Sydney Opera House Bib Cards and Facts
Fact Card #10 (Paul Robeson)
1. A beloved international figure with a huge following in Europe, Robeson regularly spoke out against racial injustice and was involved in world politics. 2. He supported Pan-Africanism, sang for Loyalist soldiers during Spain's civil war, took part in anti-Nazi demonstrations and performed for Allied forces during WWII. 3. He also visited the Soviet Union several times during the mid-1930s, where he developed a fondness for Russian folk culture. 4. He studied Russian, as did his son, who came to reside in the capital city of Moscow with his grandmother. 5. When he was 17, Robeson earned a scholarship to attend Rutgers University, the third African American to do so, and became one of the institution's most decorated students. 6. He received top honors for his debate and oratory skills, won 15 letters in four varsity sports, was elected Phi Beta Kappa and became his class valedictorian. 7. From 1920 to 1923, Robeson attended Columbia University's Law School, teaching Latin and playing pro football on the weekends to pay tuition.
Fact Card #13
1. A racist incident soured his law career. 2. Here I Stand, Othello Associates, 1958, Beacon, 1971. (Contributor) Paul Robeson: The Great Forerunner, Freedomways, 1971, Dodd, 1985. Paul Robeson: Tributes, Selected Writings, edited by Roberta Yancy Dent, The Archives, 1976. Paul Robeson Speaks: Writings, Speeches, Interviews, 1918-1974, edited by Philip S. Foner, Brunner, 1978. Columnist for People's Voice, 1940s; editor and columnist for Freedom, c. 1951-55. Contributor to periodicals. 3. Selected discography American Balladeer—Golden Classics, Volume 1, Collectables. Man & His Beliefs —Golden Classics, Volume 2, Collectables. Historic Paul Robeson—Golden Classics, Volume 3, Collectables. Collector's Paul Robeson, Monitor. Essential Paul Robeson, Vanguard. Favorite Songs, Volume 1, Monitor. Favorite Songs, Volume 2, Monitor. Live at Carnegie Hall, Vanguard. Paul Robeson, Pearl. Paul Robeson Sings "Ol' Man River" & Other Favorites, Angel. The Odyssey of Paul Robeson, reissue, Omega/Vanguard Classics, 1992. 4. He spoke more than 20 fluent languages. 5. He was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated 6. He was a communist sympathizer. 7. He had one of the greatest voices in the modern era.
Fact Card #8 (Paul Robeson)
1. Born: April 9, 1898, Princeton, NJ 2. Died: January 23, 1976, Philadelphia, PA 3. Education: Columbia University, Columbia Law School, Rutgers University, Somerville High School 4. Songs: Ol' Man River, Joe Hill, Joshua Fought De' Battle of Jerico 5. Quote: "We must join with the tens of millions all over the world who see in peace our most sacred responsibility." 6. Quote: "As an artist I come to sing, but as a citizen, I will always speak for peace, and no one can silence me in this." 7. Quote: "The Korean war has always been an unpopular war among the American people."
Fact Card #9 (Paul Robeson)
1. He was an athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist 2. His political beliefs may have erased him from popular history. 3. His wives name is Eslanda Goode 4. Although he was not a cast member of the original Broadway production of Show Boat, an adaptation of an Edna Furber novel, Robeson was prominently involved in the 1928 London production. It was there that he first earned renown for singing "Ol' Man River," a song destined to become his signature tune. 5. In the late 1920s, Robeson and his family relocated to Europe, where he continued to establish himself as an international star through such big-screen features as Borderline (1930). 6. He starred in the 1933 movie remake of The Emperor Jones and would be featured in six British films over the next few years, including the desert drama Jericho and musical Big Fella, both released in 1937. During this period, Robeson also starred in the second big-screen adaptation of Show Boat (1936), with Hattie McDaniel and Irene Dunne. 7. Having first played the title character of Shakespeare's Othello in 1930, Robeson again took on the famed role in the Theatre Guild's 1943-44 production in New York City.
