The 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 1941 to 1944. He was also a general of the Imperial Japanese Army and leader of the para-fascist Taisei Yokusankai. As Prime Minister, he was directly responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to the war between Japan and the United States. After the end of the war, Tōjō was arrested, sentenced to death for Japanese war crimes and hanged in 1948.
An Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited as a key figure in the creation of Fascism. Mussolini became the 40th Prime Minister of Italy in 1922 and remained in power until he was replaced in 1943 during World War II. In 1945, Mussolini attempted to escape to Switzerland, but was captured, executed and taken to Milan for public viewing.
An influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety despite being reclusive. He had a volatile personality, and struggled with alcoholism for most of his life. Pollock died at the age of 44 in an alcohol-related car accident. He was born tomorrow in 1912.
A Romanian Communist politician who ruled Romania from 1965 to 1989. Born on this day in 1918, Ceausescu was the country’s second and last Communist leader. His rule became increasingly brutal and his repressive regime was among the most rigid in the Soviet bloc. His government was overthrown in the December 1989 revolution, and he and his wife were executed on Christmas Day.
A Cambodian Maoist revolutionary, who led the Khmer Rouge from 1963 until his death in 1998. Pol Pot became leader of Cambodia in 1975. During his time in power he imposed a version of agrarian socialism, forcing urban dwellers to relocate to the countryside to work in collective farms. The combined effects of slave labor, malnutrition, poor medical care, and executions resulted in the genocide of around two million Cambodians.
A British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century. Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer and an artist. He is the only British prime minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States. He died on this day in 1965.
A Russian Orthodox Christian and mystic healer (and/or debauched religious charlatan) who influenced the latter days of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II. Some people called Rasputin the “Mad Monk.” It is believed that Rasputin helped to discredit the tsarist government, leading to the fall of the Romanov dynasty in 1917. He was born on this day in 1869.
In the 1974 science fiction/fantasy film Zardoz, Zed is an Exterminator on post-apocalyptic Earth in the year 2293. Zed was played by Sean Connery in his second post-James Bond role and Charlotte Rampling costarred as an immortal Eternal. And let us not forget the god Zardoz—a huge, flying stone head. Zardoz was created by British filmmaker John Boorman.
Note: Zed is the last man capable of an erection in this bizarre, anti-science dystopian vision. Read Channel 4′s film review of Zardoz, which describes Zed’s costume as “a red nappy, knee-high leather boots, pony tail and Zapata moustache.”
A former tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles titles during his career. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a U.S. citizen in 1992. Lendl’s game relied particularly on strength and heavy topspin from the baseline and helped usher in the modern era of “power tennis.” He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #5 of 5 for Australian Open week.
An American former tennis player who won seven Grand Slam singles titles during his career. He is best remembered for his shot-making artistry and for his confrontational on-court behavior that frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities. “You cannot be serious!” He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #4 of 5 for Australian Open week.
A Swedish former tennis player who won 11 Grand Slam singles titles between 1974 and 1981 and then retired from the game at the age of 26. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles. Borg was the first “rock star” of professional tennis and was one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
This is 8-bit tennis character #3 of 5 for Australian Open week. Also, I commend those who are blacking out their sites today for the SOPA strike. I hope you all share this video and complain to your elected officials about Internet censorship bills like SOPA and PIPA.
An American former tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles titles. In 1974, Connors became the second male in the open era to win three or more Grand Slam singles titles in a calendar year (Rod Laver being the first in 1969). Connors won more than 100 singles titles during his career. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #2 of 5 for Australian Open week.
An Australian former tennis player who holds the record for career titles, and was the top-ranked player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970. Laver is the only tennis player to have twice won the Grand Slam, first as an amateur in 1962 and second as a professional in 1969. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #1 of 5 for Australian Open week.
Wish Bear is aqua and has a shooting star on her stomach. All Care Bears have a “tummy symbol” that represents their role or specialty. The Care Bears were created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. This very successful franchise launched with 10 characters that Kenner turned into plush teddy bears. From 1983 to 1987, the Care Bears appeared in TV specials, a television series and three feature films.
Grumpy Bear is blue and has a rain cloud on his stomach. All Care Bears have a “tummy symbol” that represents their role or specialty. The Care Bears were created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. This very successful franchise launched with 10 characters that Kenner turned into plush teddy bears. From 1983 to 1987, the Care Bears appeared in TV specials, a television series and three feature films.
Funshine Bear is yellow-orange and has a smiling sun on her stomach. All Care Bears have a “tummy symbol” that represents their role or specialty. The Care Bears were created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. This very successful franchise launched with 10 characters that Kenner turned into plush teddy bears. From 1983 to 1987, the Care Bears appeared in TV specials, a television series and three feature films.
Funshine Bear was female in the original 1980s series, but has been portrayed as a male since the 2000s. A cartoon transgender bear?
Cheer Bear is pink and has a rainbow on her stomach. All Care Bears have a “tummy symbol” that represents their role or specialty. The Care Bears were created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. This very successful franchise launched with 10 characters that Kenner turned into plush teddy bears. From 1983 to 1987, the Care Bears appeared in TV specials, a television series and three feature films.
Tenderheart Bear is orange-brown and has a red heart on his stomach. All Care Bears have a “tummy symbol” that represents their role or specialty. The Care Bears were created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. This very successful franchise launched with 10 characters that Kenner turned into plush teddy bears. From 1983 to 1987, the Care Bears appeared in TV specials, a television series and three feature films.
A children’s toy talking bear. The animatronic teddy bear would move his mouth and eyes while “reading” stories played on a cassette tape deck built into his back. At the peak of his popularity, Teddy Ruxpin was the bestselling toy of 1985 and 1986. An animated TV series based on the characters in Teddy’s world debuted in 1987.
One of the most chilling moments of my 1980s childhood involved my sister’s Teddy Ruxpin. Due to touchy buttons, her Teddy would sometimes spontaneously start audio playback. Eventually, because the batteries were dying or due to some mechanical malfunction, Teddy was only capable of speaking extremely slowly. By then his motorized jaw had also been partially broken and hung agape. One night, I remember her slack-jawed Teddy Ruxpin turning himself on and trying to tell us a story of the Mudblups. His deep, drawn-out voice sounded fully demonic. We tried to turn him off but he continued spouting distorted, incomprehensible sounds. Eventually we removed the batteries. Evil Teddy Ruxpin.
Quetzalcoatl – No. 333
A Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and means “feathered serpent.” The worship of a feathered serpent deity is first documented in Teotihuacan about 2,000 years ago. Among the Aztecs, Quetzalcoatl was related to gods of the wind, of Venus, of the dawn, of merchants and of arts, crafts and knowledge.
I’m not sure I can call this 8-bit representation of Quetzalcoatl a success since my girlfriend referred to him as “a cat-dinosaur-flower.” Her description seems pretty accurate, really. Since today is the Chinese New Year, perhaps we can call him a dragon.