Physicist.fsnet.co.uk!! INSPIRE! Inspirational people, speeches, and events!

Physicist.fsnet.co.uk

Inspire!

This page links to and contains inspirational material of the last century! Mainly to do with equality of race it was aimed at making our society and lives better for the long run. Enjoy!

A large area of our life that changed dramatically over the last century is civil rights and human rights in the Western world. There were many figures involved in this process. Here I have listed links to sites with references about, or totally about, these men and women. If any copyrights have been broken, could you please let me know, thanks!

THIS PAGE IS BEING WRITEN AND UPDATED SO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME! CHEERS!

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jnr,
Civil Rights Activist in the USA during the 1960's. Believed in non-violent protest, and was assacinated the day after he "prophecied" his own death with the "I've been to the mountain top" speech which was delivered the day before he was shot dead in Memphis on 4^th April 1968! In it he says how he is happy he didn't die when stabbed in the chest during the early 1960's and that has allowed him to witness amazing events in the motion to free the black man (then called Negro), and now he doesn't need to worry because he has been to the mountain top and seem the promised land! The next day he was dead!: Civil Rights Activist in the USA during the 1960's. Believed in non-violent protest, and was assacinated the day after he "prophecied" his own death with the "I've been to the mountain top" speech which was delivered the day before he was shot dead in Memphis on 4^th April 1968! In it he says how he is happy he didn't die when stabbed in the chest during the early 1960's and that has allowed him to witness amazing events in the motion to free the black man (then called Negro), and now he doesn't need to worry because he has been to the mountain top and seem the promised land! The next day he was dead!

Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi,
After studying in London Gandhi went via South Africa back to India where he became head of the independance movement, seeking independance from Britain and the British Empire. His nonviolent beliefs are radical and inspirational...: After studying in London Gandhi went via South Africa back to India where he became head of the independance movement, seeking independance from Britain and the British Empire. His nonviolent beliefs are radical and inspirational...

Robert Nesta Marley (aka Bob Marley),
A Reggea musician in the 1970's and early 1980's, Bob Marley was a devote Rastafarian and believed all men to be equal and all men to be African (since Africa is the cradle of humanity, Great Belief to base life around!!! I think also these are fundemental to the Rasta faith).
Both these aspects can be heard in his song "War", whose lyrics are taken from a speech made by His Imperial Majesty Haile Salessie, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Lion Conquere of the Kingdom of Judea to the UN. H.I.M. Haile Salassie's birth was prophecied in Jamaica the year before by an elder, and Rastafari believe to be a sign that he is a key figure in their religion. H.I.M. also held the title that King David held in the Bible, Lion Conquerer of the Kingdom of Judea, and so it is said he could track his family back to King David. Bob Marley sang politically charged songs, and used Reggea to inspire the masses against any injustices, not only in Jamaica but also in places like Zimbabwe where the freedom fighters knew the lyrics to "Zimbabwe", by Marley, better than their own National Anthem. Marley, his wife, and the Wailers also survived an assacination attempt, suspected to be by a political group in Jamaica. Marley died of cancer in May 1981 aged 36.: A Reggea musician in the 1970's and early 1980's, Bob Marley was a devote Rastafarian and believed all men to be equal and all men to be African (since Africa is the cradle of humanity, Great Belief to base life around!!! I think also these are fundemental to the Rasta faith).
Both these aspects can be heard in his song "War", whose lyrics are taken from a speech made by His Imperial Majesty Haile Salessie, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Lion Conquere of the Kingdom of Judea to the UN. H.I.M. Haile Salassie's birth was prophecied in Jamaica the year before by an elder, and Rastafari believe to be a sign that he is a key figure in their religion. H.I.M. also held the title that King David held in the Bible, Lion Conquerer of the Kingdom of Judea, and so it is said he could track his family back to King David. Bob Marley sang politically charged songs, and used Reggea to inspire the masses against any injustices, not only in Jamaica but also in places like Zimbabwe where the freedom fighters knew the lyrics to "Zimbabwe", by Marley, better than their own National Anthem. Marley, his wife, and the Wailers also survived an assacination attempt, suspected to be by a political group in Jamaica. Marley died of cancer in May 1981 aged 36.

