Alexander Herzen was an outstanding revolutionary and thinker, a remarkable writer and brilliant publisher. He was one of the most prominent critics of the official ideology and policy of the Russian Empire in the XIX century.
Alexander Ivanovich Herzen was born on March 25 (April 6), 1812 in Moscow. His father was a rich landowner Ivan Alekseevich Yakovlev (1767-1846) and his mother was 16-year-old German girl Henriette Wilhelmina Luisa Haag. They were not married and their son had a surname invented by the father – Herzen from German Herz (heart). Herzen received the usual aristocratic education at home, based on reading foreign literature, especially of the late 18th century. He was fluent in German and French. Herzen was deeply influenced by his friendship with a talented peer, the future poet N. Ogarev. The event that determined the fate of Herzen was the Decembrist revolt.
More »

Prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky became one of those Russian rulers, who are not only remembered until now, but also revered.
Alexander was born on May 13, 1221 into the family of Yaroslav Vsevolodich (Yaroslav the Wise) and Feodosia Mstislavovna (daughter of Mstislav Udaloy). The young prince became the ruler of Novgorod in 1236, and all his reign was full of disputes with wayward townspeople. Novgorod was a free city and people didn’t want to obey anyone.
Alexander married Polotsk princess Alexandra Bryachislavna in 1239. They had five children: Vasily (1245 – 1271, was a prince of Novgorod), Dmitry (1250 – 1294, was a prince of Novgorod, Pereyaslav, Vladimir), Andrei (1255 – 1304, was a prince of Kostroma, Vladimir, Novgorod, Gorodets), Daniil (1261 – 1303, was a prince Moscow), and daughter Evdokia.
A glorious battle, for which the prince received his nickname, was on July 15, 1240 on the banks of the Neva. Alexander managed to repel an attack by Swedish detachments under the command of famous Birger (later he would become the ruler of Poland), and to preserve the territories on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Soon after the battle Alexander went to Novgorod, didn’t get along with the inhabitants again, and moved to Pereslavl-Zalessky.
More »

On November 10, 1984 there was a sensational message on the pages of Soviet newspapers: the former Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR, Nikolai Shchelokov, was deprived of the rank of army general. On the Day of the Soviet Militia (Police Day)! It was under Minister Shchelokov, who held his post for 16 years, from 1966 to 1982, the holiday became one of the main in the country. It was a painful blow for him. Then the others came: expulsion from the party and deprivation of government awards. On December 13, Nikolai Anisimovich put on the military uniform and shot himself.
In 1966, when Leonid Brezhnev instructed Shchelokov to revive the Interior Ministry, liquidated under Nikita Khrushchev, many were unhappy persons, especially professionals. But Brezhnev needed proven people in key positions.
More »

Raisa Gorbacheva is remembered not only as the first lady of the country and the wife of the only president of the Soviet Union. This woman was engaged in serious charitable work, and her own career and family life, which was completely on her shoulders.
Throughout Mikhail Gorbachev’s presidency and even later, her actions were discussed and condemned, but it can be confidently asserted that this woman with a difficult biography was distinguished by an enviable force of character and endurance.
The future wife of the President was born on January 5, 1932 in Rubtsovsk (Altai Krai). Raisa Maksimovna’s father was from Chernigov province, and her mother was a native Siberian woman. There were three children in the family. Her sister Lyudmila worked as an oculist and her brother Evgeni Titarenko became a writer.
Because of their father’s profession (he worked as an engineer on the railway), Titarenko’s family – this is the maiden name of Raisa – often moved. They weren’t rich, so Raisa understood that it was necessary to study well and get a profession to help the family. These thoughts were supported by her mother, who in her youth had no opportunity to get an education.
More »

Peter III was a very unordinary emperor. He did not know the Russian language, he liked to play soldiers and wanted to baptize Russia according to the Protestant rite. His mysterious death led to the emergence of a whole galaxy of impostors.
The boy was named Karl Peter Ulrich, as the future Russian ruler was born in the port city Kiel, located in the north of the modern German state. To tell the truth, his rule lasted only six months, after which he was the victim of a palace coup, arranged by his wife Catherine II.
The boy was born into the family of Duke Charles Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, the nephew of the Swedish King Charles XII, and his wife Anna Petrovna, the daughter of Tsar Peter the Great. The child became the heir to the Swedish throne, and besides, in theory he could claim the Russian throne, although according to the idea of his grandfather Peter I this should not have happened. To tell the truth, his childhood was not royal at all. He lost his mother very early, and the father brought up his son like a soldier. At the age of 10 little Karl Peter was awarded the rank of second lieutenant, and a year later the boy was completely orphaned.
More »

Alexander Kolchak is a prominent military commander and Russian statesman, a polar explorer. During the Civil War he entered the historical chronicles as the leader of the White movement.
Alexander Vasilyevich was born on November 16, 1874 in a suburb of Petersburg into the family of hereditary noblemen. The Kolchaks gained fame in military campaigns, serving the Russian Empire for many centuries. His father was the hero of the defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean war.
Up to 11 years the boy received home education. From 1885 to 1888 Alexander studied at the gymnasium and then he entered the Marine Cadet Corps. As the best student the boy was appointed sergeant major. He graduated from the Cadet Corps in 1894 in the rank of midshipman.
From 1895 to 1899 Kolchak served in the military Baltic and Pacific fleets, made round the world trip three times. Actually, he was engaged in independent research of the Pacific Ocean, most of all he was interested in its northern territories. In 1900, the young lieutenant was transferred to the Academy of Sciences. At that time, the first scientific works began to appear, in particular, an article about his observations of the sea currents. But the young officer’s goal was not only theoretical, but also practical research – he dreamed of going to one of the polar expeditions.
More »

Vasily Yeroshenko’s name is almost unknown in modern Russia. Despite the fact he was blind, the man traveled half the world. Moreover, he learned at least 20 languages (including Japanese, Chinese, Chukchi and Turkmen) and wrote poems, fairy tales, stories and even plays. His collected works includes several heavy volumes. And some of his works have not yet been translated from the same Japanese into Russian. In the Land of the Rising Sun his name is familiar to almost any student.
Yeroshenko is a forgotten genius of the XX century. Because of his correspondence with foreign friends he was constantly under the supervision of the NKVD. His disability saved him from repression and accusations of “espionage for Japan”. His archives were destroyed and Yeroshenko restored them. He never lost hope and sought for something new until the end.
More »