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- Enzo Ferrari was a racing driver who founded the Italian sports car manufacturer bearing his name. Ferrari cars are generally seen as a symbol of luxury and wealth.
He was born Enzo Anselmo Ferrari on February 18, 1898, in Modena, Italy. His father, Alfredo Ferrari, had a metal business. At the age of 10 Enzo saw several car races in the 1908 Circuit di Bologna, and he decided to become a race car driver. He received little formal education, and in his youth during WWI he was shoeing mules during his assignment to the Alpine Artillery division of the Italian Army. Both his father and brother died in 1916 as a result of Italian flu outbreak and the family business collapsed.
Ferrari himself became severely ill during the 1918 flu epidemic which he barely survived, and was discharged from Italian service. He applied for a job at Fiat, was turned down and eventually got a job as a test driver at a small car-maker named CMN. In a 1919 race at the Targa Florio he finished ninth. With the help of his friend Ugo Sivocci he got a job with Alfa-Romeo in 1920, and had success as a racing driver. In 1923, young Ferrari won the Circuit of Sivocci at Ravenna. There, he acquired the legendary ace pilot Francesco Baracca's WWI pilot badge, a prancing horse on a yellow shield. This icon would have to wait until 1932 to be displayed on a racing car.
Enzo Ferrari's greatest victory was at the 1924 Coppa Acerbo at Pescara, with an Alfa Romeo R.L. That and many more successful races made Ferrari a recognized name. In 1922 Benito Mussolini seized power in Italy and established a totalitarian fascist regime that sponsored an aggressive nationalism as a mimic of the Roman Empire. The name of a winning driver, like Ferrari, was used as one of many propaganda tools. He was awarded the Cavaliere dell'ordine della Corona d' Italia and was promoted to the rank of Commendatore. In Mussolini's eyes Ferrari had won all his races for Italy. In reality it was the only job Ferrari could do.
In 1926, overburdened and stressed, Ferrari experienced an emotional breakdown and stopped racing. He turned down a few offers, including one for a big race in Mussolini's presence. He switched to fixing cars for Alfa, but his racing career was mostly over, though he did race in 1927 and a few times thereafter, but with less success than he had previously. In 1929 he started Scuderia Ferrari, a team of racing drivers and technical assistants working for Alfa. Ferrari soon made similar deals with Bosch, Pirelli and Shell. His team caused a sensation after eight victories in 22 competitions. With up to 50 full- and part-time drivers, it was the largest team ever gathered by one man.
Ferrari's talent as a team organizer and director superseded that of a racer. He completely retired from racing in 1932, when his first son Dino was born. In 1937 he quit Alfa-Romeo under agreement that he could not race or design anything under his name for four years. During World War II, Ferrari's company was forced to undertake war production for Mussolini's fascist government, thus supplying auto parts for the Italian military. Allied bombing forced him to relocate the factory from Modena to Maranello. After WWII Ferrari was able to shed his fascist-tainted reputation. He concentrated all efforts on the design of the car that would carry his name.
In 1946 Ferrari Tipo125, a 1.5-liter car, was built in collaboration with his old friend G. Colombo, and it was entered in the 1947 Grand Prix of Monaco. Ferrari participated in the first F-1 World Championship in 1950. He won the 1951 F-1 British Grand Prix and dominated the World Championships in the early 50s. He also had a business victory when Lancia withdrew from racing and its parent company, Fiat, turned over all Lancia's cars to Ferrari. His F-1 successes in 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1964 were paralleled by even more victories at the Mille Miglia and Le Mans. His total of 14 victories at Le Mans included six in a row in 1960-1965.
The postwar economic boom ended for Ferrari in 1956, when his son Dino died of muscular dystrophy, causing the end of Enzo's marriage. Ferrari was depressed and, having not many friends, moved into a small apartment at his factory. There he lived and worked 24/7 without a vacation for many years. He wore sunglasses as a ritual to honor his son. His management skills and attention to details helped the business through a decline in the 60s. In 1963 he rejected an $18-million offer from Ford to buy his company. In 1965 he allowed Fiat to have a small stake the company; their share increased to 50% in 1969 and and to 90% in 1988. Ferrari remained managing director until 1971, and was influential until his death at the age of 90 on August 14, 1988, in Modena, Italy.