Official Bob Marley site Look up the lyrics to his songs, most of which were recorded and performed with the Wailers, and read about Bob's life.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy,
President of the United States of America, 1961 - 1963, and tragically shot dead in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas, on 22^nd November 1963 supposedly by Lee Harvey Oswold, who was inturn shot dead by Jack Ruby, who was inturn executed for the murder of Oswold.: President of the United States of America, 1961 - 1963, and tragically shot dead in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas, on 22^nd November 1963 supposedly by Lee Harvey Oswold, who was inturn shot dead by Jack Ruby, who was inturn executed for the murder of Oswold.

President Nelson Mandela, African National Congress party leader, and
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, of the Anglican church of South Africa,
Mandela became the most famous political prisoner ever, and later to become President of his country, South Africa. As a black in South Africa he was forced to live under the regeime of Apatheid (meaning Seperate Development), which was brought into the law by the Afrikaner National Party, which came to power in 1948 led by Dr D. F. Malan. The blacks were forced into a subhuman existance were all civil rights were slowly taken away. 1937: Right to form trade unions taken away. 1950: Group Areas Act, limits the freedom of non-whites to live, own land and establish businesses in areas set aside for whites. 1953: Bantu Education Act, schools are now segregated, and black children are mainly taught only for manual work. 1953: Strikes by African workers are banned. 1959: Non-whites have the right to vote taken away. 1959: Africans not allowed to attend white universities. 1959: Bantu Self Government Act, African land is set into eight homelands, or Bantustans. Within these homelands Africans have the right to elect governments, but ulitimate power was still held by the whites in Pretoria. 1963: Blacks can be forceable moved into the Bantustans. Without the aid of South African, and the jobs for migrant workers, the blacks would not have been able to sustain themselves, and they would have starved. Hence they couldn't take the Bantustans into independent power from South Africa. Police powers also included the right to imprison suspects for as long as they wanted, or to forget about them there. In 1960 the Sharpville Massacre took place in Transvaal, inwhich 67 blacks were murdered by white police, most of them shot in the back as they ran away! In 1976 black schoolchildren in Soweto, a township, were shot at and 25 killed by police as they protested against a rule which meant 50% of their lessons must be taught in Afrikaans, the lanuage of the white South Africans. Against such a backdrop Nelson Mandela stood up for the black people, as did many others, and he was imprisoned for speaking out against Apartheid. He went in a young man, and was released in February 1990 over seventy years old to national and international celebrations. Mandela on his release said that the armed actions by ANC's military wing would have to continue untill apathied was over, in stark contrast to the nonviolence of Martin Luther King Jr. Apartheid was finally falling, and on 27^th April 1994 a truely democratic election took place, with every black and white man, and women, having the right to vote. The atmosphere was excited, celebratary and tense incase the right tried to disrupt the polling booths. The lines waited for hours, with people waiting 2 to 4 hours in line to vote as the norm. Desmond Tutu, South African Archbishop, describes the feelings and the day:
"We wanted things to be as normal as possible on this extraordinary day in history of our beloved, but oh so sad land whose soil was soaked with the blood of so many of her children. In the lead up to this epoch-making event, a watershed in the history of South Africa, violence had become endemic... The moment for which I had waited for so long came and I folded my ballot paper and cast my vote. Wow! I shouted 'Yippee!' It was giddy stuff, like falling in love. The sky looked more blue and beautiful. I saw people in a new light. They were beautiful, they were transfigured. I too was transfigured... The black person entered the booth one person and emerged on the other side a new, transfigured one. She entered weighed down by the anguish and burden of oppression, with the memory of being treated like rubbish gnawing away at her like some corrosive acid. She reappeared knowing she was free, walking away with her head held high, shoulders set straighter and an elastic spring in her step. How do you convey this sense of freedom which tastes like sweet nectar the first time you experience it? How do you describe it to someone who was born into freedom?... The white person entered the booth burdened by the load of guilt at having enjoyed the fruits of oppression and injustice. He too emerged as someone new, somebody transfigured, from whom a burden had been lifted, and who was now free... I used to say in the dark days of the Apatheid oppression that white South Africans would never be truly free untill we blacks were free as well."
- Desmond Tutu, "No Future Without Forgiveness" 1999 Rider Books
