Sadako SasakiThe Atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima Aug 6, 1945 when she was 2 years old. Luckly she survived At 11, Sadako was the fastest runner in her class. She collapsed in a race and was diagnosed with leukaemia, a cancer of the blood. She tried to fold a thousand cranes hoping that her wish for world peace could be granted. By the time she died she had folded 644 cranes. Her friends folded the remaining cranes for her funeral. Afterwards they formed a club and began raising money for a monument. The Peace monument was unveiled in Hiroshima Park 1958. Every year people from all over the world send paper cranes to the Park on August 6th --- the Peace Day.
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Thoki YennThoki was a man of many talents. He practised kirigami since 4 years old. He was also very interested in magic, origami, geometry, writing, drawings and film making. He worked hard to be a magician and wanted a name to conjure with, therefore changed his name: Thorkild Sondergard Jensen into: Thoki Yenn. He traveled around Europe to Magic Conventions and won prizes for Comic Conjuring in Paris, Amsterdam and Stockholm. He also won the Golden Ring prize in Magic Circle Denmark. After meeting Mrs. Lillian Oppenheimer in Copenhagen in 1958, origami became an important part of his life. He started the Dansk Origami Centre in 1991. He created many outstanding origami models including the famous Magic Rings and DNA.He passed away at the age of 85.
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Vernon HoldenAs a teacher in Bundaberg, he was inspired by Robert Harbin's TV origami presentation in 1971. He was educated in Kelvin Grove Teachers' Training College in Brisbane. He taught origami to selected students and often used folded models as rewards of merit. He mainly learned from books and ordered many from Origami USA. In 1972 he became a member of BOS and enjoyed entering models in competitions. He also exhibited his work at the Bundaberg Show. He has been interested in creating geometric shapes but his first creation was a belt buckle. The Origami Master he admired most was Neil Elias.
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Leo TolstoyHe was Leo Nikolaevich, Count Tolstoy, the author of "War and Peace". His origami experience was mentioned by A B Goldenweiser in "Talks with Tolstoy", published by Horizon Press, New York His famous essay "What is art?" in 1896 mentioned how the folded cockerels could flap their wings when the tails were pulled.
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Margaret CampbellAfter learning much paperfoldings while travelling in Japan and China etc she settled down in South Africa. She complied her paperfolding collections for her grandchildren. Her book "Paper Toy Making" was published in England in 1937.
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Roy CampbellHe was a poet born in Durban, the son of Margaret Campbell. In the preface he wrote for his mother's book he mentioned the fun of paper folding. He recognised his creative potential the very first time when the paper bird flapped its wings in his hand.
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Lewis CarrollHe was an Oxford mathematician and writer for the children. In 1889 he folded a fishing boat (probably the Chinese Junk) for the grandchildren of Queen Victoria. Later he learned how to fold paper pistols and taught them too.
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Charles Sydney GibbesHe was a Cambridge graduate and the tutor of the children of Czar Nicholas II. By using paperfolding he succeeded in winning the confidence of his withdrawn pupil - the Czarevitch (Eric Kenneway - A paper folder in St Petersburg.)
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Harry HoudiniHe was the famous escape artist born in Budapest, Hungary and emigrated to USA. His original name was Erik Weisz. One of his tricks on stage was to transform a piece of paper into a flapping bird. He was known to be the author of "Houdini's Paper Magic".
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Dr. Vincente Solorzano SagredoAs a child, his mother taught him some simple folds. About 10 years old he learned from a book how to fold a frog and a whale. Paperfolding books were hard to find. Born in Spain, he studied medicine in Valladolid. As a physician he visited Europe and America. He settled in Argentina in 1912 and practised as a physician in Buenos Aires. With further studies he became a dentist from 1921.
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Victor Frenkil As a builder in Baltimore, he was well known for folding money into letters and quacking birds. His building projects included bridges, piers, theatres, restaurants and factories. From a former G.I. he learned the dollar bill bow tie with the framed picture of George Washington. Subsequently, he created a system of folding alphabets from money. In 1958 he was appointed as the honorary member of Origami Centre of USA. His book - Folding Money Vol. 2 was published by Magic
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Lillian OppenheimerFrom 1950 to 1960 she started the origami movement in USA. From 1951 she corresponded with Robert Harbin, Gershon Legman, Ligia Montoya, and Akira Yoshizawa. In 1958 she opened the origami centre with 25 people in the class and published a newsletter " The Origamian ". In 1959 she founded the Origami centre of America. She died at the age of 93.
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