text:
Alid
Kufa
Umayyad Caliphate
Iraq
Second Islamic Civil War
Ta'if
Husayn ibn Ali
Muhammad
Battle of Karbala
caliph
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr
Mecca
Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah
Ali
mahdi
imam
Basra
Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr
Shia
Kaysanites
mawālī
Abbasid Revolution
false prophet
Muhammad
Medina
Abu Ubayd al-Thaqafi
Banu Thaqif
Abu Bakr
caliph
Umar
Muslim conquests
Iraqi front
Battle of the Bridge
Iraq
Piruz Nahavandi
Uthman
assassinated by rebels
Ali
Kufa
al-Mada'in
companions
Muawiyah
Syria
war
Battle of Siffin
Kharijites
Hasan
peace treaty
Damascus
Yazid
Umayyad Caliphate
Alid
Husayn ibn Ali
Muslim ibn Aqil
Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad
Battle of Karbala
Abdullah ibn Umar
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr
Zubayr ibn al-Awam
Mecca
Hejaz
retake Mecca
Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah
Ali Zayn al-Abidin
Sulayman ibn Surad
Tawwabin
Mahdi
"mawālī"
Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar
Nakhai
Battle of Ayn al-Warda
Basra
Sunnah
Mosul
Abu Amra Kaysan
Arminiya
Adharbayjan
Jibal
Upper Mesopotamia
Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
Umar ibn Sa'ad
Shimr ibn Ziljawshan
Ark of the Covenant
Julius Wellhausen
Khazir River
Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni
Wadi al-Qura
Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr
Tigris
Harura
Great Mosque of Kufa
Shia Islam
Bada'
Kaysanites
Occultation
Return
Mount Radwa
Abu Hashim
Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdallah ibn Abbas
Abbasids
revolution
as-Saffah
al-Mansur
Abu Muslim Khorasani
rhymed prose
soothsayers
Hajjaj ibn Yusuf
Fatimid
Muhammad al-Baqir
Ja'far al-Sadiq
Hugh Kennedy
Moshe Sharon
Abdulaziz Sachedina
Maqtal-namas
Safavid era
Mokhtar Nameh

categories: 7th-century Arabs,People of the Second Fitna,687 deaths,622 births,Iraq under the Umayyad Caliphate,Iraqi Shia Muslims

image: 512px-المختار_بن_أبي_عبيد.png

paragraph: Mukhtar al-Thaqafi

paragraph: Mukhtār ibn Abī ʿUbayd al-Thaqafī (; c. 622 – 3 April 687) was a pro-Alid revolutionary based in Kufa, who led a rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate in 685 and ruled over most of Iraq for eighteen months during the Second Islamic Civil War.

paragraph: Born in Ta'if, Mukhtar moved to Iraq at a young age and grew up in Kufa. Following the death of Husayn ibn Ali, a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, at the hands of the Umayyad army in the Battle of Karbala in 680, he allied with the rival caliph Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr in Mecca, but the alliance was short-lived. Mukhtar returned to Kufa where he declared Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, a son of caliph Ali (r. 656–661) and brother of Husayn, the mahdi and the imam, and called for the establishment of an Alid caliphate and retaliation for Husayn's killing. He took over Kufa in October 685, after expelling its Zubayrid governor, and later ordered the execution of those involved in the killing of Husayn. Hostile relations with Ibn al-Zubayr ultimately led to Mukhtar's death by the forces of the Zubayrid governor of Basra, Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr, following a four-month siege.

paragraph: Although Mukhtar was defeated, his movement would have far-reaching consequences. After his death, his followers formed a radical Shia sect, later known as the Kaysanites, who developed several novel doctrines and influenced later Shia ideology. Mukhtar raised the social status of "mawālī" (local converts to Islam) and they became an important political entity. The "mawālī" and Kaysanites went on to play a significant role in the Abbasid Revolution sixty years later. Mukhtar is a controversial figure among Muslims; condemned by many as a false prophet, but revered by Shia because of his support for the Alids. Modern historians' views range from regarding him as a sincere revolutionary to an ambitious opportunist.

paragraph: Section::::Background.

paragraph: Mukhtar was born in Ta'if in 622 CE (the year that the Islamic prophet Muhammad migrated to Medina) to Abu Ubayd al-Thaqafi, a Muslim army commander from the Banu Thaqif tribe, and Dawma bint Amr ibn Wahb ibn Muattib. Following Muhammad's death in 632, Abu Bakr became caliph. He died two years later and was succeeded by Umar, who expanded the Muslim conquests initiated by Abu Bakr, and sent Mukhtar's father Abu Ubayd to the Iraqi front. Abu Ubayd was killed at the Battle of the Bridge in November 634. Mukhtar, then thirteen years old, remained in Iraq after the Muslim conquest of this region, and was raised by his uncle Saad ibn Masud al-Thaqafi. Umar was assassinated by a Persian slave Piruz Nahavandi in 644, after which his successor, Uthman, ruled for twelve years before being assassinated by rebels in 656.

paragraph: After Uthman's death, Ali, a cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, became caliph and moved the capital from Medina to Kufa, where Mukhtar held some minor office under him, and Mukhtar's uncle became governor of nearby al-Mada'in. A few companions of Muhammad, including Muawiyah, the governor of Syria, refused to recongnise Ali's authority, and war broke out. The Battle of Siffin ended in stalemate (July 657), when Ali's forces refused to fight in response to Muawiyah's calls for arbitration. Ali reluctantly agreed to talks but a faction of his forces, later called Kharijites, broke away in protest, condemning Ali's acceptance of arbitration as blasphemous. Arbitration could not settle the dispute between Muawiyah and Ali and the latter was subsequently murdered by a Kharijite in January 661.

paragraph: Ali's eldest son Hasan became caliph, but Muawiyah challenged his authority and invaded Iraq. While Hasan was mobilizing his troops, he was injured by a Kharijite near al-Mada'in and was brought to the home of Mukhtar's uncle. There, Mukhtar reportedly recommended that Hasan be handed over to Muawiyah in return for political favour, but was rebuffed by his uncle. In August 661, Hasan abdicated the caliphate to Muawiyah in a peace treaty and the capital was transferred to Damascus. A few years before his death, Muawiyah nominated his son Yazid as his successor, thus founding the Umayyad Caliphate. Yazid's nomination angered Alid partisans, because it was seen as the violation of the peace treaty, which stipulated that Muawiyah would not nominate a successor. Scant information exists about Mukhtar's early life and he only rose to prominence when he was aged around sixty.

paragraph: Section::::Revolt.

paragraph: Upon Yazid's accession in April 680, pro-Alid Kufans urged Husayn ibn Ali, the younger brother of now deceased Hasan, to lead a revolt against Yazid. Husayn subsequently sent his cousin Muslim ibn Aqil to assess the political environment in Kufa. Mukhtar hosted Ibn Aqil at his house before the arrival of Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad. The latter was appointed to replace Mukhtar's father-in-law, Nu'man ibn Bashir, as governor due to Ibn Bashir's benign attitude towards Ibn Aqil and his followers. As a result of Ibn Ziyad's suppression and political maneuvering, Ibn Aqil's following started melting away and he was forced to declare the revolt prematurely. Mukhtar was not in the city at the time. After hearing the news, he attempted to gather supporters from Kufa's environs, but Ibn Aqil's revolt was defeated and he was executed before Mukhtar returned to the city. Mukhtar was arrested and brought to the governor but he denied involvement in the revolt. While Mukhtar was imprisoned, Husayn was slain by Ibn Ziyad's forces at the Battle of Karbala on 10 October 680. Mukhtar was afterward released upon the intervention of Abdullah ibn Umar, an influential son of the second caliph and Mukhtar's brother-in-law, and ordered to leave Kufa.

paragraph: Section::::Revolt.:Exile in Mecca.

paragraph: By this time, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, a son of Muhammad's companion Zubayr ibn al-Awam, secretly started taking allegiance in Mecca and came to control the entire Hejaz (western Arabia). Having left Kufa, Mukhtar headed for Mecca and offered allegiance to Ibn al-Zubayr on the condition that he be consulted about important matters and awarded a high post, which Ibn al-Zubayr refused. Mukhtar then left for Ta'if and, after one year, Ibn al-Zubayr, persuaded by his advisers, accepted Mukhtar's homage under the same terms. When Yazid dispatched an army to retake Mecca in 683, Mukhtar participated in the city's defence. After Yazid died in November, the Umayyad army retreated and Ibn al-Zubayr openly proclaimed his caliphate. Mukhtar was informed by people coming from Kufa that the city had come under Ibn al-Zubayr's control but many Kufans were looking for an independent leader of their own. He claimed that he was the man they were looking for. While in Mecca, he sought permission from Ali's son, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, to avenge Husayn's death and secure power for Ibn al-Hanafiyyah. The latter responded that he neither approved nor disapproved of such an action, but bloodshed should be avoided. Earlier, he had made the same offer to Husayn's son Ali Zayn al-Abidin but was refused. Five months after Yazid's death, he returned to Kufa without informing Ibn al-Zubayr, who he thought had not kept his promise.

paragraph: Section::::Revolt.:Return to Kufa.

paragraph: In Kufa, Mukhtar began recruiting people to take revenge against the killers of Husayn, promising them victory and fortune. At the same time, Sulayman ibn Surad, a companion of Muhammad and an Alid supporter, was rallying a group of Kufans, who called themselves Tawwabin, to fight the Umayyads to atone for their failure to support Husayn during the Battle of Karbala. The Tawwabin movement created difficulties for Mukhtar. Most pro-Alid Kufans supported Ibn Surad because he was Muhammad's companion, and as a result, Mukhtar was unable to attract many recruits. He criticised the Tawwabin's actions as premature and destined for failure, arguing that Ibn Surad was old, weak, and militarily inexperienced. He then claimed that he was a lieutenant of Ibn al-Hanafiyyah, whom he called the Mahdi (Messiah). He convinced many Alid partisans, including some five hundred "mawālī" (sing. "mawlā"; local converts to Islam), that he was working under the orders of the Mahdi.

