William Waldorf Astor was a wealthy descendant of John Jacob Astor who became a New York State senator and a member of the New York State Assembly.
1848-1919
Media magnate Conrad Black once owned The London Daily Telegraph and The Chicago Sun Times, before he was convicted of fraud and obstruction of justice.
1944-
Entrepreneur Richard Branson launched Virgin Records in 1973. Today Virgin Group holds more than 200 companies in more than 30 countries.
1950-
William F. Buckley was a writer and political TV personality who helped make conservative politics popular in the 1950s-1970s.
1925-2008
Dale Carnegie is the author of How To Win Friends and Influence People, one of the bestselling self-help books of all time.
1888-1955
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was an active abolitionist and the first female African-American newspaper editor in North America.
1823-1893
Abolitionist Martin Robison Delany was both a physician and newspaper editor, and became one of the most influential and successful anti-slavery activists of the 19th century.
1812-1885
1821-1910
Publisher Malcolm Forbes was the son of B.C. Forbes, who founded Forbes magazine. Malcolm Forbes eventually worked his way up to becoming company president.
1919-1990
Margaret Fuller is best known for feminist writing and literary criticism in 19th century America.
1810-1850
1869-1940
Antonio Gramsci was an Italian Communist Party leader. He was arrested for speaking out against fascism and wrote his Prison Notebooks before dying in jail.
1891-1937
Journalist Horace Greeley launched the New Yorker and the New York Tribune. He also ran for president under the Liberal Republican Party, which he founded.
1811-1872
1930-2010
Hugh Hefner created the adult entertainment magazine Playboy. Today, the Playboy brand includes an extensive publishing, TV and internet empire.
1926-
1919-1988
Arianna Huffington is a prolific author and international media mogul who started the award-winning news platform The Huffington Post.
1950-
1859-1927
Later the publisher of political magazine George, JFK Jr. was the first child ever born to a president-elect, the son of JFK and Jacqueline Kennedy,
1960-1999
1892-1984
Vladimir Lenin was founder of the Russian Communist Party, leader of the Bolshevik Revolution and architect and first head of the Soviet state.
1870-1924
Since co-founding Essence magazine, Edward T. Lewis has become one of the most successful and respected magazine publishers in the country.
1940-
Henry R. Luce was a journalist and publishing mogul who started the magazines Time, Life, Fortune and Sports Illustrated.
1898-1967
William Lyon Mackenzie was a journalist and political agitator who led an unsuccessful revolt against the Canadian government in 1837.
1795-1861
1880-1956
1860-1936
Bill Nye is a humorous writer best known for founding the Laramie Boomerang. His newspaper and writings quickly became popular across America.
1850-1896
William Sydney Porter was a prolific short story writer whose work appeared under the name O. Henry.
1862-1910
1968-
Charles Scribner co-founded the publishing house Baker & Scribner, which became Charles Scribner's Sons.
1821-1871
1854-1926
Social activist, writer, editor, and lecturer Gloria Steinem has been an outspoken champion of women's rights since the late 1960s.
1934-
American designer Gustav Stickley created the simple and functional Craftsman furniture that became highly popular in the early 20th century.
1858-1942
1902-1934
William Monroe Trotter was a Harvard-educated journalist and activist who championed equal rights for African Americans.
1872-1934
Maggie Lena Walker was grand secretary of the Independent Order of St. Luke, an organization dedicated to the social and financial advancement of African Americans.
1864-1934
DeWitt Wallace was an American publisher and, with his wife, founder of Reader's Digest magazine. The couple supported numerous philanthropic causes.
1889-1981
Anna Wintour is best known as the influential editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, and for her iconic pageboy haircut and large sunglasses.
1949-
Victoria Woodhull was a spiritualist, activist, politician and author who was the first woman to run for the presidency of the United States.
1838-1927