Yuri Borisovich Levitan (russian: Юрий Борисович Левитан, 2 October 1914 – 4 August 1983) was the primary Soviet radio announcer during and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He announced on

Radio Moscow Radio Moscow ( rus, Pадио Москва, r=Radio Moskva), also known as Radio Moscow World Service, was the official international broadcasting station of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics until 1993. It was reorganized with a new name ...

all major international events in the 1940s–60s including the German attack on the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, the surrender of Germany on 9 May 1945, the death of Joseph Stalin on 5 March 1953, and the first manned spaceflight on 12 April 1961.

Biography

Born in a Jewish family in Vladimir to a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

and a housewife, Levitan traveled to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

in the early 1930s, hoping to become an actor, but was rejected because of his provincial accent. However, he secured a position on a Moscow radio station owing to his characteristic deep voice. In January 1934, after hearing Levitan broadcasting,

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

called up the radio station and requested that from then on Levitan read his announcements. Consequently, Levitan became not only the personal announcer for Stalin, but the leading Soviet radio personality. After the German invasion (22 June 1941) Levitan was evacuated (autumn 1941) to Sverdlovsk, as Moscow radio stations were taken down to avoid German bombardment. At the time he lived in a secret location due to his importance as the nation's foremost radio personality. In March 1943 he was secretly transported to Kuybyshev, where the met. During all those years away from Moscow, his reports began with his trademark "Attention, this is Moscow speaking!" (russian: Внимание, говорит Москва! , translit = Vnimanie, govorit Moskva!) Levitan made some 2000 radio announcements during the war; he recorded recreations of many of them in the 1950s, when he reproduced them in studio for archiving purposes. After the war, Levitan reported events in

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical build ...

and state proclamations. Between 1978 and 1983 he announced the annual " Minute of Silence" to commemorate Victory Day in the Soviet Union. In 1980 he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR. He died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

in 1983, and was buried in the famed Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.

Legacy

In Vladimir, the birth town of Levitan, there is a street named after him and a monument of Levitan. His monuments were also erected at his grave in Moscow, and in

Volgograd Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stalingrád, label=none; ) ...

, and streets were named after him in Almaty, Dnipro, Odessa,

Orsk Orsk (russian: Орск) is the second largest city in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, located on the steppe about southeast of the southern tip of the Ural Mountains. The city straddles the Ural River. Population: It lies adjacent to the Kazakhstan– ...

Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population: Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...

and

Ufa Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...

. An Aeroflot passenger plane and a container cargo ship carry his name.CONTAZ PIONEER – IMO 8313532
shipspotting.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levitan, Yuri Borisovich 1914 births 1983 deaths People from Vladimir, Russia People from Vladimirsky Uyezd Russian Jews Soviet Jews Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Radio in the Soviet Union Soviet people of World War II People's Artists of the USSR People's Artists of the RSFSR Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery