26 May: 40 years since the European flag, the official symbol of the European Community, was adopted
On 26 May 1986, the European flag was adopted as the official symbol of the European Communities and, later, of the European Union. Also on March 26, actors Ștefan Bănică and Jean Constantin died.
European Union PHOTO: The truth
1805: Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned King of Italy
Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned king of Italy with the Iron Crown of the Longobard kings in the Duomo of Milan. The event comes just six months after he crowned himself emperor.
Napoleon Bonaparte rose to prominence during the French First Republic and led successful campaigns against the First and Second Coalitions fighting against France. In 1799 he organized a coup and proclaimed himself First Consul.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Five years later he was crowned as Emperor of the French. In the first decade of the 19th century it pitted the armies of the French Empire against every major European power and dominated continental Europe through a series of military victories.
The French invasion of Russia in 1812 marked a turning point in Napoleon's destiny. His Grand Army suffered overwhelming losses during the campaign and never fully recovered. In 1813, the Sixth Coalition defeated him at Leipzig. The following year the Coalition invaded France, forced Napoleon to abdicate and exiled him to the island of Elba. In less than a year, he escaped from Elba and returned to power, but was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. Napoleon spent the last six years of his life under British supervision on the island of Saint Helena. An autopsy concluded that he died of stomach cancer, although Sten Forshufvud and other scientists continued to claim that he was poisoned with arsenic.
1907: John Wayne was born
American actor John Wayne was originally named Marion Robert Morrison, but his parents changed his name to Marion Michael Morrison because they wanted their next son to be named Robert. The stage name John Wayne (from General “Mad Anthony” Wayne) was given to him by director Raoul Walsh, who also discovered Wayne. But friends and admirers called him The Duke, a name given to him by his neighbors in Glendale, California.
John Wayne, actor PHOTO: Archive
In 1969, John Wayne won the Oscar for his role in the film True Grit. In four decades of acting Wayne appeared in 250 films. Most of these were directed by John Ford, and his most important films were She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and The Quiet Man (1952).
John Wayne was married three times and had seven children and 16 grandchildren. In the last more than ten years of his life, Wayne fought cancer, first in his lungs, and then his death was caused by stomach cancer, which killed him in 1979.
1964: Lenny Kravitz was born
Lenny Kravitz is an American singer, songwriter and producer, whose compositions incorporate elements of rock, soul, funk, raggae, hard rock, folk and ballads. He won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance four years in a row from 1999 to 2002, breaking the record for most wins in that category and setting the record for most consecutive wins in a category by a male. Lenny Kravits has been nominated for and won other awards including the American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Radio Music Awards, Brit Awards and Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.
Kravitz's hit singles include “It Ain't Over 'til It's Over” (1991) and “Again” (2000), each of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Top 100; other hits include “Let Love Rule” (1989), “Always on the Run” (1991), “Are You Gonna Go My Way” (1993), “Fly Away” (1998) and “American Woman” (1999), each of which reached the top 10 on the Alternative Airplay chart.
Lenny Kravitz
May 20, the day the Auschwitz nightmare began: the first prisoners brought to the concentration camp
Lenny Kravitz was ranked #93 on VH1's “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock”. He was made an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2011 and played the role of Cinna in the Hunger Games film series. In his career, Kravitz has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. He is the son of actress Roxie Roker, cousin of television host Al Roker, and father of actress Zoë Kravitz.
1984 – The Danube-Black Sea Canal was inaugurated
It is a navigable canal located in Constanța county, connecting the ports of Cernavodă on the Danube and the ports of Constanța Midia Năvodari on the Black Sea, shortening the road to the port of Constanța by approximately 400 km.
Danube Black Sea Canal
The canal, with a total length of 95.6 km, consists of the main branch, 64.4 km long, and the northern branch (known as the Poarta Albă-Midia Năvodari Canal), 31.2 km long.
1986: The European Community adopts the European flag
The European flag consists of a circle of 12 golden stars on a blue background. Although the flag is usually associated with the European Union, it was originally used by the Council of Europe to represent this continent as a whole.
The European Union, which was established by the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 to replace the European Community and take over its powers, also adopted this flag. Since then, its use has been under the control of both the Council of Europe and the European Union.
The flag appears on the obverse of all euro banknotes, and the stars on euro coins, as well as on driving licenses and number plates issued in EU member countries.
1995: The actor Ștefan Bănică died
Ștefan Bănică senior was born on November 11, 1933, Călăraşi and died on May 26, 1995, in Bucharest. He was a theater and film actor, but also a very good singer. He graduated from IATC, class of 1955.
On the World Theater Day in 2016, Ștefan Bănică posthumously received a star on the Alley of Celebrities in Piața Timpului (Cocor) and the Bucharest City Plaque, as a sign of recognition and appreciation for his entire activity in the field of theater and film.
Stefan Bănica
May 21: The day Smaranda Brăescu was born, the first woman parachutist with a patent in Romania, world and European champion
He was the son of the violinist Drăgan Constandache Bănică. Having artistic inclinations, he sang in the children's choir on the radio, acted in theater performances for schoolchildren.
On the stage of the Bulandra Theatre, Ștefan Bănică performed alongside big names of the Romanian stage. His work is enjoyed at any time, regardless of age, whether we are talking about a play, film or song. He played thousands of roles, but the most spectacular were the roles with Stela Popescu, with whom he created a comic couple in magazine shows and entertainment on television.
2010 – The actor Jean Constantin died
Jean Constantin was born in 1927, in a multi-ethnic family, his mother being of Greek ethnicity, who came with her parents from Thessaloniki around 1880 and her name was Caliopi Stavreg Zaharia. His father was Romanian and was a leading architect. The actor was born on August 21, 1927. His last name was Jean and not Constantin.
Jean Constantin, actor
Although the idea that he was a gypsy by origin was circulated for a long time, the actor never confirmed these rumors and made fun of them. The representatives of the Gypsies in Constanța stated that Jean Constantin was not a member of this ethnicity and that he was known in the city as a Greek. However, due to his Mediterranean complexion, he was chosen to play gypsy roles in several films.
He worked as an inspector in a factory in Constanța, where he founded an artistic brigade. He debuted as an artist at the House of Culture in the town. At the end of 1957, he was accepted into the newly established stage section of the “Fantasio” State Theatre. The actor remained an employee of this theater until his retirement.
