History Today Online

José Oller Roca (Terrasa, 1839-Paris, 1922) French businessman, one of the leading figures in Belle Epoque Paris, creator of the Moulin Rouge.His instinct and his entrepreneurial character made him for years considered the greatest entertainer of Parisian nights. Although born in Spain, Oller Roca moved to Paris at the age of three, as his father, Francisco Oller Xatart, had gone to the capital of the Seine from his native Catalonia to start a textile business which was immediately prosperous.José's two brothers, Alejandro and Juan, were born in Paris and his mother, Teresa Roca, died. José Oller's childhood was spent in a placid and comfortable environment.He was educated as an intern at the Liceo de Saint Denis, and expanded his training with trips to Europe and visits to his relatives in Spain, where he perfected his knowledge of Spanish.After finishing his studies, he helped his father in the weaving business for a time, but soon began to study some personal projects

Josep Maria Figueras (Josep Maria Figueras Bassols; Barcelona, ​​1928-1994) Spanish businessman and politician.He studied law at the University of Barcelona and political and economic sciences in Madrid and Georgetown (United States). Initially dedicated to business in the real estate sector, he later moved on to other business branches.Founder of the Center for Contemporary History Studies (1966), after Franco's death and during the transition to democracy, he promoted the liberal party Acció Democràtica de Catalunya (1976) and the Lliga Liberal de Catalunya (1977), but withdrew from the politics after getting few votes. Later he chaired the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce (since 1979), the Higher Council of Chambers of Commerce of Spain (1979-1986) and the Barcelona Trade Fair (1979-1987), among other institutions , and was a member of the Organizing Committee of the Barcelona Olympic Games and director of numerous companies. The liberal and Catalan political ideology of J

Joseph Townsend (Clare Hall, 1739-?, 1816) British traveler.A doctor and clergyman, he can be considered one of Malthus's forerunners.He traveled through Spain between 1786-1787 and, after the trip, he wrote the work Viaje por España (3 vols., 1791), with a philosophical spirit and great informative detail and which constitutes a very valuable source for the knowledge of the Spain of the s.XVIII, especially from Catalonia and Valencia.It contains an appendix: The prices of wages in Spain between 1786 and 1787 , which contains a large amount of information on the Spanish economy.

José Salazar (Ameca, 1910) Mexican prelate.A priest in 1934, he was consecrated bishop of Zamora de Hidalgo in 1967.Archbishop of Guadalajara in 1970, three years later he was created a cardinal and elected president of the Mexican Episcopal Conference.

José Menese (La Puebla de Cazalla, 1942) Spanish flamenco singer.A follower of A.Mairena's school, he has renewed the tonás, soleares and tientos and has updated the texts in order to bring them closer to the Andalusian reality.His latest works include the albums El viento solano and José Menese en el Albéniz .

José Miguel Infante Rojas (Santiago, 1778-1844) Chilean politician.Supporter of the federal system of government, tried to implant it in Chile.In 1821 he founded the newspaper El Valdiviano Federal, in which he defended his federalist theories.He was a deputy to Congress for Santiago de Chile in 1811, and a senator in 1812.In addition, he held the position of secretary of the first National Congress.During the so-called Patria Vieja (1810-1814) he was part of the successive government boards. José Miguel Infante At his instigation, Carrera and O'Higgins was elected (1813).Minister of Finance with O'Higgins (1818), then he faced him and was appointed, at his fall, a member along with Errázuriz and Eyzaguirre of the Junta that in 1823 took power.In July 1823 he promoted, from his position as senator, the abolition of slavery; In this way Chile became the first country in America to take this measure and the second in the world to do so. In 1824 he was elected president o

Joseph Effner (Dachau, 1687-Munich, 1745) German architect and decorator.He was an architect of the court and director of gardens of the Elector of Bavaria.Its reorganization of the Nymphenburg residence park stands out.He introduced the Rococo taste to Bavaria.

Josef Albers (Bottrop, 1888-New Haven, 1976) German painter, graphic artist and designer, nationalized American.He studied the instability of form and revolutionized the static character of painting.He made, at the Bauhaus, the first collages of translucent glass, which allowed continuous variations of light.He was the first to put the principles of optical art on a flat surface.Its geometry, very pure and serene, announces the painting cool.

Joseph Farcot (Paris, 1823-Saint-Ouen, 1906) French engineer.He added numerous improvements to the steam engines, including a steam generator with a tube bundle and mobile hearth, and a servomotor.

José Rodríguez de la Borbolla (Seville, 1947) Spanish politician.Professor at the University of Seville, in 1977 he was appointed Secretary General of the PSOE in Andalusia.Senator (1979-1982) and deputy in the Andalusian Parliament since 1982, he was president of the Junta de Andalucía, after the resignation of Escuredo (1984).Re-elected to this position in the 1986 elections, his party did not present him in the 1990 elections.

José María Díaz (Madrid, 1800-Havana, 1888) Spanish playwright.He cultivated the tragedy of historical evocation under the influence of Voltaire and Alfieri ( Elvira de Albornoz , 1837; The death of Julius Caesar , 1876).

