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Charles Addams
Illustrator / 1912 - 1988
Charles Addams was an American cartoonist whose work was frequently featured in The New Yorker. His most famous creation was the humorously macabre Addams Family.
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(1912-1988)
Illustrator
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Jorge Amado
Activist, Author / 1912 - 2001
Novelist Jorge Amado’s early works, including The Violent Land (1942), explore the exploitation and suffering of plantation workers.
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(1912-2001)
Activist, Author
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Michelangelo Antonioni
Director, Producer, Screenwriter / 1912 - 2007
Michelangelo Antonioni was an Italian film director who came to prominence in the 1960s with heavily metaphorical films including L'avventura and Blow-up.
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(1912-2007)
Director, Producer, Screenwriter
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Henry Armstrong
Boxer / 1912 - 1988
Henry Armstrong was a U.S. pro boxer who held three championship titles simultaneously. He later became a minister and champion for at-risk youth.
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(1912-1988)
Boxer
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Lucie Aubrac
Folk Hero / 1912 - 2007
Lucie Aubrac was a French resistance leader who struggled against the Nazis during WWII.
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(1912-2007)
Folk Hero
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Julius Axelrod
Scientist / 1912 - 2004
Pharmacologist Julius Axelrod’s studies of neurotransmission of adrenalin and amphetamines led to his investigations into drugs for treatment of mental illness.
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(1912-2004)
Scientist
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David Berger
Lawyer / 1912 - 2007
David Berger was a lawyer who won large settlements in several high-profile class-action lawsuits as a pioneer in the practice of such suits.
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(1912-2007)
Lawyer
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Pappy Boyington
Military Leader, Journalist / 1912 - 1988
The U.S. government awarded Pappy Boyington a Medal of Honor for his service in World War II as a Marine Corps pilot. He shot down 28 Japanese planes.
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(1912-1988)
Military Leader, Journalist
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Eva Braun
Model / 1912 - 1945
Eva Braun was the mistress and later the wife of Adolf Hitler. Braun and Hitler killed themselves on April 30, 1945, the day after their wedding—an decided alternative to falling into the hands of enemy troops.
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(1912-1945)
Model
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Herbert C. Brown
Academic, Chemist / 1912 - 2004
Herbert C. Brown was a scientist and professor who won the Nobel Prize for his work in organic chemistry.
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(1912-2004)
Academic, Chemist
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John Cage
Songwriter / 1912 - 1992
John Cage was an American avant-garde composer whose inventive compositions and unorthodox ideas profoundly influenced mid-20th-century music.
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(1912-1992)
Songwriter
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Harry Callahan
Photographer / 1912 - 1999
Photographer Harry Callahan became famous for his innovative and unconventional perspectives on everyday objects and scenes.
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(1912-1999)
Photographer
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John Cheever
Author / 1912 - 1982
U.S. short-story writer and novelist John Cheever’s story collections include The Stories of John Cheever, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1978.
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(1912-1982)
Author
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Julia Child
Chef, Television Personality, Journalist / 1912 - 2004
TV chef and author Julia Child adapted complex French cooking for everyday Americans, with her groundbreaking cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
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(1912-2004)
Chef, Television Personality, Journalist
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Perry Como
Film, Singer, Television Personality / 1912 - 2001
Singer Perry Como is best known for his warm baritone crooning which came to characterize popular music in the 40s and 50s.
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(1912-2001)
Film, Singer, Television Personality
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Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
General, Pilot / 1912 - 2002
Pilot and officer Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr. was the first African American general in the U.S. Air Force.
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(1912-2002)
General, Pilot
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Millvina Dean
Civil Servant / 1912 - 2009
Millvina Dean was the youngest of the 705 survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic and lived to be the last survivor.
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(1912-2009)
Civil Servant
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Doris Duke
Art Collector, Philanthropist / 1912 - 1993
Tobacco heiress Doris Duke was the only child of American tobacco baron, James Duke. When she was born, the press called her the "million dollar baby."