paragraph: Doubting the authenticity of Mukhtar's claims, a group of Alid partisans from Kufa went to Mecca seeking verification from Ibn al-Hanafiyyah. He replied in an ambiguous manner that he was satisfied with anyone whom God uses to take revenge on enemies of the family of the prophet. They interpreted this as confirmation of Mukhtar's claims and returned to join him. To win over the hitherto unpersuaded Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar, an influential Alid partisan and head of the Nakhai tribe, Mukhtar presented him with a letter, which he claimed was authored by Ibn al-Hanafiyyah. In it, Ibn al-Hanafiyyah ostensibly called himself the Mahdi and urged Ibn al-Ashtar to support Mukhtar. After expressing some doubts, Ibn al-Ashtar eventually joined him. The letter was likely fabricated, and Ibn al-Hanafiyyah seems to have had no involvement in the revolt. He tolerated the use of his name, however, and did not disapprove of Mukhtar's activities. Nonetheless, when he wanted to visit his followers in Kufa, he was deterred by a rumour, floated by Mukhtar upon hearing this news, that the true Mahdi would not die if struck by a sword.

paragraph: Ibn al-Zubayr appointed Abd Allah ibn Yazid as governor of Kufa in 684. Fearful of Mukhtar, Ibn Yazid imprisoned him. Some time later, Abdullah ibn Umar interceded for Mukhtar, who promised to refrain from anti-government activity and was released.

paragraph: Section::::Revolt.:Overthrow of the Zubayrid governor.

paragraph: After his release Mukhtar resumed his revolutionary activities. The Tawwabin were defeated by the Umayyads at the Battle of Ayn al-Warda in January 685, and most of the pro-Alid Kufans shifted allegiance to Mukhtar. Ibn al-Zubayr replaced Ibn Yazid with Abd Allah ibn Muti as governor to contain the expected agitation but to no avail. Mukhtar and his followers planned to overthrow the governor and seize control of Kufa on Thursday, 19 October 685. On the evening of 17 October Mukhtar's men clashed with government forces. Mukhtar signaled an early declaration of revolt to his troops by lighting fires. By the evening of Wednesday, 18 October, the government's forces were defeated. Ibn Muti went into hiding and later, with help from Mukhtar, escaped to Basra. The next morning, Mukhtar received allegiance from Kufans in the mosque on the basis of, "Book of God, Sunnah of the Prophet, revenge for the Prophet's family, defence of the weak and war on sinners".

paragraph: Section::::Rule over Iraq.

paragraph: Support for Mukhtar's revolt came from two divergent groups: the Arab tribal nobility and the "mawālī". At first, he attempted to reconcile their differences and appease both. Most government positions, including the governorships of Mosul and al-Mada'in, were awarded to Arabs. "Mawālī", hitherto treated as lower-grade citizens, were entitled to war booty and army salaries and allowed to ride horses. He announced that any "mawālī" slaves who joined him would be freed, resulting in increased support from this group. His personal guard was also staffed by "mawālī" led by Abu Amra Kaysan. Nobles, however, were disturbed by his policies towards the "mawālī". At this stage he controlled most of Iraq and its dependencies including Arminiya, Adharbayjan, Jibal and parts of Upper Mesopotamia. Efforts by his supporters to take Basra, which was under Zubayrid control, did not succeed. By then Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan had taken reigns of the Umayyad power in Syria and was struggling to regain control of the lost provinces.

paragraph: Section::::Rule over Iraq.:Counter-coup.

paragraph: One year after the Battle of Ayn al-Warda, the Umayyad army occupied Mosul and headed for Kufa. Mukhtar sent three thousand cavalrymen under the command of Yazid ibn Anas. On 17 July 686, they defeated the Umayyad army, twice their size, near Mosul. That evening, after ordering the execution of all the Syrian captives, Ibn Anas died from an illness. Having lost their commander, the Kufans retreated in the face of another Umayyad army. In Kufa, rumour spread that Mukhtar's forces had been defeated and Ibn Anas slain. In response, Mukhtar deployed seven thousand reinforcements headed by Ibn al-Ashtar. Taking advantage of the troops' absence, the Kufan nobility, whose relations with Mukhtar had grown estranged due to his favouritism toward the "mawālī", attempted to topple Mukhtar by besieging his palace. They accused him of robbing their prestige: Despite the siege, Mukhtar was able to recall Ibn al-Ashtar. Three days after its departure from Kufa, Ibn al-Ashtar's army returned and defeated the revolt.

paragraph: After eliminating his opposition, Mukhtar enacted punitive measures against those involved in the battle of Karbala. He executed most of them, including Umar ibn Sa'ad and Shimr ibn Ziljawshan. Many others were killed under the pretext of their direct or indirect involvement in the battle, while about ten thousand Kufans fled to Basra. The houses of many absconders were destroyed. This further reduced Arab support for Mukhtar and he became increasingly reliant on "mawālī".

paragraph: Section::::Rule over Iraq.:Battle of Khazir.

paragraph: Two days after reasserting control over Kufa, Mukhtar dispatched Ibn al-Ashtar with a thirteen thousand-strong force to confront the approaching Umayyad army led by Ibn Ziyad. Some of Mukhtar's soldiers carried a chair, circling around it, which they claimed belonged to Ali and would give them victory in the battle. The idea is said to have been Mukhtar's. He had invented it to increase his support among more religious people and compared it to the Ark of the Covenant, but orientalist Julius Wellhausen holds he was not the originator of the concept. He allowed them to carry the chair, as he needed their zeal. The armies met at the banks of Khazir River in early August 686. The Umayyad army was defeated, and many of the senior Umayyad military leaders including Ibn Ziyad and Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni were killed. The exact date of the battle is unknown, although some sources put it on 6 August, coinciding with 10 Muharram, the date of Husayn's death. The death of Ibn Ziyad was seen as the fulfillment of Mukhtar's promise of revenge against Husayn's killers.

paragraph: Section::::Rule over Iraq.:Relations with Ibn al-Zubayr.

paragraph: Sometime after expelling Ibn Muti, Mukhtar complained to Ibn al-Zubayr about the failure to keep his promise, despite Mukhtar having served him well. Mukhtar, nonetheless, offered his support if needed. Though Ibn al-Zubayr had considered Mukhtar loyal, the latter refused to surrender his control of Kufa to the caliph's appointed governor, Umar ibn Abd al-Rahman. The governor left the city after being bribed and threatened by Mukhtar.

paragraph: In 686, Mukhtar feigned an offer of military support to Ibn al-Zubayr against an impending Umayyad attack on Medina with the ultimate intention of ousting him. Ibn al-Zubayr accepted and requested troops to Wadi al-Qura, a valley north of Medina, but instead, Mukhtar dispatched three thousand fighters under Shurahbil ibn Wars with orders to enter Medina until further notice. Meanwhile, Ibn al-Zubayr sent his confidant Abbas ibn Sahl at the head of a two thousand-strong force with instructions to escort Ibn Wars and his men to Wadi al-Qura in anticipation of the Syrian army and to kill Mukhtar's loyalists if they refused. Ibn Wars indeed refused and was killed along with most of his men. Mukhtar subsequently informed Ibn al-Hanafiyyah of his foiled plan to seize the region for the Alid and offered to send another army to Medina if Ibn al-Hanafiyyah notified the city's inhabitants that Mukhtar was working on his behalf. Ibn al-Hanafiyyah refused, citing his opposition to bloodshed. Nonetheless, Ibn al-Zubayr, after becoming aware of Mukhtar's intentions and fearing a pro-Alid revolt in the Hejaz, detained Ibn al-Hanafiyyah to forcibly gain his allegiance, hoping Mukhtar would follow suit. Ibn al-Hanafiyyah requested help from Mukhtar, who subsequently dispatched a four thousand-strong force to free him. This caused a further deterioration in relations between Mecca and Kufa.

paragraph: Section::::Death.

paragraph: In 687, Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr, the governor of Basra and younger brother of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, launched an assault against Kufa. A sizable portion of his army consisted of Kufan nobles, who had previously fled Mukhtar's punitive measures. The size of Mukhtar's Kufan army is not certain with ranges between three thousand to sixty thousand, depending on the source. The Kufans retreated following their defeat at the battles of Madhar, located along the Tigris between Basra and Kufa, and Harura, a village near Kufa. Mus'ab then besieged Mukhtar's palace for four months. Ibn al-Ashtar, who was then governor of Mosul, did not attempt to relieve Mukhtar, either because he was not called to action, or because he refused Mukhtar's summons. In either case, he later joined Mus'ab. On 3 April 687, Mukhtar came out of the palace accompanied by nineteen supporters, (the remainder had refused to fight), and was killed fighting. Soon afterwards, Mukhtar's remaining partisans, totaling about six thousand, surrendered and were executed by Mus'ab. One of Mukhtar's wives, Umrah bint Nu'man ibn Bashir al-Ansari, refused to denounce her husband's views and was consequently executed, while his other wife condemned him and was spared. Mukhtar's hand was cut off and hung on the wall of the mosque. His grave is, reportedly, located inside the shrine of Muslim ibn Aqil, at the back of the Great Mosque of Kufa. Some sources, however, state that Mus'ab had burned his body.

paragraph: Section::::Legacy.

paragraph: Though Mukhtar ruled for less than two years, his ideology survived his death. It was during his rule that the "mawālī" rose to significance, much to the dissatisfaction of the Kufan Arab nobility. He had proclaimed Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah as the Mahdi and the Imam. This was likely the first reference to the Mahdi in the history of Islam. This idea became influential afterwards, particularly in Shia Islam, where it became one of its central tenets. He was the first person to introduce the concept of Bada' (change in the divine will), when after defeat at the battle of Madhar, for which he had claimed he was promised victory, he said that God had changed his plan.

paragraph: His followers later developed into a distinct Shia sect known as the Kaysanites. They introduced the doctrines of Occultation (Ghayba) and Return (Raj'a) of the Mahdi. After the death of Ibn al-Hanafiyyah, some Kaysanites believed that he had not died but was hidden in Mount Radwa and would return some day to rid the world of injustice. Most Kaysanites, however, declared his son Abu Hashim to be their Imam. He then transferred the Imamate to Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdallah ibn Abbas before dying. The Abbasids used this as a propaganda tool during their revolution to boost their legitimacy and appeal to pro-Alid masses. Two of Muhammad ibn Ali's sons, as-Saffah and al-Mansur, would eventually establish the Abbasid Caliphate. Describing similarities between Mukhtar and Abbasid revolutionary Abu Muslim Khorasani, who recruited both Arabs and "mawālī" in his army and treated them as equals, Wellhausen writes: "If the doctrine of Raj'a is correct, then the Arab of Khutarnia [Mukhtar] came to life again in the Maula ["mawlā"] of Khutarnia [Abu Muslim]."

paragraph: Many Muslims hold Mukhtar a liar who claimed prophethood and consider him an enemy of the Alids, who used their name to gain power, and executed Husayn's killers to consolidate his support among pro-Alids. Although he did not explicitly call himself a prophet, the allegations took root because of his boasting and excessive claims, which he made in the rhymed prose style of ancient Arabian soothsayers. Muhammad is reported to have said: "In Thaqif there will be a great liar and destroyer." To them, the liar is Mukhtar and the destroyer is Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. Shias, on the other hand, regard him a sincere partisan of Ali and his family, who avenged the murder of Husayn and his company. They maintain that the allegations levelled against him regarding prophethood, his role in the Kaysanites sect, and his lust for power are Umayyad and Zubayrid propaganda. Early Shia, however, had a hostile opinion of him, that arose from his attitude towards Hasan and his alleged incompetence during Ibn Aqil's revolt. His proclamation of Ibn al-Hanafiyyah, a non-Fatimid, may also have contributed to this as most Shia in later times adhered to the Fatimid line of Alids.

paragraph: Section::::Legacy.:Views of the Alid family.

paragraph: There are differing accounts of how prominent members of the Alid family viewed Mukhtar. One account holds that Husayn's son and the fourth Shia Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin, prayed for him after seeing the heads of Ibn Ziyad and Umar ibn Sa'ad, while another account holds that he rejected Mukhtar's gifts and called him a liar. Husayn's grandson, Muhammad al-Baqir, praised him: "Do not speak ill of Mukhtar, he killed our killers, sought vengeance for our blood and arranged marriages for our widows." Al-Baqir further praised him when Mukhtar's son asked al-Baqir about his opinion of Mukhtar. Husayn's great-grandson, Ja'far al-Sadiq, is reported to have said: "The women of the Banu Hashim did not comb and colour [their hair] until al-Mukhtar came to us with the heads of those [who] killed Husayn". Ja'far al-Sadiq is also reported to have said that Mukhtar used to lie about Ali Zayn al-Abidin.

paragraph: Section::::Legacy.:Modern scholarly views.

paragraph: While early historical accounts are unanimous in portraying Mukhtar in a negative light, modern historians hold a variety of views. Wellhausen writes that although Mukhtar did not claim to be a prophet, he made every effort to create the impression that he was one, and spoke in a way as if he sat in the counsel of God. He concludes that Mukhtar was nevertheless a sincere man who tried to eradicate the social differences of his time. He further argues that Mukhtar made extravagant claims and exploited Ibn al-Hanafiyyah's name out of necessity, as he could not have achieved his goal in his own name. He calls him "... one of the greatest men of Islamic history; [who] anticipated the future". Historian Hugh Kennedy writes that Mukhtar was a revolutionary who tried to put together a united Kufan coalition but was beset by internal divisions and let down by the Alid family. Before his death, Mukhtar is reported to have said: Middle East scholar Moshe Sharon describes this as an accurate description of his activities. Professor Abdulaziz Sachedina, on the other hand, calls him an ambitious politician who manipulated the religious sentiments of common people for his own good.

paragraph: Section::::Popular references.

paragraph: As with Maqtal-namas narrating the story of Karbala, various Mukhtar-namas elaborating on the life and movement of Mukhtar, were written during the Safavid era. An Iranian television series, "Mokhtar Nameh", based on the Shia perspective of his life and revolt, was produced in 2009.

description: politician and theologian (622-687)

wikidata_label: Al-Mukhtar

wikipedia_title: Mukhtar al-Thaqafi


text:
pretender
Vladimir
Alexei Razumovsky
Elizabeth of Russia
Saint Petersburg
Philipp Ferdinand of Limburg Stirum
Livorno
Tuscany
Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov
Empress Catherine II
Peter and Paul Fortress
tuberculosis
Ivanovsky Convent
Ippolit Shpazhinsky
Tarakanova
Édith Jéhanne
Shadow of the Eagle
Valentina Cortese
Leonid Zorin
Simon Sebag Montefiore
The Romanovs 1613–1918

categories: 1775 deaths,Infectious disease deaths in Russia,Russian people who died in prison custody,18th-century deaths from tuberculosis,Impostor pretenders,Prisoners who died in Russian detention,1745 births

paragraph: Princess Tarakanova

paragraph: Princess Tarakanova (c. 1745 – ), was a pretender to the Russian throne. She styled herself, among other names, "Knyazhna Yelizaveta Vladimirskaya" (Princess of Vladimir), "Fräulein Frank", and "Madame Trémouille". Tarakanova ("tarakan" is the Russian word for cockroach) is a later name, used only in entertainment (literature, theater, filmography, pictures), apparently on the basis of how she lived her last months and died. In her own time, she was not known by that name.

paragraph: Section::::Life.

paragraph: Tarakanova claimed to be the daughter of Alexei Razumovsky and Empress Elizabeth of Russia, reared in Saint Petersburg. Even her place of birth, however, is not certain, and her real name is not known. She is known to have traveled to several cities in Western Europe, and to have become a mistress of Philipp Ferdinand of Limburg Stirum, apparently in the hope that he would marry her.

paragraph: She eventually was arrested in Livorno, Tuscany, by Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov, who had been sent by Empress Catherine II to retrieve her. Orlov seduced her, then lured her aboard a Russian ship and took her to Russia in February 1775. She was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, where she died of tuberculosis that December. She was buried in the graveyard of the fortress.

paragraph: A popular theory postulated that her death was faked and that she was secretly forced to take the veil under the name Dosifea. The mysterious nun of this name is recorded as having lived in the Ivanovsky Convent from 1785 until her death in 1810.

paragraph: Section::::Films.

paragraph: BULLET::::- A play written by Ippolit Shpazhinsky was the basis for the 1910 Russian film "Knyazhna Tarakanova" ("Княжна Тараканова").

paragraph: BULLET::::- A 1930 French film "Tarakanova" in which she is played by Édith Jéhanne.

paragraph: BULLET::::- In 1950, a joint UK/Italian movie titled "Shadow of the Eagle" was produced about the seduction mission by Alexei Orlov of Princess Tarakanova, with Valentina Cortese portraying Tarakanova and Richard Greene in the role of Count Orlov. Tarakanova is painted as a real princess who is a threat to Catherine the Great both politically and in royal lineage, not a pretender to the throne of Russia. The story portrays Orlov as a much more sympathetic character, and a betrayer of Catherine the Great, in that he allies himself with Tarakanova while claiming false allegiance to Catherine. The events in the movie follow history authentically until the meeting of Princess Tarakanova and Orlov takes place, and the ending alters actual real-life events, in that Orlov rescues Tarakanova from prison in Russia in a daring raid and they live happily ever after.

paragraph: BULLET::::- In 1990 an award-winning Soviet film production titled "The Royal Hunt" was released, based on a play by Leonid Zorin of the same title. It told the story of the life and adventures around Europe of Princess Tarakanova and the operation by Alexei Orlov to trick and capture her.

paragraph: Section::::Sources.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Simon Sebag Montefiore, "The Romanovs 1613–1918"

description: Pretender to the Russian throne

wikidata_label: Princess Tarakanoff

wikipedia_title: Princess Tarakanova


text:
figure skater
2007 Russian national
2007 European Championships
Grand Prix
Junior Grand Prix

categories: Living people,Russian female single skaters,People from Kansk,1987 births

paragraph: Alexandra Ievleva

paragraph: Alexandra Andreyevna Ievleva (; born 9 December 1987) is a Russian former competitive figure skater. She is the 2007 Russian national silver medalist and competed at the 2007 European Championships. She retired from competition in 2011.

paragraph: Section::::Competitive highlights.

paragraph: "GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix"

alias:
Aleksandra Andreyevna Iyevleva
Alexandra Andreyevna Ievleva

description: figure skater

wikidata_label: Alexandra Ievleva

wikipedia_title: Alexandra Ievleva


text: second incarnation

text: the Doctor

text: science-fiction television

text: Doctor Who

text: Mill Hill

text: Middlesex

text: Edmonton

text: Mill Hill School

text: J.B. Priestley

text: Francis Crick

text: Embassy School of Acting

text: Swiss Cottage

text: John Drew

text: Long Island, New York

text: Tonbridge

text: Repertory

text: Second World War

text: Belgian

text: sea mine

text: Royal Navy

text: RNVR

text: Coastal Forces

text: Motor Gun Boat

text: Great Yarmouth

text: North Sea

text: English Channel

text: Kriegsmarine

text: E-boats

text: 1939-45 Star

text: Atlantic Star

text: Mentioned in Dispatches

text: tea cosy

text: Amersham

text: Bristol Old Vic

text: Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate

text: Hamlet

text: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

text: Escape

text: William Hartnell

text: Treasure Island

text: folk hero

text: Robin Hood

text: BBC

text: Robin Hood

text: Sam Troughton

text: 2006 BBC TV series

text: The Adventures of Robin Hood

text: Richard Greene

text: Richard III

text: Chance of a Lifetime

text: The Scarlet Pimpernel

text: The Invisible Man

text: Deborah Watling

text: Phineus

text: Jason and the Argonauts

text: The Old Curiosity Shop

text: Paul of Tarsus

text: Dr. Finlay's Casebook

text: Winston Smith

text: BBC Home Service

text: Nineteen Eighty-Four

text: Doctor Who

text: The Count of Monte Cristo

text: Ivanhoe

text: Danger Man

text: Maigret

text: Compact

text: The Third Man

text: Crane

text: Sherlock Holmes

text: No Hiding Place

text: The Saint

text: Armchair Theatre

text: The Wednesday Play

text: Z-Cars

text: Adam Adamant Lives!

