Hermann Göring

NAME Hermann Wilhelm Göring

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Leading figure in Nazi Germany, founder of the Gestapo, head of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force), and one of Adolf Hitler’s closest allies.

BIRTH Born January 12, 1893, at the Marienbad Sanatorium in Rosenheim, Bavaria, Germany. At the time of his birth, his father was serving as consul general in Haiti.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Heinrich Ernst Göring (1839-1913), his father, was a former cavalry officer who served as the first governor-general of German South West Africa (modern-day Namibia) and later as consul general in Haiti. His mother was Franziska Tiefenbrunn (1859-1943), known as Fanny, a Bavarian peasant. 

Hermann was the fourth of five children from his father's second marriage, with siblings Karl, Olga, Paula, and younger brother Albert. 

His godfather was Dr. Hermann Epenstein, a wealthy Jewish physician and businessman who became his mother's mistress for fifteen years.

CHILDHOOD Hermann was left with a family friend in Bavaria at six weeks old when his mother returned to Haiti, not seeing his parents again for three years. When reunited with his mother at age three, he reportedly "pounded her in the face with both of his tiny fists". 

The family lived in castles owned by his godfather Epenstein, including Veldenstein Castle in Franconia and Mauterndorf Castle in Austria.

Hermann was a boisterous and energetic child, known for being a natural leader among his peers. He enjoyed playing soldiers and developed an early fascination with militarism and German history, particularly the Teutonic knights. His upbringing was highly nationalistic and patriotic, influenced by his father's career and the values of the German Empire.

Göring in 1907, at age 14 By Bundesarchiv, Bild 

EDUCATION Hermann initially struggled at Catholic boarding school and showed little academic interest. He was sent to various boarding schools where food was poor and discipline harsh - he once sold a violin to buy a train ticket home.

Everything changed when he was enrolled at military academy in Karlsruhe, where he flourished. He graduated with distinction from the military academy at Berlin-Lichterfelde in 1911. He later attended university in Munich studying history and political science.

CAREER RECORD First served as a World War I fighter pilot and became a decorated ace. J

Göring joined the Nazi Party in 1922, took part in the failed Beer Hall Putsch (1923), rose rapidly under Hitler.

After Hitler's rise to power in 1933, held multiple positions including Prussian Minister of the Interior, founder of the Gestapo, and Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe. Appointed Plenipotentiary of the Four Year Plan in 1936, giving him enormous economic power. Created Reichsmarschall in 1940, the highest military rank in Germany.

After the war, Göring was convicted of war crimes, and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg trials in 1946. 

APPEARANCE Göring's physical appearance changed dramatically over his life. As a young man and a World War I pilot, he was described as athletic and lean with "pale blue eyes and lean, dashing good looks" and a "strong, square jawline".   However, after his addiction to morphine and his extravagant lifestyle, he became morbidly obese. By the 1930s and 40s, he was known for his immense girth and an almost theatrical, self-indulgent presence. At the Nuremberg Trials, he was significantly thinner due to his withdrawal from drugs. (1)

Göring as Reichsmarschall

FASHION Göring was extremely vain about his appearance and designed his own elaborate uniforms. He was known to change uniforms multiple times per day and favored pearl gray and white colors, departing from standard Luftwaffe blue-gray. 

He wore flamboyant clothes, excessive jewelry, and makeup after meeting his second wife Emmy. 

Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano once noted him wearing a fur coat that looked like "what a high-grade prostitute wears to the opera". 

He famously wore three neck awards simultaneously: the Blue Max, Knight's Cross, and Grand Cross. 

His fashion choices earned him ridicule from both the German public and foreign officials. (2)

CHARACTER Göring had a complex personality. He could be jovial, charismatic, and charming, and was often seen as more approachable than Hitler. However, beneath this facade was a man who was ruthlessly ambitious, cruel, and deeply corrupt. He was also a cunning politician and a master of political intrigue. His character was marked by a deep-seated vanity, a love of luxury, and a tendency toward grandiosity. Despite his high position and power, he was often seen as a sycophant to Hitler, and his authority waned as the war turned against Germany.

At Nuremberg, he was found to have "normal basic personality" but was noted for his "immense ability and knowledge" and was regarded as “suave, shrewd, adroit, capable, [and] resourceful” by the prosecution. (3)

His colleagues noted his arrogance and tendency not to suffer fools gladly. 

SPEAKING VOICE Göring's speaking style was often described as boisterous and full of bombast. His speeches were known for their theatrical flair and a kind of folksy charm that contrasted with the more intense, hypnotic style of Hitler. He was an effective public speaker, capable of rousing crowds and projecting an image of power and confidence. 

SENSE OF HUMOUR  Göring was known to have a crude and often self-serving sense of humor. He would tell jokes and stories, and his jovial nature often masked the sinister undertones of his political actions. His humor was part of his public persona, designed to make him seem more human and accessible to the German people.

Göring was noted for his "extremely inappropriate use of humor" during the Nuremberg trials. He was described as having a "good-humored bravado" and was known for making others underestimate him through his wit. (3)

RELATIONSHIPS Göring was married twice. 

First Marriage: Married Swedish Baroness Carin von Fock-Kantzow (née Fock) on February 3, 1923, after she divorced her first husband. She was four years older and had a son from her previous marriage. Carin died of heart failure on October 17, 1931, at age 42. Göring was devastated by her death and named his estate Carinhall in her honor.

Carin Göring in 1927

Second Marriage: Married actress Emmy Sonnemann on April 10, 1935, in a lavish state-sponsored wedding in Berlin with Hitler as best man. Emmy was 45 when their daughter Edda was born on June 2, 1938. Despite living in a home dedicated to his first wife, Emmy reportedly didn't mind Hermann's daily visits to Carin's mausoleum.

Emmy and Hermann Göring after the wedding with Hitler seated behind them By Bundesarchiv, 

Göring had a close and often complicated relationship with Adolf Hitler. He was one of Hitler's earliest and most loyal supporters, and for years, he was considered the number two man in the Nazi hierarchy and Hitler's designated successor. However, his relationship with Hitler deteriorated as the war progressed and Göring's failures as head of the Luftwaffe became apparent. 

His relationship with his brother, Albert Göring, was also notable. Despite Hermann's high rank in the Nazi party, he consistently protected his anti-Nazi brother from Gestapo persecution

MONEY AND FAME Göring amassed enormous wealth through his positions of power, accumulating up to $200 million worth of looted art by war's end.  His wealth came from gifts from industrialists, his Four Year Plan position, and systematic looting of Jewish collections across occupied Europe. 

He was incredibly popular in early Nazi Germany, referred to as "unsere Hermann" (our Hermann) by many Germans. Göring was a public face of the Nazi regime, often seen in newsreels and propaganda.

FOOD AND DRINK Göring was known for his voracious appetite and love of extravagant feasts. His obesity was a result of this indulgence. He enjoyed fine wines and rich foods, and his lavish parties at Carinhall were legendary for their gluttony.

MUSIC AND ARTS Göring was obsessed with collecting art and cultural artifacts, amassing over 1,375 paintings and 4,263 objects in total. He visited the Jeu de Paume museum in Paris about twenty times between 1941-1944 to select looted artworks. His collection was valued at $200 million in 1945 (equivalent to $2.9 billion today). He displayed his collection in a 34-meter-long Grand Gallery at Carinhall. His prized painting was a fake Vermeer called "Christ with the Adulteress" for which he paid the equivalent of $7 million. 

He also enjoyed music, particularly Wagner's operas, which he saw as a reflection of German heroic mythology

LITERATURE While not a serious intellectual, Göring enjoyed reading and had a personal library. His tastes were generally in line with his romantic and nationalist worldview, favoring German history, mythology, and military texts.

NATURE Göring was a passionate conservationist and animal lover, appointed as Reich Master of the Hunt (Reichsjägermeister) in May 1933. 

His sprawling estate, Carinhall, was located in the middle of a large hunting preserve, and he often hosted hunting parties for high-ranking officials and foreign dignitaries. He saw himself as a modern-day Teutonic huntsman, a role that fit his self-image as a powerful and primal leader.

PETS Göring raised lion cubs throughout the 1930s, keeping them in a special basement room at Carinhall and exchanging them at Berlin Zoo when they became too large. On at least one occasion, he had to change uniforms after being soaked in lion cub urine.

He also kept North American bison and other big game animals on his estate.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Göring was an avid hunter and outdoorsman who loved the forest and hunting expeditions. 

He was also an accomplished mountain climber in his youth, scaling peaks in Germany, the Mont Blanc massif, and Austrian Alps. 

He had a gigantic railway model in the attic of Carinhall, reported to be the world's largest at the time. 

Göring enjoyed cars and sailing, owning a 90-foot motor yacht called Carin II.

SCIENCE AND MATHS His focus was on the more romantic and mythological aspects of German culture, rather than technical or academic pursuits.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Göring’s personal philosophy was rooted in the nationalist and militaristic ideals of the Nazi Party. 

Though raised a Protestant, he was not a religious man in a traditional sense, but he embraced the quasi-religious aspects of Nazism, which presented Hitler as a messianic figure and the German nation as a divine entity. His worldview was centered on power, racial superiority, and the glory of the German state.