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(1912-1993)
Art Collector, Philanthropist
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Dale Evans
Film Actress, Television Actress, Songwriter, Singer, Television Personality / 1912 - 2001
Dale Evans was the longtime screen partner and wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers. She wrote several hit songs, including "Happy Trails to You."
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(1912-2001)
Film Actress, Television Actress, Songwriter, Singer, Television Personality
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José Ferrer
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor, Director / 1912 - 1992
American actor and director José Ferrer was perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning performance in the title role of the film Cyrano de Bergerac.
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(1912-1992)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor, Director
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Woody Guthrie
Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer / 1912 - 1967
Woody Guthrie was a singer-songwriter, and one of the legendary figures of American folk music.
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(1912-1967)
Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer
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Dorothy Height
Civil Rights Activist, Women's Rights Activist / 1912 - 2010
Dorothy Height was a civil rights and women's rights activist focused primarily on improving the circumstances of and opportunities for African-American women.
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(1912-2010)
Civil Rights Activist, Women's Rights Activist
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Sonja Henie
Film Actress, Ice Skater / 1912 - 1969
Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater who won three Olympic gold medals. After retiring from skating, she acted in Hollywood films like The Thin Ice.
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(1912-1969)
Film Actress, Ice Skater
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Erich Honecker
Political Leader / 1912 - 1994
German Communist Erich Honecker oversaw the building of the Berlin Wall, then watched it be torn down. He was forced to resign as head of East Germany in 1989.
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(1912-1994)
Political Leader
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Kim Il-sung
Military Leader, World Leader, Prime Minister / 1912 - 1994
Kim Il-sung was the leader of North Korea from 1948 until his death in 1994, heading a communist and highly militaristic administration.
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(1912-1994)
Military Leader, World Leader, Prime Minister
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Lady Bird Johnson
Women's Rights Activist, U.S. First Lady / 1912 - 2007
The wife of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson served as first lady from 1963 to 1969.
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(1912-2007)
Women's Rights Activist, U.S. First Lady
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Chuck Jones
Artist, Entrepreneur, Director, Screenwriter / 1912 - 2002
Chuck Jones was an animation director of critically acclaimed cartoon shorts including the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies film series at Warner Bros. studios.
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(1912-2002)
Artist, Entrepreneur, Director, Screenwriter
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Garson Kanin
Director / 1912 - 1999
Garson Kanin directed Hollywood films for RKO studios, but is best known for the freelance projects he collaborated with his wife, actress Ruth Gordon.
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(1912-1999)
Director
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Gene Kelly
Film Actor, Dancer / 1912 - 1996
Gene Kelly was a dancer whose athletic style transformed the movie musical and did much to change the American public's conception of male dancers.
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(1912-1996)
Film Actor, Dancer
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Dan Kiley
Architect / 1912 - 2004
Dan Kiley was an urban designer. He worked with prominent architects during and after the 1940s. His projects include the Dulles Airport.
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(1912-2004)
Architect
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Art Linkletter
Radio Personality, Television Personality, Author / 1912 - 2010
Art Linkletter was a family-friendly radio and television personality who incorporated ordinary people into his broadcasts with comic results.
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(1912-2010)
Radio Personality, Television Personality, Author
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Karl Malden
Film Actor, Television Actor / 1912 - 2009
Karl Malden has established a venerable career as a character actor, appearing in close to seventy films in his fifty years in Hollywood.
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(1912-2009)
Film Actor, Television Actor
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Thomas H. Moorer
Military Leader, Political Leader / 1912 - 2004
Thomas H. Moorer was a U.S. Navy admiral and naval aviator who later served as chief of naval operations (1967-70), and then as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1970-4).
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(1912-2004)
Military Leader, Political Leader
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Vo Nguyen Giap
Military Leader, Political Leader / 1912 -
Vo Nguyen Giap is a military and political leader whose guerrilla tactics have led Vietnam to key military victories over the years.
