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Don Ameche
Film Actor, Television Actor / 1908 - 1993
Don Ameche was an actor know mostly for films in the 1930s and 1940s, radio and TV in the 1950s-1970s, and later the film Trading Places.
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(1908-1993)
Film Actor, Television Actor
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Tammy Baldwin
U.S. Representative / 1962 -
Tammy Baldwin is the first openly gay politician elected to the U.S. Senate. She is also Wisconsin's first congresswoman.
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(1962-)
U.S. Representative
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John Bardeen
Educator, Inventor, Physicist / 1908 - 1991
Physicist John Bardeen was co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1956 for inventing the transistor, and in 1972 for the theory of superconductivity.
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(1908-1991)
Educator, Inventor, Physicist
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Mary Brunner
Criminal / 1943 -
Mary Brunner, a member of Charles Manson's "Family," was in jail at the time of the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, thereby precluding her participation.
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(1943-)
Criminal
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Walter B. Cannon
Neurologist, Physiologist / 1871 - 1945
Walter Cannon was a neurologist and physiologist and the first to use X-rays in physiological studies
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(1871-1945)
Neurologist, Physiologist
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Carrie Chapman Catt
Women's Rights Activist / 1859 - 1947
Women’s rights activist and suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt came up with the “Winning Plan” to pass the 19th amendment in 1920.
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(1859-1947)
Women's Rights Activist
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Willem Dafoe
Film Actor / 1955 -
Willem Dafoe is a gravelly voiced actor known for such films as Platoon, The Last Temptation of Christ and Finding Nemo.
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(1955-)
Film Actor
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Jeffrey Dahmer
Serial Killer / 1960 - 1994
Notorious sex offender and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 men between from 1978 to 1991. He was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms, and then murdered by a fellow prison inmate in 1994.
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(1960-1994)
Serial Killer
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Arthur Davidson
Entrepreneur / 1881 - 1950
Arthur Davidson was one of the four founders of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.
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(1881-1950)
Entrepreneur
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Chris Farley
Actor / 1964 - 1997
Comedian and actor Chris Farley had an ensemble role on Saturday Night Live, and was also know for his movie roles in the comedies Wayne's World and Tommy Boy.
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(1964-1997)
Actor
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Billie Frechette
Theater Actress, Criminal, Singer / 1907 - 1969
Evelyn "Billie" Frechette fell in love and lived with bank robber John Dillinger. She was arrested and served two years in prison for harboring a criminal.
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(1907-1969)
Theater Actress, Criminal, Singer
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Ed Gein
Serial Killer / 1906 - 1984
Ed Gein was a notorious serial killer and grave robber. He inspired the creation of several film characters, including Norman Bates (Psycho), Jame Gumb (The Silence of the Lambs) and Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre).
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(1906-1984)
Serial Killer
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Greg Graffin
Musician / 1963 -
Greg Graffin is the frontman of the punk group Bad Religion, which created albums like How Could Hell Be Any Worse? and Into the Unknown.
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(1963-)
Musician
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William S. Harley
Entrepreneur, Engineer / 1880 - 1943
William S. Harley was an American entrepreneur and one of the founders of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.
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(1880-1943)
Entrepreneur, Engineer
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Woody Herman
Songwriter, Conductor, Saxophonist, Singer / 1913 - 1987
Woody Herman was a clarinetist, saxophonist, singer and leader of one of the most popular big bands in jazz.
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(1913-1987)
Songwriter, Conductor, Saxophonist, Singer
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Lewis Hine
Photographer / 1874 - 1940
Lewis Hines was a photographer known for his documentation of exploited child workers and government projects.
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(1874-1940)
Photographer
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Al Jarreau
Theater Actor, Television Actor, Songwriter, Singer / 1940 -
Al Jarreau is quintessential contemporary jazz artist, and the only vocalist in music history to receive Grammy awards in jazz, pop, and R&B categories.
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(1940-)
Theater Actor, Television Actor, Songwriter, Singer
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Colin Kaepernick
Football Player / 1987 -
National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the starting QB for the San Francisco 49ers. In 2012 he led the franchise to Super Bowl XLVII.
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(1987-)
Football Player
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George F. Kennan
Historian, Diplomat, Academic Author / 1904 - 2005
George F. Kennan served as a U.S. diplomat from 1926 to 1953. He wrote a famous Foreign Affairs article, "The Sources of Soviet Conduct," under the pen name Mr. X.
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(1904-2005)
Historian, Diplomat, Academic Author
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Ron Kovic
Anti-War Activist / 1946 -
Vietnam War veteran and anti-war activist Ron Kovic wrote the autobiography Born on the Fourth of July, the basis of the Oliver Stone film starring Tom Cruise.
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(1946-)
Anti-War Activist
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Robert M. La Follette
Civil Rights Activist, Women's Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, U.S. Representative, U.S. Governor / 1855 - 1925
Robert M. La Follette was an American Republican best known as a proponent of progressivism and a fierce opponent to corporate power.
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(1855-1925)
Civil Rights Activist, Women's Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, U.S. Representative, U.S. Governor
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Curly Lambeau
Coach, Football Player / 1898 - 1965
American Football Hall of Famer Curly Lambeau founded the Green Bay Packers and coached the team to six NFL championships.
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(1898-1965)
Coach, Football Player
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Liberace
Pianist / 1919 - 1987
Liberace was a flamboyant pianist who twice had his own TV show and frequently performed in Las Vegas.
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(1919-1987)
Pianist
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Fredric March
Film Actor, Theater Actor / 1897 - 1975
Actor Frederic March won his first Oscar for the title role in the 1931 film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. His stage and film career lasted until 1973.
