John Lennon was one of the worlds most revered singer songwriters, and peace activists. His lyrics are filled with unresolved mourning and longing which can be understood as a product of his early traumatic life. How did John's childhood suffering inform his creative productions and drive his desire for peace?

John Lennon - Part 1: Composer of Longing

A psychological examination of historically significant lives. We will peek into the minds of our subject to answer, what made them tick? Uncovering the personal motivations that drove their public acts and how those acts in turn changed all our lives.

History

Society & Culture

Social Sciences

Science & Medicine

Science

Abraham Lincoln contemplated suicide more than once in his life, he knew suffering and yet he is perhaps histories' greatest leader through a period of time where the nation also wept, the American Civil War.

Abraham Lincoln: The Greatest President and Sufferer of Melancholy

Howard Hughes was one of the most financially successful businessmen of all time, an engineer, a record setting pilot, film producer and philanthropist, his obsessive compulsive disorder drove his ability to stunningly innovate but ultimately it caused great suffering.

Howard Hughes: A perfectionistic obsession to innovate

Marilyn Monroe had a traumatic upbringing, yet marketed herself into one of the worlds most famous actresses. Despite her many successes she longed to feel truly loved but never found her love adequately requited.

Marilyn Monroe: From Orphan to Iconic Movie Starlet

Ernest Hemingway was one of the most accomplished writers of the 20th century and also one of the most colorful public figures of his lifetime, underneath that he suffered mightily from bipolar disorder and alcoholism. Unfortunately, the two were inexorably connected.

Ernest Hemingway: Hypomania Drove Writing Genius

Lenny Bruce invented the genre of satirical comedy against a back drop of depression, substance abuse and constant legal troubles for public obscenity. Original and innovative his diseases ultimately ended his life.

John Lennon - Part 1: Composer of Longing

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