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(1912-)
Military Leader, Political Leader
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Pat Nixon
Children's Activist, Political Leader, U.S. First Lady / 1912 - 1993
Pat Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, the 37th president of the United States. As first lady, she traveled extensively and championed volunteerism.
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(1912-1993)
Children's Activist, Political Leader, U.S. First Lady
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George E. Palade
Biologist / 1912 - 2008
Biologist George Emil Palade studied cell structure and discovered ribosomes. He won a 1974 Nobel Prize for his research.
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(1912-2008)
Biologist
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Gordon Parks
Photographer, Director, Songwriter, Pianist, Writer / 1912 - 2006
Gordon Parks was an African-American photographer, filmmaker and author, best known for his work published in LIFE magazine and for directing the hit movie Shaft.
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(1912-2006)
Photographer, Director, Songwriter, Pianist, Writer
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Jackson Pollock
Painter / 1912 - 1956
Famous 20th century artist Jackson Pollock revolutionized the world of modern art with his unique abstract painting techniques.
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(1912-1956)
Painter
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Carlo Ponti
Producer / 1912 - 2007
Carlo Ponti produced more than 150 films, including La strada, War and Peace and Doctor Zhivago. He discovered and was married to actress Sophia Loren.
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(1912-2007)
Producer
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Bayard Rustin
Civil Rights Activist / 1912 - 1987
Bayard Rustin was a civil rights organizer and activist, best known for his work as adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1950s and '60s.
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(1912-1987)
Civil Rights Activist
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May Sarton
Journalist, Author, Poet / 1912 - 1995
May Sarton was a writer of poetry, novels and memoirs including her Journal of a Solitude.
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(1912-1995)
Journalist, Author, Poet
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Sam Shaw
Photographer / 1912 - 1999
Photographer Sam Shaw is remembered for his iconic images of such stars as Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando. He also produced several films, including 1961's Paris Blues.
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(1912-1999)
Photographer
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Sam Snead
Golfer / 1912 - 2002
Sam Snead was an American pro golfer who won a record 82 PGA tournaments.
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(1912-2002)
Golfer
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Elizabeth Coles Taylor
Author / 1912 - 1975
Elizabeth Coles Taylor was a popular English novelist who portrays with flawless accuracy the behavior of women during her time.
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(1912-1975)
Author
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Studs Terkel
Radio Talk Show Host, Journalist / 1912 - 2008
Studs Terkel was a Pulitzer Prize-winning oral historian who compiled books of interviews with everyday people.
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(1912-2008)
Radio Talk Show Host, Journalist
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Barbara Tuchman
Historian, Journalist / 1912 - 1989
Barbara Tuchman, American historian and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, is best known for writing The Guns of August and Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45.
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(1912-1989)
Historian, Journalist
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Alan Turing
Educator, Mathematician / 1912 - 1954
Famed mathematician Alan Turing proved in his 1936 paper, "On Computable Numbers," that a universal algorithmic method of determining truth in math cannot exist.
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(1912-1954)
Educator, Mathematician
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Wernher von Braun
Engineer, Scientist / 1912 - 1977
Wernher von Braun was a German engineer who worked on rocket technology, first for Germany and then for the United States.
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(1912-1977)
Engineer, Scientist
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Raoul Wallenberg
Activist, Diplomat / 1912 - 1947
Swedish businessman and diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is best known for saving thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II.
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(1912-1947)
Activist, Diplomat
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Teddy Wilson
Pianist / 1912 - 1986
Teddy Wilson was an influential pianist of jazz and swing. He played and recorded with jazz greats such as Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman and Ella Fitzgerald.
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(1912-1986)
Pianist
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Minoru Yamasaki
Educator, Architect / 1912 - 1986
Minoru Yamasaki is an American architect designed the original World Trade Center complex and the Twin Towers.
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(1912-1986)
Educator, Architect