Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890)  Painting by Australian artist John Russell.          

On December 23, 1888, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering from
severe depression, cuts off the lower part of his left ear with a razor    
while staying in Arles, France.  He later documented the event in a
painting titled Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear. Today, Van Gogh is
regarded as an artistic genius and his masterpieces sell for record-
breaking prices; however, during his lifetime, he was a poster boy
for tortured starving artists and sold only one painting.    

A self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh with a bandaged ear. On
display in the en:Courtauld Gallery.

Still Life with Open Bible, Extinguished Candle and Novel also Still
Life with Bible, 1885.

Wheatfield with Crows, 1890.

(FoxNews) – An odd piece of artwork that consists of a banana duct-taped to
a wall has sold for $120,000 at a Miami art fair. The piece, titled "The
Comedian," was created by Italian artist  Maurizio Cattelan.

Two of the three editions of the banana artwork sold for $120,000 at the Art
Basel Miami festival and a third is expected to fetch $150,000.

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is known for his satirical
sculptures.

Smokey Bear is an campaign and advertising icon created by the  
U.S.Forest Service with artist Albert Staehle (below). In the Wildfire
Prevention Campaign, which is the longest-running public service 
announcement (PSA) campaign in United States history.

Albert Staehle  (1899 – 1974)

MIKE GRACIA

On this day in 1971, President Nixon announced that he’d sent Henry Kissinger to China and that the result of these meetings was an agreement for a presidential trip to China to seek a ‘’normalization
of relations.”

President Nixon shakes hands with Premier Chou En-lai of the
People’s Republic of China.

President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon Visiting the
Great Wall of China.

ROSS SIMPSON

George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)

George Washington, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States,
served as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the
Revolutionary War, then was inaugurated as the first U.S. President
on April 30, 1789.

Washington’s legacy as a commander at Valley Forge, Yorktown, and
Boston was honored in 1917 when an asteroid was named after him:
the 886 Washingtonia asteroid.

General George Washington (left) and French military leader Marquis
de Lafayette at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777–78 (AP)

Washington praying at Valley Forge.

A reproduction of Emanuel Leutze’s 1851 oil painting ‘Washington Crossing the Delaware." (Associated Press)