t
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Helen Thomas
Television Personality, Journalist / 1920 -
Helen Thomas was the first female member of the White House press corps and the United Press International’s first female White House bureau chief.
See full bio
(1920-)
Television Personality, Journalist
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Dorothy Thompson
Radio Personality, Journalist / 1893 - 1961
Outspoken and ambitious, Dorothy Thompson became a well-known journalist during the 1930s to the 1950s.
See full bio
(1893-1961)
Radio Personality, Journalist
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Fred Thompson
Film Actor, Television Actor, U.S. Representative / 1942 -
Attorney and actor Fred Thompson was on the Watergate Committee and served in the U.S. Senate. Also an actor, he played Arthur Branch on Law & Order.
See full bio
(1942-)
Film Actor, Television Actor, U.S. Representative
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E.L. Thorndike
Academic, Psychologist / 1874 - 1949
Educational psychologist E.L. Thorndike pioneered the fields of animal learning and behavioral psychology with his theory of connectionism.
See full bio
(1874-1949)
Academic, Psychologist
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Billy Bob Thornton
Film Actor, Director / 1955 -
Billy Bob Thornton is an actor who has appeared in such films as Monster's Ball and who wrote, directed, and starred in Sling Blade.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1955-)
Film Actor, Director
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Wallace Henry Thurman
Literary Critic, Editor, Author, Playwright / 1902 - 1934
Wallace Henry Thurman was an African-American literary figure associated with the Harlem Renaissance.
See full bio
(1902-1934)
Literary Critic, Editor, Author, Playwright
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Benjamin Ryan Tillman
Governor, U.S. Representative / 1847 - 1918
Benjamin Tillman, Pitchfork Ben, is best known as the former governor of South Carolina and white supremacist.
See full bio
(1847-1918)
Governor, U.S. Representative
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Chris Tucker
Actor, Comedian / 1972 -
Actor and comedian Chris Tucker came to fame playing Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series.
See full bio
(1972-)
Actor, Comedian
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Shania Twain
Songwriter, Singer / 1965 -
Shania Twain is a Canadian country and pop singer and songwriter, best known for the albums The Woman in Me and Come on Over.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1965-)
Songwriter, Singer
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Jeff Tweedy
Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer / 1967 -
Jeff Tweedy is a singer and songwriter who belongs to the influential alternative rock band Wilco.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1967-)
Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer
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.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1950-1994)
Serial Killer, Journalist
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Michael Urie
Actor / 1980 -
Michael Urie is an award-winning theater and television actor best known for his role as the catty Marc St. James on Ugly Betty.
See full bio
(1980-)
Actor
v
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Joran van der Sloot
Murderer / 1987 -
Joran van der Sloot was charged in Peru with the murder of Stephany Flores Ramirez and is suspected in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway.
See full bio
(1987-)
Murderer
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Leslie Van Houten
Criminal / 1949 -
Leslie Van Houten was a member of Charles Manson's "Family," and was convicted of the 1969 murder of Rosemary LaBianca, orchestrated by Manson.
See full bio
(1949-)
Criminal
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Melvin Van Peebles
Film Actor, Director, Producer, Playwright, Screenwriter / 1932 -
Melvin Van Peebles was a filmmaker and auteur who pioneered the "blaxsploitation" genre of African American action films in the 1970s.
See full bio
(1932-)
Film Actor, Director, Producer, Playwright, Screenwriter
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James Van Praagh
Television Producer / 1958 -
James Van Praagh has worked as a psychic medium and popular media figure, and is also the bestselling author of the book Talking to Heaven.
See full bio
(1958-)
Television Producer
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John Venn
Mathematician / 1834 - 1923
Mathematician John Venn developed George Boole's symbolic logic and is best known for Venn diagrams, which pictorially represent the relations between sets.
See full bio
(1834-1923)
Mathematician
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Jorge Rafaél Videla
Murderer, General, World Leader / 1925 -
Military officer Jorge Rafaél Videla was president of Argentina 1976–1981. His government was responsible for human-rights abuses during the “dirty war.”
See full bio
(1925-)
Murderer, General, World Leader
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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Author, Playwright, Poet / 1749 - 1832
Poet, novelist, and playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe provided the Sturm und Drang movement with its first novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther.
See full bio
(1749-1832)
Author, Playwright, Poet
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Louis Vuitton
Entrepreneur, Fashion Designer / 1821 - 1892
Louis Vuitton was a French entrepreneur and designer whose name has become iconic in the fashion world.
See full bio
(1821-1892)
Entrepreneur, Fashion Designer
w
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Porter Wagoner
Songwriter, Singer / 1927 - 2007
Country singer Porter Wagoner is best remembered for his flashy handmade rhinestone suits and blond pompadour on his TV show, "The Porter Wagoner Show."