text: Softly, Softly

text: Doctor Who

text: The Gunfighters

text: Innes Lloyd

text: William Hartnell

text: character actor

text: Sydney Newman

text: Charlie Chaplin

text: The Enemy of the World

text: Radio Times

text: discarded

text: here

text: typecast

text: The Three Doctors

text: The Five Doctors

text: John Nathan-Turner

text: conventions

text: Colin Baker

text: Sixth Doctor

text: The Two Doctors

text: Fifth Doctor

text: Peter Davison

text: docudrama

text: An Adventure in Space and Time

text: Reece Shearsmith

text: Robot of Sherwood

text: Twelfth Doctor

text: Scars of Dracula

text: Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell

text: The Omen

text: Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger

text: Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk

text: The Six Wives of Henry VIII

text: The Feathered Serpent

text: The Goodies

text: The Baddies

text: Paul Temple

text: Dr. Finlay's Casebook

text: Doomwatch

text: The Persuaders!

text: A Family at War

text: Coronation Street

text: Colditz

text: Play for Today

text: Z-Cars

text: Special Branch

text: Sutherland's Law

text: The Sweeney

text: Jason King

text: Survivors

text: Crown Court

text: Angels

text: Warship

text: Van der Valk

text: The Onedin Line

text: All Creatures Great and Small

text: Only When I Laugh

text: Nanny

text: Minder

text: BBC Television

text: John Masefield

text: The Box of Delights

text: Two Ronnies

text: Evelyn Waugh

text: Sword of Honour

text: LWT

text: The Two of Us

text: Super Gran

text: Knights of God

text: Central Independent Television

text: Inspector Morse

text: ITV

text: Magnum Opus Con

text: science fiction convention

text: Columbus, Georgia

text: The Dominators

text: Columbus, Georgia

text: Dothan, Alabama

text: Bushy Park

text: Teddington

text: Middlesex

text: David Troughton

text: Michael Troughton

text: York

text: Sam Troughton

text: Robin Hood

text: Jim Troughton

text: cricket

text: Warwickshire

text: Harry Melling

text: Dudley Dursley

text: Harry Potter

text: Howe, David J.

text: Virgin Publishing

text: KTEH

text: San Jose, California

text: Oxford

text: Oxford University Press

text: British Film Institute

categories: 20th-century English male actors,People from Mill Hill,1920 births,English male stage actors,English male television actors,1987 deaths,Royal Navy officers of World War II,People educated at Mill Hill School,English male film actors,English male Shakespearean actors

paragraph: Patrick Troughton

paragraph: Patrick George Troughton (, 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor. He was classically trained for the stage but became most widely known for his roles in television and film. His work included appearances in several fantasy, science fiction and horror films, but he became best known for his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series "Doctor Who", which he played from 1966 to 1969; he reprised the role in 1973, 1983 and 1985.

paragraph: Section::::Early life.

paragraph: Troughton was born on 25 March 1920 in Mill Hill, Middlesex, England, to Alec George Troughton (1887–1953), a solicitor, and Dorothy Evelyn Offord (1886–1979), who married in 1914 in Edmonton. Patrick had an elder brother, Alec Robert (1915–1994), and a younger sister, Mary Edith (1923–2005). Troughton attended Mill Hill School and continued to live in Mill Hill for most of his life. While at Mill Hill School, he acted in a production of J.B. Priestley's "Bees on the Boat Deck" in March 1937. His brother A.R. ('Robin') Troughton shared the 1933 Walter Knox Prize for Chemistry with the future Nobel Prize winner Francis Crick, who also attended Mill Hill School.

paragraph: Troughton later attended the Embassy School of Acting at Swiss Cottage, studying under Eileen Thorndike. After his time at the Embassy School of Acting, Troughton won a scholarship to the Leighton Rallius Studios at the John Drew Memorial Theatre on Long Island, New York. In 1939 he joined the Tonbridge Repertory Company.

paragraph: Section::::Second World War.

paragraph: When the Second World War began, he returned home on a Belgian ship which struck a sea mine and sank off the coast of Great Britain, Troughton escaping in a lifeboat.

paragraph: In 1940 he joined the Royal Navy and was commissioned as a lieutenant with the RNVR, being first deployed on East Coast Convoy duty from February to August 1941, and then with Coastal Forces' Motor Gun Boats based at Great Yarmouth from November 1942 to 1945, operating in the North Sea and English Channel. During his service with the M.G.B.'s, he was on one occasion involved in an action against Kriegsmarine E-boats which resulted in one of the enemy craft being destroyed by ramming, whilst Troughton's boat and another destroyed two more with their gunfire. His decorations included the 1939-45 Star, and Atlantic Star, and he was Mentioned in Dispatches "for outstanding courage, leadership and skill in many daring attacks on enemy shipping in hostile waters". He used to wear a tea cosy on his head in cold weather in the North Sea.

paragraph: Section::::Acting career.

paragraph: Section::::Acting career.:Before "Doctor Who".

paragraph: After the war, Troughton returned to the theatre. He worked with the Amersham Repertory Company, the Bristol Old Vic Company and the Pilgrim Players at the Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate. He made his television debut in 1947. In 1948, Troughton made his cinema debut with small roles in Olivier's "Hamlet", the Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed "Escape" (one of the stars of which was William Hartnell), and a minor role as a pirate in Disney's "Treasure Island" (1950) appearing only during the attack on the heroes' hut. Television though, was his favourite medium. In 1953 he became the first actor to play the folk hero Robin Hood on television, starring in six half-hour episodes broadcast from 17 March to 21 April on the BBC, and titled simply "Robin Hood". His grandson Sam Troughton played one of Robin's colleagues in the 2006 BBC TV series of the same name, and Patrick himself would make an appearance in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" starring Richard Greene. He appeared as the murderer Tyrrell in Olivier's film of "Richard III" (1955). He was also Olivier's understudy on the film and appears in many long shots as Richard.

paragraph: Troughton's other notable film and television roles included Kettle in "Chance of a Lifetime" (1950), Sir Andrew Ffoulkes in "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1955), Vickers in the episode entitled "Strange Partners" in "The Invisible Man" (1958, the series also featured one of his future "Doctor Who" co-stars, Deborah Watling, as Sally), Phineus in "Jason and the Argonauts" (1963), Quilp in "The Old Curiosity Shop" (1962), "Paul of Tarsus" (BBC 1960, title role), "Dr. Finlay's Casebook" (BBC 1962, semi-regular). He voiced Winston Smith in a 1965 BBC Home Service radio adaptation of "Nineteen Eighty-Four". Prior to "Doctor Who" he appeared in numerous TV shows, including "The Count of Monte Cristo", "Ivanhoe", "Dial 999", "Danger Man", "Maigret", "Compact", "The Third Man", "Crane", "Detective", "Sherlock Holmes", "No Hiding Place", "The Saint", "Armchair Theatre", "The Wednesday Play", "Z-Cars", "Adam Adamant Lives!" and "Softly, Softly".

paragraph: Troughton was offered the part of Johnny Ringo in the "Doctor Who" story "The Gunfighters" but turned it down.

paragraph: Section::::Acting career.:"Doctor Who" (1966–69, and returns).

paragraph: In 1966, "Doctor Who" producer Innes Lloyd looked for a replacement for William Hartnell in the series' lead role. The continued survival of the show depended on audiences accepting another actor in the role, despite the bold decision that the replacement would not be a Hartnell lookalike or soundalike. Lloyd later stated that Hartnell had approved of the choice, saying, "There's only one man in England who can take over, and that's Patrick Troughton". Lloyd chose Troughton because of his extensive and versatile experience as a character actor. After he was cast, Troughton considered various ways to approach the role, to differentiate his portrayal from Hartnell's amiable-yet-tetchy patriarch. Troughton's early thoughts about how he might play the Doctor included a "tough sea captain", and a piratical figure in blackface and turban. "Doctor Who" creator Sydney Newman suggested that the Doctor could be a "cosmic hobo" in the mould of Charlie Chaplin, and this was the interpretation eventually chosen. Troughton was the first Doctor to have his face appear in the opening titles of the show. In one serial, "The Enemy of the World", Troughton played two parts – as the protagonist (The Doctor) and the antagonist (Salamander).

paragraph: During his time on the series, Troughton tended to shun publicity and rarely gave interviews. He told one interviewer, "I think acting is magic. If I tell you all about myself it will spoil it". Years later, he told another interviewer that his greatest concern was that too much publicity would limit his opportunities as a character actor after he left the role.

paragraph: A rare interview with Ernest Thompson from "Radio Times" reveals that Troughton "always liked dressing up, and would have been happy as a school teacher as children keep one young". Troughton was popular with both the production team and his co-stars. Producer Lloyd credited Troughton with a "leading actor's temperament. He was a father figure to the whole company and hence could embrace it and sweep it along with him". Troughton also gained a reputation on set as a practical joker.

paragraph: Many of the early episodes in which Troughton appeared were among those discarded by the BBC (a full list of "Doctor Who" episodes missing from the BBC Archives is available here). Troughton found "Doctor Who"'s schedule (at the time, 40 to 44 episodes per year) gruelling, and decided to leave the series in 1969, after three years in the role. This decision was also motivated in part by fear of being typecast.

paragraph: Troughton returned to "Doctor Who" three times after formally leaving the programme, returning to the character more than any other actor who portrayed the Doctor after ending his regular connection with the series. The first of these occasions was in "The Three Doctors", the 1972–73 serial opening the programme's 10th season. In 1983, Troughton overcame some reluctance to reprise his role and agreed to appear in the 20th anniversary special "The Five Doctors" at the request of series producer John Nathan-Turner. He also agreed to attend "Doctor Who" conventions including the show's 20th anniversary celebrations at Longleat in 1983. He also appeared around the world with Nathan-Turner. Troughton enjoyed the return to the programme so much that he readily agreed to appear one more time as the Second Doctor, with Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor in "The Two Doctors" (1985). Reportedly, he also advised the Fifth Doctor, actor Peter Davison, to limit his time in the role to three seasons to avoid typecasting and the younger actor followed this advice.

paragraph: In 2013, the BBC commissioned a docudrama about the early days of "Doctor Who", as part of the programme's fiftieth anniversary celebrations. Troughton appears as a character in the production, called "An Adventure in Space and Time", portrayed by actor Reece Shearsmith.

paragraph: In 2014's "Robot of Sherwood", a still image of Troughton from 1953 appears among the future depictions of Robin Hood displayed by the Twelfth Doctor to the outlaw.

paragraph: Section::::Acting career.:After "Doctor Who".

paragraph: After Troughton left "Doctor Who" in 1969, he appeared in various films and television roles. Film roles included Clove in "Scars of Dracula" (1970), a bodysnatcher in "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell" (1973), Father Brennan in "The Omen" (1976) and Melanthius in "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" (1977). Television roles included the recurring role of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk in five of the six episodes of "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" (1970) (for which he commenced rehearsals just one week after completing his final studio recording on "Doctor Who"), the villainous Nasca in Thames Television's Aztec-themed drama "The Feathered Serpent" (1976–78), a guest starring spot in the comedy series "The Goodies" in the episode "The Baddies", as well as episodes of "Paul Temple", "Dr. Finlay's Casebook", "Doomwatch", "The Persuaders!", "A Family at War", "Coronation Street", "", "Colditz", "Play for Today", "Z-Cars", "Special Branch", "Sutherland's Law", "The Sweeney", "Jason King", "Survivors", "Crown Court", "Angels", "Warship", "Van der Valk", "", "The Onedin Line", "All Creatures Great and Small", "Only When I Laugh" (Series 2 Episode #9), "Nanny" and "Minder" (in a March 1984 episode entitled "Windows", Season 4 Episode 9). He also portrayed Cole Hawlings in a BBC Television dramatisation of the John Masefield children's book "The Box of Delights" (1984). In the same year he also appeared in a "Two Ronnies" Christmas Special playing a judge.

paragraph: Troughton's health was never entirely robust and later in his life he refused to accept his doctor's advice that he had developed a serious heart condition through overwork and stress. He suffered two major heart attacks, one in 1979 and the other in 1984, both of which prevented him from working for several months afterwards. Following each of these attacks, his doctor's warnings were again ignored as Troughton committed himself to a heavy TV and film schedule.

paragraph: He featured in the 1974 11-part radio adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's "Sword of Honour". In 1986, he was a regular in the first series of the LWT sitcom "The Two of Us", and guested in an episode of "Super Gran" in May 1987, which was the last role he filmed. His final television appearance was in the autumn of the same year in "Knights of God", which had actually been filmed two years earlier. Troughton also appeared in the first episode of Central Independent Television's "Inspector Morse", entitled "The Dead of Jericho", which was originally transmitted on ITV on 6 January 1987.

paragraph: Section::::Death.

paragraph: On 27 March 1987, two days after his 67th birthday, Troughton was a guest at the Magnum Opus Con II science fiction convention in Columbus, Georgia, United States.

paragraph: Although he had been warned by his doctors before leaving the United Kingdom not to exert himself because of his heart condition, he appeared to be in good spirits and participated vigorously in the day's panels, and was looking forward to a belated birthday celebration which was planned for Saturday evening, as well as screenings of all of his surviving complete "Doctor Who" stories, including "The Dominators", which he was particularly eager to see again, on Saturday afternoon. Troughton suffered a third and final heart attack at 7:25 am the next day, just after ordering breakfast from the hotel. According to the paramedics who attended the scene he died instantly.

paragraph: Troughton was certified dead at the Medical Center (now Piedmont Columbus Regional) in Columbus, Georgia. From the Medical Center his body was transferred to the Striffler-Hamby Mortuary & Funeral Home on Macon Road, about 4.8 miles away. From there he was conveyed to the Southern Cremations Services, at Dothan, Alabama (about 119 miles away), he was cremated and the ashes were subsequently flown back to England. During the passage to England, the ashes were mislaid temporarily. This delayed his funeral by a few weeks. His widow, Sheila, later scattered them beneath a newly planted tree in Bushy Park, a favourite place of Troughton's near to his family home in Teddington in the county of Middlesex.

paragraph: Section::::Family life.

paragraph: Troughton married his first wife Margaret Dunlop on 3 September, at the Union Church at Mill Hill in 1943. Troughton started living a double life when, just after the birth of his third child, he chose to leave Margaret and their three children (then aged eight, five, and a few months) to live with girlfriend Ethel Margaret "Bunny" Nuens. He maintained a deception of having stayed with his original family that was so successful that his own mother died unaware of the truth. While Troughton never married "Bunny", in 1976 he did marry Sheila Holdup.

paragraph: Troughton had two daughters, four sons, one stepdaughter and one stepson:

paragraph: BULLET::::- Joanna Troughton, author and illustrator of children's books (born 1947 to Patrick and Margaret)

paragraph: BULLET::::- David Troughton, actor (born 1950 to Patrick and Margaret)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Michael Troughton, actor (born 1955 to Patrick and Margaret)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jane Patricia Troughton (born 1956 to Patrick and "Bunny")

paragraph: BULLET::::- Peter Patrick Troughton (born 1957 to Patrick and "Bunny")

paragraph: BULLET::::- Mark Alec Troughton, pastor of York Evangelical Church (born 1959 to Patrick and "Bunny")

paragraph: Troughton's grandchildren include:

paragraph: BULLET::::- Sam Troughton (son of David Troughton), an actor, known for "Robin Hood".

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jim Troughton (son of David Troughton), played professional cricket for Warwickshire

paragraph: BULLET::::- Harry Melling (son of Joanna Melling, Troughton), an actor who played Dudley Dursley in the "Harry Potter" films.

paragraph: Section::::Further reading.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Roderick Braithwaite. "'Strikingly Alive', The History of the Mill Hill School Foundation 1807–2007"; published Phillimore & Co.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Haining, Peter & British Broadcasting Corporation 1984, Doctor Who : the key to time : a year-by-year record, W.H. Allen, London.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Howe, David J., Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker. "Doctor Who: The Sixties". London: Virgin Publishing, 1993. .

paragraph: BULLET::::- Troughton, Patrick. Interview with Terry Phillips. KTEH, San Jose, California. 1985.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Troughton, Michael "Patrick Troughton, by his son Michael Troughton"; published by Hirst Publishing November 2011.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Vahimagi, Tise. "British Television: An Illustrated Guide". Oxford: Oxford University Press / British Film Institute. 1994. .

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Into The Unknown – Patrick Troughton article at Kasterborous.com

paragraph: BULLET::::- Patrick Troughton Biography – British Film Institute

description: English actor

wikidata_label: Patrick Troughton

wikipedia_title: Patrick Troughton


text: presumed dead

text: adventurer

text: Panama Canal

text: Chinese junk

text: Hong Kong

text: Golden Gate International Exposition

text: Brownsville, Tennessee

text: Memphis

text: Memphis University School

text: Battle Creek Sanitarium

text: Michigan

text: John Harvey Kellogg

text: rheumatic fever

text: Lawrenceville School

text: Princeton University

text: The Daily Princetonian

text: ordinary seaman

text: New Orleans

text: lust for more travel

text: seizing the day

text: Oscar Wilde

text: The Picture of Dorian Gray

text: Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.

text: Walter Futter

text: Bobbs-Merrill

text: Ulysses

text: Classical Greek

text: The Odyssey

text: Rupert Brooke

text: Skyros

text: Robinson Crusoe

text: Alexander Selkirk

text: Tobago

text: Gertrude Atherton

text: Kathleen Norris

text: James Phelan

text: Noël Sullivan

text: Ramón Novarro

text: Rod LaRoque

text: Field and Stream

text: Feakins Agency

text: David Laurance Chambers

text: Ramón Novarro

text: Noël Sullivan

text: Paul Mooney

text: Paris

text: soliciting

text: Saint-Lazare Street

text: the station of the same name

text: William Alexander Levy

text: Laguna Beach, California

text: New York University

text: School of Architecture

text: Ayn Rand

text: The Fountainhead

text: Moye Stephens

text: strength of a handshake

text: biplane

text: Stearman

text: magic carpet

text: RMS Majestic

text: Gibraltar

text: Fez, Morocco

text: Atlas mountains

text: Sahara

text: Timbuktu

text: Shell Oil Company

text: Algeria

text: French Foreign Legion

text: Cairo

text: Damascus

text: Petra

text: Elly Beinhorn

text: Crown Princess

text: Crown Prince

text: Ghazi

text: Taj Mahal

text: Maharajah of Nepal

text: Sylvia Brett

text: White Rajah

text: Sarawak

text: Ranee

text: Rajang River

text: Dyak

text: head hunters

text: shrunken head

text: Manila

text: slow roll

text: test pilot

text: Northrop

text: Flying Wing

text: B-2 Spirit

text: stealth bomber

text: India Speaks

text: Bell Syndicate Newspapers

text: Boston Globe

text: Seri

text: Southern California

text: Fort Jefferson

text: Samuel Mudd

text: Abraham Lincoln

text: Richmond Pearson Hobson

text: deliberately sank his own ship

text: Spanish–American War

text: Battle of Santiago de Cuba

text: Henri Christophe

text: Citadelle Laferrière

text: Haiti

text: Christopher Columbus

text: Lord Byron

text: Martinique

text: Napoleon

text: Cuba

text: Miami

text: Washington, D. C.

text: Library of Congress

text: Lake Tahoe

text: United Artists

text: Benvenuto Cellini

text: Renaissance art

text: love life

text: Memphis Commercial Appeal

text: Hannibal

text: Alps

text: Kowloon

text: diesel engine

text: maiden voyage

text: Treasure Island

text: Juilliard

text: Dartmouth College

text: SS President Coolidge

text: Midway Island

text: US Navy

text: Amelia Earhart

text: San Diego

text: California

text: World War II

text: Hernando Cortez

text: Aztec Empire

text: Hellespont

text: Matterhorn

text: Mt. Fuji

text: Sacred Cenote

text: Chichen Itza

text: Mecca

text: Rocky Mountains

text: Indian

text: Henry Van Dyke

text: cultural relativist

text: cultural ambassador

text: heads of state

text: Peru

text: Augusto Leguia

text: Emperor Haile Selassie

text: Ethiopia

text: Last Emperor of China

text: Feisal al Husain

text: Devil's Island

text: the Japanese advance

text: executioner of the Romanovs

text: last ruling dynasty

text: Spanish–American War

text: Captain Richard Hobson

text: Henri Christophe

text: Rupert Brooke

text: Lady Violet Asquith Bonham-Carter

text: Walter de la Mare

text: Cathleen Nesbitt

text: Alec Waugh

text: Virginia Woolf

text: Jazz Age

text: Great Depression

text: Martin and Osa Johnson

text: Thomas Wolfe

text: F. Scott Fitzgerald

text: Corey Ford

text: Ernest Hemingway

text: Paul Theroux

text: Jim Harrison

text: Susan Sontag

text: Walter Cronkite

text: Laguna Beach, California

text: Rhodes College

text: bell tower

text: Great Wall

text: the urban legend

text: Great Wall of China could be seen from space

text: Princeton University Library

text: Andorra

text: Alhambra

text: Seville

text: Monte Carlo

text: Nile

text: Punjab

text: Kashmir

text: Ladakh

text: Khyber Pass

text: Angkor

text: Bangkok

text: Central

text: Mayan

text: photoplay

text: Arabia

text: Smithsonian Magazine

text: "Time" magazine

categories: American travel writers,LGBT writers from the United States,People lost at sea,Princeton University alumni,20th-century American male writers,1900 births,People from Brownsville, Tennessee,1930s missing person cases,LGBT people from Tennessee,20th-century American non-fiction writers,1939 deaths,People from Memphis, Tennessee

paragraph: Richard Halliburton

paragraph: Richard Halliburton (January 9, 1900 – presumed dead after March 24, 1939) was an American traveler, adventurer, and author. Halliburton was headline news for most of his brief career and is best known today for having swum the length of the Panama Canal and paying the lowest toll in its history—36 cents in 1928. His final and fatal adventure, an attempt to sail a Chinese junk, the "Sea Dragon", across the Pacific Ocean from Hong Kong to the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco, made him legendary.

paragraph: Section::::Early life and education.

paragraph: Richard Halliburton was born in Brownsville, Tennessee, to Wesley Halliburton, a civil engineer and real estate speculator, and Nelle Nance Halliburton. A brother, Wesley Jr., was born in 1903. The family moved to Memphis, where the brothers, who were not close, spent their childhood. Richard attended Memphis University School, where his favorite subjects were geography and history; he also showed promise as a violinist, and was a fair golfer and tennis player. In 1915 he developed a rapid heartbeat and spent some four months in bed before its symptoms were relieved. This included some time at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, run by the eccentric and innovative John Harvey Kellogg, whose philosophy of care featured regular exercise, sound nutrition, and frequent enemas. In 1917, family tragedy struck when, following an apparent bout of rheumatic fever, his brother, thought strong and in fine health, suddenly died.

paragraph: At 5'7" (170 cm) and about 140 pounds (64 kg), Halliburton was never robust but would seldom complain of sickness or poor stamina. He graduated from the Lawrenceville School in 1917, where he was chief editor of "The Lawrence". In 1921 he graduated from Princeton University, where he was on the editorial board of "The Daily Princetonian" and chief editor of "The Princetonian Pictorial Magazine". He also attended courses in public speaking and considered a career as a lecturer.

paragraph: Section::::Travel as an unconventional career.

paragraph: Leaving college temporarily during 1919, Halliburton became an ordinary seaman and boarded the freighter "Octorara" bound from New Orleans to England. He toured historic places in London and Paris, but soon returned to Princeton to finish his schooling. Travel inspired in him a lust for more travel. Voiced in different ways, seizing the day became his credo. The words of Oscar Wilde, who in works like "The Picture of Dorian Gray" enjoined experiencing the moment before it vanished, inspired Halliburton to reject marriage, family, a regular job, and conventional respectability as the obvious steps after graduation. He liked bachelorhood, youthful adventure, and the thrill of the unknown. To earn a living, he intended to write about his adventures, yet, with gentle irony, he dedicated his first book to his Princeton roommates, "whose sanity, consistency and respectability ... drove [him] to this book".

paragraph: His father advised him to get the wanderlust out of his system, return to Memphis and adjust his life to "an even tenor."

paragraph: "I hate that expression", Richard responded, expressing the view that distinguished his life-style, "and as far as I am able I intend to avoid that condition. When impulse and spontaneity fail to make my way uneven then I shall sit up nights inventing means of making my life as conglomerate and vivid as possible... And when my time comes to die, I'll be able to die happy, for I will have done and seen and heard and experienced all the joy, pain and thrills—any emotion that any human ever had—and I'll be especially happy if I am spared a stupid, common death in bed"

paragraph: Halliburton was acquainted with swashbuckling cinema star Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., who was also a world traveler. Halliburton himself, though several times approached about film versions of his adventures (notably by Fox in 1933 for "The Royal Road to Romance"), only appeared in one movie. That was the semi-documentary Walter Futter-produced, "India Speaks" (1932; re-released in 1947 as "Bride of Buddha" or "Bride of the East"). As with newsreels in which Halliburton appeared, notably of his second descent into the Mayan Well of Death and his crossing the Alps atop an elephant, a 'complete' copy of the 78-minute 16mm film continues to be sought by Halliburton enthusiasts.

paragraph: Halliburton's first book, published in 1925 by Bobbs-Merrill as "The Royal Road to Romance", became a bestseller. Two years later he published "The Glorious Adventure", which retraced Ulysses' adventures throughout the Classical Greek world as recounted in Homer's The Odyssey, and which included his visiting the grave of English poet Rupert Brooke on the island of Skyros. In 1929 Halliburton published "New Worlds To Conquer", which recounted his famous swim of the Panama Canal, his retracing the track of Cortez' conquest of Mexico, and cast him in the role, in full goat-skin costume, of Robinson Crusoe (Alexander Selkirk), "cast away" on the island of Tobago. Animals figure prominently in this adventure as in many of Halliburton's adventures.

paragraph: Halliburton's friends during this time included movie stars, writers, musicians, painters, and politicians, including writers Gertrude Atherton and Kathleen Norris, Senator James Phelan and philanthropist Noël Sullivan, and actors Ramón Novarro and Rod LaRoque. Casual acquaintances were many, as lectures, personal appearances (notably to plug his movie "India Speaks"), syndicated columns, and radio broadcasts made his name a household word associated with romantic travel.

paragraph: Section::::Lecturer and pioneer of adventure journalism.

paragraph: While Halliburton was attending Princeton, "Field and Stream" magazine paid him $150 for an article (). This initial success encouraged him to choose travel writing as a career. His fortunes changed when a representative of the Feakins Agency heard him deliver a talk, and soon Halliburton was given bookings for lectures. Despite a high-pitched voice and occasional discomfort on the details, Halliburton displayed such enthusiasm and recounted such vivid recreations of his often bizarre foreign encounters that he became popular with audiences.

paragraph: On the strength of his lecturing and increasing celebrity appeal, publisher Bobbs-Merrill, whose editor-in-chief David Laurance Chambers was also a Princeton graduate, accepted his first book, "The Royal Road to Romance" (1925).

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.

paragraph: Halliburton never married. While young he dated several young women and, as revealed in letters to them, was infatuated with at least two. Among those romantically linked to him were film star Ramón Novarro and philanthropist Noël Sullivan, both of whom shared the bohemian lifestyle. Halliburton's most enduring relationship was with freelance journalist Paul Mooney, with whom he often shared living quarters and who assisted him with his written work. French police reports, dated 1935, noted the famed traveler's homosexual activity when in Paris at about the time of his planned crossing by elephant over the Alps: "Mr Halliburton is a homosexual well known in some specialized establishments. He is in the habit of soliciting on Saint-Lazare Street" (near the station of the same name).

paragraph: Section::::Hangover House in Laguna Beach, California.

paragraph: In 1937 William Alexander Levy designed a house for Halliburton in Laguna Beach, California, which is now known as "a landmark of modern architecture." Alexander was a novice architect, a recent graduate of the New York University School of Architecture and close friend of Paul Mooney. Mooney managed the construction of the house. The house, built of concrete and steel and bastion-like in appearance, contained a spacious living room, a spacious dining room and three bedrooms: one for Halliburton, which featured a wall-sized map of the world; one for Mooney; and one for Levy. Because of its position, perched 400 feet (120m) above a sheer canyon, it was called "Hangover House" by Mooney, and this title was cast into a retaining wall on the site. Writer Ayn Rand, who visited the house in 1937 when she was still an unknown writer, is believed to have based the "Heller House" in "The Fountainhead" (1943) upon Halliburton's home.

paragraph: Section::::"Flying Carpet" Expedition.

paragraph: In 1930 Halliburton hired pioneer aviator Moye Stephens on the strength of a handshake—for no pay, but unlimited expenses—to fly him around the world in an open cockpit biplane. The modified Stearman C-3B was named the "Flying Carpet" after the magic carpet of fairy tales, subsequently the title of his 1932 best-seller. They embarked on "one of the most fantastic, extended air journeys ever recorded" taking 18 months to circumnavigate the globe, covering 33,660 miles (54,100 km) and visiting 34 countries.

paragraph: The pair started on Christmas Day 1930, making stops along the way, from Los Angeles to New York City, where they crated the airplane and boarded it on the oceanliner "RMS Majestic". They sailed to England, where their extended mission began. They flew to France, then Spain, the British possession of Gibraltar, and on to Africa at Fez, Morocco (where Stephens performed aerobatics for the first air meet held in that country). They crossed the Atlas mountains and set out across the Sahara to Timbuktu, using the fuel caches of the Shell Oil Company. While in Timbuktu, they were guests of , a French Augustinian monk who had years before fled from the distractions of modern society and become patriarch and a noted scholar of the community. They flew to their destination without mishap, then continued eastward, spending several weeks in Algeria with the French Foreign Legion, and continuing via Cairo and Damascus, with a side trip to Petra.

paragraph: In Persia (now Iran) they met German aviator Elly Beinhorn, who was grounded by mechanical problems. They assisted her and then worked out shared itineraries. Later, Halliburton wrote a foreword to her book "Flying Girl" about these and other of her adventures in the air. Now exhausted, and their plane tiring, Stephens and Halliburton continued their eastward journey. In Persia, Crown Princess Mahin Banu had a ride in the airplane. In neighbouring Iraq, the young Crown Prince Ghazi had a ride; they flew him over his school yard.

paragraph: In India, Halliburton visited the Taj Mahal, which he had first visited in 1922. In Nepal, as "The Flying Carpet" flew past Mt. Everest, Halliburton stood up in the open cockpit of the plane and took the first aerial photograph of the mountain. To the delight of an amazed Maharajah of Nepal, Stephens and Beinhorn performed daring aerobatics. In Borneo, Halliburton and Stephens were feted by Sylvia Brett, wife of the White Rajah of Sarawak. They gave her a ride, making Ranee Sylvia the first woman to fly in that country. At the Rajang River, they took the chief of the Dyak head hunters for a flight: he gave them 60 kilos of shrunken heads, which they dared not refuse but dumped as soon as possible. They were the first Americans to fly to the Philippines: in Manila the plane was again loaded onto a ship to cross the ocean. They flew the final leg from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

paragraph: Moye Stephens was a skilled pilot. Halliburton, in a reassuring letter to his parents (January 23, 1932), recited his many flight skills. Stephens, for instance, during one aerobatic display, astutely aborted a slow roll the moment he realized that Halliburton had not fastened his seat belt. Stephens later became chief test pilot of the Northrop Flying Wing, which evolved into today's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. The around-the-world trip had cost Halliburton over $50,000, plus fuel; in the first year, the book he entitled "The Flying Carpet" (after his valiant plane) earned him royalties of $100,000, in those depression-era days a remarkably large sum. Barbara H. Schultz's "Flying Carpets, Flying Wings – The Biography of Moye Stephens" (2011), besides recounting the Flying Carpet Expedition from a flier's viewpoint as well as documenting Stephens' (1906–1995) contributions to aviation history, contains Stephens' extended reports of the adventure. With rare glimpses into the travel writer's art, these give historic balance to Halliburton's often romanticized renditions. A fictionalized account of his travels in India and Asia was created in the 1933 film, "India Speaks".

paragraph: Section::::Commissioned research travel and feature article writing.

paragraph: Early in 1934 the Bell Syndicate Newspapers contracted with newspapers throughout the United States, beginning with the "Boston Globe", to publish weekly feature stories prepared by Halliburton. Of about one thousand words each with pictures, ultimately fifty stories resulted. Among these were stories on the Seri Indians of Southern California; Fort Jefferson, where Dr. Samuel Mudd, convicted of conspiracy in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, was imprisoned; Admiral Richmond Pearson Hobson, who deliberately sank his own ship during the Spanish–American War, and the Battle of Santiago de Cuba a month later; Henri Christophe and the Citadelle Laferrière in Haiti; Christopher Columbus, Lord Byron, and "The Girl from Martinique Who Wrecked Napoleon". Paid well, Halliburton traveled extensively to fulfill his end of the deal: to Cuba, Haiti, Martinique, to Miami, Washington, D. C. (to do research at the Library of Congress), to New York, to Europe, and ultimately to Russia. At the height of his popularity and self-fulfillment, he appeared on radio, attended celebrity parties (including one at the home of novelist Kathleen Norris who, like Halliburton, had stories regularly featured in the newspapers), and, after the purchase of a used Ford roadster, explored the heartland of California and the beauties of the Lake Tahoe area. Other commissions followed: United Artists, producing a movie about Benvenuto Cellini, asked him to do a story on the Renaissance artist's love life. The lectures continued. Halliburton even turned down "job" offers, one of which was for the considerable sum of $500 a week, for 26 weeks, from a radio company "to speak on a beer program". Meanwhile, besides the "Memphis Commercial Appeal", newspapers in Milwaukee, Kansas City, Columbus, and Toronto published his syndicated stories. At the end of the year, he was again in Europe to commence his dream of emulating Hannibal and crossing the Alps on an elephant, one chosen for the task from a Paris zoo and given the name "Miss Dalrymple." The following year Bobbs-Merrill published Halliburton's "Seven League Boots", filled with his latest adventures and arguably the last of the great travel works of the classic period.

paragraph: Section::::"Sea Dragon" expedition and disappearance.

paragraph: On March 3, 1939, Halliburton began to sail a Chinese junk across the Pacific Ocean. The "Sea Dragon", a gaudily decorated junk, was made to his commission in the shipyards of Kowloon by cartwright Fat Kau. Emblazoned with a colorful dragon and equipped with a diesel engine, the "Sea Dragon" was supposed to make its maiden voyage from Hong Kong to the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco (at Treasure Island), where it would dock, become part of the exhibition and take fairgoers on sailing cruises of San Francisco Bay. Halliburton had little practical navigation experience, so he hired Captain John Wenlock Welch as skipper and Henry Von Fehren as engineer. The crew included George Barstow III, a 21-year-old student at Juilliard, Velman Fitch of Minnesota, a world traveler who had been given a ride aboard the "Sea Dragon", and Dartmouth College senior Robert Chase. Mooney was also aboard for the journey.

paragraph: Two other young men from Dartmouth, John Potter and Gordon Torrey, had yachting experience; both of them left the crew after the junk's unsuccessful first voyage and later offered accounts of their experience.

paragraph: Construction of the junk was marked by cost overruns, delays, and engineering errors, prompting Halliburton to write "If any one of my readers wishes to be driven rapidly and violently insane, and doesn't know how to go about it, let me make a suggestion: Try building a Chinese junk in a Chinese shipyard during a war with Japan." A trial run revealed its flaws. Nonetheless the expedition set out, and three weeks out to sea on March 23 the ship encountered a typhoon. The junk was last sighted by the liner "SS President Coolidge", itself battling mountainous seas some 1900 km west of Midway Island. The US liner received a cheerful radio message from the junk skipper minutes later, "Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here instead of me." The next message was different: "Southerly gale. Heavy Rain Squalls. High sea. Barometer 29.46. True course 100. Speed 5.5 knots. Position 1200 GCT 31.10 north 155.00 east. All well. When closer may we avail ourselves of your direction finder. Regards Welch." That was the last message heard from the junk. At first the Coast Guard at Hawaii delayed searching for the missing ship, possibly thinking Halliburton staged his disappearance as a publicity stunt. Later an extensive US Navy search with several ships and scout planes over thousands of square miles and many days found no trace of the junk or the crew, and the effort was ended. As with Amelia Earhart, many rumors and reports of Halliburton's fate arose over the years, with fans hoping he might yet turn up alive.

paragraph: In 1945 a 30-foot skeleton of a 150-foot boat of oriental design washed ashore in San Diego California. It was suggested that this was the remains of the Sea Dragon. However, World War II overshadowed the news, so the news wasn't as big as it would have been years before.

paragraph: Missing at sea since March 1939, Halliburton was declared dead on October 5, 1939 by the Memphis Chancery Court. His empty grave is at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis at the Halliburton family gravesite.

paragraph: Section::::Character of published work.

paragraph: In his colorful and simply-told travel adventures Halliburton was the "innocent abroad", receptive to new ideas and with a quiet erudition. He displayed a romantic readiness which shone through his best prose, prose at once picturesque, gently informative, extroverted (though self-enlisted), and personally confiding. He often described his attaching himself to a famous historic person (and key event for which that person was known) or to a revered place, such as the Taj Mahal. Acting as sort of an emcee, or performing some often cleverly garish stunt, he recalled that person and invoked a place associated with him; by so doing, he escorted readers into a different time and to a different locale, with of course some compelling modern touches. Thus he duplicated Hannibal's crossing of the Alps by elephant – naming the pachyderm he had gotten from a Paris zoo Miss Elysabethe Dalrymple; he emulated Ulysses' myriad adventures in the Mediterranean dressed often as a beach-comber or playboy; he re-enacted Robinson Crusoe's island solitude, adopting a menagerie of domestic pets with names such as Listerine, Kitty and Susie. Examples of the device filled his work and helped define his public image: of further note, he retraced the fateful expedition of Hernando Cortez to the heart of the Aztec Empire; like his hero Lord Byron, he swam the Hellespont, metaphorically bridging Europe and Asia; and he lived among the French Foreign Legion in North Africa. He did not just view legendary places and landscapes, but often embraced them by some athletic feat ultimately intended to thrill armchair travelers as well as to educate them: he swam the Panama Canal, climbed the Matterhorn and Mt. Fuji (its first documented winter ascent), and twice he descended into the Mayan Well of Death, the Sacred Cenote of Chichen Itza. The occasional trouble that he received from authorities only contributed to the drama of his adventures: taking photos of the guns at Gibraltar (and being arrested for it as a breach of security); attempting to enter Mecca, which is forbidden to non-Muslims; hiding from gatekeepers on the grounds of the Taj Mahal, to experience in solitude the sunset as well as to swim in the pool facing the tomb under the moonlight.

