Wolfgang A. Mozart's Life

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a phenomenal composer. He was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. He lived in Austria his whole life. His parents were Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. His sister, Maria Anna "Nannerl" also played music, same with his dad. Wolfgang started playing music when he was only three! When he was five in 1761, he wrote his first piece of music, Menuett in F. The next year in 1762, the Mozart family traveled to the capital of Austria, Vienna. In Vienna, Wolfgang and Nannerl played for the royal family. The emperor called Wolfgang "a little magician." The empress rewarded the children with beautiful new clothes. For the next three years, the Mozart played for royalty all over Europe. The Mozarts returned home in 1766. When Wolfgang was fourteen, he had written an opera and many other pieces of music. As a teenager, Mozart wrote music for the archbishop of Salzburg, Austria. At age twenty-three, Wolfgang played the organ for the orchestra of the archbishop. But before he played the organ, his mother passed away in 1778. Mozart was twenty-two at the time of his mother's passing. Wolfgang married Constanze Weber in 1782. The next year in 1783, the Mozarts had a baby boy. Soon after, Wolfgang and Constanze traveled to Salzburg and left their son with a nanny. While they were away, the baby died. Wolfgang and Constanze Mozart had five other children after that. Although, three of the children died. Only two children, Karl Mozart and Franz Mozart, survived. The Mozarts were popular, but didn't work for money. In fact, they were poor. They couldn't afford to keep their apartment. They moved to one place and then another. In 1786, Mozart wrote The Marriage of Figaro. The opera is a famous one, but Wolfgang did not receive a lot of money. In 1787, his father, Leopold Mozart, died. In 1791, Mozart wrote The Magic Flute, a famous opera. It is the story ofa prince and princess who learn the difference between the good and evil. Also in 1791, Wolfgang wrote a largely unfinished requiem to honor a person who has died. Wolfgang died on December 5, 1791 when he did not even finish half of his requiem. He was buried in a mass grave.

Barack Obama's Life

Barack Hussein Obama II was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father, Barack Obama Sr. was born in Kenya and his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, was born in Wichita, Kansas. His parents met and married when they were students at the University of Hawaii. Their marriage ended two years later and his mother remarried before the Obamas moved to Jakarta, Indonesia. He attended school in Indonesia until he was ten in 1971. He moved back to Hawaii where he lived with his maternal grandparents where he enrolled in Punahou Academy. After graduated from high school in 1979 and attended Occidental College in Los Angeles and transferred in Columbia University. He graduated in 1983. He moved to Chicago, Illinois to work as a community organizer in the Roseland community and in public housing on the South Side. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts to attend Harvard Law School and he graduated in with honors in 1991. The next year in 1992 he married Michelle Robinson and their two daughters are named Malia and Sasha Obama. Obama returned to Illinois to work as a civil rights lawyer and he taught at the University of Chicago. In 1996 he was elected to the Illinois State Senate representing the Southside and Hyde Park where FDR was born. Eight years later, he became the third African-American to be elected to the U.S. Senate. In 2007 he announced his candidacy for President of the United States. On November 4, 2008 he won against Senator of Arizona John McCain and became the first African-American to be elected President. Note: Obama became President on January 20, 2009 and the Vice President is Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden.

George W. Bush's Life

George Walker Bush was born on July 6, 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut to future President George Herbert Walker Bush and First Lady Barbara Pierce Bush. He grew in Houston, Texas where he attended private schools. He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1968 and then he served as an F-102 fighter pilot in the Texas Air National Guard. He enrolled in Harvard Business School in 1975 and earned a Master of Business Administration degree. Two years later in 1977 George married Laura Welch. They have twin daughters. George bought the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989 by forming a partnership with a group of investors. He served as general manager and partner of the Texas Ranger baseball team until he was elected as Governor of Texas in 1994. Six years later he was elected President of the United States in 2001 against Incumbent Vice President Albert Arnold "Al" Gore. During his first term (2001-2005) the terrorist attacked on September 11, 2001. He created the Department of Homeland Security to help government agencies work together to protect Americans. The United States military led an international force that invaded Afghanistan and removed the oppressive Taliban government. George also ordered the invasion of Iraq which removed Saddam Hussein and established a democratic government. He was re-elected to a second term in 2004. He returned to his ranch in Crawford, Texas in 2009. He will build his Presidential library at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Note: Bush was President from 2001 to 2009 and the Vice President was Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney.

