a
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Joy Adamson
Animal Rights Activist, Journalist / 1910 - 1980
Joy Adamson was a conservationist who pioneered the movement to preserve African wildlife. She won renown with her books about raising the lion cub Elsa.
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(1910-1980)
Animal Rights Activist, Journalist
b
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Felix Baumgartner
Athlete / 1969 -
Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner made a record-breaking, supersonic skydive from 24 miles above the earth in October 2012.
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(1969-)
Athlete
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Songwriter, Pianist / 1770 - 1827
Ludwig van Beethoven was a deaf German composer and the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras.
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(1770-1827)
Songwriter, Pianist
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Johannes Brahms
Songwriter, Pianist / 1833 - 1897
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist who wrote symphonies, concerti, chamber music, piano works, and choral compositions.
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(1833-1897)
Songwriter, Pianist
c
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Charles I of Austria
Emperor, King / 1887 - 1922
Charles I was a monarch of the Hapsburg line who was the last emperor of Austria and king of Hungary. He lost his throne at the end of World War I.
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(1887-1922)
Emperor, King
d
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Christian Doppler
Educator, Mathematician, Physicist / 1803 - 1853
Austrian physicist Christian Doppler first described the Doppler effect, in reference to the observed frequency of light and sound waves, in the paper "Concerning the Coloured Light of Double Stars."
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(1803-1853)
Educator, Mathematician, Physicist
f
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Ferdinand
Political Leader, King, Prince / 1861 - 1948
Ferdinand was the youngest son of Prince Augustus of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He himself became prince and later the first ever king of modern Bulgaria.
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(1861-1948)
Political Leader, King, Prince
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Franz Ferdinand
Duke / 1863 - 1914
Franz Ferdinand's assassination on June 28, 1914, at the hand of a Serbian terrorist group the "Black Hand," led to the beginning of World War I.
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(1863-1914)
Duke
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Felix Frankfurter
Educator, Scholar, Supreme Court Justice / 1882 - 1965
Associate Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter was a noted law scholar, who was the high court's leading exponent of the doctrine of judicial self-restraint.
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(1882-1965)
Educator, Scholar, Supreme Court Justice
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Frederick the Fair
Duke, King / 1286 - 1330
Duke of Austria Frederick III fought rival Louis of Bavaria for the German throne for eight years. Louis granted Frederick control of Austria in 1326.
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(1286-1330)
Duke, King
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Anna Freud
Psychologist / 1895 - 1982
Psychiatrist Anna Freud, daughter of Sigmund Freud, pioneered the field of child psychoanalysis and further defined the function of the ego in psychology.
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(1895-1982)
Psychologist
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Sigmund Freud
Scholar, Psychiatrist / 1856 - 1939
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist best known for developing the theories and techniques of psychoanalysis.
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(1856-1939)
Scholar, Psychiatrist
h
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Peter Handke
Author, Screenwriter / 1942 -
Peter Handke is an Austrian novelist and playwright best known for drawing criticism in the West for his pro-Serbian views during the Kosovo conflict.
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(1942-)
Author, Screenwriter
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Franz Joseph Haydn
Songwriter / 1732 - 1809
Over the course of his 106 symphonies, Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn became the principal architect of the classical style of music.
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(1732-1809)
Songwriter
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F.A. Hayek
Educator, Scholar, Economist, Journalist / 1899 - 1992
Economist F.A. Hayek was noted for his criticisms of the Keynesian welfare state and of totalitarian socialism. In 1974 he shared the Nobel Prize for Economics.
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(1899-1992)
Educator, Scholar, Economist, Journalist
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Theodor Herzl
Activist, Journalist, Playwright / 1860 - 1904
Journalist Theodor Herzl responded to the anti-Semitism he witnessed while covering the Dreyfus Affair by starting the World Zionist Organization.
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(1860-1904)
Activist, Journalist, Playwright
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Adolf Hitler
Military Leader, Dictator / 1889 - 1945
Adolf Hitler was the leader of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. He initiated World War II and oversaw fascist policies that resulted in millions of deaths.
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(1889-1945)
Military Leader, Dictator
j
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Elfriede Jelinek
Writer / 1946 -
Austrian novelist and playwright Elfriede Jelinek won the 2004 Nobel Prize for Literature with her satirical studies of gender oppression and female sexuality.
