In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is often portrayed as the son of the goddess Venus, with a father rarely mentioned. His Greek counterpart is Eros. Cupid is often portrayed as a nude (or sometimes diapered) winged boy or baby armed with a bow and arrows. These days we know him as a symbol of a certain commercialized holiday popularized by a greeting card company.
A Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays, and one of the greatest psychologists in world literature. He is best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. Dostoyevsky’s works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social and spiritual context of 19th-century Russian society. He died on this day in 1881.
An American film actor and cultural icon. He is best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he starred as a troubled Los Angeles teenager. Dean’s enduring fame is due to his performances in just three films. His death in a car crash at age 24 cemented his legendary status. He was born on this day in 1931.
The little boy in the red snowsuit from the 1962 children’s picture book The Snowy Day by American author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats. In the story, a boy named Peter explores his New York neighborhood after the first snowfall. Keats’s inspiration for Peter came from photos of a little black boy published in a Life magazine photo article from 1940.
Note: The Snowy Day turns 50 this year.
The 40th President of the United States. Born on this day in 1911, Reagan is famous for his “Reaganomics” policies and for escalating the Cold War with an arms race, including his vision of Star Wars technology. As president, he survived an assassination attempt, took a hard line against labor unions and declared more militant policies in the War on Drugs. He also bombed Libya, suffered the Iran-Contra affair and ultimately ended the Cold War.
Note: This is 8-bit U.S. president #10 of 43.
An American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowls in four years with the New England Patriots. Brady helped set the record for the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history with 21 straight wins over two seasons (2003-04). In 2007, he led the Patriots to the NFL’s first undefeated 16-game regular season.
Note: Today Brady and the Patriots face the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, a rematch of 2008’s Super Bowl XLII upset. It will be Brady’s fifth Super Bowl.
A retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League (NFL) history. He is the all-time leader in most major statistical categories for wide receivers. He won three Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers.
A groundhog resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On February 2 (Groundhog Day) of each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the groundhog. During the ceremony, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler’s Knob and performs shadow-based weather prediction. A group called the Inner Circle, recognizable by their top hats and tuxedos, takes care of Phil year-round and plans the annual ceremony.
The first President of the Russian Federation (the USSR’s successor state), serving from 1991 to 1999. Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev’s most powerful political opponents. Yeltsin resigned in 1999, leaving the presidency to then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. He was born on this day in 1931.
Hideki Tōjō was 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.
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.