POLITICS Göring’s entry into the Nazi Party came in November 1922, after he heard Adolf Hitler speak and evidently decided this was the sort of chap with whom one might conquer the world. Within weeks he was given command of the SA (the brown-shirted Storm Troopers, whose job was to look menacing in public) and by the following year was striding into Munich beer halls alongside Hitler in the ill-fated 1923 putsch. It was, as political career launches go, somewhat unconventional, involving police gunfire and a brief but inconvenient exile.

By 1932, Göring had somehow transformed himself from rebel rabble-rouser into Reichstag President — a post he used with remarkable dexterity to smooth Hitler’s path to the Chancellorship. Once the Nazis were in power, Göring became Prussian Minister of the Interior, a position he used to invent the Gestapo and set up the first concentration camps — not exactly the sort of thing you’d want on a modern CV, but in the Third Reich it was considered outstanding initiative. For a time he was even Hitler’s designated successor, until April 1945, when a falling-out of operatic proportions saw him stripped of every title he possessed.

Politically, Göring was a virtuoso — part Machiavelli, part society host. He knew everyone worth knowing in the old German aristocracy and military, and he used those contacts to gather influential support for Hitler. He was also ruthless, happily dispatching rivals and tightening his grip on power while jousting with fellow Nazi heavyweights like Himmler and Goebbels. His role in the persecution of Jews was not peripheral — it was central — and it was Göring who sent Reinhard Heydrich the directive for what became the “Final Solution.” It was politics, Nazi-style: full of backstabbing, lavish uniforms, and moral bankruptcy on an industrial scale. 

SCANDAL  Göring's morphine addiction began after being wounded during the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch and persisted throughout his life. He was twice treated for drug addiction in Swedish mental hospitals in 1925-26. 

His flamboyant lifestyle and white uniforms during wartime rationing created public resentment. 

He was involved in systematic art looting across occupied Europe, stealing from Jewish collections.

MILITARY RECORD Göring’s First World War résumé was the sort of thing that made military recruiters go weak at the knees. He started as an infantry lieutenant — a position that, in 1915, mostly involved mud, lice, and being shot at — before wisely transferring to the air service, where the mud was replaced by cold winds, oxygen deprivation, and being shot at in three dimensions. There he blossomed. Göring became a first-rate fighter pilot, racking up 22 confirmed victories against Allied aircraft, a tally that put him firmly in the coveted category of “ace.” When the legendary Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron himself, was killed, Göring inherited command of the famous “Flying Circus” squadron. Along the way he collected the Pour le Mérite (the “Blue Max”), the Iron Cross First Class, and a dazzling assortment of other decorations — the sort of medal haul that would make a Christmas tree look underdressed.

That fame as a war hero served him well later. When the Nazis needed a dashing military figurehead, Göring, with his medals and airman’s swagger, fit the bill perfectly. In 1935 he was made Supreme Commander of the Luftwaffe, and in 1940 Hitler even created a special title just for him — Reichsmarschall — which essentially meant “top brass of the top brass.”

Unfortunately, Göring’s Second World War career did not soar quite as high as his biplane days. He built the Luftwaffe from nothing into a formidable force, but his strategic instincts were not always in sync with reality. The Battle of Britain was a debacle, the Allied bombing of Germany went largely unchecked, and his overconfident promise to supply besieged German forces at Stalingrad by air turned into one of the great logistical disasters of the war. By the end, the once-celebrated flying ace found himself not only grounded but steadily losing altitude in Hitler’s estimation — proof that in both aviation and politics, what goes up can indeed come down.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Göring suffered from morphine addiction that began after his 1923 gunshot wound and persisted throughout his life. He also used paracodeine tablets, a mild morphine derivative, which some argue was a form of opioid maintenance therapy. His weight gain was attributed to glandular problems rather than overeating. He suffered from various health issues related to his drug use, making him "alternately elated and depressed". (4)

HOMES Göring's primary residence was the opulent country estate of Carinhall, located in the Schorfheide Forest north of Berlin. Named after his first wife, the compound was a testament to his wealth and power. It expanded from a hunting lodge to a massive estate with art galleries, mausoleum, and exotic animal enclosures and serving as a venue for lavish state events and hunting parties. To prevent it from falling into the hands of the advancing Red Army, Göring ordered it to be blown up in 1945. 

He also had a smaller hunting lodge in East Prussia called "Reichsjägerhof Rominten," also known as "Emmyhall" after his second wife.

Other residences were his official state residence on Leipziger Platz in Berlin, alpine house on the Obersalzberg, Castle Veldenstein, Mauterndorf Castle, and a house on Sylt island.

TRAVEL Göring traveled extensively for diplomatic purposes before World War II, visiting Italy to improve relations, negotiating with Balkan countries, and conducting business with Austria and Poland. He also traveled for personal reasons, living in exile in Austria, Italy, and Sweden from 1923-1927 after the Beer Hall Putsch.

DEATH  After the collapse of the Third Reich, Göring surrendered to Allied forces in May 1945. He was the highest-ranking Nazi to stand trial at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. He was found guilty on all four counts: conspiracy to wage war, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Sentenced to death by hanging, he committed suicide by cyanide poisoning on October 15, 1946, the night before his scheduled execution at Nuremberg. Göring bit down on a small glass capsule containing potassium cyanide he'd hidden, with glass particles found on his lips. 

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA  Hermann Göring has been a frequent subject of media portrayals, appearing in numerous films, television series, and documentaries about the Third Reich and World War II. He is often depicted as a larger-than-life figure, a jovial but ruthless villain. Notable portrayals include those in the films The Last Ten Days and Von Richthofen and Brown and the miniseries Nuremberg. He is also a subject in many historical documentaries, which often focus on his trial, his drug addiction, and his lavish lifestyle. 

ACHIEVEMENTS Rose from decorated World War I pilot to second-in-command of Nazi Germany; 

Built the Luftwaffe into a formidable force before its decline

Amassed one of the largest private art collections in history (mostly through looting).

Sources: (1) Corgi (2) The Marshal's Baton (3) National Library of Medicine (4) Encyclopedia Britannica

Al Gore

NAME Albert Arnold Gore Jr., commonly known as Al Gore

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Former Vice President of the United States (1993–2001), environmental advocate, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (2007), and climate change leader.

BIRTH Albert Arnold Gore Jr. was born on March 31, 1948, in Washington, D.C.. His birth occurred while his father was serving as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee. The timing and location of his birth positioned him from infancy within the corridors of American political power.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Gore comes from a distinguished political family with deep Tennessee roots. His father, Albert Gore Sr., served as a U.S. Representative and later as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee for 18 years (1953-1971). His father was considered a possible vice presidential nominee in both 1956 and 1960. 

Gore's mother, Pauline LaFon Gore, was a pioneering figure in her own right, being one of the first women to graduate from Vanderbilt Law School. 

Gore is descended from Scots Irish immigrants who first settled in Virginia during the mid-17th century and moved to Tennessee after the Revolutionary War.

He had an older sister, Nancy LaFon Gore, who died of lung cancer in 1984.

CHILDHOOD Gore's childhood was uniquely divided between two distinct worlds. During the school year, he lived with his family in The Fairfax Hotel in the Embassy Row section of Washington, D.C.. During summer months, he worked on the family farm in Carthage, Tennessee, where the Gores grew tobacco and hay and raised cattle. This dual existence exposed him to both the sophisticated political environment of the nation's capital and the rural, agricultural lifestyle of Tennessee. His father was known to put young Al through grueling farm chores as a form of character building.

EDUCATION Gore attended St. Albans School, an independent college preparatory day and boarding school for boys in Washington, D.C., from 1956 to 1965. This prestigious institution served as a feeder school for the Ivy League. At St. Albans, he was captain of the football team, threw discus for the track and field team, and participated in basketball, art, and government. He graduated 25th in a class of 51.

Gore in St. Albans School's 1965 yearbook

Gore enrolled at Harvard College in 1965, initially planning to major in English and write novels but later deciding to major in government. He was elected president of the freshman student government council on his second day on campus. 

At Harvard, he was roommates with future actor Tommy Lee Jones in Dunster House. They engaged in all-American dorm antics—shooting pool, watching Star Trek, and once nearly killed an elm tree with a month-long knife-throwing contest.

Gore was an avid reader who fell in love with scientific and mathematical theories, though he did not perform well in science classes and avoided taking math. His grades placed him in the lower one-fifth of his class during his first two years at Harvard, reportedly spending much time watching television, shooting pool, and occasionally smoking marijuana. In his junior and senior years, he became more serious about his studies, earning As and Bs. 

Significantly, he took a class with oceanographer and global warming theorist Roger Revelle, who sparked Gore's interest in global warming and environmental issues. Gore earned an A on his thesis, "The Impact of Television on the Conduct of the Presidency, 1947–1969," and graduated with an A.B. cum laude in June 1969.

After returning from Vietnam, Gore attended Vanderbilt University Divinity School from 1971-1972 on a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship for people planning secular careers. He later said he went there to explore "spiritual issues" and hoped "to make sense of the social injustices that seemed to challenge his religious beliefs". In 1974, he took a leave of absence from The Tennessean to attend Vanderbilt University Law School. However, Gore did not complete law school, deciding abruptly in 1976 to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. (1)

CAREER RECORD 1971-1976  An investigative reporter for The Tennessean in Nashville 

1977-1985 U.S. House of Representatives: Represented Tennessee's 4th congressional district

1985-1993 U.S. Senate: Represented Tennessee 

1993-2001 Vice President of the United States

2000: Was the Democratic nominee in the 2000 U.S. presidential election, winning the popular vote but losing the electoral college to George W. Bush after a recount dispute in Florida.

