a character in the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and in the film My Fair Lady, which is based on Shaw's play.. She is a working class London flower seller who is taught by Professor Henry Higgins how to speak and behave like a woman of the highest social class
known as H.D. born Sept. 10, 1886, Bethlehem, Pa., U.S. died Sept. 27, 1961, Zürich, Switz. U.S. poet. Doolittle went to Europe in 1911 and remained there the rest of her life. One of the first Imagists (see Imagism) and deeply influenced by Ezra Pound, she wrote clear, impersonal, sensuous verse that combined classical themes with modernist techniques. Her later work was looser and more passionate, though it remained erudite and symbolic. Her collections include Sea Garden (1916), Hymen (1921), and Red Roses for Bronze (1929). She was also acclaimed for her translations, verse drama, and prose works
orig. James Harold Doolittle born Dec. 14, 1896, Alameda, Calif., U.S. died Sept. 27, 1993, Pebble Beach, Calif. U.S. general. He enlisted in the army in World War I and became an aviator. After the war he earned a Ph.D. in engineering and remained in the Army Air Corps as a test pilot until 1930, when he became head of aviation for Shell Oil Co. In 1932 he set a world air speed record. Returning to active duty during World War II, he led a daring raid on Tokyo (1942), for which he received the Congressional Medal of Honor. He commanded air operations on many fronts, including attacks on Germany in 1944-45. After the war he remained active in the aerospace industry. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1989