this set the stage for other military units doing the same.

This was a bold move that wasn’t without controversy, and General Ridgway never got enough credit for the precedent he set.

What is the biggest misnomer of historical figures?

 Lal Bahadur Shastri’s actual surname was Srivastava, Shastri was the title he got from Kashi Vidyapith when he graduated with a first-class degree in philosophy and ethicswhich he used. Apparently like most of the freedom fighters those days, he did not believe in caste, so never used his original surname.

Same with Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, whose real surname was Bandopadhyaya. He got the title of Vidyasagar from Sanskrit College, Kolkata, where he graduated from, due to his excellent performance in Sanskrit studies and philosophy. And he used that along with his name.

Chandrashekhar Sitaram Tiwary, took the moniker of Azad, apparently after a well known incident, when as a 15 year old teen, he was arrested for protesting against the British rule. When the jailor asked him his name, he shot back defiantly “Azad”, and that became his more popular name.

Actually that seemed to be common with most of the revolutionaries of that time. Ram Prasad used one of his pen names Bismil, along with his first name, by which he became more popular.

Are there any living descendants of famous historical figures still living today?

 

Gautam Patel : He is grand son of Sardar Patel , first Indian Union Home Minister and deputy Prime Minister.

This only living kin of Indian statesman stays in Vadodara , Gujarat, India.

His father Daya Bhai Patel was eldest son of Sardar Patel.

Sardar Patel had prohibited his family members from staying with him in his official residence.

He did not allow his family members to ever use his name in professional and social circles.

Naturally, majority of his family members stayed away from political lime lights.

Only time Gautam Patel attended public function was to receive Bharat Ratna award for Sardar Patel.

Fact : Undoubtedly, Sardar Patel was a man of Iron will and strong moral values.

Pic Credits : Google Images / Web