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(1946-)
Writer
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Joseph II
Political Leader, Emperor / 1741 - 1790
Holy Roman emperor Joseph II tried to strengthen the Habsburg empire with his enlightened reforms, but the changes he made were met with fierce opposition.
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(1741-1790)
Political Leader, Emperor
k
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Thomas Klestil
World Leader / 1932 - 2004
Thomas Klestil was an Austrian statesman and the 10th president of Austria.
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(1932-2004)
World Leader
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Gustav Klimt
Painter / 1862 - 1918
Nineteenth century Austrian painter Gustav Klimt is known for the highly decorative style of his works, his most famous being The Kiss.
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(1862-1918)
Painter
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Walter Kohn
Chemist, Physicist / 1923 -
Walter Kohn is a physicist who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1998 for his work in quantum chemistry.
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(1923-)
Chemist, Physicist
l
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Hedy Lamarr
Film Actor, Pin-up / 1913 - 2000
Extraordinarily beautiful, Hedy Lamarr was a Austrian-American actress during MGM's "Golden Age."
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(1913-2000)
Film Actor, Pin-up
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Karl Landsteiner
Immunologist / 1868 - 1943
Immunologist and pathologist Karl Landsteiner received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the major blood types.
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(1868-1943)
Immunologist
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Fritz Lang
Director / 1890 - 1976
Austrian-born film director Fritz Lang explored the concept of fate and human destiny in his work. He directed films from the ‘20s through the ‘50s.
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(1890-1976)
Director
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Leopold I
Emperor / 1640 - 1705
Leopold I was Holy Roman emperor during whose lengthy reign Austria emerged from a series of struggles to become a great European power.
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(1640-1705)
Emperor
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Leopold II
Emperor / 1747 - 1792
Leopold II was Holy Roman emperor and one of the most capable of the 18th-century reformist rulers known as the “enlightened despots.”
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(1747-1792)
Emperor
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Marie Louise
Duchess, Empress / 1791 - 1847
Marie-Louise is best known for her marriage to the emperor Napoleon after his divorce from Josephine.
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(1791-1847)
Duchess, Empress
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Gustav Mahler
Songwriter, Conductor, Pianist / 1860 - 1911
Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler became popular in the late 19th century for his emotionally charged and subtly orchestrated symphonies.
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(1860-1911)
Songwriter, Conductor, Pianist
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Maximilian
Military Leader, Emperor / 1832 - 1867
Maximilian was the Archduke of Austria and the Emperor of Mexico from 1863-1867. He was executed in 1867 by President Benito Juárez's victorious forces.
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(1832-1867)
Military Leader, Emperor
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Maximilian II
Religious Leader, Emperor / 1527 - 1576
Maximilian II was Holy Roman emperor from 1564. His rule marked an interval of peace between Roman Catholics and Protestants in Germany during the Reformation.
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(1527-1576)
Religious Leader, Emperor
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Gregor Mendel
Botanist / 1822 - 1884
Gregor Mendel was an Austrian monk who discovered the basic principles of heredity through experiments in his garden. Mendel's observations became the foundation of modern genetics and the study of heredity, and he is widely considered a pioneer in the field of genetics.
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(1822-1884)
Botanist
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Wolfgang Mozart
Songwriter, Pianist / 1756 - 1791
A prolific artist, Austrian composer Wolfgang Mozart created a string of operas, concertos, symphonies and sonatas that profoundly shaped classical music.
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(1756-1791)
Songwriter, Pianist
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Paul Muni
Film Actor, Television Actor / 1895 - 1967
American actor Paul Muni is best known for his film and stage portrayals of noted historical figures. He was nominated five times for the Academy Awards.
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(1895-1967)
Film Actor, Television Actor
o
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Otto
King / 1815 - 1867
Otto, the son of King Louis I of Bavaria, served as the first king of modern Greece, but a revolt in 1862 forced him to step down and return to Bavaria.
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(1815-1867)
King
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Wolfgang Pauli
Physicist / 1900 - 1958
Wolfgang Pauli was a physicist and recipient of the 1945 Nobel Prize for Physics for his discovery in 1925 of the Pauli exclusion principle.
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(1900-1958)
Physicist
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Ferdinand Porsche
Entrepreneur, Engineer, Inventor / 1875 - 1951
Ferdinand Porsche founded the Porsche car company in 1931. In the early 1920s, he oversaw the development of the Mercedes compressor car, and later developed the first designs of the Volkswagen car with his son, Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche.