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(1897-1975)
Film Actor, Theater Actor
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Marissa Mayer
Business Leader, Computer Programmer, Engineer / 1975 -
Marissa Mayer led the development of Google's most successful products for more than 10 years and was appointed CEO of Yahoo in 2012, at the age of 37.
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(1975-)
Business Leader, Computer Programmer, Engineer
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Joseph McCarthy
U.S. Representative / 1908 - 1957
Senator Joseph McCarthy charged that communists had infiltrated the U.S. State Department. He became chair of the Senate's subcommittee on investigations.
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(1908-1957)
U.S. Representative
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Al Molinaro
Television Actor / 1919 -
American character actor Al Molinaro was loved by television audiences for his recurring roles on The Odd Couple and Happy Days.
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(1919-)
Television Actor
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Chris Noth
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor / 1954 -
Chris Noth is an actor who is best know for his roles as a detective on the television drama series Law & Order and as Big on HBO's Sex in the City.
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(1954-)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
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Georgia O'Keeffe
Painter / 1887 - 1986
Georgia O'Keefe is a 20th century American painter best known for her flower canvases and southwestern landscapes.
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(1887-1986)
Painter
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Danica Patrick
Race Car Driver, Television Personality / 1982 -
Danica Patrick is a female race car driver and has set several records for women drivers, including becoming the first woman to lead the Indy 500 and the first woman to win the pole position at the Daytona 500.
See full bio
(1982-)
Race Car Driver, Television Personality
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Les Paul
Inventor, Guitarist / 1915 - 2009
Les Paul was a musician who designed a solid-body guitar in 1941, which then was a new type of instrument.
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(1915-2009)
Inventor, Guitarist
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Charlotte Rae
Actress, Singer / 1926 -
Actress Charlotte Rae is best known for her role as Mrs. Garrett on the TV series Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life.
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(1926-)
Actress, Singer
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William Rehnquist
Supreme Court Justice / 1924 - 2005
William Rehnquist was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Richard Nixon in 1971. He was elevated to the post of chief justice by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. He remained chief justice until his death in 2005.
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(1924-2005)
Supreme Court Justice
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Mark Ruffalo
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor / 1967 -
Mark Ruffalo is an actor who has become known most recently for his portrayal of Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the movie The Avengers.
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(1967-)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
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Paul Ryan
U.S. Representative / 1970 -
U.S. Representative Paul Ryan is a Republican from Wisconsin known for his conservative positions. In the 2012 presidential election, Ryan was the running mate of Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who was defeated by President Barack Obama.
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(1970-)
U.S. Representative
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Alice Sebold
Educator, Author, Poet / 1963 -
Alice Sebold is an American writer and best-selling author of the book, The Lovely Bones, which has been hailed the most successful debut novel since Gone with the Wind.
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(1963-)
Educator, Author, Poet
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Tony Shalhoub
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor / 1953 -
Tony Shalhoub is an actor known for his quirky lead role on the TV show Monk, among many others.
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(1953-)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
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Mona Simpson
Author / 1957 -
Born in 1957, Mona Simpson spent her early years in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She moved with her mother to Los Angeles as a teenager. While earning her M.F.A. degree at Columbia, Simpson became an editor at the Paris Review. She won accolades for her first novel Anywhere But Here (1986). After that initial success, Simpson has continued to produce well-regarded literary works, including My Hollywood (2010).
See full bio
(1957-)
Author
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Tom Snyder
Radio Talk Show Host, Talk Show Host, News Anchor / 1936 - 2007
Tom Snyder co-anchored the first noon news show in the country. He was the host of the NBC interview show Tomorrow and The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder.
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(1936-2007)
Radio Talk Show Host, Talk Show Host, News Anchor
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Gustav Stickley
Entrepreneur / 1858 - 1942
American designer Gustav Stickley created the simple and functional Craftsman furniture that became highly popular in the early 20th century.
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(1858-1942)
Entrepreneur
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Spencer Tracy
Film Actor, Theater Actor / 1900 - 1967
Spencer Tracy was one of Hollywood's greatest film stars. He appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967 and was nominated for five Academy Awards, two of which he won.
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(1900-1967)
Film Actor, Theater Actor
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Bob Uecker
Baseball Player, Television Personality / 1935 -
With his likable personality, Bob Uecker became much more famous as a baseball commentator and actor than he ever was as a player.
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(1935-)
Baseball Player, Television Personality
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Orson Welles
Film Actor, Director / 1915 - 1985
Orson Welles wrote, directed and starred in the film Citizen Kane, among others, which remains one of the most influential films ever made.
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(1915-1985)
Film Actor, Director
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Gene Wilder
Actor, Comedian, Author / 1933 -
Actor Gene Wilder became a children's hero as the star of Mel Brook's film adaptation of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
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(1933-)
Actor, Comedian, Author
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Laura Ingalls Wilder
Educator, Journalist, Author / 1867 - 1957
Pioneer author Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the autobiographical “Little House” kids’ book series, the basis of the popular television show Little House on the Prairie.
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(1867-1957)
Educator, Journalist, Author
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Thornton Wilder
Author, Playwright / 1897 - 1975
Thornton Wilder is a multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and playwright known for works like The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Ides of March and Our Town.
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(1897-1975)
Author, Playwright
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Frank Lloyd Wright
Architect / 1867 - 1959
Frank Lloyd Wright was a modern architect who developed an organic and distinctly American style. He designed numerous iconic buildings.
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(1867-1959)
Architect