Fact Card #11 (Paul Robeson)
1. In 1921, he wed fellow Columbia student, journalist Eslanda Goode. The two would be married for more than 40 years and have a son together in 1927, Paul Robeson Jr. 2. Robeson briefly worked as a lawyer in 1923, but left after encountering severe racism at his firm. With the encouragement of Eslanda, who would become his manager, he turned fully to the stage. 3. Paul Leroy Robeson was born to Anna Louisa and William Drew Robeson, an escaped slave. Robeson's mother died from a fire when he was 6 and his clergyman father moved the family to Somerville, where the youngster excelled in academics and sang in church. 4. Robeson published his biography, Here I Stand, in 1958, the same year that he won the right to have his passport reinstated. He again traveled internationally and received a number of accolades for his work, but damage had been done, as he experienced debilitating depression and related health problems. 5. Robeson and his family returned to the United States in 1963. After Eslanda's death in 1965, the artist lived with his sister. He died from a stroke on January 23, 1976, at the age of 77, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 6. In recent years, efforts have been made by various industries to recognize Robeson's legacy after a period of silence. Several biographies have been written on the artist, including Martin Duberman's well-received Paul Robeson: A Biography, and he was inducted posthumously into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2007, Criterion released Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist, a box set containing several of his films, as well as a documentary and booklet on his life. 7. His legacy still lasts.
Fact Card #7 (Jorn Utzon)
1. In the latter part of 1945 Utzon returned to Denmark where he, along with Tobias Faber, participated in several architectural competitions. Utzon's submissions showed that he had a true understanding of the complex problem of integrating nature into architecture; or rather the problem of designing a building which fits comfortably into its natural surroundings. This was an important skill which characterized much of his work. 2. From 1947-1949 Utzon spent much of his time abroad. He spent time in Morocco, the United States and Mexico. 3. In Morocco he produced some designs, and he was introduced to Islamic architecture. Utzon was impressed with wisdom of ordinary people in respect to building and architecture. It was here that his appreciation for the relationship between a building and the material used in its construction reached fruition. 3. This appreciation was clear throughout Utzon's career and he was always interested in using local materials in the construction of his designs. He felt that this helped a building fit better into its natural surroundings. 4. In early 1949 Utzon received a scholarship to go to the U.S. and Mexico. In the U.S. he met the world famous American architects Ray and Charles Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright; as well as the famous German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. 5. Utzon then traveled to Mexico where he helped restoring some famous pre-Columbian Mayan sites on the Yucatan peninsula, including the Chichen Itza and Uxmal pyramid complexes. Utzon himself called his experience in Mexico, "One of the greatest architectural experiences in my life". 7. In 1950 he retuned to Copenhagen and opened up his own architectural studio.
Fact Card #12
1. It took Robeson seventy-seven years to win the respect of the college sports world. 2. During his outstanding, four-year football career at Rutgers University, Robeson was named All-American in 1917 and 1918, the first African American to do so. 3. In 1995, after his race and politics no longer took away from his legacy and the awards were based more on accomplishments, he was inducted posthumously (after his death) into the College Football Hall of Fame at the new fourteen million dollar museum's grand opening in South Bend, Indiana. 4. Sports Illustrated called it a "long-overdue step toward atonement [setting things right]." 5. In an article in Jet magazine, Robeson's son, Paul Jr., who accepted the honor, talked about his father's influence on African American men and his dedication to causes. "He felt it was a job he had to do for his people and the world as a whole," said the younger Robeson. 6. His songs, such as his trademark Ol' Man River, and acting have remained available in videos and new releases of his vintage recordings. 7. He was honored after his death
Fact Card #3 (Building)
