Open Directory - Regional:Europe:United Kingdom:Society and Culture:People:History:Personages


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Top: Regional: Europe: United_Kingdom: Society_and_Culture: People: History: Personages

Historical people that don't fit into any of the other categories.

Getty, J. Paul

Eugene Paul Getty (John Paul Getty), collector and philanthropist: born 7 September 1932; died London 17 April 2003.
Born in the USA, Paul Getty spent the last 40 years or so of his life in the United Kingdom. Often anonymously, and without seeking anything in return, Getty became Britain's greatest private philanthropist, giving away well over £200m in the last 20 years.

Kelly, David

David Christopher Kelly, microbiologist, born May 17 1944, Rhondda Valley, Wales, died July 18 2003, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England.
Dr Kelly was the Ministry of Defence's chief scientific officer, and senior adviser on biological weapons to the UN (1994-1999). He was previously head of the microbiology section at the Government's chemical and biological defence establishment, Porton Down. He was one of the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq during the 1990s.
After unofficially giving a briefing to a BBC journalist, which resulted in a BBC report claiming the government had 'sexed up' the case for war with Iraq, he was brought before a Commons select committee to explain himself. This caused the normally shy and gentle man not used to public exposure, so much stress that he took a walk to the woods near his home, and killed himself by slashing his wrists.