b
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Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Astronomer / 1943 -
British astronomer Jocelyn Bell Burnell assisted in constructing a large radio telescope and discovered pulsars, cosmic sources of peculiar radio pulses.
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(1943-)
Astronomer
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Thomas Campion
Doctor, Songwriter, Poet / 1567 - 1620
Thomas Campion was an English composer who wrote over 100 songs for the lute. He also wrote poetry and practiced medicine.
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(1567-1620)
Doctor, Songwriter, Poet
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Henri Cartier-Bresson
Photographer, Filmmaker / 1908 - 2004
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer whose humane, spontaneous photographs helped establish photojournalism as an art form.
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(1908-2004)
Photographer, Filmmaker
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Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Philosopher, Literary Critic, Poet / 1772 - 1834
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet of the Romantic Movement, best known for his allegorical sea-faring poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."
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(1772-1834)
Philosopher, Literary Critic, Poet
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Alistair Cooke
Scholar, Critic, Radio Personality, Television Personality, Journalist / 1908 - 2004
Alistair Cooke was a British-born journalist who worked in newspaper, radio and television. He hosted television's Masterpiece Theatre.
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(1908-2004)
Scholar, Critic, Radio Personality, Television Personality, Journalist
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John Donne
Poet / 1572 - 1631
John Donne, leading English poet of the Metaphysical school, is often considered the greatest loved poet in the English language.
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(1572-1631)
Poet
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Francis Galton
Anthropologist, Explorer, Inventor, Scientist, Academic Author / 1822 - 1911
Francis Galton was an English explorer and anthropologist best known for his research in eugenics and human intelligence. He was the first to study the effects of human selective mating.
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(1822-1911)
Anthropologist, Explorer, Inventor, Scientist, Academic Author
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Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Educator, Historian, Scholar, Literary Critic, Filmmaker, Academic Author, Editor / 1950 -
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is an African-American educator and scholar, and the director of the W. E. B. DuBois Institute for African and African-American Research.
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(1950-)
Educator, Historian, Scholar, Literary Critic, Filmmaker, Academic Author, Editor
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Peter Hall
Actor, Filmmaker / 1930 -
Sir Peter Hall is an English theatrical and film director. He notably founded the Royal Shakespeare Company and directed the National Theatre.
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(1930-)
Actor, Filmmaker
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Stephen Hawking
Physicist / 1942 -
Stephen Hawking is known for his work regarding black holes and for authoring several popular science books. He suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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| Watch video
(1942-)
Physicist
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Arianna Huffington
Entrepreneur, Political Scientist, Journalist / 1950 -
Arianna Huffington is a prolific author and international media mogul who started the award-winning news platform The Huffington Post.
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(1950-)
Entrepreneur, Political Scientist, Journalist
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Charles Kingsley
Priest, Writer / 1819 - 1875
Charles Kingsley was an English clergyman who wrote Hypatia. He debated mightily with John Henry Newman about the Anglican church's trend toward Catholicism.
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(1819-1875)
Priest, Writer
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Lord Snowdon
Photographer, Filmmaker, Royalty / 1930 -
Lord Snowdon was married to Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, from 1960 to 1978. He is also a world-renowned photographer and documentarian.
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(1930-)
Photographer, Filmmaker, Royalty
m
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Thomas Merton
Monk, Journalist / 1915 - 1968
Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk who was a revered pacifist and author, with works like Seven Storey Mountain and Thoughts in Solitude.
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(1915-1968)
Monk, Journalist
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Iris Murdoch
Philosopher, Literary Critic, Academic Author, Author / 1919 - 1999
Prolific novelist Iris Murdoch won a Booker Prize for The Sea, the Sea. In 2001, she was portrayed by Kate Winslet and Judy Dench in the biographical film Iris.
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(1919-1999)
Philosopher, Literary Critic, Academic Author, Author
o
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J. Robert Oppenheimer
Academic, Engineer, Physicist / 1904 - 1967
J. Robert Oppenheimer is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for leading the Manhattan Project, the program that developed the first nuclear weapon during World War II.
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(1904-1967)
Academic, Engineer, Physicist
r
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Bertrand Russell
Philosopher, Mathematician, Anti-War Activist, Journalist / 1872 - 1970
Despite being a renowned philosopher, Bertrand Russell is perhaps best known for his political activism and altercations with the British government.
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(1872-1970)
Philosopher, Mathematician, Anti-War Activist, Journalist
s
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Zadie Smith
Journalist, Author / 1975 -
Zadie Smith is a novelist whose first book, White Teeth, was a sensation, instantly putting her on the literary map.
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(1975-)
Journalist, Author
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James D. Watson
Academic, Biologist, Geneticist, Zoologist / 1928 -
James D. Watson is a Nobel Prize-winning biophysicist and researcher credited with co-discovering the double-helix structure of DNA.
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(1928-)
Academic, Biologist, Geneticist, Zoologist
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Robert McLiam Wilson
Author / 1964 -
Irish novelist Robert McLiam Wilson is best known for his first and most acclaimed novel, Ripley Bogle, which he published at age 26.
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(1964-)
Author
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Lee Kuan Yew
Lawyer, Prime Minister / 1923 -
Lee Kuan Yew was the prime minster of Singapore from 1959 to 1990, making him the longest-serving PM in history. During his long rule, Singapore became the most prosperous nation in Southeast Asia.
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(1923-)
Lawyer, Prime Minister