Although Santa Claus is normally drawn with the snow of Northern Europe around him, it is clear from the passage that St. Nicholas came from a coastal region in Asia Minor
never saw snow in his life
didn't have the opportunity to travel much
wasn't very popular with Christians
liked warmer places better
The passage describes how St. Nicholas died in Bari in Italy
gave out presents to celebrate Jesus's birthday
was imprisoned by Constantine the Great
spent some time in captivity for his beliefs
went on a pilgrimage to a burial shrine in Myra
According to the passage, the name Santa Claus started to be used in Italy during the 11th century
is the French word for Father Christmas
is Lycian for St. Nicholas
is derived from the Dutch immigrant name for St. Nicholas
was first used in a cartoon by Thomas Nast
118 SIR JAMES PAUL McCARTNEY Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool, England, to Mary and James McCartney. Paul's introduction to music was through his father, who was the founder of Jim Mac's Jazz Band. It was shortly after his mother's death from breast cancer in 1956 that McCartney immersed himself in learning to play the guitar. His mastery of early rock 'n' roll songs impressed his friends and created an opportunity for him to join John Lennon in a local group that would later become The Beatles. McCartney, who is most famous for playing bass in the band, composed many memorable songs, including "Yesterday" (1965), "Eleanor Rigby" (1966), "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967), "Hey Jude" (1968), and "Let It Be" (1969). His willingness to sign autographs, pose for pictures, and give interviews caused the mass media to dub him "the cute Beatle". That title, combined with the prevalent early 1960s belief that the rock genre of music lacked artistic merit, often obscured McCartney's contribution to the music of the Beatles. His expertise in harmony and melody complemented Lennon's love of wordplay and basic rock 'n' roll and helped create many of the vocal and bass lines that have become the trademarks of the Beatles' musical style. As half of the Lennon-McCartney songwriting team, he created some of the best-known popular music of the 20th century. McCartney was a member of The Beatles from 1962 to 1970;, the founder of Wings, which performed from 1971 to 1980; and has, in more recent years, enjoyed success as a solo recording artist, a composer of classical music, a painter, a poet, and a businessman.