Anouk Aimée is an acclaimed French actress known for her roles in works like The Lovers of Verona, 8½, La Dolce Vita and A Man and a Woman.
1932-
Madeleine Albright became the first woman to represent the U.S. in regards to foreign affairs as the secretary of state.
1937-
Actor and director Alan Alda has starred in several films, but is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce on the long-running television series M*A*S*H.
1936-
Muhammad Ali is considered one of the greatest athletes in boxing history, winning both the coveted Golden Gloves title and an Olympic gold medal, among several other honors.
1942-
1400-1455
1774-1845
Yasser Arafat was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization from 1969 until his death in 2004, a tumultuous period in which clashes with neighboring Israel were prevalent.
1929-2004
Beauty pioneer Elizabeth Arden opened the red doors of her first spa in 1910.
1884-1966
1906-1987
1892-1972
John James Audubon was an American ornithologist, artist and naturalist known for his studies, drawings and paintings of North American birds.
1785-1851
Lauren Bacall is an Academy Award-nominated actress known for roles in films like The Big Sleep, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Fan and The Mirror Has Two Faces.
1924-
Singer Florence Ballard formed The Supremes in 1961 with childhood friends Mary Wilson and Diana Ross. She sang on 16 different Top 40 hits.
1943-1976
Anne Bancroft was an Oscar Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress famous for her roles in The Miracle Worker and The Graduate. She was married to comedian and film director Mel Brooks.
1931-2005
Imamu Amiri Baraka is an African-American poet and scholar. He has served as professor emeritus of Africana Studies at the State Unversity of New York at Stony Brook.
1934-
Sydney Biddle Barrows is famous for running a high-class escort service in the 1980s.
1952-
1938-
Lead Belly was a folk-blues singer, songwriter and guitarist whose ability to perform a vast repertoire of songs and notoriously violent life made him a legend.
1885-1949
For more than 50 years, comedian Jack Benny was a star of radio, the stage and screen. His radio show, The Jack Benny Program, was a forerunner of the sitcom genre.
1894-1974
Irving Berlin was one of the most prolific and popular songwriters of the 20th century, counting among his many hits "White Christmas" and "Cheek to Cheek."
1888-1989
Big Pun was a Latino hip-hop artist whose album Capital Punishment went to No. 1 on the R&B/hip-hop charts. He died in 2000 from obesity related heart failure.
1971-2000
Entertainer Joey Bishop starred in his own TV sitcom, and hosted his own late-night talk show. He was a member of the Rat Pack, along with Frank Sinatra.
1918-2007
Robert Blake is an Emmy-winning actor known for his film roles and as the star of the '70s cop drama Baretta. He's also known for the murder trial of his second wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley.
1933-
Art Blakey was an influential jazz drummer associated with the modern bebop style. He played with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Thelonious monk and countless other jazz greats.
1919-1990
Bono is the frontman of the Irish rock band U2. He's also known for participating in global charity efforts.
1960-
Tony, Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress Shirley Booth was in both the play and film versions of Come Back, Little Sheba, and the television show Hazel.
1898-1992
Hieronymus Bosch was a European painter of the late Middle Ages. His two most famous works are The Garden of Earthly Delights and The Temptation of St. Anthony.
1450-1516
David Bowie is an English rock star known for dramatic musical transformations, including his character Ziggy Stardust. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
1947-
1913-1992
Jeremy Brett was a British actor and singer known for his roles in My Fair Lady and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
1933-1995
Charlotte Brontë was an English 19th century writer whose novel Jane Eyre is considered a classic of Western literature.
1816-1855
Yul Brynner was an actor of stage and screen most famous for portraying King Mongkut of Siam in The King and I.
1920-1985
Born in India in the 6th century B.C., Buddha was a spiritual leader and teacher whose life serves as the foundation of the Buddhist religion.
600-300
George Burns was a comedian who worked in vaudeville, radio, film and television. His long-time performance partner and wife was comedienne Gracie Allen. Burns lived until age 100.
1896-1996
1932-
Actor Red Buttons got his name from the flame-colored hair and uniform as a bellhop. He is best known as a comedian but he had a prolific film career as well.
1919-2006
1917-2010
Bruce Cabot built a sizeable career out of supporting roles, often playing villainous characters over a four-decade span.
1904-1972
Michael Caine is a beloved Oscar-winning actor known for his roles in films like Alfie, Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules.