See full bio
(1927-2007)
Songwriter, Singer
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Donnie Wahlberg
Film Actor, Television Actor, Singer / 1969 -
Donnie Wahlberg was a member of the 1980s pop group New Kids on the Block (reunited in 2008), and is the brother of actor and rapper Mark Wahlberg.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1969-)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Singer
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Jimmy Wales
Entrepreneur / 1966 -
American entrepreneur Jimmy Wales co-founded Wikipedia, a free Internet-based encyclopedia operating under an open-source management style.
See full bio
(1966-)
Entrepreneur
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George Wallace
Judge, U.S. Governor / 1919 - 1998
Alabama governor George Wallace entered the
national spotlight during the 1960s by
opposing the integration of Alabama
schools.
See full bio
(1919-1998)
Judge, U.S. Governor
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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.
See full bio
(1912-1947)
Activist, Diplomat
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Quvenzhané Wallis
Film Actress / 2003 -
Quvenzhané Wallis is an actress best known for her Academy Award-nominated role as Hushpuppy in the 2012 film Beasts of the Southern Wild.
See full bio
(2003-)
Film Actress
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Kerri Walsh-Jennings
Athlete / 1978 -
Kerri Walsh-Jennings is a professional beach volleyball player and three-time Olympic gold medalist. She is the longtime competitive partner of Misty May-Treanor.
See full bio
(1978-)
Athlete
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Andy Warhol
Painter, Filmmaker / 1928 - 1987
Illustrator Andy Warhol was one of the most prolific and popular artists of his time, using both avant-garde and highly commercial sensibilities.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1928-1987)
Painter, Filmmaker
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Lesley Ann Warren
Film Actress, Television Actress / 1946 -
Lesley Ann Warren is an actress known for her roles on TV shows such as Desperate Housewives and in films such as Cat Ballou, Victor Victoria and Pure Country.
See full bio
(1946-)
Film Actress, Television Actress
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Dinah Washington
Singer / 1924 - 1963
Dinah Washington was a singer noted for her gospel-inspired delivery and string of top 10 rhythm-and-blues hits.
See full bio
(1924-1963)
Singer
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Kenny Washington
Football Player / 1918 - 1971
Kenny Washington was one of the first African American college gridiron football stars on the West Coast and one of two black players to reintegrate the NFL.
See full bio
(1918-1971)
Football Player
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Caspar Weinberger
Lawyer, Government Official / 1917 - 2003
Caspar Weinberger served in three U.S. presidential administrations. He was appointed Secretary of Defense after Reagan’s election in 1980.
See full bio
(1917-2003)
Lawyer, Government Official
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Florence Welch
Singer / 1986 -
Florence Welch is the lead singer of the English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. She can be heard on popular songs such as "Kiss with a Fist" and "Shake It Out."
See full bio
(1986-)
Singer
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Kitty Wells
Songwriter, Singer / 1919 - 2012
A country music legend, Kitty Wells had a string of hits in the 1950s and '60s, including "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels."
See full bio
(1919-2012)
Songwriter, Singer
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Wim Wenders
Director / 1945 -
Wim Wenders is a German film director who, along with Fassbinder and Herzog, was one of the principal members of the New German Cinema of the 1970s.
See full bio
(1945-)
Director
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Mae West
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Pin-up / 1893 - 1980
Mae West started in Vaudeville and on the stage in New York, and later moved to Hollywood to star in films known for their blunt sexuality and steamy settings.
See full bio
(1893-1980)
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Pin-up
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Jack Weston
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor / 1924 - 1996
Actor Jack Weston was a regular as a character actor in a variety of 1950s television shows and enjoyed constant film work in the 1960s and 1970s.
See full bio
(1924-1996)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
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Meg Whitman
Business Leader / 1956 -
Meg Whitman is the successful corporate executive, serving as CEO of eBay and later Hewlett Packard. In 2010 she lost her bid to win the California governorship.
See full bio
(1956-)
Business Leader
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Kristen Wiig
Film Actress, Television Actress, Comedian / 1973 -
Comedian Kristen Wiig's Saturday Night Live characters Penelope and Gilly, and spot-on impressions of Suze Orman and Nancy Pelosi, have become fan favorites.
See full bio
(1973-)
Film Actress, Television Actress, Comedian
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William Wilberforce
Philanthropist, Political Leader / 1759 - 1833
William Wilberforce was a British politician who spent his life fighting to end slavery in the UK and abroad.
See full bio
(1759-1833)
Philanthropist, Political Leader
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Roy Wilkins
Civil Rights Activist, Editor, Journalist / 1901 - 1981
Roy Wilkins was best known as the executive director of the NAACP and a leader of the African-American civil rights movement.
See full bio
(1901-1981)
Civil Rights Activist, Editor, Journalist
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William IV
King / 1765 - 1837
William IV was king of Great Britain and Ireland and king of Hanover in the early 19th century.
