Gough Whitlam (1916–2014) was Prime Minister of Australia from 1972 until his controversial dismissal in 1975 by Governor-GeneralSir John Kerr. Whitlam was first elected to Parliament in 1952 and became leader of the Labor Party in 1967. He won the 1972 election, forming the first Labor government since 1949. His government ended conscription, and introduced universal health care, free university education, and legal aid. With the Opposition-controlled Senate obstructing his agenda, Whitlam called a double dissolution election in 1974 and kept a majority in the House of Representatives. The Senate, still controlled by the Opposition, obstructed the passage of government funding bills in 1975. Whitlam refused to back down, arguing that his elected Government should not be held to ransom. The deadlock was broken on 11 November, when Kerr dismissed Whitlam and commissioned Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser in his place. Labor lost the subsequent election in a landslide. Whitlam stepped down as Labor leader after losing the 1977 election, retired from Parliament in 1978 and later became Ambassador to UNESCO. His dismissal, and his government's legacy, remain a large part of Australian political discourse. (Full article...)
... that Anton Bruckner's Ave Maria for seven voices, the first motet composed after his studies, was sung by his choir in the Linz Cathedral(pictured)?
Hadji Ali (c. 1887–92 – 1937) was a vaudeville performance artist, thought to be of Egyptian descent, who was famous for acts of controlled regurgitation. His best-known feats included water spouting, smoke swallowing, and nut and handkerchief swallowing followed by disgorgement in an order chosen by the audience. In this 1926 image, he is performing his water spouting at the Egyptian Legation.
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