Some famous people

Barack Obama

Barack Obama (1961- ) is the 44th President of the United States, taking office in 2009.

President Obama is a Democrat, and is the first African-American President. He started his time in office with efforts to improve relations with other countries and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. He was re-elected for a second term in 2012.

President Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1961. His mother was from Kansas and his father was from Kenya. He grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia, and went to Columbia University in New York and Harvard Law School before entering politics in 1996.

Fun fact: One of Barack Obama's childhood nicknames was "Barry".

Who Was William Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest ever English writers. Some of Shakespeare’s better known plays include ‘Romeo & Juliet’, ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 before moving to London to become an actor at age 21. Shakespeare wrote different genres of plays throughout his career, starting out mainly with comedies and histories before moving on to tragedies as he grew older.

In 1599, along with some fellow actors, Shakespeare built a theatre on the South Bank of the River Thames which he named ‘The Globe’. It was here that many of his plays were performed. Today, visitors to London can still watch Shakespeare plays at the restored Globe Theatre.

William Shakespeare was a very well-known character in Tudor England. It is thought that Elizabeth I was a fan of his plays.

The original Globe Theatre

Fun fact: William Shakespeare was the only member of his family that could read or write!

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."
William Shakespeare