a
-
Paula Abdul
Choreographer / 1962 -
Paula Abdul is best known for her hit songs and dancing in the 1990s, and for judging American Idol in the 2000s.
See full bio
(1962-)
Choreographer
-
Ayman al Zawahiri
Terrorist / 1951 -
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri trained as a surgeon before joining forces with Osama bin Laden and appearing on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list.
See full bio
(1951-)
Terrorist
-
José Gervasio Artigas
Military Leader, Political Leader / 1764 - 1850
Soldier and revolutionary leader José Gervasio Artigas is regarded as the father of Uruguayan independence, which occurred years after his exile.
See full bio
(1764-1850)
Military Leader, Political Leader
-
Madeleine Force Astor
1893 - 1940
Madeleine Force Astor married 47-year-old John Jacob Astor in her late teens. The marriage was cut short when he died in the sinking of the Titanic.
See full bio
(1893-1940)
b
-
Gilberto Benetton
Business Leader / 1941 -
Gilberto Benetton, from the wealthy Italian
Benetton family, is director of the Benetton Group, which includes The
United Colors of Benetton and other brands.
See full bio
(1941-)
Business Leader
d
-
George de Mestral
Engineer, Inventor / 1907 - 1990
Intrigued by burrs that stuck to his clothing, in 1956, Swiss engineer George de Mestral invented the popular fastener now known as Velcro®.
See full bio
(1907-1990)
Engineer, Inventor
-
Nick Drake
Musician / 1948 - 1974
The music of British singer-songwriter Nick Drake wasn't a hit during his lifetime, but his albums Fruit Tree and Pink Moon have gained fans over the years.
See full bio
(1948-1974)
Musician
-
Jean Dujardin
1972 -
Jean Dujardin is a French actor and comedian. He is the first French actor to win an Oscar for Best Actor, for his performance in the 2011 film The Artist.
See full bio
(1972-)
f
-
Lester Flatt
Guitarist / 1914 - 1979
Lester Flatt was best known for his bluegrass guitar stylings as part of the Foggy Mountain Boys and Flatt and Scruggs.
See full bio
(1914-1979)
Guitarist
-
Paul J. Flory
Educator, Activist, Chemist, Journalist / 1910 - 1985
American chemist Paul J. Flory won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1974 for his work with polymers, the building blocks of plastic and rubber.
See full bio
(1910-1985)
Educator, Activist, Chemist, Journalist
-
Abe Fortas
Lawyer, Supreme Court Justice / 1910 - 1982
Nominated to replace Earl Warren as chief justice in 1968, Abe Fortas became the first nominee for that post since 1795 to fail to win Senate approval.
See full bio
(1910-1982)
Lawyer, Supreme Court Justice
g
-
Lou Gehrig
Baseball Player / 1903 - 1941
Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig played for the New York Yankees in the 1920s and 1930s, setting the mark for consecutive games played. He died of ALS in 1941.
See full bio
(1903-1941)
Baseball Player
h
-
Moe Howard
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Comedian / 1897 - 1975
Moe Howard was the leader of the vaudeville and film comedy team, The Three Stooges.
See full bio
(1897-1975)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Comedian
m
-
Nancy Marchand
Actress / 1928 - 2000
Actress Nancy Marchand won Obie Awards for her stage work and Emmy Awards for her role on Lou Grant. She is also known for playing Livia on The Sopranos.
See full bio
(1928-2000)
Actress
-
Shirley Muldowney
Race Car Driver / 1940 -
Shirley Muldowney is recognized as one of the top professional car racers in the world, having earned the moniker "First Lady of Drag Racing."
See full bio
| Watch video
(1940-)
Race Car Driver
p
-
Blaise Pascal
Philosopher, Mathematician, Theologian, Physicist / 1623 - 1662
Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist and religious philosopher, who laid the foundation for the modern theory of probabilities.
See full bio
(1623-1662)
Philosopher, Mathematician, Theologian, Physicist
-
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.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1915-2009)
Inventor, Guitarist
r
-
Phylicia Rashad
Theater Actress, Television Actress / 1948 -
Phylicia Rashad is an Toby-winning African American actress who is best known as Clair Huxtable on NBC sitcom The Cosby Show.
See full bio
(1948-)
Theater Actress, Television Actress
-
José Rizal
Activist, Doctor, Journalist / 1861 - 1896
José Rizal was a patriot, physician and man of letters who was an inspiration to the Philippine nationalist movement.
See full bio
(1861-1896)
Activist, Doctor, Journalist
-
Salman Rushdie
Author / 1947 -
Salman Rushdie is a British-Indian novelist best known for the novels Midnight's Children (1981) and The Satanic Verses (1988), for which he was accused of blasphemy against Islam.
See full bio
(1947-)
Author
s
-
Zoe Saldana
Actress, Model / 1978 -
Zoe Saldana is a trained dancer who's become a leading actress in Hollywood, having starred in blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek and Avatar.
See full bio
(1978-)
Actress, Model
-
Aung San Suu Kyi
Activist, Political Leader / 1945 -
Aung San Suu Kyi is an opposition leader in her home country of Myanmar and the winner of the 1991 Nobel Prize for Peace.
See full bio
(1945-)
Activist, Political Leader
-
Mia Sara
Film Actress, Television Actress / 1967 -
A film and TV actress Mia Sara is best known for her role as Sloan Peterson, the girlfriend of Ferris Bueller in John Hughes's 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
See full bio
(1967-)
Film Actress, Television Actress
-
Wallis Simpson
Duchess / 1896 - 1986
American socialite Wallis Simpson became the mistress of Edward, Prince of Wales. Edward abdicated the throne to marry her, a period known as the Abdication Crisis.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1896-1986)
Duchess
t
-
Kathleen Turner
Film Actress, Theater Actress / 1954 -
Actress Kathleen Turner made her film debut in Body Heat and received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Peggy Sue Got Married.
See full bio
(1954-)
Film Actress, Theater Actress
w
-
Jimmy Walker
Mayor / 1881 - 1946
Flamboyant mayor of New York City, Jimmy Walker was a frequenter of Broadway theater and upper-class speakeasies. His administration was marred by corruption.
See full bio
(1881-1946)
Mayor
-
Samuel West
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Director / 1966 -
Samuel West is a British actor best known for his roles in the films Howards End, Notting Hill, Van Helsing and Hyde Park on Hudson.
See full bio
(1966-)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Director
-
Ann Wilson
Singer / 1950 -
Ann Wilson is best known as the vocalist for Heart, the rock band that became famous for songs like "Barracuda."
See full bio
(1950-)
Singer