The Scuderia Ferrari team won several F-1 championships with driver Michael Schumacher between 1999-2004. The name of the company's founder was given to the 2003-2004 production model. It was built with F-1 technology: carbon-fiber body, F-1 sequential-shift transmission, and carbon-ceramic brake discs. The Enzo Ferrari is the first model to have the new V12 power plant, making it the fastest street-legal race car Ferrari has ever produced. It shares the base platform with its twin, the Maserati MC12, which is both a street car and a GT racing car. Only 399 Enzo Ferraris were built and sold to subscribers. - Actor
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Luciano Pavarotti was a best-selling classical singer and humanitarian known for his most original and popular performances with the 'Three Tenors' and 'Pavarotti & Friends'.
He was born on October 12, 1935, in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, in Northern Italy. He was the first child and only son of two children in the family of a baker. His father, Fernando Pavarotti, was a gifted amateur tenor, who instilled a love for music and singing in young Luciano. His mother, Adele Venturi, worked at the local cigar factory. Young Pavarotti showed many talents. He first sang with his father in the Corale Rossi, a male choir in Modena, and won the first prize in an international choir competition in Wales, UK. He also played soccer as a goalkeeper for his town's junior team.
In 1954, at the age of 19, Pavarotti decided to make a career as a professional opera singer. He took serious study with professional tenor Arrio Pola, who discovered that Pavarotti had perfect pitch, and offered to teach him for free. After six years of studies, he had only a few performances in small towns without pay. At that time Pavarotti supported himself working as a part-time school teacher and later an insurance salesman. In 1961 he married his girlfriend, singer Adua Veroni, and the couple had three daughters.
Pavarotti made his operatic debut on April 29, 1961, as Rodolfo in La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini, at the opera house in Reggio Emilia. In the following years he relied on the professional advise from tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano, who prevented Pavarotti from appearances when his voice was not ready yet. Eventually Pavarotti stepped in for Di Stefano in 1963, at the Royal Opera House in London as 'Rodolfo' in La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini, making his international debut. That same year he met soprano Joan Sutherland and the two began one of the most legendary partnerships in vocal history; Pavarotti made his American debut opposite Sutherland in February of 1965, at the Miami Opera.
Pavarotti was blessed with a voice of rare range, beauty and clarity, which was best during the 60s, 70s and 80s. In 1966 he became the first opera tenor to hit all nine "high C's" with his full voice in the aria 'Quel destin' in 'La Fille du Regiment' (aka.. The Daughter of the Regiment) by Gaetano Donizetti. He repeated this feat in his legendary 1972 Met performance and was nicknamed "King of the High C's" in rave reviews. Pavarotti's popularity was arguably bigger than that of any other living tenor in the world. His 1993 live performance in New York's Central Park was attended by 500,000 fans while millions watched it on television. During the 1990s and 2000s Pavarotti was still showing the ability to deliver his clear ringing tone in the higher register, albeit in fewer performances.
Luciano Pavarotti was also known for his humanitarian work. He was the founder and host of the 'Pavarotti & Friends' annual charity concerts and related activities in Modena, Italy. There he sang with international stars of all styles to raise funds for several worthy UN causes. Pavarotti sang with Bono and U2 in the 1995 song Miss Sarajevo and raised $1,500,000 in his charity project 'Concert for Bosnia'. He also established and financed the Pavarotti Music Center in Bosnia, and raised funds in charity concerts for refugees from Afghanistan and Kosovo. Pavarotti made two Guinness World Records: one was for receiving the most curtain calls at 165; and the other was for the best selling classical album of 'The Three Tenors in Concert' with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras.