1. Mr Utzon resigned as chief architect of the Opera House in February 1966, after the Minister of Works stopped payments to him. There were protests in the streets, demanding that Utzon be reinstated, but he left Australia in April of the same year, and never returned to see his design take shape. 2. The Sydney Opera House Trust took up communicating with Mr Utzon again in the late Nineties, and the architect was appointed as a design consultant for future works. 3. When Queen Elizabeth II opened the Sydney Opera House on October 20, 1973, Utzon was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of Architects Australia - but was absent from the ceremony. 4. The Sydney Opera House's construction cost $AUS 102 million (£60 million) - the original estimated cost was $AUS 7 million (£4.1 million). 5. The Opera House's sails were built using cranes made specifically for the job in France, each costing $AUS 100,000 (£59,000) 6. The building is 185 metres long and 120 metres wide. 7. The highest roof point is 67 metres above sea-level - the same as a 22-storey high building
Fact Card #1 (building)
1. Sydney Opera House sits on Bennelong Point. 2. Original cost for Sydney Opera House construction was about 7 million dollars. 3. 233 designs were submitted for the Opera House international design competition held in 1956. Jorn Utzon (Danish) was announced the winner. 4. Construction was expected to take four years. It took 14 years. Work started in 1959 and involved 10,000 workers. 5. Paul Robeson was the first person to perform at Sydney Opera House. In 1960, he climbed the scaffolding and sang Ol' Man River to the construction workers as they ate lunch. 6. Sydney Opera House was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2007. 7. There are more than 1 million roof tiles covering approximately 1.62 hectares sitting over the structure. They were made in Sweden.
Fact Card #14 (Architecture)
1. The Incas considered bridges to be so sacred that anyone who tampered with one was put to death. 2. Among the most impressive Inca bridges were the chacas, or rope bridges, that spanned great distances over gorges and rivers. 3. They were made of plaited grasses woven together into a single cable as thick as a man's body, and they sometimes extended for 175 feet. It took as many as a thousand people to build such a bridge, and many of these remarkable structures lasted more than five hundred years. 4. A bridge built in Lima, Peru around 1610 was made of mortar that was mixed not with water but with the whites of 10,000 eggs. 5. The bridge, appropriately called the Bridge of Eggs, is still standing today. 6. The Column of Trajan, built in 113 A.D. to commemorate the Roman emperor Trajan's victories against the Dacian tribes of the lower Danube, contains a continuous frieze a yard wide and 218 feet long in which more than 2,500 human figures as well as hundreds of boats, horses, vehicles, and pieces of military equipment are depicted. 7. This great column, still standing today, rises 128 feet from the ground, is 12 feet thick at the base, and is made entirely of gilded bronze. Inside is a circular staircase where the ashes of Trajan were sprinkled.
Fact Card #4 (Building)
1. The Sydney Opera House is not just an opera house but a full-scale performing-arts complex with five major performing spaces 2. The biggest and grandest hall is the 2,690-seat Concert Hall, which has the best acoustics of any building of its type in the world 3. The architecture of the Sydney Opera House is based on 20th-century Modern Expressionism It is believed that the arched roof design of the Opera House came to the architect, Jørn Utzon while he was peeling an orange 4. The architect is believed to have drawn inspiration from orange segments, snails, palm fronds and Mayan temples 5. The best view of the Sydney Opera House is from the ferry approaching Circular Quay 6. The star features of the Opera House are the Concert Hall, Opera Theatre and the Roofs
Fact Card #2 (building)
1. The land on which the Sydney Opera House sits was first developed as a Fort and much later as a Tram Shed before being developed into an events facility that was opened on 20 October 1973. 2. Jørn Utzon was a Danish architect and furniture designer. 3. By the time that construction was finished, the Opera House had costed 120 million dollars. 5. The Topaz glass that is used on the Opera was custom-made specifically for the Opera House by Boussois-Souchon-Neuvesel in France. 6. The sails-like structures that give the opera house a unique design sits on a pillar that is believed to be the biggest free standing column in the world. 7. The building of the house measures 187 meters long and 115 meters wide (this is bigger than the standard football pitch). It sits on 5.798 hectares of land and 8 boing 747 can park inside the facility wing to wing.