2001- Since leaving office, Gore successfully transitioned to business and environmental advocacy and has become a leading advocate for climate change awareness.

APPEARANCE Al Gore is tall and has a solid build. In his younger years, he was known for his dark hair, which is now gray. His facial features are often described as classic, with a prominent chin and a serious expression.

Al Gore, Vice President of the United States, official portrait 1994

FASHION Gore's fashion is typically conservative and professional. During his time in public office, he was almost always seen in a well-tailored suit and tie. In his post-political career, he often adopts a more casual, yet still polished, style.

CHARACTER Gore is widely regarded as thoughtful, serious, and intellectually rigorous. He has a reputation for being studious and methodical in his approach to complex issues. He is also known for his passion and unwavering commitment to environmental causes.

SPEAKING VOICE Gore has a deep, resonant voice. His speaking style can be formal and sometimes perceived as monotone, but it is clear and deliberate. As a public speaker, he is known for his detailed, data-driven presentations, especially on climate change.

SENSE OF HUMOUR Al Gore has often poked fun at his own stiff public image. When he hosted Saturday Night Live, critics noted that despite his wooden reputation and lack of acting chops, he turned out to be a surprisingly solid host — much like John McCain had been earlier that season — and showed himself to be a good sport. 

He carried that same sense of humor into voice acting for Futurama, where his daughter Kristin was on the writing staff. Fans on Reddit recall that during recording sessions, Gore was so enthusiastic he was “jumping on his couch acting out the scene” — proof that he was not only game for comedy but also great fun to work with. (2)

RELATIONSHIPS Gore married Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Aitcheson at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on May 19, 1970. He described her as "someone I've loved with my whole heart since the night of my high school senior prom". 

They had four children together: Karenna (born August 6, 1973), who married Drew Schiff; Kristin (born June 5, 1977); Sarah (born January 7, 1979); and Albert III (born October 19, 1982). The couple also had at least one grandchild, Karenna and Drew's son Wyatt.

The Gores were considered a model political marriage for decades, representing stability in contrast to the tumultuous Clinton marriage. Their famous extended kiss at the 2000 Democratic National Convention became an iconic campaign moment. However, after 40 years of marriage, Al and Tipper Gore announced their separation in June 2010. The announcement came as a shock to their political circle, with the couple citing in an email to friends that they had made "a mutual and mutually supportive decision" following "a process of long and careful consideration".

Friends suggested they had simply "grown apart" as they often lived apart due to demanding travel schedules. Following their separation, both found new relationships. Al formed a relationship with Democratic and environmental activist Elizabeth Keadle, while Tipper began seeing former National Geographic editor Bill Allen. (3)

Tipper Gore 2009 by Nancy Rhoda - Provided by Tipper Gore,

MONEY AND FAME Al Gore was born into privilege — his father’s political career and business interests ensured the family’s financial stability. But his own fortune came later. When he left the White House in 2001, public disclosures put his assets somewhere between $780,000 and $1.9 million, mostly tied up in family land and Tennessee stock holdings. Today, his net worth is estimated at around $300 million — a dramatic financial transformation from career politician to wealthy businessman.

A big part of that story is Generation Investment Management, the sustainable investment firm he co-founded in 2004, which now oversees about $25 billion in assets. As chairman, Gore earns roughly $2 million a month, and the firm holds positions in giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, Charles Schwab, and Deere & Co. He also co-founded Current TV in 2002, selling it to Al Jazeera for $500 million in 2013 — a deal that personally netted him between $70 and $100 million.

Technology has also been lucrative for Gore. He sat on Apple’s board of directors from 2003 to 2024, earning $377,000 annually, and once held 100,000 Apple shares, cashing in 59,000 of them in 2013 for about $30 million. Add to that speaking fees of about $200,000 per event, and it’s clear why his wealth soared.

Gore’s real estate portfolio reflects his financial success: a $3 million San Francisco condo, a $7.5 million Nashville colonial, a $13 million Montecito villa, and his longtime Arlington, Virginia residence valued at over $3 million. His business acumen, combined with environmental advocacy and tech connections, turned him into one of the wealthiest former politicians in America.

FOOD AND DRINK Al Gore follows a vegan diet. He made the switch in late 2013, eliminating all animal products from his meals. Gore’s decision appears to have been motivated primarily by his desire for consistency with his environmental message, as raising livestock contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Although he initially made the change to "experiment and see what it was like," he reported feeling better and has continued with it ever since.

Before going vegan, he had publicly discussed the environmental impact of animal agriculture and began cutting back on meat consumption since at least 2009. Gore’s example parallels that of his former boss, President Bill Clinton, who also adopted a plant-based diet.

MUSIC AND ARTS Al Gore has a deep appreciation for the arts and media, a passion he shares with his family. He enjoys both country and rock music and has attended various cultural events throughout his career. While attending St. Albans School, he participated in art.

His involvement in media extends beyond a passive appreciation. He co-founded Current TV, an independent news and documentary channel, and won an Oscar for his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. He even ventured into voice acting, lending his voice to the animated show Futurama, where his daughter Kristin worked as a writer.

Gore's family has also played a significant role in the cultural conversation. His former wife, Tipper Gore, co-founded the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). Triggered by the Prince song "Darling Nikki," the group advocated for a ratings system for music albums and concerts. This led to a contentious congressional hearing on September 19, 1985, where musicians like Frank Zappa and John Denver testified against what they saw as censorship. The PMRC's efforts ultimately led to the now-familiar "Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics" warning stickers on albums. (4)

Gore with the PMRC in 1985

LITERATURE  Initially at Harvard, he planned to major in English and write novels before switching to government. He was an avid reader there who fell in love with scientific and mathematical theories.

Gore authored his Harvard thesis on "The Impact of Television on the Conduct of the Presidency, 1947–1969," earning an A. He is a prolific author., whose notable books include Earth in the Balance (1992) and An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

NATURE Al Gore’s bond with nature began with his childhood summers on the family farm in Tennessee, where he absorbed the rhythms of agricultural life and rural landscapes. That early connection blossomed into a lifelong environmental passion. As a Harvard senior, Gore studied under oceanographer Roger Revelle, one of the first scientists to warn about global warming — a class that profoundly shaped his worldview.

After politics, Gore made the environment his defining mission. He became a leading voice in the fight against climate change, work that earned him the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Through Generation Investment Management, the firm he co-founded, he championed sustainable investing, proving that environmentally responsible businesses can also be financially successful. Gore’s career transformation underscores how his personal love of the natural world evolved into a professional crusade that redefined his legacy.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Al Gore has long been active in sports and fitness. At St. Albans, he captained the football team, competed in track and field as a discus thrower, and also played basketball. At Harvard, he joined the freshman basketball squad as a reserve guard (1965–66), remembered for his unconventional shooting style.

As an adult, Gore became serious about physical fitness. By 2000, he was running hard every morning and weight training, building what one account described as “a marathoner’s constitution.” (5)

His hobbies have ranged from painting to water-skiing. 

SCIENCE AND MATHS Gore has a keen interest in science, particularly climate science. His work on global warming is heavily based on scientific data and research. He has a solid understanding of complex scientific concepts

ENVIRONMENTALISM Al Gore has managed the unusual feat of being both a career politician and the world’s most persistent worrier-in-chief about the fate of the planet. His interest in environmental matters goes back to his youth, when he read Silent Spring and began to suspect that all was not well with the world. By the time he reached Harvard, a course with Professor Roger Revelle—who was practically the Paul Revere of global warming—had him firmly hooked on the idea that the climate was going to be humanity’s biggest headache.

In Congress, Gore was the sort of earnest young legislator who actually held hearings on things like toxic waste and greenhouse gases while everyone else was still arguing about tax cuts and missile defense. By 1976 he was staging the very first Congressional inquiries into climate change, and by the 1980s he had become Capitol Hill’s resident canary in the coal mine.

As Vice President, he continued in much the same fashion—only now with a motorcade. He launched the GLOBE Program to get schoolchildren measuring rainfall and counting bugs, pushed hard for America to join the Kyoto Protocol, and even floated the radical idea of a carbon tax. He was also behind an ambitious plan to stick a climate-monitoring satellite a million miles out in space, which, frankly, sounds like something Wile E. Coyote might have thought up if he had been an environmentalist.

Leaving office in 2001 only gave Gore more time to become what he already essentially was: a full-time climate crusader. His documentary An Inconvenient Truth (2006) not only won an Oscar but made the phrase “climate change” unavoidable at dinner parties. A year later, he collected a Nobel Peace Prize, putting him in the very small club of people (along with George Bernard Shaw, improbably enough) who have both an Oscar and a Nobel.

Nor did he stop there. He co-founded Generation Investment Management, proving that you could actually make money by investing in companies that weren’t actively destroying the planet. He set up the Climate Reality Project to train activists, launched Climate TRACE to track global emissions with artificial intelligence, and generally made himself unavoidable at climate summits everywhere from Davos to Dubai. He even helped put together the Live Earth concerts, on the premise that a little rock ’n’ roll might succeed where sober congressional hearings had not.