Bill Clinton's Life

William Jefferson Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe IV on August 19, 1946 in Hope, Arkansas. His mother married Roger Clinton, so his name was changed to William Jefferson Clinton. He moved to Washington, D.C. to attend Georgetown University. In 1968 he won a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University in Oxford. He received a law degree from Yale University in 1973. Bill Clinton married Hillary Rodham in 1975 and they have one daughter named Chelsea. He taught at the University of Arkansas. In 1976 Clinton was elected Arkansas Attorney General. In 1978 he ran for Governor of Arkansas and won. He lost his bid for a second term but he regained the office four years later and served until he won the 1992 presidential race against incumbent George Bush. As President of the United States, Clinton reduced the national debt. He promoted international trade and convinced Congress to pass the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the US, Canada, and Mexico. Bill was a proponent for an expanded NATO. He won the re-election bid in 1996. He retired in 2001 after serving two terms as President of the United States. His wife, Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2008 but lost to Barack Obama, so Obama appointed Hillary to be Secretary of State. Note: Clinton was President from 1993 to 2001 and the Vice President was Albert Arnold "Al" Gore.

George H.W. Bush's Life

George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts. He was the son of Prescott Bush. He attended private schools in Connecticut and Philips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. In 1942, he served in the Navy as a pilot during World War II and received the Distinguished Flying Cross after being shot down over the Pacific in 1944. George Bush married Barbara Pierce in 1945 and together they had six children. One of his daughters died of leukemia at age four. His oldest son, George W. Bush, became Governor of Texas and one of his other sons became Governor of Florida. In 1948 he graduated from Yale University. He was elected to Congress in 1966. In 1974 he was appointed by President Ford as the U.S. liaison officer to the People's Republic of China. Bush was Vice President of the United States for eight years while Ronald Wilson Reagan was Presient of the United States for those of the eight years. George was inaugurated as President on January 20, 1989 after winning the 1988 presidential election. Bush supported democratization in the Soviet Union, which dissolved in 1991, and in Eastern Europe. He raised taxes to combat budget deficits. His popularity diminished in late 1991 due to the economic recession. He lost the re-election bid to Bill Clinton. George Bush and his wife are still living in Texas. Note: Bush was President from 1989 to 1993 and the Vice President was James Danforth "Dan" Quayle.

Ronald Reagan's Life

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. He attended public schools and enrolled in Eureka College in Illinois, where he studied economics and sociology. After graduating in 1932, he worked as a radio announcer in Iowa. In 1937 he started his career as a actor. He has appeared in over 50 movies in his twenty-seven year career. Ronald Reagan married actress Jane Wyman in 1940 and together they had a daughter and adopted a son. They married until 1949 when they divorced. So far, Ronald is the only President to have one of his marriages end in a divorce. All the rest, either the President died or the wife died. Ronald Reagan married Nancy Davis in 1952 and together they had two children as well as Reagan and Wyman. Ronald ran for Governor of California in 1967 and won. He was inaugurated President of the United States on January 20, 1981 after defeating Jimmy Carter in November, 1980. He ran for President of the United States in1984 and won. He served two terms as President. He returned to Bel Air, California in 1989. Five years later and ten years before his death, Reagan suffered from Alzheimer's disease in 1994. He died in Bel Air, California on June 5, 2004 at 93 years and 120 days, only forty-five days less than Gerald Ford. Note: Reagan was President from 1981 to 1989 and the Vice President was George H.W. Bush.

Jimmy Carter's Life

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter was born on October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia. Carter grew up on a peanut farm. He left home to attend the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland where he studied nuclear physics and graduated in 1946. That same year, Jimmy Carter married Eleanor Rosalynn Smith. He served in the Navy for seven years and returned home to run the family business. Jimmy served on the school board and educational advisory boards. He was a strong advocate for Civil Rights. In 1962 he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He served one term in the Senate. He ran for Governor of Georgia and won. Jimmy was nominated by the Democrats to run for President of the United States against Gerald Ford in 1976 and he won. As President he established diplomatic ties with China and helped to write the Camp David Accords; as peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. He helped negotiate the Salt II treaty with Russia. During his administration Carter was criticized for the poor economy. In 1979, a group of Iranian took the staff of the U.S. Embassy hostage. Efforts to negotiate the release of the fifty-two hostages in Iran consumed the later half of his term. Carter was not successful and this was perceived as weakness and made him unpopular. Jimmy was defeated by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election. He was only fifty-six when he left office in 1981. After his administration, Carter started the Carter Center to introduce democracy throughout the world. He won the Nobel Prize in 2002. He is the only President to win the Nobel Prize after his term as President. He is still living today. Note: Carter was President from 1977 through 1981 and the Vice President was Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale.