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_Name: François Furet
Date of Birth: 1927 – 1997
Place of Birth: Paris, France

François Furet was a French historian and a president of the Saint-Simon Foundation.

Furet studied at the Lycée Janson-Sailly and received an ‘agrégation’ from the Faculté de Lettres in Paris. Furet became a member of the Communist Party of France in 1949 along with other well-known historians of his time - Michel Vovelle, Jacques Le Goff, and Michelle Perrot - but left in 1956. He began studying at the University of Letters and Law in Paris, but was obliged to stop his studies in 1950 when he contracted tuberculosis. He recovered from his illness and began studying for his agrégation. IN 1954, Furet successfully passed the rigorous examinations focussing on History. He briefly taught in high schools before working on the French Revolution at the National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS). He also worked at the Nouvel Observatuer from 1956 to 1966 to support himself. He started work at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in 1966, later becoming president from 1977 to 1985. Furet was appointed Director of Studies at the EHESS and worked at the University of Chicago as a professor in the Committee on Social Thought. He was selected for admission into the Académie Française in 1997 but suffered a fatal heart attack on a tennis court. There is currently a school named after him in the Paris suburbs, and a François Furet prize is awarded each year.


 
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_Pierné recognised the revolutionary musical innovations in the piece, and arranged for the first part performance of the ‘Tableaux’, called ‘Thebes’, which was highly praised by the musical press. Later, numerous works by Fanelli were performed by Pierné.

Unfortunately, Fanelli had already quit composing in 1894, and couldn’t take advantage of his new-found fame. He was either unable or unwilling to resume composing, but still worked as a performer in order to provide for his wife and children. Fanelli passed away some years later.

His composition predated the original works of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, which led to speculations that either one or both had viewed the manuscript.

Following his death, Fanelli’s widow presumably claimed that Ravel, Debussy and Erik Satie had come to Fanelli’s house and examined his unpublished scores prior to making their own compositions. This supposed statement was published by George Antheil, who says that he was told about Fanelli’s innovations by Constantine von Sternberg. He continues, saying that he went to see Fanelli’s widow, and was given permission to examine Fanelli’s scores.

Fanelli’s most famous work, ‘Tableaux Symphoniques d'apres le Roman de la Momie’, was a symphonic poem written in a series of ‘tableaux’, depicting the novel ‘The Romance of the Mummy’ by Théophile Gautier. ‘Thebes’, the first part, is meant to symbolise the capital city of Egypt. The second part, titled ‘Fete dans le palais du Pharaon’, which depicts royal festivities, never got published, though it was also performed in 1913.



 
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_Name: Ernest Fanelli
Date of Birth: 1860-1917
Place of Birth: Paris, France

Ernest Fanelli was a composer of Italian origin who is best remembered for setting of a controversy regarding the roots of Impressionist music after the first performance of his composition ‘Tableaux Symphoniques’ in 1912. He was called as one of the greatest musical iconoclasts and inventors of all time by George Antheil, and yet he remains in obscurity.

Fanelli was born on 29 June 1860 in Paris to an immigrant family from Bologna. He entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1876 and studied music for some years. However, he got into disputes with his teachers, which led to his expulsion.

Despite claims, he did not study there with Charles-Valentin Alkan, as Alkan had left the Conservatoire in 1848. He may have, however, studied with Napoléon, Alkan’s brother, who was professor of solfège at the Conservatoire during that time. He then got work as a timpanist until he returned to studying music under Léo Delibes; though he soon ran out of resources and was once again unable to finish his studies. He continued working as jobbing percussionist and self-taught himself on composition. He took a moment to relax himself and then started creating his own compositions.

Fanelli sought work in 1912 as a musical copyist, submitting a manuscript to Gabriel Pierné to display his good handwriting. Pierné took interest in the music itself, and Fanelli claimed it was his own composition; ‘Talbeaux Symphoniques’, which he wrote nearly thirty years previously.


Eric Fombonne

6/25/2012

 
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__Name: Eric Fombonne
Date of Birth: 1954
Place of Birth: Paris, France

Eric Fombonne, MD, FRCP, was born on year 1954 in Paris, France. He is an epidemiologist and professor of psychiatry. He manages the division for child psychiatry at McGill University located in Canada and the department for psychiatry at the Montreal Children's Hospital, where he held a crucial role in the commencing of its clinic for autism. Fombonne is also the child psychiatry’s Canada Research Chair. His research study centres on epidemiological investigations of mental illness in childhood and other related risk aspects, with a specific focus on autism’s epidemiology.

Fombonne is a stable member of the study section of National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and has been delegated to a special advisory board of National Institute of Health (NIH) for autism research programmes. He was appointed president in October 2002 of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Canada (APCAPC).

Before he arrived in Canada, Fombonne was already the Institute of Psychiatry’s researcher of King's College located in London, United Kingdom, wherein he worked at Maudsley Hospital as a psychiatrist for children and adolescents. While he was working there, he, along with his colleagues, was credited with their demonstration that an epidemiological evidence of a connection between autism with the MMR vaccine does not exist, as hypothesised by other researchers, which include Andrew Wakefield. Fombonne was quoted in a New Scientist article as saying that attempting to connect autism with MMR is absolute nonsense.


David Feuerwerker

6/22/2012

 
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_Name: David Feuerwerker
Date of Birth: 2 October 1912
Place of Birth: Geneva, Switzerland

David Feuerwerker was a French rabbi and historian. He lived from 2 October 1912 to 20 June 1980.

David was born on 2 October 1912 in Geneva, Switzerland. His parents were Jacob Feuerwerker and Regina Neufeld. He attended high school at the Rue Vauquelin Talmud Torah. He later went to the France Rabbinical Seminary. He graduated as Rabbi on 1 October 1937. He then became Diplomé de Langues Sémitiques anciennes and an expert on Semitic languages.

He fought for the French Army from 15 October 1937 to 1 September 1939. He remained until 25 July 1940. He worked with the 12th Régiment d'Artillerie Divisionnaire. He received Croix de guerre with a bronze star.

He helped several Jewish refugees escape from the Nazis. With the aid of the HIAS, a US agency for refugees, David was able to find a country where the Jews can escape to. On the other hand, David did not think of leaving and instead helped in the liberation of internees in transit camps.

He joined ‘Combat’, a French resistance movement against the Nazis. He worked with Edmond Michelet, and was known Jacques Portal. He later earned the Croix du combattant volontaire 1939-1945. He received the Medaille Commémorative de la Guerre 1939-1945.

Antoinette Feuerwerker, his wife, finished law school before the war. She helped him in the underground movement. She was later given the French Liberation Medal.


 
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_He and Tenot organised some tours, including all expert jazz musicians, in Europe and France. He also became a record producer, and founded the Mood Records. In 1970, he founded Warner (France).

During the 60s, he created a series of rock and roll radio show designed after ‘Dick Clark’s American Bandstand’, and named it ‘Salut Les Copains’. The show became successful that he launched a magazine with the same name. After that, he also launched several other magazines, and bought many others.

His inclination to Surrealism made him publish books about many artists. Many of these artists joined dinner celebrations at his apartment in Paris. He collected many works by different Surrealists, and possessed the world’s biggest private of collection of Joseph Cornell’s boxes.

In the year 1981, he bought Hachette magazines, with the help of his friend Jean-Luc Lagardere, including the French TV Guide, and the Elle magazine. Then, Elle was launched in the US. After that, Lagardere and Filipacchi expanded Hachette Filipacchi Magazines the US by purchasing Diamandis Communications Inc. (previously CBS magazines), including Car and Driver, Woman’s Day, Road and Track, Flying, Boating, and several others.

Daniel Filipacchi has three children, namely Craig, Mimi, and Amanda Filipacchi – the American novelist.


 
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_Name: Daniel Filipacchi
Date of Birth: 1928
Place of Birth: Paris

Daniel Filipacchi is Hachette Filipacchi Médias’ Chairman Emeritus. He has been known for his passionate work in photography, art collecting and jazz. In France, he is widely known as the host of ‘Salut les Copains’, the most famous radio music show during the 1960s. As a photographer, he bought the Paris Match magazine and turned it into one of the most successful and well-loved publications in France. For many years, Filipacchi expanded the media empire of Hachette Filipacchi. He became well-known for being one of the world’s experts, and also a collector of, in Surrealist art. His collections of Surrealist art received a major exhibit in 1999 at the Guggenheim in New York.