Fact Card #15
1. There are 10 Million bricks in the Empire State Building. 2. Japanese farmers, after removing the hulls from their rice crop and sorting out the white kernels, take the hulls from the leftover rice, mix them into a kind of paste, mold the substance into brick-shaped blocks, and build houses with them. Such buildings are known in Japan as "houses of rice skin" 3. Many houses in the rural districts of Nepal are constructed of cow dung mixed with mud, sand, and clay. 4. The Escorial, the famous palace located outside Madrid, was built in the shape of a gridiron because Saint Lawrence, to whom the palace was dedicated, was roasted on one. 5. It takes a person fifteen to twenty minutes to walk around the Pentagon once. 6. The base of the Great Pyramid in Egypt is large enough to cover ten football fields. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, it took 400,000 men twenty years to construct this great monument. 7. n the mid-sixteenth century Hicleyoshi, the so-called peasant ruler of Japan, ordered that all the swords in the nation be collected and melted down. The metal was then used, in 1586, to construct an enormous statue of Buddha. It took 50,000 artisans more than six years to build the statue, and exactly ten years after it was completed an earthquake razed it. Not a trace of this giant figure remains today.
Fact Card #6 (Jorn Utzon)
1. This exhibition would have a great impression on Utzon and the rest of his family. In fact Utzon's family were so inspired by some of the exhibits that they renovated their own house to follow these new trends. 2. When Utzon completed his secondary schooling he decided to apply to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. 3. In fact, Utzon's father had a cousin named Einar Utzon-Frank, who was a sculptor as well as a professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts at the time. During this period of his life Jørn was very interested in sculpting, and he was fortunate enough to be accepted to the Royal Academy. 4. So in 1937 Jørn Utzon moved to Copenhagen and began his studies at the famous Royal Academy of Fine Arts. At the Academy Utzon was instructed by the famous architects Kay Fisker and Steen Eiler Rasmussen. Over the next five years Utzon worked hard to develop his talent and he graduated in 1942. 5. Later in 1942 Utzon, like many Danish architects affected by World War II, fled to neutral Sweden where he was employed in the Stockholm office of Hakon Ahlberg for the duration of the war. In Sweden he was joined by fellow Danish architects Arne Jacobsen, Poul Henningsen, Halldor Gunnløgsson, and Tobias Faber amongst others. 6. After the German surrender in 1945 Utzon would help with the reconstruction of Europe. 7. He designed a number of temporary houses in the Netherlands.
Fact Card #5 (Jorn Utzon)
1. Utzon was born in Copenhagen (København) in 1918. 2. While he was still a baby his father moved the family to Aalborg in Northern Jutland (Jylland). Utzon's father "Aage Utzon" was a brilliant naval architect at the Aalborg shipyard. 3. While Utzon was still in secondary school he began helping his father in the marine workshops by studying new designs, drawing up plans and even designing new ship models. 4. Jørn Utzon came from a wealthy family and thus went to the private St. Mark's Monastary School (Klostermarkskole) and later to the Aalborg Cathedral School (Aalborg Katedralskole) . 5. He had dyslexia 6. In 1930 Jørn Utzon's family took a trip to Stockholm, Sweden. While in Stockholm they visited an exhibition which featured the works of Erik Gunnar Asplund, who was arguably the most famous Swedish architect at the time. 7. In the 1920's Asplund helped put Swedish architecture on the world map with his design for the Stockholm Public Library (Stockholms Stadsbibliotek).
Conclusion
First Part-Restate your thesis Then, indicate to your reader why these topics were important. Finally, put a lingering memory, anecdote, or other related to the thesis.
Research Paper
First: Hook (draw the reader in)- come up with something that attracts the reader More Specific- introduce your topic narrow in and give background information Thesis- state clearly: what are you writing about?
Resource
http://www.remotetraveler.com/sydney-opera-house/
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http://www.uniglobedirect.com/post/view/10-interesting-facts-about-the-sydney-opera-house
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https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/our-story/sydney-opera-house-facts.html
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/oceania/australia/new-south-wales/sydney/articles/Sydney-Opera-House-40-fascinating-facts/