And just to show he meant it, Gore retooled his own lifestyle, embracing a vegan diet and other sustainable choices. Half a century after that first teenage jolt of environmental awareness, he remains both impressively informed and, in the best possible way, stubbornly relentless. If there is a man more determined to save the planet, one rather suspects he is still in school reading Silent Spring.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY  Al Gore was raised in a Baptist family—his father was Baptist, and his mother belonged to the Church of Christ. Gore has described himself as a "born-again Christian," first making a commitment to Jesus as a child and then again at age 21. He and his wife Tipper were baptized together during his years in Congress. Gore has cited faith in Jesus Christ as the foundation of his work, especially his environmental work, and has openly acknowledged the centrality of faith in his life and belief system.

His spiritual journey has included Baptist, Presbyterian, and other Christian traditions, as well as personal exploration through study at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Gore connects his environmental activism to his faith, believing that caring for creation honors God. Although he no longer regularly attends church, faith and prayer remain important in his personal life. (6)

PRESIDENTIAL RUNS AND VICE PRESIDENCY Al Gore’s political journey is something of a study in near-misses and steadfast perseverance. He spent eight years as Vice President under Bill Clinton (1993–2001), during which he was anything but a ceremonial figurehead. Gore threw himself into the job with gusto, advising on everything from technology and the economy to environmental policy. He even got his fingerprints on initiatives like “reinventing government” and played a key role in popularizing the internet, back when it still seemed slightly magical to most Americans. In short, he was the policy wonk’s policy wonk: top adviser, cabinet consultant, president of the Senate, and the person you wanted if you actually cared about substance.

Gore’s first presidential run in 1988 was a modest affair. He carried seven states in the Democratic primaries, only to finish third behind Michael Dukakis and Jesse Jackson. After Super Tuesday setbacks and some campaign controversy, he gracefully bowed out.

The 2000 campaign, however, was a whole other story. Announcing in his hometown of Carthage, Tennessee, Gore pitched a platform centered on strengthening families, healthcare, and the economy. He steamrolled Democratic primaries, defeated Bill Bradley, and picked Senator Joe Lieberman as his running mate—the first Jewish American on a major national ticket.

The general election against George W. Bush was nail-biting. Florida became the epicenter of national attention, with its disputed vote count deciding the presidency. Gore won the popular vote by more than 500,000 ballots but ultimately lost the Electoral College when the Supreme Court halted the Florida recount. Bush claimed 271 electoral votes to Gore’s 266, making the 2000 election one of the most dramatic and controversial in American history.

Gore’s campaign earned praise for discipline and a commanding grasp of the issues, though critics sometimes found him stiff or too serious in comparison to Clinton’s charisma. When the Florida debacle finally concluded, he conceded graciously, ending his pursuit of elected office. Since then, he has devoted himself entirely to environmental activism and public advocacy—still passionate, still persistent, and now largely free from the peculiar travails of politics.

POLITICS Al Gore is not the sort of politician who dazzles with charm or effortless charisma. Where Bill Clinton seems to glide through the room, Gore “trudges, earthbound,” tackling politics more as a meticulous experiment than a soaring art form. He does not approach public life instinctively and has often wrestled with whether the spotlight is really for him. What he does have, however, is preparation down to a science—he leaves almost nothing to chance and thrives on rigor, timing, and detail.

Politics, in Gore’s case, was almost a family inheritance. His father, Albert Gore Sr., served as both a Representative and Senator from Tennessee and leaned liberal on contentious issues like the Vietnam War and Civil Rights—a stance that cost him his seat in 1970. Following in his father’s footsteps, Gore launched his own political career in 1976 as a Democrat representing Tennessee in the House of Representatives, where he served until 1985. He then moved on to the Senate, remaining there until 1993. Notably, he was one of just ten Democratic senators to vote in favor of authorizing American military action in the 1991 Persian Gulf War—a centrist move that reflected his pragmatic approach. His combination of Southern sensibilities, measured judgment, and policy expertise made him a natural choice as Bill Clinton’s running mate in 1992.

SCANDAL While Gore has largely maintained a clean public image, there have been some controversies. In 2007, public records revealed that the energy consumption at his Nashville home was 20 times the national average, creating a contradiction with his environmental advocacy. This drew criticism about the disconnect between his climate message and personal consumption. The South Park creators parodied his environmental activism, initially portraying him as an alarmist warning about the fictional "ManBearPig," though they later apologized when climate change became undeniably serious. 

His son Albert III was arrested for possessing marijuana at St. Albans, the same school his father had attended.

Aa an investigative reporter for The Tennessean in Nashville from 1971-1976, Gore's investigations of corruption among members of Nashville's Metro Council resulted in the arrest and prosecution of two councilmen for separate offenses.

MILITARY RECORD Despite opposing the Vietnam War, Gore's sense of civic duty compelled him to enlist in the U.S. Army in August 1969. After enlisting, he returned to Harvard in his military uniform to say goodbye to his adviser and was "jeered" at by students, later describing being met with "emotional field of negativity and disapproval and piercing glances that certainly felt like real hatred". He had basic training at Fort Dix from August to October 1969, then was assigned as a military journalist at Fort Rucker, Alabama. In April 1970, he was named Rucker's "Soldier of the Month".

His orders to Vietnam were initially "held up," with the Gore family suspecting this was due to Nixon administration fears that if something happened to him, his father would gain sympathy votes. He was finally shipped to Vietnam on January 2, 1971, after his father lost his Senate seat in the 1970 election. Gore served with the 20th Engineer Brigade in Biên Hòa and was a journalist with The Castle Courier. He became one of only about a dozen of the 1,115 Harvard graduates in his all-male Class of '69 who went to Vietnam. He received an honorable discharge from the Army in May 1971. Of his military service, Gore later stated, "I didn't do the most, or run the gravest danger. But I was proud to wear my country's uniform". (7)

Gore with the 20th Engineer Brigade in Biên Hòa as a journalist with The Castle Courier

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Gore has been open about his commitment to a healthy lifestyle, including exercise and a vegetarian diet.

HOMES Al Gore has built a striking real estate portfolio that spans coast to coast. Among his holdings is a $3 million condo in San Francisco’s Regis Building, situated close to many of his investment interests. In Nashville, he owns a stately colonial home valued at $7.5 million, while his most lavish property is a $13 million Mediterranean-style estate in Montecito, California. Gore also maintains a residence in Arlington, Virginia, worth over $3 million, which he has listed for rent at $9,000 a month. His Nashville home sparked controversy in 2007 when records showed it was consuming about 20 times more energy than the average American household.

TRAVEL Al Gore’s career has kept him constantly on the move. As Vice President, his duties took him across the U.S. and around the globe on official missions. After leaving office, his environmental advocacy carried him even further, with worldwide speaking engagements on climate change—often commanding fees of around $200,000 per appearance. 

His business ventures, including Generation Investment Management, have also meant frequent trips between his various bases in Tennessee, Washington, D.C., and California, as well as abroad. 

In recent years, friends have observed that Gore has made Silicon Valley a hub of his business and political activity, traveling there often for investment meetings and climate-focused fundraising.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Gore's most notable media appearance is his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which won an Academy Award. He has also appeared on various news and talk shows.

Gore hosted Saturday Night Live, which included a memorable backstage segment with his wife Tipper that parodied their famous extended kiss from the 2000 Democratic Convention. He also provided voice acting for Futurama, where his daughter Kristin worked as a writer. 

Gore has been extensively parodied in South Park, where he appears as a character warning about the fictional creature "ManBearPig," representing the creators' initial skepticism about environmental alarmism. However, in later episodes, ManBearPig proved real, leading to an apology to Gore as the show acknowledged the validity of climate change warnings. 

He co-founded Current TV in 2002, which was later sold to Al Jazeera for $500 million.

ACHIEVEMENTS Vice President (1993–2001)

Nobel Peace Prize (2007) for climate activism

Influential figure in global environmental policy

Led creation of Parental Advisory music labels through spouse’s activism

Sources (1) CNN (2) Reddit (3) Politico (4) Encyclopaedia of Trivia (5) LA Times (6) Charisma (7) New York Times

Charles George Gordon

NAME Charles George Gordon, popularly known as “Chinese Gordon” and later “Gordon of Khartoum.”

WHAT FAMOUS FOR A British Army officer and administrator remembered for his exploits in the Taiping Rebellion in China (1863–64), his governorship in Sudan, and his dramatic death at Khartoum in 1885 during the Mahdist revolt.

BIRTH Gordon was born on January 28, 1833 in Woolwich, near London, England. Woolwich was the location of the Royal Artillery barracks where his father was stationed.

FAMILY BACKGROUND His father was Major General Henry William Gordon (1786-1865) of the Royal Artillery, who later became a Lieutenant General. His mother was Elizabeth Gordon (née Enderby) (1792-1873), daughter of Samuel Enderby of Croom's Hill, Blackheath. 

Gordon was the fourth son in a family of eleven children - five girls and six boys. The Gordon family had served as officers in the British Army for four generations, strongly encouraging Charles to follow this tradition. All his brothers also became military officers.

CHILDHOOD As a boy, Gordon was small in stature but brimming with energy and curiosity. Restless and strong-willed, he quickly earned a reputation for independence and a fiery sense of justice. One contemporary described him as a “resourceful and aggressive youngster” with “a keen eye and a hot temper for injustice.” His father, exasperated by his unruly spirit, once referred to his ten-year-old son as a “powder barrel” when sending him off to Taunton Grammar School—“probably with the grateful thanks of the neighbourhood.” (1)

Gordon’s childhood was marked by frequent moves that reflected his father’s military career. The family lived in Dublin, where his father worked on modernising artillery at Pigeon House Fort; later in Edinburgh during a posting to Leith Fort; and eventually on the island of Corfu. Amid these relocations, Gordon remained especially close to his sister Emily, whose death at the age of sixteen, when Gordon was just ten, was a profound loss. In later years, his eldest sister Augusta became his closest confidante.

EDUCATION Gordon's parents wanted him to have an English education, so he was sent to Fullands School at Taunton in 1843. In 1848, at age 15, he entered the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich as a Gentleman Cadet. 

Although he initially intended to follow his father into the Royal Artillery, his lack of discipline prevented this. At Woolwich, Gordon was completely bored with his studies. He was frequently in trouble with his superiors and had an "utter disregard for organized discipline". One incident involved him charging at a senior corporal who was preventing younger cadets from leaving the mess room, sending the corporal bouncing down stairs through a glass door. He was held back for two years due to disciplinary issues but excelled in sketching military fortifications and geographical details. (1)

Gordon graduated from Woolwich on  June 23, 1852 as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Engineers.

CAREER RECORD 1852 Gordon's career began with his commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers.

1854 After training at Chatham, he was promoted to lieutenant and initially posted to Pembroke Dock. 

1854-1856 Fought in the Crimean War where his gallantry in the trenches of Sevastopol was noted by journalist William Russell.

1860–65 Served in China, initially in the Second Opium War, then commanded the "Ever Victorious Army" against the Taiping Rebellion. 

1865-1872 Commander of Royal Engineers at Thames Forts, overseeing Thames defences and engaged in philanthropic work with poor youths

1873 -1880 He entered the service of the Khedive of Egypt serving as Governor of Equatoria Province (1874-1876), then Governor-General of entire Sudan (1877-1880).

1880-84 A few short colonial duties

1884-1885 Sent to evacuate Khartoum, instead he chose to defend the city

APPEARANCE Gordon was a small, slightly built man, instantly recognizable by his piercing blue eyes. Contemporary observers often remarked on their intensity, describing them as “blazing blue eyes” that gave him an almost legendary aura in China. Though generally of medium build, he carried himself with a commanding presence that belied his stature. (2)

He was usually depicted with a thin beard or moustache, features that Charlton Heston echoed in the 1966 film Khartoum. Heston bore a striking resemblance to Gordon—apart from being considerably taller.

Charles George Gordon (1833-1885); Carbon print on card

Gordon’s likeness was captured in Sir W. Hamo Thornycroft’s memorial statue on the Victoria Embankment, which portrays him in the practical garb of a patrol officer—jacket, trousers, and long boots. The sculptor’s meticulous detail extended to Gordon’s “beautiful hands,” their veins rendered with a fidelity that conveyed both strength and humanity. (3)

FASHION Charles Gordon’s dress sense reflected both his military professionalism and his distaste for vanity. 

In China, he became famous for leading men into battle armed with nothing more than a rattan cane—his so-called “wand of victory”—and a cheroot clenched in his teeth, an image that stuck with him for the rest of his life. When the Taiping Rebellion was crushed, the Emperor Tongzhi awarded Gordon the coveted yellow jacket and peacock feather, the highest military honors in China, which earned him the nickname “Chinese Gordon.” Yet Gordon’s scorn for display remained intact: as he departed China, he reportedly dragged his ceremonial suit behind a gunboat to make it look suitably worn, pairing it with his battered bowler hat. 

Even in later years he dressed plainly, often in frayed or threadbare clothes, giving away most of his pay to the poor. Accounts of his last stand at Khartoum describe him changing from his dressing gown into a white uniform before stepping out to face the Mahdist fighters—an austere end for a man who had lived in stubborn simplicity.

General Gordon in Egyptian uniform.

CHARACTER Gordon was a man of striking contradictions. He possessed formidable willpower and a forceful personality, yet his refusal to follow orders he deemed “ill-judged or unjust” often set him at odds with authority—most dramatically in his final stand at Khartoum. Hot-tempered, brave, and impetuous, he thrived as a military engineer but struggled with the routines and compromises of daily life. (4)

A devout evangelical Christian, he lived with an unshakable faith in God that shaped every aspect of his character. To subordinates he was patient, generous, and down-to-earth; to equals and superiors, imperious, brusque, and often intolerant. His piety, however, inspired genuine reverence. One Sudanese newspaper observed, “He is so humble too… when he goes out of doors there are always crowds of Arab men and women at the gate to kiss his feet. It is only his great piety that carries him through.”

SPEAKING VOICE Gordon was an effective communicator who could rally troops and inspire confidence, but could also admonish. His letters reveal an articulate and passionate writer capable of expressing strong opinions and deep religious convictions.

SENSE OF HUMOUR In childhood, Gordon was described as "cheerful, full of humour," always ready for a prank or joke. A famous incident recalls him and his brother moving a houseful of mice into a neighbor's residence just for fun. (5)

At the Royal Military Academy, his "love of fun and practical joking characterised him." One story tells of him butting a corporal down the stairs and through a glass door simply because he couldn't resist the opportunity for mischief—with no meanness intended and showing lots of "high spirits”. (6)

Gordon also took extra blame for group pranks, showing a willingness to absorb punishment on behalf of others, which suggests a kind of camaraderie and humorous generosity.

RELATIONSHIPS  Gordon was a bachelor and never married. He was known to have strong, platonic relationships with a number of people, including his sister Augusta, and he had a close bond with his soldiers. His relationships with senior officers and politicians were often strained due to his independent nature.

His closest relationships were with family members, particularly his sister Augusta, and with the poor children he helped during his time at Gravesend.

MONEY AND FAME  Gordon showed a remarkable indifference to money, status, and the usual comforts of life. When offered the governorship of Sudan, he was offered £10 000 a year agreeing to the much lower £2,000, contributing to the growing belief that "Chinese Gordon" was "not quite sane". To him, wealth and privilege mattered about as much as obscurity, danger, or even death. (7)

His indifference wasn’t an affectation. Gordon fined his officers a shilling if they dared call him “sir,” gave away nearly 90 percent of his salary to the poor, and upset his colleagues by suggesting everyone take a 50 percent pay cut. At Gravesend, where he served as Commandant of Engineers, he spent his pay clothing, feeding, and educating impoverished children, often living in near-austerity himself.

This extraordinary mix of humility and piety earned him genuine love among the Sudanese during his campaigns there in the 1860s. When the Mahdi stirred rebellion in 1884, Britain—right up to Queen Victoria herself—pleaded for Gordon to return. He agreed, demanding only £3 10s a day, and left London carrying little more than a satchel.

His death in Khartoum later that year transformed him into England’s supreme national hero, the object of a full-blown cult of admiration. It was, in a sense, the ultimate irony: a man who despised wealth and recognition became immortalised precisely because he never seemed to want them.

FOOD AND DRINK Gordon had simple tastes in food and drink, often subsisting on basic rations while on campaign. His meals, when alone, consisted of bread and milk or for variety bread soaked in a slop bowl of strong tea. However he smoked cheerots and drank brandy.

During the siege of Khartoum, Gordon demonstrated his solidarity with his troops by eating only the same rations as his soldiers as supplies ran low. This showed his commitment to shared sacrifice and leadership by example. 

 

MUSIC AND ARTS Gordon was not known for a particular interest in music or the arts, with his passions lying primarily in military matters, travel, and his Christian beliefs.

Gordon showed artistic talent in sketching military fortifications and geographical details, which served him well in his engineering career.

LITERATURE Gordon was an avid reader, particularly of religious texts. He was known to carry a pocket Bible, which is depicted in his memorial statue where "the left hand, clasping a pocket Bible, supports the right elbow". His extensive correspondence reveals a literate and articulate man capable of expressing complex thoughts and deep religious convictions. (3)

By Eluveitie - Own work,

Charles Gordon was the author of Reflections in Palestine (published in 1883), where he  proposed a new site for Golgotha—the place of Christ’s crucifixion. During his stay in Jerusalem (1882–83), Gordon identified what is now called the Garden Tomb (sometimes known as “Gordon's Calvary”) as the possible true location, distinct from the traditional site at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. His suggestion remains influential among some Protestants, though it is not widely accepted by scholars.

Additionally, Gordon wrote and personally distributed countless religious tracts, using them as part of his efforts to evangelise and help the poor in the communities where he lived and served.

NATURE He was interested in the natural world and often wrote about the landscapes and environments he encountered on his travels. He found a connection to God through nature.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Gordon's  primary "hobbies" were his work and his faith. He was a keen traveler and enjoyed exploring new places. He did not engage in many traditional sports.

At Woolwich Military Academy, Gordon was "rather known for his love of sport and boisterous high spirits". His training as a military engineer required physical fitness and practical skills. (1) 

SCIENCE AND MATHS As a trained Royal Engineer, Gordon possessed strong technical and mathematical skills essential for military engineering, fortification design, and geographical surveying. His work on international boundary commissions required precision in surveying and cartography. He designed his own mines during the defence of Khartoum and used his engineering expertise to fortify the city with ramparts, barbed wire, and a six-mile defensive ditch.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Charles Gordon was an evangelical Christian whose whole life, people said, was “attuned to a lively faith in God,” though at times it looked rather more like a wrestling match. He read the Bible with the zeal of a Scottish Covenanter—meaning that if there was a promise, a warning, or an obscure curse in Leviticus, he was determined to apply it personally by teatime.

