John
Winston Lennon was a British singer, songwriter, artist, author and peace activist,
who will forever be best known as a co-founder of The Beatles, one of the most
successful music groups of all time. The Beatles had more than 20 number one hits
-- more than any other band in history. Although the other Beatles wrote some
of their hits, most of the Beatles songs were written by John Lennon and Paul
McCartney.
In
1969, during the height of the Vietnam War, John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono,
made a conscious decision to use their fame to try to end the war. They gained
worldwide media coverage when they staged a "bed-in-for-peace" for their
honeymoon in Amsterdam, and then a second time in a Montreal hotel room where
they recorded the song, "Give Peace A Chance." This song immediately
became the anthem of the anti-war movement. John and Yoko continued to speak out
against the war and had such a tremendous impact on the public's attitude about
the war that the Nixon Administration tried to have John Lennon deported. John
Lennon had a number of other successful songs as a solo artist after the break-up
of the Beatles, including, "Imagine," which continues to inspire
new generations to imagine a better world. John Lennon's life was tragically cut
short when he was murdered by an obsessed fan, and millions around the world mourned
his loss. Many memorials and tributes have been created in John Lennon's memory,
including Strawberry Feilds, a memorial garden in Central Park in New York City.
On October 9, 2007, Yoko Ono unveiled the Peace Tower in Reykjavik, Iceland, a
light tower with "imagine peace" displayed in 24 languages.