José María Quijano (José María Quijano Fernández-Hontoria; Corrales de Buelna, Santander, 1843-1911) Spanish lawyer and businessman, founder of Forjas de Buelna.Coming from a family with a tradition in the legal profession, José María decided to study Civil and Canon Law at the University of Valladolid, from which he graduated in 1866.After obtaining his degree, he moved to Santander where he practiced as a lawyer and as a Secretary of the Provincial Council.However, he had to leave this job because the sudden death of his in-law Víctor Gómez de los Ríos gave him the opportunity to take over the law firm that had been opened by it. José María Quijano Due to his transfer to the law firm, he went to his place of origin, and there he contacted family and friends again.Among them was his uncle Benigno Arce, who was a mining engineer.During the Universal Exhibition held in Paris in 1873, attended by Benigno and José María, a nail-making machine caught their attention.Upon their retur

José María Sostres (José María or Josep Maria Sostres Maluquer; Seo de Urgel, 1915-Barcelona, ​​1983) Spanish architect trained in Barcelona.He was a co-founder and member of Grupo R, which contributed to the renovation of postwar Spanish architecture.In a first stage, he experimented with natural materials and traditional elements in projects such as the Casa Elías (Bellver de Cerdaña, 1946), the Casa Cusí (Seo de Urgel, 1952) and the María Victoria hotel (Puigcerdà, 1952).From the end of the fifties he developed a fully modern style, influenced by neoplasticism, in works such as the Casa Agustí (Sitges, 1953-1955), the Casa Iranzo (Esplugues de Llobregat, 1957) and the reform of the newspaper building El Noticiero Universal (Barcelona, ​​1963-1965).Since 1962 he was professor of the history of architecture at the Barcelona School of Architecture.He received the National Architecture Prize in 1972. Born in the Lleida town of Seo de Urgel, at the age of six he moved with his fam

Jose María Escrivá de Balaguer (Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás; Barbastro, 1902-Rome, 1975) Spanish priest, founder of Opus Dei.Ordained in 1925, he exercised the pastoral ministry both in rural and working class environments as well as in universities.Doctor of Law and Sacred Theology, he was a professor of Philosophy, Professional Ethics and Roman Law at the universities of Zaragoza and Madrid.Among other titles, he responded to that of Grand Chancellor of the Universities of Navarra and Piura (Peru), and was a member of the Pontifical Roman Academy. Jose María Escrivá de Balaguer As honorary prelate of His Holiness, he promoted works of apostolate throughout the world, a vocation that would culminate in 1928 with the foundation of Opus Dei.This association of the faithful, of which he was president general and which from 1946 he directed from Rome, had the purpose of spreading in all areas of society (without distinction of race, state or social condition) the evangeli

José María Reina Barrios (San Marcos, 1853-Guatemala, 1898) Guatemalan military and politician.Elected President of the Republic (1892) despite his theoretical attachment to liberalism, he developed an authoritarian policy and in 1897 established the dictatorship in order to extend the term of office, which caused a popular uprising that ended up assassinating him.

Joséphine Baker (Saint Louis, 1906-Paris, 1975) French dancer and singer of North American origin.Joséphine Baker grew up in the period of the worst racist riots in Saint Louis.In 1922 she joined a dance company; a year later she was already in the chorus of the first colored play ever performed on Broadway, "Shuffle Along." Later she worked at the mythical Cotton Club. Joséphine Baker In 1925 he went to Paris as a member of the choir of La Revue Nègre.The European public fell in love with Joséphine Baker and became a star of Folies Bergière .He introduced Charleston to the old continent and starred in several successful films such as Le Siréne des tropiques , Zou or Princesse Tam-Tam , until the year 1935.Two years later she became a French citizen. His stature as an artist is only comparable with his humanity and service to others, and proof of this is the life he led from 1939, when the Second World War broke out, integrating first in volunteering and more la

Joseph Geyser (Erkelenz, 1869-Siegsdorf, 1948) German philosopher.He worked as a teacher in Münster, in Freiburg and in Munich.He was one of the main representatives of neo-scholasticism.He is the author of Foundations of logic and the theory of knowledge (1909) and of Medieval philosophy (1925).

Joseph Hall (Bristow Park, 1574-Higham, 1656) English prelate and writer.A moderate Calvinist, he is one of the best English satirists for his works ( Virgidemiarum , 1597).

Josep Fontana Lázaro (Josep Fontana i Lázaro; Barcelona, ​​1931-2018) Spanish historian.Disciple of Pierre Vilar, Ferran Soldevila and Jaume Vicens Vives, he studied fundamentally the transition models from the Old Regime to capitalism. The bankruptcy of the absolute monarchy, 1814-1820 (1972) and Economic change and political attitudes in 19th century Spain (1973) are among his fundamental works.Between 1991 and 1994 he directed the Historia Universal Planeta .His latest publications include Europe before the mirror (1994) and Naturalismo, positivismo, catalanismo (1995). Josep Fontana Lázaro Josep Fontana Lázaro studied philosophy and letters at the University of Barcelona, ​​for which he obtained a bachelor's degree in 1956 and a doctorate in 1970.He held the post of reader at the University of Liverpool (1956-1957) and, after his expulsion from the university for political reasons (1966), he was an assistant to Jaume Vicens Vives at the Barcelona Faculty of Econ

José Xifré (Arenys de Mar, 1777-Barcelona, ​​1856) Spanish industrialist and businessman.In 1789 he moved to Cuba, where he worked in leather tanning and in the sugar and coffee trade.In New York he dedicated himself to finance and managed to amass a great fortune.Back in Spain, in 1831 he settled in Barcelona and acquired and had a large part of the Paseo de Isabel II built, in which the porticoed building that bears his name stands out.First president of the Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad, he had a hospital built in Arenys and subsidized the research work of Mariano Cubí.