Jean-Pierre Blancard was a French balloonist who crossed the English Channel by balloon in 1785. He spurred interest in ballooning in Europe and the United States.
1753-1809
Calvin Coolidge was president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Coolidge was known for his quiet demeanor, which earned him the nickname "Silent Cal."
1872-1933
Composer Stephen Foster is lauded as the progenitor of American popular music, penning classics like “Oh! Susanna” and “Swanee River.”
1826-1864
1807-1882
1921-2004
American cartoonist Rube Goldberg was best known for his work satirizing America's obsession with technology. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for his editorial cartoon "Peace Today."
1883-1970
1804-1864
1920-2007
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.
1946-
Ann Landers was the famous advice columnist who developed a newspaper readership counting into the millions.
1918-2002
1902-1983
Louis B. Mayer was a film mogul and the most influential person in Hollywood from the mid-1920s to the late-1940s.
1885-1957
Michael N Milken is known as the "junk bond king." He was indicted for racketeering and securities fraud and served two years in prison.
1946-
Actor George Murphy starred in more than 45 films, including Little Miss Broadway opposite Shirley Temple. In 1964, he was elected to represent California in the U.S. Senate.
1902-1992
1943-
Tokyo Rose, whose real name was Iva Toguri, was an American-born Japanese woman who hosted a Japanese propaganda radio program aimed at U.S. troops during World War II.
1916-2006
Writer for stage and screen Neil Simon penned some of America's most popular plays, including Barefoot in the Park (1963) and The Odd Couple (1965).
1927-
William Thomas Stead was a writer of journalistic pieces and ghost stories whose life came to an end on the Titanic.
1849-1912
1930-2010
Pauline Phillips, best known by the pen name "Abigail Van Buren," was one of America's most adored advice columnists as the author of "Dear Abby." She was the twin sister of columnist Ann Landers.
1918-2013
1950-