Samantha Smith
American peace activist and child actress (1972–1985)
Samantha Reed Smith (June 29, 1972 – August 25, 1985) was an American schoolgirl, peace activist, and child actress. She became famous during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Samantha Smith | |
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![]() Smith visiting the Artek pioneer camp in July 1983 | |
Born | Samantha Reed Smith June 29, 1972 Houlton, Maine, U.S. |
Died | August 25, 1985 Auburn, Maine, U.S. | (aged 13)
Cause of death | Airplane crash |
Resting place | Ashes buried at Estabrook Cemetery, Amity, Maine, U.S. |
Other names | America's Youngest Ambassador, America's Littlest Diplomat, America's Sweetheart[1] (U.S.), The Goodwill Ambassador (USSR) |
Occupation(s) | Peace activist, child actress |
Years active | 1982–1985 |
In 1982, Smith wrote a letter to Soviet Leader Yuri Andropov, and received a personal reply with a personal invitation to visit the Soviet Union, which she accepted.
Smith became a "Goodwill Ambassador" between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, becoming America's Youngest Ambassador.[2]
Smith died on August 25, 1985 in the Bar Harbor Airlines Flight 1808 plane crash near Auburn, Maine at the age of 13.[3]
References
change- ↑ Evening Magazine; WBZ-TV, Boston, 1985
- ↑ Saint-André, Yvette Irène. "I Remember Samantha Smith: Goodwill Ambassador". U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Archived from the original on February 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
- ↑ "Pilot Blamed in Samantha Death". The Los Angeles Times. September 30, 1986. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2018.