Marilyn Monroe was an American actress and model born Norma Jeane Mortenson in Los Angeles in 1926. She began as a pin-up model during World War II, then built a film career with comedies like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire that established her as a 'dumb blonde' star. She fought for more control over her image and roles, founded her own production company in 1954, and studied method acting in New York. Her later films included Some Like It Hot, which won her a Golden Globe. She died in 1962 at age 36 from a barbiturate overdose, a death ruled a probable suicide.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.