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(1875-1951)
Entrepreneur, Engineer, Inventor
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Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
Business Leader, Engineer / 1909 - 1998
Thanks to the model 356, created in 1948 by Ferdinand Anton Ernst "Ferry" Porsche, the Porsche car company became known worldwide as a producer of successful sports and racing cars. Several years earlier, in 1934, Porsche worked with father Ferdinand Porsche on the first designs of the Volkswagen car.
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(1909-1998)
Business Leader, Engineer
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Otto Preminger
Director / 1906 - 1986
Otto Preminger helped establish film noir with his movie Laura in 1944. He opened his own production company, which made controversial movies that challenged film regulations.
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(1906-1986)
Director
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Wolfgang Puck
Chef, Television Personality, Journalist / 1949 -
Wolfgang Puck is a chef who expanded his purview into running restaurants, writing cookbooks and hosting cooking shows.
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(1949-)
Chef, Television Personality, Journalist
r
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Max Reinhardt
Director / 1873 - 1943
Max Reinhardt was one of the first theatrical directors to achieve international recognition. He helped found the annual Salzburg Festival.
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(1873-1943)
Director
s
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Egon Schiele
Painter / 1890 - 1918
Austrian Expressionist painter Egon Schiele (1890–1918) was part of the Viennese Sezession movement with works like "The Self Seer" (1911) and "Embrace" (1917).
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(1890-1918)
Painter
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Erwin Schrödinger
Scholar, Physicist / 1887 - 1961
Austrian theoretical physicist Erwin Schrödinger contributed to the wave theory of matter and to other fundamentals of quantum mechanics.
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(1887-1961)
Scholar, Physicist
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Franz Schubert
Educator, Songwriter / 1797 - 1828
Franz Schubert is considered the last of the classical composers and one of the first romantic ones. Schubert's music is notable for its melody and harmony.
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(1797-1828)
Educator, Songwriter
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Arnold Schwarzenegger
Film Actor, Governor / 1947 -
Arnold Schwarzenegger first gained fame as a body builder, using that as a launching point to become a huge Hollywood star and, later, the governor of California.
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(1947-)
Film Actor, Governor
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Peter Singer
Philosopher, Animal Rights Activist, Children's Activist, Civil Rights Activist, Environmental Activist, Women's Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, Academic Author / 1946 -
Peter Singer is an Australian philosopher whose work in applied ethics has led to controversial views on abortion, animal liberation and infanticide.
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(1946-)
Philosopher, Animal Rights Activist, Children's Activist, Civil Rights Activist, Environmental Activist, Women's Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, Academic Author
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Johann Strauss
Songwriter / 1825 - 1899
Austrian composer Johann Strauss surpassed his father Johann Strauss the Elder’s popularity and productivity, becoming known as the “Waltz King."
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(1825-1899)
Songwriter
t
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Maria Theresa
Political Leader, Duchess, Empress / 1717 - 1780
Maria Theresa was an Austrian archduchess, and Holy Roman Empress of the Habsburg Dynasty from 1740 to 1780. She was also Marie Antoinette’s mother.
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(1717-1780)
Political Leader, Duchess, Empress
u
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Jack Unterweger
Serial Killer, Journalist / 1950 - 1994
Jack Unterweger was an Austrian serial killer who murdered several women before committing suicide in 1994.
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(1950-1994)
Serial Killer, Journalist
w
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Kurt Waldheim
Diplomat, World Leader / 1918 - 2007
Kurt Waldheim served two terms as the fourth secretary-general of the United Nations and was elected president of Austria 1986–1992.
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(1918-2007)
Diplomat, World Leader
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Christoph Waltz
Actor / 1956 -
After working in Europe for decades, actor Christoph Waltz caught the attention of American audiences with his role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds.
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(1956-)
Actor
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Simon Wiesenthal
Activist / 1908 - 2005
Simon Wiesenthal was a survivor of the Holocaust who worked as an author and Nazi hunter, wishing to ensure that what befell his community would be remembered.
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(1908-2005)
Activist
z
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Fred Zinnemann
Director / 1907 - 1997
Director Fred Zinnemann’s films were known for their realistic characters and atmosphere. He won an Oscar for his 1953 film From Here to Eternity.
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(1907-1997)
Director
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Stefan Zweig
Journalist, Author, Playwright / 1881 - 1942
Stefan Zweig was an Austrian writer and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
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(1881-1942)
Journalist, Author, Playwright