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Dorothy West
Editor, Author / 1907 - 1998
Dorothy West is a writer remembered for her sharp observations of varied issues within the African American community.
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(1907-1998)
Editor, Author
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Jerry West
Basketball Player, Coach / 1938 -
Jerry West is a former basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers who went on to become the team’s head coach and general manager.
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(1938-)
Basketball Player, Coach
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Kanye West
Songwriter, Music Producer, Rapper, Singer / 1977 -
Kanye West is a Grammy-winning rapper and sought-after producer who is as well known for his outrageous statements as he is for his broad musical palette.
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(1977-)
Songwriter, Music Producer, Rapper, Singer
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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.
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(1966-)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Director
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Dr. Ruth Westheimer
Radio Talk Show Host, Television Personality, Journalist / 1928 -
Dr. Ruth Westheimer is one of the world's most recognized authorities on sex. She has delivered her advice on TV, radio and the web for decades and has written numerous books.
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(1928-)
Radio Talk Show Host, Television Personality, Journalist
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Lisa Whelchel
Television Actress, Writer / 1963 -
Actress Lisa Whelchel co-starred in the popular 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life.
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(1963-)
Television Actress, Writer
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T.H. White
Journalist, Author / 1906 - 1964
T.H. White was an English writer known for his novel series about King Arthur, The Once and Future King.
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(1906-1964)
Journalist, Author
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Walt Whitman
Journalist, Poet / 1819 - 1892
Walt Whitman was an American poet whose verse collection Leaves of Grass is a landmark in the history of American literature.
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(1819-1892)
Journalist, Poet
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George Dunton Widener
1861 - 1912
George Dunton Widener died during the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. He was a wealthy Philadelphia businessman.
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(1861-1912)
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Alan Wilder
Songwriter, Pianist / 1959 -
British musician and producer Alan Wilder is best known as a keyboardist and songwriter for the band Depeche Mode. Wilder wrote songs like "The Great Outdoors," "The Landscape Is Changing" and "In Your Memory."
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(1959-)
Songwriter, Pianist
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Gene Wilder
Actor, Comedian, Author / 1933 -
Actor Gene Wilder became a children's hero as the star of Mel Brook's film adaptation of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
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(1933-)
Actor, Comedian, Author
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Kendra Wilkinson
Model, Reality Television Star / 1985 -
Model Kendra Wilkinson was one of Hugh Hefner's Playboy girlfriends. She co-starred in the TV series The Girls Next Door about the Playboy Mansion.
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(1985-)
Model, Reality Television Star
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Venus Williams
Tennis Player / 1980 -
Venus Williams rose from a tough childhood in Compton, Los Angeles to become a champion women's tennis player and four-time Olympic gold medalist.
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(1980-)
Tennis Player
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Wayne Williams
Serial Killer / 1958 -
Serial killer Wayne Williams is known for killing twenty-seven black youths from 1979 - 1981 in Alabama, Georgia.
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(1958-)
Serial Killer
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Hank Williams, Jr.
Singer / 1949 -
The son and namesake of country music pioneer Hank Williams, Hank Jr.'s style combined country with Southern rock and blues.
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(1949-)
Singer
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Ann Wilson
Singer / 1950 -
Ann Wilson is best known as the vocalist for Heart, the rock band that became famous for songs like "Barracuda."
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(1950-)
Singer
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Brian Wilson
Songwriter, Singer / 1942 -
Brian Wilson is one of the most influential songwriters in rock and roll history and the front man for the Beach Boys.
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(1942-)
Songwriter, Singer
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Charlie Wilson
Military Leader, U.S. Representative, Spy / 1933 - 2010
Former congressman Charlie Wilson helped fund Afghanistan's resistance to the Soviet Union. His story was told in the book and film Charlie Wilson's War.
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(1933-2010)
Military Leader, U.S. Representative, Spy
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Edward O. Wilson
Biologist / 1929 -
Edward O. Wilson is the world's foremost expert on ants, and proponent of sociobiology, which explores the genetic basis of social behavior.
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(1929-)
Biologist
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Jackie Wilson
Singer / 1934 - 1984
Jackie Wilson was a dynamic and powerful soul performer during 1960s who successfully crossed over from the rhythm-and-blues charts to pop music.
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(1934-1984)
Singer
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Paul Winfield
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor / 1939 - 2004
Actor Paul Winfield was best known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper in the film Sounder, which earned him an Academy Award nomination.
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(1939-2004)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
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Ron Wood
Bassist, Songwriter, Guitarist / 1947 -
English rocker Ron Wood became the Rolling Stones' guitarist in the mid-1970s, and is now a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.
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(1947-)
Bassist, Songwriter, Guitarist
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Herman Wouk
Author / 1915 -
Herman Wouk is best known for his novel The Caine Mutiny.
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(1915-)
Author
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Frank Lloyd Wright
Architect / 1867 - 1959
Frank Lloyd Wright was a modern architect who developed an organic and distinctly American style. He designed numerous iconic buildings.
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(1867-1959)
Architect
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Iannis Xenakis
Songwriter, Writer / 1922 - 2001
Iannis Xenakis was a Greek avant-garde composer of electronic music and musique concrete.
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(1922-2001)
Songwriter, Writer
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Peter Yarrow
Musician / 1938 -
One-third of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, Peter Yarrow co-wrote and sang hits like "Puff the Magic Dragon." He is now a social and political activist.
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(1938-)
Musician
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William Butler Yeats
Playwright, Poet / 1865 - 1939
William Butler Yeats was one of the greatest English-language poets of the 20th century and received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.
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(1865-1939)
Playwright, Poet
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Brigham Young
Missionary / 1801 - 1877
Brigham Young was an American Mormon leader and colonizer who significantly influenced the development of the American West.
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(1801-1877)
Missionary
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Coleman Young
Civil Rights Activist, Mayor / 1918 - 1997
Coleman Young helped found the National Negro Labor Council, which sought jobs for African Americans, and was the first African American mayor of Detroit.
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(1918-1997)
Civil Rights Activist, Mayor