THOMAS INCE
b. Nov. 6, 1882 in Newport, RI - d. Nov. 19, 1924
No longer a household name, Ince was a giant in the early days of silent films. He began directing shorts in 1911 and was particularly known for his Westerns, many starring cowboy star William S. Hart. After directing the 1916 film Civilization he focused mostly on producing and supervising. He was a partner with D.W. Griffith and Mack Sennett in the Triangle Film Corporation, built the Culver City studios which later became the legendary home of MGM, and developed many of the production and business techniques which grew into the Hollywood studio system. Ince is also known for his untimely 1924 death aboard the yacht of William Randolph Hearst; officially he died of heart trouble, but Hollywood rumor of the time suggested he had been accidently shot by Hearst in a dispute with Charlie Chaplin over his much-younger mistress, actress Marion Davies. Also according to rumor, the legendary career of famed gossip columnist Louella Parsons was made that weekend, she being a guest on-board and witness of the deadly events.

FYI! If you are interested in this story, check out The Cat's Meow, a 2002 Peter Bogdanovich film based on the death of Ince, starring Cary Elwes as Ince and Kirsten Dunst as Marion Davies.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
b. Jan. 27, 1756 in Salzberg, Austria - d. Dec. 5, 1791
A child prodigy who wrote his first symphony at age 8, Mozart grew into a prolific adult who wrote over 600 pieces of music. Though now considered one of the most important composers of all time, generally placed in the top rank along with Beethoven and Bach, during his lifetime he struggled both financially, and with bad health. Among his most famous works are A Little Night Music, 1787 and the operas Don Giovanni, 1787 and The Magic Flute, 1791. Mozart died of a mysterious fever at age 35; some have speculated that Mozart was murdered, possibly by his jealous rival, the less talented composer Antonio Salieri, but no proof exists to support that theory. In the year 2000, a team of historians and scientists concluded that Mozart died of rheumatic fever.

FYI! To find out more about this intriguing mystery, check out the hit 1984 movie Amadeus., starring Tom Hulce as Mozart.

ROBIN HOOD
ROBIN HOOD is a legendary folk hero, a good-hearted outlaw who lives in England's Sherwood Forest and "robs from the rich and gives to the poor." He loves Maid Marian, leads a band known as the Merry Men (which includes Friar Tuck and the oversized Little John) and torments the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. Most Robin Hood stories are set in the era of 1100 - 1300 A.D., and in many he is a defender of the real-life King Richard the Lion-Hearted and enemy of the usurper, King John.

Did the outlaw ROBIN HOOD really exist? Some think he was based on a real-life figure with an entirely different name. Among candidates listed by the Worldwide Robin Hood Society are Robert Fitzooth, the Earl of Huntingdon (1160-1247), Robert de Kyme (c. 1210-1285), who also had a claim on the earldom of Huntingdon) and a fugitive named Robert Hod. The group also cites a 1998 book by British author Tony Molyneux-Smith, Robin Hood and the Lords of Wellow, which suggests that Robin Hood was not one man but a pseudonym taken by several descendants of Sir Robert Foliot. A man named Robin Hood does appear on the ancient court rolls of Wakefield, although the name alone has not been enough to convince scholars that he is the "real" Robin Hood. It's also possible, of course, that the Robin Hood stories were made up, and that no true Robin Hood ever existed.

Although ROBIN HOOD may or may not be a fictional character, that hasn't prevented the growth of various legends about his death. The most popular story has him dying at Kirklees Priory in Yorkshire, after being bled by a nun (or cousin) who had joined forces with Robin's enemies; other versions of the tale have the woman administering poison rather than a bleeding. Nearly all versions have Robin, on his deathbed, firing one last arrow out of an open window and telling his loyal companion Little John to bury him where the arrow lands.

FYI! Robin Hood has been played in the movies by Errol Flynn (1938), Sean Connery (1976), and Kevin Costner (1991), among others.

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