Researching Fernando Silva

Da Silva's family left Rio de Janeiro in 1959, and moved to a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Da Silva worked as a studio illustrator and a freelance artist; his work appeared regularly in Playboy, Encyclopædia Britannica, World Book Encyclopedia, the Chicago Tribune and other print venues. Da Silva collaborated with Bob Peak on the Marlboro Man ad campaign. He also illustrated the William Wrigley Jr. "Fun Facts" campaign, annual report covers for Caterpillar Tractor and International Harvester, and several syndicated color comic strips including Rex Morgan, M.D..

Da Silva was married and had five children. He died in Cape Coral, Florida on March 5, 2012.

Until 2006, Fernando did not swim 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle. He was a butterfly specialist. As he began to achieve good results in the faster swimming races, became a sprinter and established himself as one of the best in his country.

He was at the 2006 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Shanghai, where he finished 17th in the 200-metre butterfly.

Silva swam at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, where he finished 14th in the 100-metre butterfly, 17th in the 200-metre butterfly and was disqualified at the 4×100-metre freestyle.

At the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, he won the gold medal in the 4×100-metre freestyle, beating the South American and Pan American records, with a time of 3:15.90, along with Eduardo Deboni, Nicolas Oliveira and César Cielo

Participating in the 2007 Summer Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand, won the bronze medal at the 100-metre freestyle.

Silva was South American Champion in the 100-metre freestyle and the 100-metre butterfly in São Paulo 2008.

He was at the 2008 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), in Manchester, where he reached the 4×100-metre medley final, finishing 6th, and beating the short-course South American Record, with a time of 3:28.88, along with Guilherme Guido, Felipe França e Lucas Salatta. Silva also did the 100-metre freestyle final, finishing 8th and the 4×100-metre freestyle final, finishing 8th too, and finished 14th in the 50-metre freestyle.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, participated in the 4×100-metre freestyle, where the Brazilian team was disqualified.

At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, held in Rome, Silva ranked fourth in the 4×100-metre freestyle, along with Nicolas Oliveira, Guilherme Roth and César Cielo, with a time of 3:10.80, new South American record.

He was at the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, where he finished 25th in the 50-metre freestyle, 30th in the 100-metre butterfly, and 49th in the 100-metre freestyle.

Fernando Ramos da Silva (29 November 1967 – 25 August 1987) was a Brazilian actor who became renowned for his role as "Pixote," the 10-year-old title character in Hector Babenco's 1981 film Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco, a documentary-style account of the street children of Brazil. Da Silva became a controversial figure after the film's release and found it hard to separate himself from his depiction as the street assailant Pixote.

On 25 August 1987, da Silva was fatally wounded in an alleged shootout with police. Police reports claim that da Silva was resisting arrest, but there are conflicting reports from eyewitnesses who claim da Silva was unarmed.