Mandela was shown dancing as he posted his vote into the box, and later was declared President of South Africa, with his party the ANC being in power. The blacks had gained full recognistion from the whites, and had been given power by the people. But still many black people in South Africa live in poverty in the townships and homelands, because they haven't had the chance to move outside these areas, and haven't got the money to move out. Mandela made it a priority to give these people clean water, and since the health of blacks in South Africa has improved. But how Mandela kept his spirits up with all those years of hard labour, to be able to then take power and lead a country coming to terms with such sudden change, was and is amazing!: Mandela became the most famous political prisoner ever, and later to become President of his country, South Africa. As a black in South Africa he was forced to live under the regeime of Apatheid (meaning Seperate Development), which was brought into the law by the Afrikaner National Party, which came to power in 1948 led by Dr D. F. Malan. The blacks were forced into a subhuman existance were all civil rights were slowly taken away. 1937: Right to form trade unions taken away. 1950: Group Areas Act, limits the freedom of non-whites to live, own land and establish businesses in areas set aside for whites. 1953: Bantu Education Act, schools are now segregated, and black children are mainly taught only for manual work. 1953: Strikes by African workers are banned. 1959: Non-whites have the right to vote taken away. 1959: Africans not allowed to attend white universities. 1959: Bantu Self Government Act, African land is set into eight homelands, or Bantustans. Within these homelands Africans have the right to elect governments, but ulitimate power was still held by the whites in Pretoria. 1963: Blacks can be forceable moved into the Bantustans. Without the aid of South African, and the jobs for migrant workers, the blacks would not have been able to sustain themselves, and they would have starved. Hence they couldn't take the Bantustans into independent power from South Africa. Police powers also included the right to imprison suspects for as long as they wanted, or to forget about them there. In 1960 the Sharpville Massacre took place in Transvaal, inwhich 67 blacks were murdered by white police, most of them shot in the back as they ran away! In 1976 black schoolchildren in Soweto, a township, were shot at and 25 killed by police as they protested against a rule which meant 50% of their lessons must be taught in Afrikaans, the lanuage of the white South Africans. Against such a backdrop Nelson Mandela stood up for the black people, as did many others, and he was imprisoned for speaking out against Apartheid. He went in a young man, and was released in February 1990 over seventy years old to national and international celebrations. Mandela on his release said that the armed actions by ANC's military wing would have to continue untill apathied was over, in stark contrast to the nonviolence of Martin Luther King Jr. Apartheid was finally falling, and on 27^th April 1994 a truely democratic election took place, with every black and white man, and women, having the right to vote. The atmosphere was excited, celebratary and tense incase the right tried to disrupt the polling booths. The lines waited for hours, with people waiting 2 to 4 hours in line to vote as the norm. Desmond Tutu, South African Archbishop, describes the feelings and the day:
"We wanted things to be as normal as possible on this extraordinary day in history of our beloved, but oh so sad land whose soil was soaked with the blood of so many of her children. In the lead up to this epoch-making event, a watershed in the history of South Africa, violence had become endemic... The moment for which I had waited for so long came and I folded my ballot paper and cast my vote. Wow! I shouted 'Yippee!' It was giddy stuff, like falling in love. The sky looked more blue and beautiful. I saw people in a new light. They were beautiful, they were transfigured. I too was transfigured... The black person entered the booth one person and emerged on the other side a new, transfigured one. She entered weighed down by the anguish and burden of oppression, with the memory of being treated like rubbish gnawing away at her like some corrosive acid. She reappeared knowing she was free, walking away with her head held high, shoulders set straighter and an elastic spring in her step. How do you convey this sense of freedom which tastes like sweet nectar the first time you experience it? How do you describe it to someone who was born into freedom?... The white person entered the booth burdened by the load of guilt at having enjoyed the fruits of oppression and injustice. He too emerged as someone new, somebody transfigured, from whom a burden had been lifted, and who was now free... I used to say in the dark days of the Apatheid oppression that white South Africans would never be truly free untill we blacks were free as well."
- Desmond Tutu, "No Future Without Forgiveness" 1999 Rider Books
Mandela was shown dancing as he posted his vote into the box, and later was declared President of South Africa, with his party the ANC being in power. The blacks had gained full recognistion from the whites, and had been given power by the people. But still many black people in South Africa live in poverty in the townships and homelands, because they haven't had the chance to move outside these areas, and haven't got the money to move out. Mandela made it a priority to give these people clean water, and since the health of blacks in South Africa has improved. But how Mandela kept his spirits up with all those years of hard labour, to be able to then take power and lead a country coming to terms with such sudden change, was and is amazing!

Albert Einstein,
A German Jew, he moved from Germany as the National Socialist Party (Nazi Party) started to show their intentions. He moved to America during the War, where many people believe he helped to design the Atomic Bomb which exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Infact Einstein was a pasifist and hadn't helped in the H-Bomb design, what he had done was write to the President telling him that the atomic energy could be used in a way which could aid the allies against Hitler. But Einstein's best and most brilliant work came in his Theories of Relativity. In these Einstein redrew what humanity understood about the Universe they live in. Before these papers we believed that space and time were different entities, with space being definate, and time being constant in its flow. After the papers we realised that space and time were interlinked into one universal framework, Space-Time. Also this new framework wasn't static and none interacting as previously believed, it was infact interacting with matter and energy all the time, and gravity could be thought of as a warping of the Space-Time around a massive object, or energy source. It is important to note that energy also creates a gravitational effect, since in 1905 Einstein showed that Mass and Energy are equivalent, with the famous E = m c² equation. This means the energy released in a process is equal to the mass difference during the process multiplied by the speed of light squared. Einstein had shown in the Special Theory of Relativity that the speed of light was constant in all frames of reference. And it is this E = m c² equation that lead to the H-Bomb being developed in the US during the Manhatten Project. The Nazi's would have probably got the H-Bomb as well if they hadn't been soo against the Jewish Scientists, like Einstein, who would have been able to aid them in this mass destruction. Einstein is said to have been devistated by the use of the H-Bomb, and the energy relationship which he discovered in such a murderous and calous way. But the use of the H-Bomb lead to a quick end to the Second World War in the East, and so may have saved many millions of lives. We just don't know whether that is true or not.
Einstein also came out with brilliant one liners, which show his genius at communicating his thoughts. My favourite quote of all time is from Einstein and it describes perfectly how we should all see life:: A German Jew, he moved from Germany as the National Socialist Party (Nazi Party) started to show their intentions. He moved to America during the War, where many people believe he helped to design the Atomic Bomb which exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Infact Einstein was a pasifist and hadn't helped in the H-Bomb design, what he had done was write to the President telling him that the atomic energy could be used in a way which could aid the allies against Hitler. But Einstein's best and most brilliant work came in his Theories of Relativity. In these Einstein redrew what humanity understood about the Universe they live in. Before these papers we believed that space and time were different entities, with space being definate, and time being constant in its flow. After the papers we realised that space and time were interlinked into one universal framework, Space-Time. Also this new framework wasn't static and none interacting as previously believed, it was infact interacting with matter and energy all the time, and gravity could be thought of as a warping of the Space-Time around a massive object, or energy source. It is important to note that energy also creates a gravitational effect, since in 1905 Einstein showed that Mass and Energy are equivalent, with the famous E = m c² equation. This means the energy released in a process is equal to the mass difference during the process multiplied by the speed of light squared. Einstein had shown in the Special Theory of Relativity that the speed of light was constant in all frames of reference. And it is this E = m c² equation that lead to the H-Bomb being developed in the US during the Manhatten Project. The Nazi's would have probably got the H-Bomb as well if they hadn't been soo against the Jewish Scientists, like Einstein, who would have been able to aid them in this mass destruction. Einstein is said to have been devistated by the use of the H-Bomb, and the energy relationship which he discovered in such a murderous and calous way. But the use of the H-Bomb lead to a quick end to the Second World War in the East, and so may have saved many millions of lives. We just don't know whether that is true or not.
Einstein also came out with brilliant one liners, which show his genius at communicating his thoughts. My favourite quote of all time is from Einstein and it describes perfectly how we should all see life:

LINKS TO BE INCORPERATED LATER!
Special Interests: Winston Churchill
The Most Influential People: Hitler vrs King
Remember the Hillsborough 96
My Hero: Gerson Perez, at 16 he had already been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize!
My Hero: Freedom
My Hero: Aung San Suu Kyi, a women who was under house errest for her efforts to take Burma into a true democracy. She believes in the nonviolence promoted by Gandhi.
My Hero: Directory
Inspirational people: Gandhi
Jewel: Inspirational People
Speech by HIM Haile Selassie
Commentary of MLK
Text of 'I have a dream'

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