It was his sister, Augusta, who first nudged him towards faith, and it was to her that he poured out all the anxieties of his soul in letters that combined fierce devotion with, frankly, the sort of spiritual fussiness that can only come from a young man who takes eternity rather seriously. Later on, in Gravesend, he developed his own peculiar, mystical brand of Christianity: a heady blend of early Church Fathers, Gnostics, medieval mystics, Evangelicals and Tractarians. His biographer John Pollock called it “an unintegrated mixture.” Which is a polite way of saying it was theological soup.

Still, Gordon never doubted that God’s hand was in everything, from the rise and fall of empires to the fact that he’d missed his train. His own ambition, he believed, was a deadly sin—quite awkward for a man whose entire country kept urging him into heroic positions. He would declare, with unnerving seriousness, that life itself was worthless and all flesh corrupt. Then he’d promptly go out and spend his day feeding, clothing, and educating impoverished children, or pressing tracts into the hands of startled strangers, or tossing them out of train windows like confetti.

He had no patience for parties or dances, but he lavished time and tenderness on society’s outcasts. People admired him because he seemed both impossibly austere and impossibly kind at the same time.

The sculptor Thornycroft once said his statue of Gordon aimed to show him “resolute, solitary, but not sad.” Which just about sums him up: stern and saintly, but oddly full of grace. If he was eccentric in his faith, he was at least eccentric in the right direction—towards God and towards the poor. (3) (8)

GOVERNOR GENERAL OF THE SUDAN  Charles Gordon’s stint as Governor-General of Sudan (1877–1880) was a curious blend of missionary zeal, bureaucratic frustration, and heroic futility, rather like trying to repair a collapsing cathedral with a pocketknife. He had already been governor of the province of Equatoria since 1873, and by the time he took on the whole of Sudan he was a man deeply convinced he could outwork corruption, abolish slavery, and reform a vast and unruly corner of the world almost single-handedly.

The centrepiece of his crusade was his anti-slavery campaign. Gordon hated the trade with a passion bordering on the Biblical, and spent much of his energy chasing powerful traders like Rahama Zobeir and his son Suleiman. He tried decrees, regulations, and military expeditions with the same result: the slave trade continued merrily on, as if Gordon had been firing pea-shooters at an advancing army.

Reform, meanwhile, was a nightmare. Gordon abolished public floggings and outlawed torture, but his own subordinates either ignored him, pocketed bribes, or quietly reinstated the practices once his back was turned. His efforts against corruption resembled an endless game of bureaucratic whack-a-mole.

In addition to all this, Gordon had to manage revolts in Darfur, a war with Abyssinia, and the day-to-day challenge of governing a territory the size of Western Europe with the infrastructure of a small village. He personally confronted rebel chieftains, mapped the upper Nile, and planted administrative stations as far south as modern Uganda.

By 1880, the sheer immensity of it all had broken him. Exhausted, ill, and bitterly disillusioned, he left Sudan describing himself—and others readily agreed—as “a broken man.” His tenure is remembered as noble in spirit, tragic in outcome, and a little mad in its scale. In many ways, it was the overture to the famous last act at Khartoum, where Gordon’s determination and futility reached their apotheosis.

POLITICS Gordon's political views were shaped by his strong moral convictions, particularly his opposition to slavery. He served under the Khedive of Egypt with British government approval and worked tirelessly to suppress the slave trade in Sudan. His evangelical Christian beliefs aligned him with British anti-slavery movements. However, he often acted independently of official government policy, particularly in his final defiance at Khartoum when he refused evacuation orders.

 

SCANDAL There were no major scandals associated with Gordon, though his eccentric behavior and independent decision-making often caused friction with his superiors and led to political controversy.

MILITARY RECORD Charles Gordon’s military career stretched over thirty-three astonishing, bewildering, and often ill-advised years (1852–1885), during which he rose from Second Lieutenant to Major-General, although in truth he spent most of that time looking as if he’d rather be wandering about in an old coat with a stick than wearing all the medals he was continually being given.

He began in the Crimea, where he was present at the siege of Sevastopol. According to a contemporary journalist, William Russell, Gordon could be seen standing on the parapet, waving a stick, in imminent danger of death, and urging the trench guards to get on with it. This, everyone agreed, was “very gallant,” which is the sort of phrase people use when someone is being incredibly brave and incredibly foolish at the same time.

Gordon shortly after Crimea

In 1860, Gordon turned up in China with the British expeditionary force and personally oversaw the destruction of the Emperor’s Summer Palace—a job for which the British Army required, apparently, the talents of an earnest young engineer with a cane. Soon after, he was handed command of the Ever Victorious Army, which was neither ever victorious nor much of an army. It consisted of about 3,500 men, raised by Shanghai merchants to defend against the Taiping rebels, and until Gordon appeared, it had all the discipline of a pub football team. Within a year, Gordon had transformed it into a serviceable fighting force and defeated the Taiping in no fewer than thirty-three battles, still carrying nothing more lethal than his trusty little cane. The grateful Chinese awarded him the Yellow Jacket and a peacock feather, which were high honours indeed, though Gordon showed his usual disdain for such things. It was around this time that he became known as “Chinese Gordon,” a nickname bestowed by Li Hung Chang, who was very important in China even if, as Gordon’s biographers like to admit, nobody in the West at the time had the faintest idea who he was.

By the 1870s, Gordon had relocated to Africa, where he became governor first of Equatoria and then of all Sudan. He spent much of his time there attempting to suppress the slave trade, introduce reforms, and generally civilise a region the size of Europe with roughly the resources of a Boy Scout troop. Inevitably, he failed, resigned, and went home a “broken man”—though only temporarily.

In 1884 prime minister William Gladstone ordered Gordon back to Sudan to arrange an evacuation of Egyptian forces. Gordon did manage to save about 2,500 women, children, and invalids, which was no small feat, but he then refused to leave himself, despite being told in no uncertain terms that he should. The Mahdi’s forces besieged Khartoum for nearly a year until food ran out and the city fell. Gordon was killed in the final assault. A relief expedition, dispatched after much delay and hesitation, arrived a mere two days too late.

Gordon’s diary had a note in it that read, “Now mark this. If the expeditionary force (and I shall ask for no more than 200 men) does not come in 10 days, the town may fall: and I have done my best for the honour of my country. Goodbye.” It is difficult to imagine a more English sentence than that, written in the face of starvation, siege, and certain death. Queen Victoria was outraged, the public was appalled, and Gladstone was left looking, as usual, as if the whole thing had been someone else’s fault.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Gordon maintained the physical fitness required for his demanding military career. His daily regimen included cold baths each morning. During his service in various challenging climates - from the Crimean winter to the heat of Sudan - he demonstrated remarkable physical resilience. However, ill health forced him to resign from his first stint as Governor-General of Sudan in 1880.

HOMES  He did not have a permanent home, as his military career required constant travel. He lived in various barracks, official residences, and camps throughout his life.

Gordon's family home in later years was at 5 Rockstone Place, Southampton, where his retired father lived with his wife and daughters from around 1857. Charles stayed there occasionally during periods of leave, including several months in 1865 following his Chinese campaign. 

After Gordon's death at Khartoum in 1885, his sister Augusta occupied the house until her death in 1893, when it passed to their younger sister Helen who lived there until her death in 1919. The house still stands today and bears a commemorative plaque.

TRAVEL Gordon’s military career carried him across continents. In Europe he served in Crimea, Bessarabia, Armenia, and England; in Asia he was posted to China—including Hong Kong, Shanghai, and wide swathes of territory during the Taiping campaign; in Africa his work took him to Egypt and Sudan, where he governed Equatoria Province and later Khartoum. He also undertook assignments in India, Mauritius, and the Cape Colony, often balancing military duty with boundary commission work and colonial administration.

On his way to take up the Equatoria post in 1874, Gordon made the 250-mile journey from Suakin to Berber in just three days—his first time riding a camel. The feat broke the existing record for the crossing and was celebrated as extraordinary even by seasoned locals, a testament to his stamina and determination in punishing desert conditions. He became an expert camel rider during his time in Africa and there is a famous statue of Gordon sat on a Camel, which stood in front of the palace in Khartoum prior to Sudanese independence in 1956.

By https://wellcomeimages.org/

Between 1874 and 1876 he mapped stretches of the Upper Nile and established a chain of stations along the river as far south as present-day Uganda. In 1883, withdrawing for a time from public life, he lived in Palestine, devoting himself to religious study and attempting to identify the true sites of Golgotha, the Garden of Eden, and Christ’s sepulchre.

DEATH In 1885, Prime Minister William Gladstone ordered the Egyptians to abandon the Sudan, assigning General Charles Gordon to oversee the evacuation and establish a provisional government. Gordon managed to evacuate around 2,500 women, children, and the sick and wounded from Khartoum before the Mahdi’s forces encircled the city.

Gladstone hesitated over the best route for a relief expedition, leaving Gordon and his men isolated. They endured nearly a year under siege, weakened by starvation, until January 26, 1885, when the Mahdists stormed Khartoum. Gordon was speared to death in the assault—his severed head paraded on a pike and his body desecrated before being thrown into a well. In the massacre that followed, an estimated 10,000 civilians and soldiers were slaughtered.

