-891
1872-1960
1907-1995
Jerry Reed was an American musician and actor best known for his Grammy hit "When You're Hot, You're Hot," and for the film Smokey and the Bandit.
1937-2008
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.
1924-2005
1933-2006
1948-2003
1942-2007
1779-1869
1861-1948
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
Henri Rousseau was a self-taught French painter who was ridiculed during his lifetime but was later given the title of artistic genius.
1844-1910
1772-1833
William Safire was a writer whose column "On Language" was a long-running feature of The New York Times Magazine.
1929-2009
1935-2004
1935-2003
Margaret Sanger was an early feminist and women's rights activist who coined the term "birth control" and worked towards its legalization.
1879-1966
Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher best known for his book The World as Will and Representation, and for his pessimistic views of human nature.
1788-1860
1875-1965
Dred Scott was a slave and social activist who served several masters before suing for his freedom. His case made it to the Supreme Court (Dred Scott v. Sandford) prior to the American Civil War.
1795-1858
American actor George C. Scott starred in films and on Broadway during his 40-year career. In 1970, he won an Oscar for his portrayal of George S. Patton.
1927-1999
1863-1914
Mobutu Sésé Seko was president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which was also known as Zaire for much of his reign, from 1965 to 1997.
1930-1997
Throughout his career, cartoonist and writer Dr. Seuss published 60 children's books, including The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.
1904-1991
A hip-hop legend, with explicit and controversial lyrics, Tupac Shakur was embroiled in a feud between East Coast and West Coast rappers.
1971-1996
German actress Simone Signoret performed in films like Room at the Top and Les Diaboliques, and met with international stardom. She married Yves Allegret in 1944, and later wed Yves Montand.
1921-1985
1913-1997
Jazz and blues vocalist Bessie Smith's powerful, soulful voice won her countless fans and earned her the title "Empress of the Blues."
1894-1937
Brett Somers was a TV actress and personality perhaps best known for her appearances on Match Game, the top game show during much of the 1970s.
1924-2007
U.S. baseball player, executive, and sporting-goods manufacturer A.E. Spalding co-founded one of the premier American sporting-goods companies.
1850-1915
1937-1995
Musician, Isaac Stern was a famous violinist and was responsible for discovering Yo-Yo Ma.
1920-2001
Jazz master Rex Stewart is best known for his work with the Duke Ellington orchestra. Duke Ellington arranged many of his pieces to showcase Stewart's talent.
1907-1967
1882-1977
Levi Strauss started an enduring fashion empire, which he launched by making one of the world's most durable and popular clothing items--the blue jeans.
1829-1902
1864-1949
1952-2009
1800-1877
Jessica Tandy was an English-born U.S. actress well known for her role in Broadway's Foxfire and her Oscar-winning performance in the film Driving Miss Daisy.
1909-1994
1906-1990
1896-1989
Titus was Roman Emperor from 79-81 AD who--during his short reign--completed the Colosseum and dealt with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
39-81
J.R.R. Tolkien is an internationally renowned fantasy writer. He is best known for authoring The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
1892-1973
1947-1996
Peter Tosh was a renowned reggae artist and founding member of the band the Wailers, which gave reggae artist Bob Marley his start.
1944-1987
1936-2009
Pierre Trudeau was the 15th prime minister of Canada, famous for his youthful energy, his stance against a separate Quebec and suppressing violent revolt.
1919-2000
1905-1976
Mao Tse-tung was the principal Chinese Marxist theorist, soldier and statesman who led his nation's Cultural Revolution.
1893-1976
1914-1984
1790-1842
Nguyen Van Thieu was elected president of South Vietnam in 1967, but was forced to flee when his government surrendered to the North in 1975.
1924-2001
Hervé Villechaize was a French actor best known for playing Tattoo on the 1970s television show Fantasy Island.
1943-1993
1890-1953
Rudolf Virchow was a German pathologist and statesman, widely credited for his advancements in public health, particularly with his cell theory.
1821-1902
70-19
1783-1850
1915-1983
1867-1940
Australian Aboriginal writer and political activist Kath Walker is considered the first of the modern-day Aboriginal protest writers.
1920-1993
David Foster Wallace was a writer known for his dense short stories, magazine articles and novels, most notably the 1,200-page Infinite Jest.
1962-2008
1919-1998
1905-1989
1896-1977
1878-1958
Jazz musician Ben Webster (1909–1973) played tenor saxophone with jazz greats like Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington and Art Tatum.
1909-1973
1932-1991
John Greenleaf Whittier was an American poet and abolitionist who, in the latter part of his life, was a household name in both England and the United States.
1807-1892
Simon Wiesenthal was a survivor of the Holocaust who worked as an author and Nazi hunter, wishing to ensure that what befell his community would be remembered.
1908-2005
Roy Wilkins was best known as the executive director of the NAACP and a leader of the African-American civil rights movement.
1901-1981
Andy Williams is an American singer whose hits include “Moon River.” His Emmy-winning TV show entertained families during the 1960s and 1970s.
1927-2012
1908-1985
Thomas Wolfe was a major American novelist of the early 20th century, notable for his first book, 1929's Look Homeward, Angel.
1900-1938
Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer who advocated for women's equality. Her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman pressed for educational reforms.
1759-1797
Jane Wyman was a Academy Award-winning American screen actress who was also Ronald Reagan's first wife.
1917-2007
Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1914–1956) was named "Woman Athlete of the Half Century" in 1950 for her skills in basketball, track & field, and golf.
1911-1956
Émile Zola was the most prominent French novelist of the late 19th century. He was noted for his theories of naturalism as expressed in Les Rougon-Macquart.
1840-1902