I . Herbie Hancock
(1940– )
a US jazz musician who plays the piano and writes songs. He performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of 12. He began the Herbie Hancock Sextet in 1968. His successful albums have included Headhunters (1973), Future Shock (1983) and The New Standard (1996). Hancock won an Oscar in 1986 for his music for the film Round Midnight .
II . John Hancock
(1737–93)
a leader of the American Revolution who was President of the Continental Congress (1775–77). He was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence and wrote his signature very large so that King George III could read it. Americans still refer to any signature as a ‘John Hancock’:
Just put your John Hancock on this cheque.
III . Tony Hancock
(1924–68)
an English comedian who became famous between 1954 and 1961 in the programme Hancock’s Half Hour , first on radio and then on television. Hancock played an angry character upset by the little problems of life, such as a missing page in a library book. One of his most famous programmes (on television) was The Blood Donor , in which he caused a lot of trouble in a hospital trying to give blood.