paragraph: Halliburton's books were meant for the general reading public. What racial comments Halliburton made, though casual and for his time not unique to him, are, when read today, striking. Describing a hiking trip in the Rocky Mountains at age twenty, for instance, he commented that his two Indian guides were "as irresponsible as our southern niggers."

paragraph: Halliburton's love of the world's natural wonders, and such monuments of mankind which seemed best to blend into those wonders, derives in part from the Romanticism of poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (acquaintance with whom may have been sharpened by his exposure at Princeton to English Professor Henry Van Dyke, a popular essayist and poet of his time, who also had been a teacher of Halliburton's editor David Laurance Chambers). As theirs, Halliburton's view of technology was dim, and he gently urged that one see the world's marvels before "modern Progress" obliterated them.

paragraph: Halliburton was a cultural relativist: he adhered to the credibility of multiple perspectives and believed that "culture was king", stances which may explain his claim of purchasing a slave child in Africa – which did not happen, according to Moye Stephens – or adopting the garb of a particular region to "go native." As a sort of cultural ambassador, he met heads of state from Peruvian dictator Augusto Leguia, to Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, to the Last Emperor of China, to King Feisal al Husain of Iraq and his son the Crown Prince.

paragraph: An early letter (1923) expressed his "virulent antipathy for democracy as practiced in America" and a hatred "for the laboring class", but these views contrast with the plight he shared with the downtrodden, as at Devil's Island, and his occasional working with rough-hewn seamen. His last writings, done in collaboration with journalist Paul Mooney, the four letters (of a projected seven) comprising "Letters from the Sea Dragon" as well as the fifteen articles comprising "The Log of the Sea Dragon", suggest, in their descriptions of the displacement of peoples that the Japanese advance caused, the war-reportorial course his writing might have taken had he lived. A news correspondent's role is also suggested by his skilled interview with the executioner of the Romanovs, the last ruling dynasty of Russia. Distinguished by their readerliness, the essays of historic personages appearing in both his books and newspaper articles, notably of Spanish–American War hero Captain Richard Hobson and of Haitian leader Henri Christophe, show the skills of the natural biographer, and offer further hint of career evolution.

paragraph: Section::::Private writing.

paragraph: Halliburton admired English poet Rupert Brooke (1887–1915), whose beauty and patriotic verse captivated a generation. Halliburton intended to write his biography and kept ample notes for the task, interviewing in person or corresponding with prominent British literary and salon figures who had known Brooke, including Lady Violet Asquith Bonham-Carter, Walter de la Mare, Cathleen Nesbitt, Noel Olivier, Alec Waugh, and Virginia Woolf. Halliburton never began the book, but his notes were used by Arthur Springer to write "Red Wine of Youth—A Biography of Rupert Brooke" (New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1952).

paragraph: A vigorous correspondent, Halliburton wrote numerous letters to fans, friends, editors, sponsors, and literary acquaintances. To his parents alone, he wrote well over a thousand letters; a large selection of these, edited in part by his father Wesley, was published in 1940 by Bobbs-Merrill as "Richard Halliburton: His Story of His Life's Adventure As Told to His Mother and Father".

paragraph: Section::::Legacy.

paragraph: Publisher James O'Reilly, who reissued "The Royal Road to Romance" to celebrate the centenary of Halliburton's birth, characterizes him thus: "From the Jazz Age through the Great Depression to the eve of World War II, he thrilled an entire generation of readers." He was "clever, resourceful, undaunted, cheerful in the face of dreadful odds, ever-optimistic about the world and the people around him, always scheming about his next adventure."

paragraph: He notes that Halliburton's "manhood spanned the brief interval between the two World Wars" and acclaims him as a "spokesman for the youth of a generation."

paragraph: Halliburton wanted to be remembered as the most-traveled man who had ever lived. In his day he had few rivals, though Eugene Wright ("The Great Horn Spoon") and Martin and Osa Johnson ("Safari") could as equally captivate.

paragraph: Halliburton influenced his contemporaries Thomas Wolfe, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Corey Ford and Ernest Hemingway. Writers Paul Theroux, Jim Harrison and Susan Sontag, among others, have offered debts of gratitude for his influence on their work. Television news celebrity and author Walter Cronkite, who heard him lecture in the mid-1930s, credited Halliburton with steering him into a career in journalism. As the writer of a succession of bestsellers, and as a popular lecturer, Halliburton figured prominently in educating several generations of young Americans in the rudiments of geography, history and culture, especially through his two "Books of Marvels", re-issued in one volume after his death.

paragraph: Two structures commemorate Halliburton: Hangover House in Laguna Beach, California, and the Memorial Tower at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Architecture historian and writer Ted Wells considers Hangover House, which Halliburton commissioned, one of the "best modern houses in the United States". Nearly a quarter century after Halliburton's disappearance, his father donated $400,000 to build an imposing bell tower. It was dedicated in 1962 as the Richard Halliburton Memorial Tower, and the elder man died the following year at age 95.

paragraph: In his "Second Book of Marvels", Halliburton stated, "Astronomers say that the Great Wall is the only man-made thing on our planet visible to the human eye from the moon." Although untrue, this statement was a possible source for the urban legend that the Great Wall of China could be seen from space.

paragraph: The Richard Halliburton Papers are held at Princeton University Library and the Richard Halliburton Collection at Paul Barret, Jr. Library at Rhodes College.

paragraph: Several books have been published about Halliburton. A 2009 book, "Journalism's Roving Eye: A History of American Newsgathering Abroad", has a section devoted to Halliburton and travel writers like him. "American Daredevil: The Extraordinary Life of Richard Halliburton, the World's First Celebrity Travel Writer" was published in 2016.

paragraph: Section::::Works.

paragraph: BULLET::::- "The Royal Road to Romance" (1925)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Covering the Matterhorn, Andorra, the Alhambra, Seville, Gibraltar, Monte Carlo, the Nile, Punjab, Kashmir, Ladakh, the Khyber Pass, Angkor, Bangkok, Bali, Japan and the ascent of Mt. Fuji

paragraph: BULLET::::- "The Glorious Adventure" (1927)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Following the path of Ulysses around the Mediterranean

paragraph: BULLET::::- "New Worlds to Conquer" (1929)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Covering Central and South America, including the Panama Canal, the Mayan Well of Death, and Devil's Island

paragraph: BULLET::::- "The Flying Carpet" (1932)

paragraph: BULLET::::- See above

paragraph: BULLET::::- "India Speaks with Richard Halliburton", Grosset & Dunlap-Publishers, New York, 1933

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Richard Halliburton, who in the photoplay "India Speaks", plays the part of a young American traveling in India and Tibet in search of adventure. The photographs that follow are stills selected from the film taken by several different cameramen sent to Asia for the purpose-film which supplies the authentic background for the photoplay."

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Seven League Boots" (1935)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Covering Ethiopia, Russia, Arabia, the Alps

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Richard Halliburton's Book of Marvels: the Occident" (1937)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Originally titled Marvels of the West"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Richard Halliburton's Second Book of Marvels: the Orient" (1938)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Richard Halliburton: His Story of His Life's Adventure, as Told in Letters to His Mother and Father" (1940)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels" (1941)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "One Hundred Years of Delightful Indigestion – Memphis Priceless and Treasured Receipts", Introduction by Richard Halliburton, World Traveler, Author and Epicure (Memphis: James Lee Memorial Academy of Arts, 1935)

paragraph: Section::::Further reading.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Alt, John H. "Don't Die in Bed: The Brief, Intense Life of Richard Halliburton." Atlanta: Quincunx Press, 2013

paragraph: BULLET::::- Austen, Roger. "Playing the Game: The Homosexual Novel in America"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Cortese, James. "Richard Halliburton's Royal Road." Memphis: White Rose Press, 1989

paragraph: BULLET::::- Gilliam, Ronald, "Richard Halliburton and Moye Stephens: Traveling Around the World in the "Flying Carpet"","Aviation History" (date unclear)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Max, Gerry. "Horizon Chasers: The Lives and Adventures of Richard Halliburton and Paul Mooney". Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2007

paragraph: BULLET::::- Max, Gerry. "The Royal Road To Romance in the USA: Thomas Wolfe, Richard Halliburton, Eco-Tourism and Eco-Poetry," "Thomas Wolfe Review," Volume 38, Nos. 1 & 2, 2014, pp. 80–94.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Morris, Charles E. (III), "Richard Halliburton's Bearded Tales", "Quarterly Journal of Speech, Vol. 95, No. 2, May, 2009, pp. 123–147.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Root, Jonathan. "Halliburton—The Magnificent Myth." New York:Coward-McCann, 1965.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Schultz, Barbara H., "Flying Carpets, Flying Wings – The Biography of Moye Stephens" (Plane Mercantile, c2011).

paragraph: BULLET::::- Schwartz, David M. "On the Royal Road to Adventures with 'Daring Dick.'" "Smithsonian Magazine" 19.12, 1 March 1989, pp. 159–160, 162–164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174–178

paragraph: BULLET::::- Taylor, William R., "A Shooting Star Meets the Well of Death, Why and How Richard Halliburton Conquered the World," Abbeville, SC: Moonshine Cove Publishing, 2013, .

paragraph: BULLET::::- Townsend, Guy, , "Memphis Magazine", originally published August 1977, reprinted April 2001

paragraph: BULLET::::- , a 1932 "Time" magazine review of "The Flying Carpet"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Wilde, Winston, "Legacies of Love: A Heritage of Queer Bonding" (Haworth Press)

description: American writer

enwikiquote_title: Richard Halliburton

wikidata_label: Richard Halliburton

wikipedia_title: Richard Halliburton