Two days later, General Wolseley’s relief force finally reached the city. Among Gordon’s last diary entries they found a grim farewell: “Now mark this. If the expeditionary force (and I shall ask for no more than 200 men) does not come in 10 days, the town may fall: and I have done my best for the honor of my country. Goodbye.”

News of Gordon’s death provoked outrage in Britain. Queen Victoria condemned Gladstone for the “stain left upon England,” and a day of national mourning was declared.

For brave General Gordon, that was killed in Khartoum

He was a Christian hero, and a Soldier of the cross

And to England his death will be a very great loss

He was very cool in temper, gener ous and brave,

The friend of the poor, the sick and the slave;

and many a poor boy did he educate,

And laboured hard to do so, early and late.

And in his conversation he was modest and plain

Denouncing all pleasures he considered sinful and vain

and in battle he carried no weapon but a small cane

Whilst the bullets fell upon him , like a shower of rain.

William McConagall from The Hero Of Khartoum.

After the British reconquest of Sudan in 1898, several expeditions tried in vain to recover Gordon’s remains. Today, his recumbent effigy rests in St Paul’s Cathedral. (9)

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Gordon has been the subject of numerous media portrayals:

Films: The most famous is Khartoum (1966), starring Charlton Heston as Gordon and Laurence Olivier as the Mahdi. The film earned Robert Ardrey an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay.

Literature: His story has been told in numerous biographies and historical accounts. His own "Journals" from his final months in Khartoum were published and provide insight into his final period.

Art: The famous painting General Gordon's Last Stand by George William Joy depicts his final moments, though historians note it may be more Victorian myth-making than historical accuracy.

General Gordon's Last Stand. Joy's portrayal of Gordon's death

Memorial: Gordon's School was founded in 1885 as the National Memorial to Gordon, initially as "Gordon Boys' Home" for necessitous boys.

ACHIEVEMENTS Commander of the Ever-Victorious Army in China.

He made significant contributions as a military engineer.

Governor-General of Sudan.

Symbol of Christian duty and sacrifice.

Memorialised at St Paul’s Cathedral and the Victoria Embankment.

Sources (1) Bruce G Kozak Charles George Gordon (2) Blissworks (3) Victorian Web (4) Historic UK  (5) Heritage History (6) Demetrius Charles Boulger The Life of Gordon, Volume I (7) Frontline Fellowship (8) The Penguin Book of Interviews (9) Encyclopadia of Trivia

Mikhail Gorbachev

NAME Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Last leader of the Soviet Union, reformer who introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), and helped end the Cold War.

BIRTH Gorbachev was born on March 2, 1931, in the village of Privolnoye, in the North Caucasus Krai (later Stavropol Krai) of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. His birth name was Viktor, but his grandfather renamed him Mikhail during his secret baptism.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Gorbachev came from a peasant family of mixed Russian and Ukrainian heritage. His paternal family were ethnic Russians who had moved from Voronezh several generations before, while his maternal family were of Ukrainian heritage and had migrated from Chernihiv. His parents, Sergey Andreyevich Gorbachev and Maria Panteleyevna Gorbacheva (née Gopkalo), were poor and lived as peasants. They had married as teenagers in 1928 and initially resided in an adobe-walled hut. Gorbachev's younger brother, Aleksandr, was born in 1947.

CHILDHOOD Gorbachev's childhood was marked by extreme hardship and trauma. He endured the famine of 1930-1933, which killed two of his paternal uncles and an aunt. During the Great Purge, both of his grandfathers served time in labor camps, and his maternal grandfather was tortured by the secret police, an account that deeply influenced young Mikhail. When he was three years old, Gorbachev moved to live with his maternal grandparents at their collective farm (kolkhoz) 19 kilometers outside Privolnoye.

Gorbachev and his Ukrainian maternal grandparents, late 1930s

During World War II, German forces occupied Privolnoye for four and a half months in 1942. The village school was closed during much of the war, and Gorbachev was unable to attend school for two years because he was needed on the farm. His father fought on the frontlines and was wrongly declared dead during the conflict before returning injured from the Battle of Kursk.

EDUCATION  Despite the disrupted wartime education, Gorbachev excelled academically when school reopened in autumn 1944. He was a voracious reader, progressing from Western novels by Thomas Mayne Reid to works by Vissarion Belinsky, Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol, and Mikhail Lermontov. He graduated from high school with a silver medal in 1950 at the age of 19.

Gorbachev was accepted into Moscow State University, the premier school in the Soviet Union, without having to take the entrance exam due to his stellar academic record. The university provided him with free living accommodations at a nearby hostel, though he shared a room with 22 others during his first year. He studied law and graduated cum laude with his law degree in 1955. Later, he also obtained an Agricultural Economy Degree from the Stavropol Agricultural Institute in 1967.

CAREER RECORD Gorbachev operated combine harvesters as a teenager on collective farms

1946 Joined the Young Communist League (Komsomol) in 1946 and rose through Komsomol and Party ranks,

1970: Appointed First Party Secretary of the Stavropol Regional Committee

1971: Elected to the Central Committee of the Communist Party

1978: Became Secretary of the party's Central Committee and returned to Moscow

1979: Joined the governing Politburo as a non-voting member

1980: Became a voting member of the Politburo

March 11, 1985: Elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

1990: Became the first and only President of the Soviet Union

December 25, 1991: Resigned as President, effectively ending the USSR

APPEARANCE He was relatively short in stature and had thinning hair that became increasingly sparse with age.

Gorbachev's most distinctive feature was a large red port-wine stain birthmark on his forehead. The mark started high on his head and extended down to just above his right eyebrow, and was prominently featured by cartoonists worldwide. Despite its prominence, Gorbachev made no visible effort to conceal it, though official Soviet portraits often attempted to hide it. 

He was known for his polite and amiable demeanor, a notable contrast to his predecessors.

Gorbachev in 1987 by RIA Novosti archive,

FASHION Gorbachev favored tailor-made suits produced mainly in the USSR and did not follow particular fashion trends. His style was typical of Soviet leaders of his era—practical and understated. Interestingly, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was so impressed by Gorbachev that she named many of her outfits after him, including a "Pink Chanel Gorbachev". (1)

CHARACTER Gorbachev was regarded as a man of unusual decency for a Soviet leader, combining strong principles with what many described as a “messianic utopianism.” He showed courage and vision in driving forward radical reforms, and colleagues often praised his intelligence, charisma, and ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Unlike the rigid, aging apparatchiks who came before him, he was dynamic, personable, and openly engaging—a quality that made him especially admired in the West. At the same time, his idealism could shade into stubbornness, and some of his lofty visions proved impractical. Beyond politics, he was known as a devoted family man, deeply attached to his wife, Raisa.

SPEAKING VOICE Gorbachev was an excellent orator who differed from his predecessors by speaking freely without notes and engaging directly with people on the streets. Unlike previous Soviet leaders who read prepared speeches mechanically, Gorbachev spoke with passion and conviction. 

SENSE OF HUMOUR Gorbachev displayed dry wit, once joking to Margaret Thatcher at their first meeting that he had “no instructions from the Politburo to persuade her to join the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.” (2)

Gorbachev also demonstrated self-deprecating humor about his domestic policies. During a speech in the US, he joked about his decision to limit vodka sales: he told of three men waiting in line to buy vodka, with one becoming so exasperated that he left to assassinate Gorbachev at the Kremlin, only to return later saying "The line was even longer there!".  (3)

He was also the subject of numerous Soviet political jokes that played on his policies and birthmark.

RELATIONSHIPS Mikhail Gorbachev married Raisa Titarenko on September 25, 1953. Their wedding was registered at the Sokolniki Registry Office in Moscow, Russia. After the ceremony, they moved in together at the Lenin Hills dormitory in Moscow, where both were students at Moscow State University.

Their relationship was described as extraordinarily close and loving, with Gorbachev once telling Vogue magazine: "One day we took each other by the hand and went for a walk in the evening. And we walked like that for our whole life". Raisa accompanied him on his travels and they discussed policy and politics together. 

When she died in 1999, Gorbachev wept openly at her funeral, and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl said, "Much of what he achieved is simply unimaginable without his wife".  (4)

Raisa Gorbachev in 1985 By RIA Novosti archive,

They had one daughter, Irina, born in the 1950s.

MONEY AND FAME After his presidency, Gorbachev turned to public speaking, writing, and media appearances both to support his foundation and to earn a living. He founded the Gorbachev Foundation in 1992 to continue his work on political and humanitarian issues, but financial struggles in post-Soviet Russia forced him into unconventional ventures. Most famously, he appeared in a 1997 Pizza Hut commercial filmed in Moscow, in which diners debated his legacy after spotting him in the restaurant. The ad was widely mocked but also helped fund his foundation. He later appeared in a 2007 Louis Vuitton campaign, which again drew criticism but kept him in the public eye as both a global celebrity and advocate for reform. 

Despite his Nobel Peace Prize and international respect, he remained a polarizing figure at home.

FOOD AND DRINK The Gorbachevs generally ate modestly, consuming high-calorie or rich meals only on festive occasions, when chefs would prepare lamb, wild game, sturgeon, and bester.  (5)

His attempts at food reform included a "new food program" aimed at providing Soviets with a diet comparable to American citizens.