See full bio
(1765-1837)
King
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Cindy Williams
Film Actress, Television Actress / 1947 -
Actress Cindy Williams played Shirley Feeney in ABC's long-running hit series Laverne & Shirley. She was also in George Lucas's classic film American Graffiti.
See full bio
(1947-)
Film Actress, Television Actress
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Esther Williams
Film Actress, Entrepreneur, Pin-up, Professional Swimmer / 1921 -
Actress Esther Williams, nicknamed “America’s Mermaid,” helped popularize synchronized swimming through a string of hugely popular films in the 1940s and 1950s.
See full bio
(1921-)
Film Actress, Entrepreneur, Pin-up, Professional Swimmer
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Ted Williams
Baseball Player, Coach / 1918 - 2002
Baseball legend Ted Williams was best known as the Boston Red Sox Player who had a contentious relationship with Boston fans, who he refused to tip his hat to during his career.
See full bio
(1918-2002)
Baseball Player, Coach
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Chandra Wilson
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress / 1969 -
Actress Chandra Wilson is perhaps best know for her role as Dr. Miranda Bailey on ABC’s hit prime-time series Grey’s Anatomy.
See full bio
(1969-)
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress
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Richard Wilson
Painter / 1714 - 1782
Richard Wilson is one of Britain's earliest landscape painters and is best known for the picturesque effects and serenity in his pieces.
See full bio
(1714-1782)
Painter
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Shelley Winters
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Pin-up / 1920 - 2006
Shelley Winters was a popular American actress who is perhaps most remembered for her starring role in the 1951 film A Place in the Sun, for which won an Oscar.
See full bio
(1920-2006)
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Pin-up
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Lee Ann Womack
Songwriter, Singer / 1966 -
Country music singer and songwriter Lee Ann Womack's album I Hope You Dance (2000), sold more than 3 million copies driven by the hit title single.
See full bio
(1966-)
Songwriter, Singer
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Lynette Woodard
Basketball Player / 1959 -
Lynette Woodard is a professional basketball player who made history in 1985 when she became first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters.
See full bio
(1959-)
Basketball Player
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Steve Wozniak
Entrepreneur, Computer Programmer, Engineer, Inventor / 1950 -
Steve Wozniak is an American computer scientist best known as one of the founders of Apple and the inventor of the Apple II computer.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1950-)
Entrepreneur, Computer Programmer, Engineer, Inventor
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Orville Wright
Inventor / 1871 - 1948
Orville Wright is best known for inventing the airplane with his brother, Wilbur.
See full bio
(1871-1948)
Inventor
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Walter Bigelow Wriston
Business Leader / 1919 - 2005
Walter Bigelow Wriston was president and chairman of Citibank and introduced the world to the ATM.
See full bio
(1919-2005)
Business Leader
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Jane Wyatt
Theater Actress, Television Actress / 1910 - 2006
Emmy-award winning actress Jane Wyatt is best known for her role as housewife and mother Margaret Anderson on the CBS television sitcom Father Knows Best.
See full bio
(1910-2006)
Theater Actress, Television Actress
x
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Deng Xiaoping
Political Leader / 1904 - 1997
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese communist leader, the most powerful figure in the People's Republic of China from the late 1970s until his death in 1997.
See full bio
(1904-1997)
Political Leader
y
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Carl Yastrzemski
Baseball Player / 1939 -
Professional baseball player Carl Yastrzemski is regarded as one of the greatest defensive left fielders in Red Sox history.
See full bio
(1939-)
Baseball Player
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Adam Yauch
Rapper / 1964 - 2012
Adam Yauch (aka MCA) was a co-founder and member of the Beastie Boys, the popular rap group.
See full bio
(1964-2012)
Rapper
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Michelle Yeoh
Film Actress / 1962 -
Michelle Yeoh is a Chinese actress and dancer known for her roles in Hong Kong action and martial arts films and for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1962-)
Film Actress
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Lester Young
Saxophonist / 1909 - 1959
Lester Young was a saxophonist who introduced an approach to improvisation that provided much of the basis for modern jazz solo conception.
See full bio
(1909-1959)
Saxophonist
z
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Emiliano Zapata
Military Leader / 1879 - 1919
Emiliano Zapata was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), during which he formed and commanded the Liberation Army of the South, an important revolutionary brigade. Followers of Zapata were known as Zapatistas.
See full bio
(1879-1919)
Military Leader
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Jiang Zemin
World Leader / 1926 -
Jiang Zemin was president of China from 1993-2003 and worked to improve relations with the United States.
See full bio
(1926-)
World Leader
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Muhammad Zia ul-Haq
World Leader / 1924 - 1988
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was Pakistani chief of Army staff, chief martial-law administrator, and president of Pakistan (1978–88).
See full bio
(1924-1988)
World Leader