On 14 October 1990, five days after announcing his retirement from conducting, Leonard Bernstein died in his New York apartment at “The Dakota.” Bernstein had been ill for years as he suffered from emphysema, asthma attacks and bouts of bronchitis

We do know that Giuseppe Verdi was born in the small village of Roncole, near Busseto in the Duchy of Parma. What is not clear, however, is the exact date of his birth. The baptismal register of 11 October records

On 4 October, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, we celebrate World Animal Day. Saint Francis was the patron saint of animals, and this international day of action for animal rights and welfare aims “to raise the status of

For millions of people around the world, having a cup of coffee in the morning is a delicious part of their daily routine. Reaching for that cup of coffee improves alertness and helps to overcome fatigue and drowsiness. That wonderful

World Tourism Day was the brainchild of Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi. The Nigerian national proposed to celebrate this special day on 27 September, and the World Tourist Organization of the United Nations adopted the resolution in 1970. Ever since 1980, the

The great American composer, pianist and conductor George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, NY, on 26 September 1898. Son of poor Jewish immigrants, his parents Moshe Gershovitz and Rose Bruskin emigrated from the St. Petersburg region in Russia. They settled

The Council of Europe represents 47 member states, and roughly 800 million Europeans. Celebrating Europe’s rich linguistic diversity, the Council celebrated the European Year of Languages in 2001. At the end of this campaign the Council of Europe’s Committee of

Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on 25 September 1906, Dmitry Shostakovich was the second of three children of Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich and Sofiya Vasilievna Kokoulina. His father was studying physics and mathematics at St Petersburg University, and subsequently worked as