Gorbachev implemented a controversial anti-alcohol campaign in 1985, cutting alcohol production and sales hours and imposing stiff fines on public drunkenness. This "dry law" was extremely unpopular and led to widespread poisonings from people drinking cologne and cleaning solutions. 

MUSIC AND ARTS Music provided him with personal enjoyment and stress relief throughout his life. Gorbachev was passionate about classical music and could identify the works of great European composers such as Chopin, Haydn, Bach, and Beethoven by listening to the melodies. 

He was also a fairly good singer himself and once told a BBC team that "Raisa loved my singing". (6)

His policies of glasnost led to a flowering of previously suppressed artistic and cultural expression.

LITERATURE Gorbachev had a lifelong passion for reading, particularly history and Russian literature. He was an avid reader and often spoke of how his love for literature influenced his political thought and his desire to change the Soviet system.

The glasnost period he initiated led to a renaissance in Russian literature, with previously banned works being published.

NATURE During his youth, he worked as a combine harvester operator alongside his father, sometimes working 20-hour days during summer harvests.

Gorbachev developed a deep connection to nature from his peasant upbringing. Raised in a farming community, he wrote: "I grew up in a village and perceived the dying of rivers and land erosion as personal pain". This early environmental consciousness later influenced his post-political career when he became a prominent environmentalist, founding Green Cross International in 1993. He received Germany's Environmental Award in 2010 for his work on environmental protection.

PETS In his later years, Gorbachev had a favorite cat named Willy. There is video footage of the former Soviet president stroking his cherished pet, and the cat was immortalized in a painting by artist Nikolai Sednin. According to popular legend, Willy once got into a fight with then-President Dmitry Medvedev's cat Dorofei and won. (7)

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Gorbachev's favorite hobby was chess, a passion that began in his school days. Coming from a poor family, he and his friends carved chess pieces from wood to play the game. He was also interested in classical music and reading. 

Gorbachev was known to enjoy walking and hiking. He was a fan of football (soccer) and supported his local team, Dynamo Stavropol.

SCIENCE AND MATHS Gorbachev showed aptitude for mechanics as a teenager and operated farm machinery.

Gorbachev understood the importance of science and technology for the modernization of the Soviet economy. His reforms aimed to break from the centrally planned system and spur innovation to catch up with the West.

His approach to nuclear disarmament was influenced by scientific advisers and his understanding of nuclear dangers, particularly after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Gorbachev's philosophical beliefs were rooted in reformed Communism. He sought to create "socialism with a human face" and believed in a democratic and pluralistic version of socialism.

He allowed churches to reopen, and by the end of his rule church members outnumbered Communist Party members 10 to 1.

Gorbachev was secretly baptized by his mother and grandmother, who read him the Bible during Stalin's rule. His mother, Maria, had been a deaconess in the Russian Orthodox Church.  

Though officially an atheist as a Soviet leader, he sometimes made surprising spiritual references. In 1996 he acknowledged God in an interview, a striking remark for a man raised in a communist system.

LEADER OF THE SOVIET UNION Mikhail Gorbachev was, by any measure, a most unusual Soviet leader. He was the last General Secretary of the Communist Party and, somewhat accidentally, the only President the Soviet Union ever had—occupying the post just long enough to watch the whole country vanish like a snowbank in April. From 1985 until the USSR’s dissolution in 1991, he presided over one of the most dramatic six-year stretches in modern history, attempting nothing less than to reform an empire that had been creaking under its own weight for decades.

Gorbachev’s signature inventions were glasnost (“openness”) and perestroika (“restructuring”). These were phrases that sounded airy and hopeful in Russian and—much to everyone’s surprise—actually meant what they said. Glasnost relaxed censorship, encouraged newspapers to print more than propaganda, and let ordinary people admit that things were not, in fact, going wonderfully. Perestroika attempted to untangle the Soviet economy by loosening central control, modernizing industry, and dabbling with market mechanisms. He even allowed for a measure of democratization, reducing the Communist Party’s monopoly and creating the Congress of People’s Deputies. To the average Russian, this was nothing short of revolutionary: suddenly they could both vote and complain.

Equally radical was Gorbachev’s approach to the outside world. He ended the disastrous Soviet adventure in Afghanistan, signed arms reduction treaties with Ronald Reagan (whose smiles were almost as famous as Gorbachev’s birthmark), and made a conscious decision not to send tanks rolling into Eastern Europe when communism there collapsed in 1989. For a nation that had maintained its empire at gunpoint, this was astonishing. In fact, it effectively ended the Cold War, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize and the gratitude of nearly everyone who had ever worried about mushroom clouds.

But openness is a tricky thing. Once you let people start talking, they rarely stop at polite applause. Gorbachev’s reforms triggered demands for independence across the Soviet republics, and in August 1991, Communist hardliners attempted a coup to restore the old order. They failed spectacularly, thanks to Boris Yeltsin, who stood on a tank and stole much of the limelight. Though Gorbachev returned to Moscow, his authority never recovered. On Christmas Day 1991, he resigned as President—an office that ceased to exist the same evening. The red Soviet flag was lowered from the Kremlin for the last time, replaced by the Russian tricolor.

Gorbachev left behind a complicated legacy. To much of the world, he was a peacemaker who helped end the Cold War without bloodshed, a man whose “new thinking” replaced fear with dialogue. To many in Russia, however, he was the leader who dismantled their empire and left them with empty shelves and economic chaos. Either way, his six years at the helm changed the course of the 20th century, proving that even the mightiest superpower could collapse almost overnight—and that one man with vision, stubbornness, and a fondness for reformist slogans could make it happen.

POLITICS Gorbachev's political career was defined by his reformist agenda. He promoted perestroika to decentralize economic decision-making and introduced glasnost to allow greater freedom of speech, information, and political participation. He also ended the one-party rule of the Communist Party. His policies, while intended to save the Soviet Union, ultimately contributed to its collapse and the independence of its constituent republics.

SCANDAL The major scandal of Gorbachev's career was the failed August Coup of 1991. Hardline Communist officials attempted to overthrow him while he was vacationing at his Crimean dacha. The coup plotters detained Gorbachev but failed to gain control of the country, with Boris Yeltsin leading the resistance. The failed coup accelerated the collapse of the Soviet Union and marked the end of Gorbachev's effective political power. 

MILITARY RECORD Although conscription in the Soviet Army was required for most able-bodied Soviet males upon turning 18, Gorbachev was able to continue his university studies at Moscow State University uninterrupted.

As General Secretary, he presided over significant military reforms, including the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1988. He worked with US President Reagan to reduce nuclear arsenals and ended Soviet military intervention in Eastern European countries when they abandoned communist rule in 1989. Under his leadership, the Soviet military was gradually reduced in size and influence. 

 Reagan awards Gorbachev the first ever Ronald Reagan Freedom Award By Courtesy Ronald Reagan Library, 

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Gorbachev suffered from diabetes from his early thirties onward, which caused him to be hospitalized numerous times for various complications. His diabetes eventually led to kidney failure requiring years of dialysis. 

HOMES While in power, he lived in a modest Moscow apartment. 

Gorbachev's most famous residence was his holiday home, the state dacha "Zarya" (officially State Dacha No. 11) in Foros, Crimea, where he was detained during the 1991 coup attempt. The complex, built in the 1980s, included several buildings, a tennis court, helipad, cinema, billiards room, and gymnasium. The dacha was built at great expense (estimated at 100-150 million dollars) and was located in a landslide-prone area, requiring construction on sturdy piles anchored to rock. After the Soviet collapse, the residence came under Ukrainian control and later returned to Russian control after Crimea's annexation. (8)

TRAVEL Gorbachev made numerous international trips as Soviet leader, visiting countries across Europe, Asia, and North America. His most significant diplomatic travels included summit meetings with US President Ronald Reagan in Geneva (1985), Reykjavik (1986), and Washington. He also made important visits to European countries, helping to transform East-West relations. His travels continued after leaving office, though he faced restrictions due to his controversial status in Russia.

DEATH Mikhail Gorbachev died on August 30, 2022, at the age of 91 at the Moscow Central Clinical Hospital after a long illness. He had been suffering from acute diabetes and kidney failure. 

His funeral was held on September 3, 2022, and he was buried at Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife Raisa. Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the funeral, citing scheduling conflicts.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Beyond his official political media presence, Gorbachev appeared in several documentaries about the Cold War and his role in it. 

Gorbachev's most famous media appearance was in a 1998 Pizza Hut commercial filmed in Moscow's Red Square. The advertisement showed him in a restaurant where diners debated his political legacy before toasting him for bringing them Pizza Hut. He used the money from this commercial to fund his foundation. The commercial has been described as both a symbol of capitalism's victory in Russia and a poignant illustration of a former world leader's reduced circumstances. 

ACHIEVEMENTS Ended the Cold War peacefully.

Introduced reforms that gave Soviet citizens freedoms they had never known.

Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

Founding Green Cross International, a major environmental organization

Oversaw the dissolution of the Soviet Union—whether triumph or tragedy depends on whom you ask.

Sources: (1) Sky News (2) Encyclopaedia of Trivia (3) Charles Stuart University (4) Independent (5) Russia Beyond (6) BBC (7) Gateway to Russia (8) Kalinka