t
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Christy Turlington
Model / 1969 -
Christy Turlington is one of America’s most successful models. Best known for her work for Maybelline, she has appeared on more than 300 magazine covers.
See full bio
(1969-)
Model
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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.
See full bio
(1935-)
Baseball Player, Television Personality
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Eddie Van Halen
Musician / 1955 -
Guitarist Eddie Van Halen gave his name and amazing talent to a band that dominated the heavy metal scene (and the top 40 charts) in the 1970s and 80s.
See full bio
(1955-)
Musician
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Boris Vasilyevich Spassky
Chess Player / 1937 -
Boris Vasilyevich Spassky is a Russian chess master who attained the rank of international grand master in 1955.
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(1937-)
Chess Player
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Fred Vinson
Judge, Supreme Court Justice, U.S. Representative / 1890 - 1953
Fred Vinson was the 13th chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. He also served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
See full bio
(1890-1953)
Judge, Supreme Court Justice, U.S. Representative
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Vivekananda
Activist, Religious Leader / 1863 - 1902
Vivekananda was a spiritual leader and activist who attempted to combine Indian spirituality with Western ideas.
See full bio
(1863-1902)
Activist, Religious Leader
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Friedrich von Schelling
Philosopher / 1775 - 1854
German philosopher Friedrich von Schelling explored the concept of freedom in his 1809 book, Of Human Freedom. Immanuel Kant largely inspired his work.
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(1775-1854)
Philosopher
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Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Writer / 1938 -
Writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o became East Africa's leading novelist with books like Weep Not, Child (1964), A Grain of Wheat (1967) and The River Between (1965).
See full bio
(1938-)
Writer
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Dwyane Wade
Basketball Player / 1982 -
Basketball star Dwyane Wade plays as a guard for the Miami Heat, with which he has won two NBA Championships, in 2006 and 2012.
See full bio
(1982-)
Basketball Player
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Derek Walcott
Playwright, Poet / 1930 -
Derek Walcott is a West Indian poet and playwright noted for works that explore the Caribbean cultural experience.
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(1930-)
Playwright, Poet
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Kerry Washington
Activist, Film Actress, Television Actress / 1977 -
Kerry Washington has appeared in such films as Ray, She Hate Me, The Last King of Scotland and Django Unchained (2013). She also stars on the TV series Scandal.
See full bio
(1977-)
Activist, Film Actress, Television Actress
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Paul Watkins
1950 - 1990
Paul Watkins, a member of Charles Manson's "family," was not involved in the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, but testified for the prosecution in the Manson trial, specifically about Manson's theory of "Helter Skelter."
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(1950-1990)
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Emily Watson
Actress / 1967 -
British actress Emily Watson won acclaim with film roles such as Bess McNeil in Breaking the Waves, and the title character in Angela's Ashes.
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(1967-)
Actress
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John B. Watson
Psychologist, Academic Author / 1878 - 1958
Psychologist John B. Watson is remembered for codifying and publicizing behaviorism with his article “Psychology as a Behaviorist Views It” and other research.
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(1878-1958)
Psychologist, Academic Author
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Shawn Wayans
Film Actor / 1971 -
Shawn Wayan is an actor known for co-starring with his brother Marlon in various comic spoofs, including the Scary Movie franchise.
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(1971-)
Film Actor
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Anthony Wayne
General, U.S. Representative / 1745 - 1796
Anthony Wayne was an American general and U.S. Representative best known for winning the Battle of Fallen Timbers which removed Native American claims to Ohio and the surrounding area.
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(1745-1796)
General, U.S. Representative
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Randy Weaver
1948 -
Randy Weaver, former U.S. Army combat engineer, is best known for being at the center of a deadly confrontation with FBI agents at Ruby Ridge, Idaho in 1992.
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(1948-)
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Daniel Webster
Lawyer, U.S. Representative, Government Official / 1782 - 1852
Daniel Webster was an American lawyer and Whig Part leader who served as a congressman and secretary of state.
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(1782-1852)
Lawyer, U.S. Representative, Government Official
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Edith Wharton
Author / 1862 - 1937
Novelist Edith Wharton was born to an old New York family, but is better known for her books Ethan Frome and The Age of Innocence.
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(1862-1937)
Author
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Betty White
Animal Rights Activist, Television Actress, Comedian / 1922 -
Betty White is a comedic actress who has been in show business, from TV to film, since the 1950s, most notably on The Golden Girls.
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| Watch video
(1922-)
Animal Rights Activist, Television Actress, Comedian
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Leonard D. White
Historian, Political Scientist, Journalist / 1891 - 1958
Leonard White was a political scientist and historian who was a leading authority on public administration.
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(1891-1958)
Historian, Political Scientist, Journalist
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Douglas Wilder
Governor, Mayor / 1931 -
Douglas Wilder was the first African American to win statewide office in Virginia, and to be elected governor in the U.S.
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(1931-)
Governor, Mayor
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Daniel Hale Williams
Surgeon / 1856 - 1931
Daniel Hale Williams was a physician who performed the first known open-heart surgery in the United States and who founded a hospital with an interracial staff.
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(1856-1931)
Surgeon
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Lucinda Williams
Songwriter, Singer / 1953 -
Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams has won wide acclaim for such albums as 1998's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and 2011's Blessed.
See full bio
(1953-)
Songwriter, Singer
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Robert Woodrow Wilson
Astronomer, Physicist / 1936 -
Robert Woodrow Wilson is an American radio astronomer and physicist best known for the discovery that supported the big bang model of creation.
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(1936-)
Astronomer, Physicist
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Oprah Winfrey
Film Actress, Entrepreneur, Producer, Philanthropist, Talk Show Host, Television Producer / 1954 -
Billionaire Oprah Winfrey has hosted her own internationally popular talk show since 1986. She is also an actress, philanthropist, publisher, and producer.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1954-)
Film Actress, Entrepreneur, Producer, Philanthropist, Talk Show Host, Television Producer
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John Winthrop
U.S. Governor / 1588 - 1649
John Winthrop was the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the chief figure among the Puritan founders of New England.
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(1588-1649)
U.S. Governor
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Elijah Wood
Film Actor, Television Actor / 1981 -
Elijah Wood is known for playing the hobbit Frodo in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, as well as for parts in The Ice Storm, Sin City and Happy Feet.
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(1981-)
Film Actor, Television Actor
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Maud Wood Park
Women's Rights Activist / 1871 - 1955
Maud Wood Park was a women's rights activist who worked for the cause of suffrage. She was the first national president of the League of Women Voters.
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(1871-1955)
Women's Rights Activist
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Virginia Woolf
Journalist, Author / 1882 - 1941
English Writer Virginia Woolf became famous for her nonlinear prose style, especially noted in her novels Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse.
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(1882-1941)
Journalist, Author
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Jane Wyman
Actress / 1917 - 2007
Jane Wyman was a Academy Award-winning American screen actress who was also Ronald Reagan's first wife.
See full bio
(1917-2007)
Actress
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Steve Wynn
Entrepreneur / 1942 -
Casino resort developer Steve Wynn brought new life to the Las Vegas strip by renovating the Golden Nugget and opening The Mirage and The Bellagio.
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(1942-)
Entrepreneur
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Loretta Young
Actress / 1913 - 2000
Loretta young was a child actor who became one of Hollywood's leading ladies in the 1930s and 1940s.
See full bio
(1913-2000)
Actress
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Rob Zombie
Director, Singer / 1965 -
Singer-filmmaker Rob Zombie has delighted and shocked audiences with his horror-rock music and his scary, violent films.
See full bio
(1965-)
Director, Singer