In March 2004 Pavarotti gave his last performance in an opera as the painter Mario Cavaradossi in Giacomo Puccini's 'Tosca' at the New York Metropolitan Opera. In 2005 Luciano Pavarotti started a 40 city farewell tour. He sang his signature aria 'Nessun Dorma' from 'Turandot' by Giacomo Puccini, at the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Turin, Italy, on February 10, 2006. Pavarotti survived an emergency surgery for pancreatic cancer. His remaining appearances for 2006 had to be canceled. However, his management anticipated that his farewell tour would resume in 2007.
Luciano Pavarotti died of kidney failure on September 6, 2007, at his home in Modena, Italy, surrounded by his family. He was laid to rest with his parents in the family tomb in Montale Rangone cemetery near Modena. His funeral ceremony was an international event attended by celebrities and over fifty thousand music lovers from all over the world.- Nerina Montagnani was born on 20 April 1897 in Maranello, Modena, Italy. She was an actress, known for Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972), The Pizza Triangle (1970) and The Killer Nun (1979). She died on 4 November 1993 in Maranello, Modena, Italy.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mirella Freni was born on 27 February 1935 in Modena, Italy. She was an actress, known for Fatal Attraction (1987), Copycat (1995) and Awakenings (1990). She was married to Nicolai Ghiaurov and Leone Magiera. She died on 9 February 2020 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.- Fernando Pavarotti was an actor, known for La Bohème (1986) and Pavarotti & Friends (1982). He was married to Adele Venturi. He died on 24 May 2002 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Mauro Forghieri was born on 13 January 1935 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was an actor, known for L'Aviatore - Gilles Villeneuve (2022), The 24 Hour War (2016) and The Power and the Glory (1991). He died on 2 November 2022 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Nicolai Ghiaurov was born on 13 September 1929 in Velingrad, Bulgaria. He was an actor, known for You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010), Great Performances (1971) and Aida (1985). He was married to Mirella Freni and Zlatina Ghiaurov. He died on 2 June 2004 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.- Victor Poletti was born on 23 January 1949 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was an actor, known for Meeting Venus (1991), The Ship Sails On (1983) and The Taming of the Scoundrel (1980). He died on 24 February 2018 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Edmondo Berselli was born on 2 February 1951 in Campogalliano, Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He died on 11 April 2010 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Producer
- Actor
Paolo Guerra was born on 26 December 1949 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was a producer and actor, known for Three Men and a Leg (1997), Do You Know Claudia? (2004) and That's Life (1998). He died on 5 February 2020 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.- Eugenio Castellotti was born on 10 October 1930 in Lodi, Lombardy, Italy. He died on 14 March 1957 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Pierangelo Bertoli was born on 5 November 1942 in Sassuolo, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was an actor, known for The Future Is Woman (1984), The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978) and Festival di Sanremo (1951). He died on 7 October 2002 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.- Paola Musiani was born on 25 November 1948 in Vignola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. She died on 8 January 1985 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Paolo Campani was born in January 1923 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was a director, known for Alí califfo di Bagdad e dintorni (1948) and L'asino e la pelle del leone (1948). He died in 1991 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Giulio Santagata was born on 1 October 1949 in Zocca, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He died on 5 January 2024 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Charles de Tornaco was born on 7 June 1927 in Brussels, Belgium. He died on 18 September 1953 in Modena, Italy.
- Franco Ceccarelli was born on 13 May 1942 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was an actor, known for Mamma Roma (1962) and I problemi di Don Isidro (1978). He died on 21 December 2012 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Luigi Villoresi was born on 16 May 1909 in Milan, Lombardia, Italy. He died on 24 August 1997 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Antonio Delfini was born on 10 June 1907 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Antonio was a writer, known for Un anno dopo (2000). Antonio died on 23 February 1963 in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Alejandro de Tomaso was born on 10 July 1928 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was married to Isabelle Haskell and Lola Guiraldes. He died on 21 May 2003 in Modena, Italy.