Famous Latin Americans in History

Famous Latin Americans in History The history of Latin America is packed full of influential people: dictators and statesmen, rebels and reformers, artists and entertainers. How to pick the ten most important? My criteria for compiling this list were that the person had to have made an important difference in his or her world, and had to have international importance. My ten most important, listed chronologically, are: Bartolomà © de Las Casas  (1484–1566) Although not actually born in Latin America, there can be no doubt about where his heart was. This Dominican friar fought for freedom and native rights in the early days of conquest and colonization, placing himself squarely in the way of those who would exploit and abuse the natives. If not for him, the horrors of the conquest would have been immeasurably worse.Simà ³n Bolà ­var  (1783–1830) The George Washington of South America led the way to freedom for millions of South Americans. His great charisma combined with military acumen made him the greatest of the different leaders of the Latin American Independence movement. He is responsible for the liberation of the present-day nations of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.Diego Rivera (1886–1957) Diego Rivera may not have been the only Mexican muralist, but he was certainly the most famous. Together with David Alfaro Siquieros and Josà © Clemente Orozco , they brought art out of the museums and into the streets, inviting international controversy at every turn. Augusto Pinochet  (1915–2006) Chiles dictator between 1974 and 1990, Pinochet was one of the leading figures in Operation Condor, an effort to intimidate and murder leftist opposition leaders. Operation Condor was a joint effort among Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Brazil, all with the support of the United States Government.Fidel Castro  (1926–2016) The fiery revolutionary turned irascible statesman has had a profound effect on world politics for fifty years. A thorn in the side of American leaders since the Eisenhower administration, he has been a beacon of resistance for anti-imperialists.Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os (Chespirito, el Chavo del 8) (1929–2014) Not every Latin American youll ever meet will recognize the name Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os, but everyone from Mexico to Argentina will know el Chavo del 8, the fictional eight-year-old boy portrayed by Gà ³mez (whose stage name is Chespirito) for decades. Chespirito has worked in Tel evision for over 40 years, creating iconic series such as El Chavo del 8 and el Chapulà ­n Colorado (The Red Grasshopper).​ Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquez (1927–2014) Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquez did not invent Magical realism, that most Latin American of literary genres, but he perfected it. The winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Literature is Latin Americas most celebrated writer, and his works have been translated into dozens of languages and have sold millions of copies.Edison Arantes do Nascimento Pelà © (1940–) Brazils favorite son and arguably the best soccer player of all time, Pelà © later became famous for his tireless work on behalf of Brazils poor and downtrodden and as an ambassador for soccer. The universal admiration in which Brazilians hold him has also contributed to a decrease in racism in his home country.Pablo Escobar (1949–1993) The legendary drug lord of Medellà ­n, Colombia, was once considered by Forbes Magazine to be the seventh-richest man in the world. At the height of his power, he was the most powerful man in Colombia and his drug empire stretched around the worl d. In his rise to power, he was greatly aided by the support of Colombias poor, who viewed him as a sort of Robin Hood. Rigoberta Menchà º (1959–) A native of the rural province of Quichà ©, Guatemala, Rigoberta Menchà º and her family were involved in the bitter struggle for indigenous rights. She rose to prominence in 1982 when her autobiography was ghost-written by Elizabeth Burgos. Menchà º turned the resulting international attention into a platform for activism, and she was awarded the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize. She continues to be a world leader in native rights.

7 Types of Headline Headaches

7 Types of Headline Headaches 7 Types of Headline Headaches 7 Types of Headline Headaches By Mark Nichol Throughout the history of journalism, headlines have evolved as a method for distilling the content of an article into a handful of words that will draw readers into the piece, and they serve that function for other types of informative content such as newsletters and reports. However, in publications that are not carefully edited, especially on post-it-right-now websites, headlines can invite the wrong kind of curiosity, combined with confusion or derision, when they’re published with errors. This post examines various types of common mistakes. 1. Poor Grammar This subheadline, under a headline about cell phone antennas, starts with a dangling modifier: â€Å"Numbering Over 2,400 in City Alone, Neighborhoods Say ‘Enough Is Enough.’† (The sentence construction implies that the figure refers to the number of neighborhoods.) The subject should be repeated (preferably, with elegant variation), and the quote must be preceded by a comma: â€Å"Towers Number 2,400 in the City Alone, and Neighborhoods Say, ‘Enough Is Enough.’† 2. Awkward Syntax â€Å"Man Throws Woman Off Overpass, Then Self† isn’t wrong, and it could be argued that the suicide part of the suicide-murder is the key point, but the headline is clumsy and is better rendered â€Å"Man Throws Woman, Then Self, Off Overpass.† And the literal meaning of â€Å"Man Accused of Putting Bodies in Barrels in Court† is that the off-putting putting took place in the courtroom; this misplaced modifier is easily corrected: â€Å"Man Accused of Putting Bodies in Barrels Appears in Court.† 3. Incorrect Usage A common error is perpetrated in â€Å"Less Drinking-Related Problems Reported at College.† (The problems are quantifiable, so fewer is the correct word choice.) In â€Å"VW to end making bugs in Mexico,† capitalized in sentence style rather than headline style, the choice of the first verb is awkward (stop is better), and Bugs, though a nickname for a brand name, is still a name and should be capitalized. 4. Redundancy Repetitive wording is rare in headlines, but when money is concerned, headline writers can become careless, as in â€Å"Get $100 Bucks for Recycling Old Computer Gear† and â€Å"$1.4 Million Dollars Later, No Progress.† (This type of error shows up in the articles themselves, too, as in â€Å"Taxpayers spent $1.4 billion dollars on everything from staffing, housing, flying, and entertaining President Obama and his family last year.† There’s also a parallelism error in the list; the sentence should read something like, â€Å"Taxpayers spent $1.4 billion on everything from providing staffing for President Obama and his family last year to housing, flying, and entertaining them during that period.†) 5. Misspelling Periodicals pride themselves on factual accuracy, but misspelling familiar names is an unfortunately common occurrence, as in â€Å"Jennifer Anniston Talks About Having Babies† (her last name is spelled Aniston) and â€Å"Smith Is the Michaelangelo of Real Estate† (the artist’s name is styled Michelangelo). 6. Incorrect Punctuation An article headlined â€Å"To Some Graffiti Is Art, Others Its Vandalism† not only omits a pair of commas and an apostrophe and flubs another punctuation mark but also leaves out a word; it should be â€Å"To Some, Graffiti Is Art; to Others, It’s Vandalism.† Another headline also lacks an apostrophe: â€Å"Officials Past Helps Him Plan the Future,† where officials is treated as a plural rather than in singular possessive form. 7. Erroneous Use or Lack of Hyphenation Gratuitous hyphenation, such as that in the headline â€Å"Soldier Guilty in Parachute-Tampering† the hyphen is appropriate only if â€Å"parachute-tampering† is a phrasal adjective preceding a noun such as case is annoying but innocuous, but the mangling of the age range in â€Å"Most 18-29 Year-Olds Sleep with Their Smartphones† (correction: â€Å"Most 18- to 29-Year-Olds Sleep with Their Smartphones†) is embarrassing. Nor does erroneous omission of hyphens in standing phrases reflect the rigorous quality control that assures readers of a newspaper’s accuracy; â€Å"Cease Fire in Liberia† and â€Å"Debate Free for All† should read â€Å"Cease-Fire in Liberia† and â€Å"Debate Free-for-All.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Words for Facial ExpressionsRunning Amok or Running Amuck?5 Tips to Understand Hyphenated Words