El quince de febrero/February 15th

Image from noticias.universaria.com. Click HERE (includes
summary (in Spanish) of important achievements).

¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Domingo Faustino Sarmiento! (1811-1888)

An Argentine intellectual, writer, and activist who became that country's 7th president (1868-1874), he is perhaps best known for being a champion of public education, including for women and children. September 11th (the day of his death in 1888) has been celebrated throughout Latin America as Panamerican Teacher's Day since 1943 in honor of him. (This quiz, published in 2017 in Argentina's leading conservative paper, La Nación, challenges readers to see how much they know about him as they mark Día del Maestro). Born to a poor but politically active family, Sarmiento was the only son of sixteen children to reach adulthood (nine of his fifteen siblings died). He learned to read at age 4 and was a standout student in school. He eventually went on to become one of the Generación de 1837, a group of intellectuals who had a huge influence on 19th century Argentina. His 1845 creative non-fiction book Facundo: Civilization and Barbarism is considered a cornerstone of Latin American literature. Sarmiento wrote the book while he was in exile, in Chile, as a criticism of the dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas, among others. Sarmiento travelled extensively, including in the United States, and he considered New England "the cradle of the modern republic, the school for all of America." There is a statue dedicated to him in Boston, Massachusetts. Many schools, streets, buildings (including an airport) are also named after him, and one of Auguste Rodin's last sculptures was of him (dedicated in 1900 in Buenos Aires). In addition to his work for public education, Sarmiento also created free public libraries and opened immigration. Read more about Sarmiento HERE (from the Instituto Cervantes, in Spanish).

For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Other February 15th birthdays:

Photo from silviaperezcruz.com

Sílvia Pérez Cruz (1983-         ): A Spanish singer who won Album of the Year in Spain and France for her first solo album, 11 de Noviembre, in 2012. She won a Goya Award (Spain's most prestigious film award) for the song No Te Puedo Encontrar, which appeared on that album and in the film Blancanieves. In 2014 she released her second album, Granada. Hear her speak about performing for the last surviving members of the International Brigade, who fought against Franco's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War, in this 2014 NPR story, and learn more about her in general on her official website, HERE.

Gloria Trevi (1968-       ): Often called the "Madonna of Mexico," and certainly one of Mexico's biggest rock stars of the 80s and 90s, her career took a turn for the tragic when she was convicted of corrupting minors and spent four years in prison starting in 2000 (she and her manager were caught in Brazil after an extensive international search). Read more about the soap opera HERE. Since her release from prison, Trevi has recorded new studio albums, and in 2017 she and singer Alejandra Guzmán went on a world tour.

Mario García (1947-       ): Born in Cuba, García is an American newspaper and magazine designer who has consulted for more than 700 publications over the course of his career. He is currently a professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Read more on garciamedia.com.

Hugo Savinovich (1959-      ). An Ecuadorian-American sports commentator and retired pro-wrestler (whose nickname was "El Muñecazo," or "Big Baby Doll"), from 1994-2011 he was part of the team providing Spanish commentary for the WWE. He credits wrestling with saving his life, as he was involved with gangs in New York City before he began his career. He often travels through Latin America speaking about his faith (he is a born again Christian). On another note, see the famous incident when Hulk Hogan hit him with a chair, HERE!