Daniel studied at a French public school until the start of World War II. After that, he never attended any school again and began to self-educate. At the age of 13, he worked as an apprentice typesetter in a printing office that specialised in clandestine works.

At the age of 27, when he was recognised as an expert jazz player, he was recruited to host a show on the radio the day Charlie Parker died in 1955. The show became successful that he was requested to host a radio jazz every day, with Franck Tenot. Because of the success of the show, Daniel bought Jazz Magazine, which began their business of publishing.


 
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_Her musical career was cut short, when she opted to focus on her acting career. She debuted in the big screen in the movie, Paroles et musique in 1984, where she played daughter of Catherine Deneuve. This was eventually followed by several other movies; and in 1986, she was recognised as the Cesar’s Most Promising Actress. This was for her performance in the movie, L'effrontée.

From the big screen, Charlotte Gainsbourg also experienced theatre. In 1994, she was part of the play, Oleanna, which was shown at the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Montparnasse. Her experiences in acting were brought about by more projects in the movie industry, which lasted until the present time. All throughout her movie career, she has been featured in no less than 33 films.

In 2000, Charlotte Gainsbourg was able to collaborate with Madonna in her album, Music. The song, What It Feels Like For A Girl, featured Charlotte Gainsbourg’s speaking voice taken from the movie, The Cement Garden. The song was then mixed further, producing a single in 2001. All versions of the single contained Charlotte Gainsbourg’s speaking voice, taken from the film The Cement Garden.

2004 proved to be another milestone for the French pop star, for she was able to collaborate with Etienne Daho for a duet with the song, If.

Currently, Charlotte Gainsbourg is busy completing her third album. In reports, it has been noted that she would be working with Beck.


 
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_Name: Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg
Date of Birth: 21 July 1971
Place of Birth: Paris, France

Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg, or Charlotte Gainsbourg, was born in Paris, France on 21 July 1971. She was of artistic lineage, since both her parents were singers. Her mother was singer-actress Jane Birkin, while her father was singer-actor, Serge Gainsbourg. Other members of her family include actress, Judy Campbell, who was her grandmother, and Uncle Andrew Birkin. The latter was also Charlotte’s director in the film, The Cement Garden.

Charlotte Geinsbourg is currently married to Yvan Attal, who is also an actor and director in France. The couple have the wonderful times at there and have two children: Ben, who is 12 years old and born on 12 June 1997. Her younger daughter, Alice is five years old, and born on 8 November 2002.

5 September 2007 was a trying time for Charlotte Gainsbourg and her family, for she was rushed to a hospital in Paris. The singer had to go under surgery, for she suffered from cerebral haemorrhage. Ever since the accident, she has been complaining for headaches, which also became the reason for her to undergo the surgery.

Charlotte Gainsbourg has been noted for her musical career that has spanned decades. She was introduced into the music scene when she sang Lemon Incest with her father in 1984. Eventually, she was able to release her first album, entitled Charlotte for Ever, in 1986. The said album was also produced by her father.


 
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_He engaged on a liaison with Queen of Holland, Hortense de Beauharnais, and their son was born in Paris and was registered on 21 October 1811, named Charles Auguste Louis Joseph Demorny. Meanwhile, Flahaut battled with excellence in the 1812 Russian campaign, and he was promoted in 1813 as aide-de-camp to the emperor, general of brigade, and became general of division after the Battle of Leipzig. In 1814, after Napoleon was abdicated, he yielded to the present government, but was situated on the retired catalogue in September. He diligently attended to Queen Hortense but he was brought into active assistance again when the Hundred Days came. The mission to secure Marie Louise’s return from Vienna failed. He was at Waterloo at that time, and had sought afterwards to give the throne to Napoleon II. He was only spared from exile due to the influence of Talleyrand, but was put under the surveillance of the police. He chose to spend his retirement in Germany, and then to England after a short been living in Paris, where he got married on 20 June 1817 in Edinburgh to Margaret Mercer Elphinstone, who was the daughter of Admiral George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith, and when her father died, she became in her own right the 2nd Baroness Keith. Charles de Flahaut remained closely connected with Talleyrand's policy, and became an ambassador at Berlin for a short while in 1831. He continued serving the army but eventually retired. He died on 1 September 1870 in Paris, France.