Historical Figures

The following passage gives information about The Icebergs' provenance, or ownership history.

Captain John Pratt was a Hartford native, the son of Zachariah and Abigail (Cook) Pratt. During the American Revolutionary War, he served as assistant commissary general under James Clinton, and continued to pursue a military career after the end of the war.

Semiramis was a historical Assyrian queen of Babylonian birth, who lived and reigned around 800 B.C.E. By the 18th century the legends associated with her life had eclipsed her actual accomplishments as queen, notably due to the popularity of Voltaire's eponymous play, written in 1748. His version of her life centered on palace intrigue, notably the beautiful queen's affair with Assur, and her plot to have him poison her husband, the king.

The Buddha was probably born c. 553 BCE (though dates range from c. 624 to c. 486 BCE), with the given name Siddhartha. His clan name was Gautama, and he was a member of the Shakya tribe, and thus later in life known as Shakyamuni, the sage of the Shakyas. His father was the tribal chief of the Shakyas and ruled the modern border of India and Nepal.

There is little factual documentation on the life of the Buddha.

Huddie Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly (or Leadbelly), grew up working as a farmhand in Louisiana and Texas. His musical career began in 1901 when he toured Shreveport and Dallas as a six-string guitar player in saloons and dance halls. In his early 20s he learned the twelve-string guitar, and his talents earned him a reputation as "king" of this instrument.