March 23, 2017
Volume 47 - No. 12
By Friedrich Gomez
Famous people and popular celebrities surround us in our daily lives; they are well-recognized on television, movies, magazines, documentaries, and even our history books. Many of us adore them; are fascinated by them, and some have even inspired us to live better, fuller lives. Some are infamous outlaws or evil-doers – nonetheless, they are often required reading in our schools and universities. Yet, there is much about these celebrities, VIPs, political figures, and other famous individuals – past to present – about which we actually know very little. From Abraham Lincoln to Charles Lindbergh; from Adolf Hitler to Lady Gaga, and from the Beatles to Albert Einstein, there exists a vast barren wilderness of unknowns. Many secrets and surprising facts comprise the lives of our favorite movie stars, rock stars, and the most famous historical figures in history. And this is where the fun begins.
Herewith, is a fun multiple-choice quiz to share with friends and family members. A quiz to test our knowledge about the most famous – and, sometimes, infamous – individuals who live or have lived, on this third planet from the Sun. Your final scorecard is unimportant – just relaxing and having fun is the main objective. Here is your first celebrity/VIP question. Good luck. Universally, people love the topic of money so, on that note, here is your first question:
WHO LISTED BELOW IS THE WEALTHIEST? A. Golfer, Tiger Woods B. Comedian, Jerry Seinfeld C. Magician, David Copperfield D. Singer, Bruce Springsteen
Don’t feel bad if you miss this one; trust me, it is a very difficult question to start off with. But, if your lucky stars told you “C” above, magician David Copperfield, well I’m most impressed with your instincts! Though Tiger Woods’ net worth is listed at $740-million, and Jerry Seinfeld is worth a cool $670-million, and “The Boss,” Bruce Springsteen, is no slouch at a hefty $450million – the magical talents of David Copperfield have earned him a staggering $850-million! And that, folks, is no illusion!
Born Seth Kotkin in Metuschen, New Jersey, the son of Jewish immigrant parents originally from the USSR (now, present-day Ukraine), David Copperfield is ranked by Forbes Magazine as the 20th highest-earning celebrity in the world, and there is no end in sight to his burgeoning income: last year, 2016, was his highest-earning year so far. Seems he gets wealthier with time. Believe it or not, Mr. Copperfield is so rich that he even owns eleven private
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islands in the Bahamas! Hmm, hold on . . . lemme do some math here . . . uh, carry the one . . . and, just a moment . . . hmm . . . yup, he has more money than I do.
In 2006, Copperfield purchased eleven gorgeous Bahamian islands which he calls “Musha Cay and the Islands of Copperfield Bay” a virtual string of pearls many have called “paradise on Earth,” and of which only select individuals have made the Dream List as visitors, such as: Oprah Winfrey and Google co-founder, Sergev Brin, who actually wanted to be married there – and was! But all has not been heavenly for the winner of 21-Emmy Awards and holder of 11 Guinness Book World Records. On the contrary, there has been trouble in paradise; there have been terrifying moments of near-death in his star-studded life. On March 11, 1984, David Copperfield nearly passed away. While rehearsing
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one of his illusions, something horrible went wrong, and there were no cameras to witness it. Practicing his escape, Copperfield was shackled and handcuffed inside a tank of water and, somehow, he became tangled in his own chains and started panicking and swallowing water! Full panic finally set-in as Copperfield began banging on the sides of the water tank! After a minute and 20 seconds, he was finally pulled out but was hyperventilating and then he went into shock. Rushed to a Burbank, California hospital, doctors found that his strenuous banging on the inside of the tank caused him to pull tendons in both his arms and legs. For a solid week, the great illusionist was confined to a wheelchair, and then he graduated to just using a cane to learn to walk all over again. To this very day, this near-fatal episode remains, largely, a great unknown secret in the life of one of history’s greatest – and richest – entertainers. One thing
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that is surely not a secret – David Copperfield’s immense wealth.
Copperfield once gave his former girlfriend, German supermodel, Claudia Schiffer, an $11-million yacht, just because. The legendary 92-foot yacht, called the Honey Fritz, once served as the yacht to five U. S. presidents from Harry Truman to Richard Nixon. The “expensive toy” was given to Claudia Schiffer, only two months into their romance. This opulent gift led to the running joke that David Copperfield is so rich that he had to get another yacht for himself because the first one got wet! Staying with the ever-popular moneygame, herewith is another fun money question:
WHO LISTED BELOW IS THE RICHEST? A. Star Wars creator, George Lucas B. Movie producer-director, Steven Spielberg