Part 7: Ten Facts About the Lives of Vincent van Gogh, Thomas Edison, and Walt Disney

     Hello and welcome back to another edition of my 300 Fast Facts series! In this edition, we will be looking at the lives of three great people. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get into it!

     Vincent van Gogh:

1. Van Gogh only started painting at the age of twenty-seven and was for the most part self-taught.
2. His life is documented through the many letters he wrote.
3. He attempted many other careers, such as an art dealer, a preacher, and a schoolteacher before picking art as his job.
4. He was an extremely busy artist, creating 2,100 pieces, 860 of which are oil paintings. 
5. His "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" sold for $82.5 million dollars. 
6. Van Gogh was not very successful when he was alive. It is thought he only sold one painting during his lifetime.
7. Van Gogh suffered from a mental illness.
8. Van Gogh cut off his ear and sent it to a woman in a brothel he frequented.
9. He committed suicide in 1890.
10. Translated, his last words were "the sadness will last forever".

     Source(s): https://drawpaintacademy.com/facts-about-vincent-van-gogh/

     Thomas Edison:

1. Edison's favorite holiday was the 4th of July.
2. Edison was a huge fan of the writer Thomas Paine, who authored his books during the American Revolution.
3. Edison was a huge supporter of solar energy.
4. Edison and his son Charles played very important roles in both WWI and WWII. \
5. He had the most recognizable face in the world, in a time where magazines and newspapers were the main ways of communicating information.
6. Edison loved pie.
7. He was a practical joker and liked to make people laugh.
8. His first two children were named "Dot" and "Dash" in honor of his invention, the telegraph.
9. He taught his wife Morse Code and proposed to her by tapping it out on her palm. She tapped back, "Yes".
10. Edison was not a regular bather and often went several days without taking a bath.

     Source(s): https://www.edisonmuckers.org/fun-facts-about-tom/

     Walt Disney: 

1. Disney came from humble beginnings. He was not financially stable and struggled to make money in his early years.
2. He was the voice of Mickey Mouse.
3. Disney produced propaganda films for the U.S. during WWII.
4. Disney was a train enthusiast.
5. Plans for Disneyland were originally small scale.
6. The opening day was not smooth for the budding theme park. Many problems had to be overcome for the now-successful park to be where it is today.
7. During the opening day, a gas leak forced Disneyland to be shut down.
8. Disney won more Academy Awards than any other person.
9. Disney wasn't cryogenically frozen. It's just a legend. 
10. Originally, admission to Disneyland was $1.00 for adults.

     Source(s): https://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-might-not-know-about-walt-disney