1933-
Theologian John Calvin was the leading French Protestant Reformer and the most important figure in the second generation of the Protestant Reformation.
1509-1564
1913-1954
Caravaggio, or Michelangelo Merisi, was an Italian painter who is considered one of the fathers of modern painting.
1571-1610
Stokely Carmichael was a Trinidadian-American political activist, best known as the leader of the civil rights group SNCC in the 1960s.
1941-1998
Tia Carrere is an American actress best known for her role as Cassandra in the film, Wayne's World.
1967-
1866-1909
1956-
Chubby Checker was an early rock 'n' roller who had a hit with the song and dance sensation, "The Twist."
1941-
Nationalist revolutionary Ho Chi-Minh was president of North Vietnam from 1954 to 1969. He ranks among the most famous and influential politicians of the 20th century.
1890-1969
Considered Poland's greatest composer, Frédéric Chopin focused his efforts on piano composition and was highly influential.
1810-1849
Patsy Cline was a celebrated country singer best known for her crossover hits, including "Crazy" and "Walking After Midnight."
1932-1963
Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane is best known for his roles such as Hagrid the Giant in the Harry Potter series and Mr. Hyde in Van Helsing.
1950-
English novelist and short-story writer Joseph Conrad’s works include the novels Lord Jim, Nostromo and The Secret Agent and the story “Heart of Darkness”.
1857-1924
Hip-hop artist and actor LL Cool J made it big with Def Jam Records in the late 1980s and '90s with albums like Mama Said Knock You Out.
1968-
1954-
Joan Crawford was an Oscar-winning actress, dancer and executive. She was known for films like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Mildred Pierce.
1905-1977
1892-1970
Rodney Dangerfield was a stand-up comedian and actor known for his "I don't get no respect" routine. He starred in the hit movie comedies, Caddyshack and Back to School, during the 1980s.
1921-2004
Bobby Darin was an American singer, songwriter and actor who became a ubiquitous presence in pop entertainment in the late 1950s and 1960s.
1936-1973
British comedian Richard Dawson is best known for his role as Corporal Newkirk in the World War II sitcom Hogan's Heroes and as the host of Family Feud.
1932-2012
1879-1975
1929-2007
1956-
1928-2008
Vin Diesel is an actor known for his high-energy action movies, such as The Fast and the Furious franchise.
1967-
Snoop Dogg is a West Coast rapper who evolved under the tutelage of Dr. Dre, and has received fame for albums such as Doggystyle, Tha Doggfather and Reincarnation.
1971-
1972-
1819-1880
Cass "Mama Cass" Elliot was known for her heavyset figure, and was one of four members of the late 1960s pop sensation The Mamas and the Papas.
1941-1974
Eminem is an American rapper, record producer, and actor, who is known as one of the most controversial and best-selling artists of the early 21st century.
1972-
Irish singer Enya performed with her family's band Clannad before making it big with her solo album Watermark in 1988.
1961-
1745-1797
Dale Evans was the longtime screen partner and wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers. She wrote several hit songs, including "Happy Trails to You."
1912-2001
Serial killer Roy Fontaine, originally Archibald Hall, killed a former lover, his employers, an accomplice and another man in England in the 1970s.
1924-2002
An Academy Award-winning director, John Ford is considered to be one of the best filmmakers of all time. He is best known for directing Westerns.
1894-1973
1922-1991
Margaret Fuller is best known for feminist writing and literary criticism in 19th century America.
1810-1850
Actress and singer Judy Garland was the star of many classic musical films, and was known for her tremendous talent and troubled life.
1922-1969
1910-1990
1955-
1950-
Maxim Gorky was a Russian author who wrote about the lower depths of society. He was a critic of both Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, and died under mysterious circumstances.
1868-1936
1860-1961
1859-
1924-2003
Mata Hari was a professional dancer and mistress who became a spy for France during World War I. Suspected of being a double agent, she was executed in 1917.
1876-1917
Jean Harlow was an American actress who proved herself a platinum-blonde sex-symbol and able comedian in 1930s Hollywood.
1911-1937
Robert Hayden was an African-American poet and professor who is best known as the author of poems, including “Those Winter Sundays” and “The Middle Passage.”
1913-1980
Talmadge Hayer, a.k.a. Thomas Hagan, was convicted for his role as one of Malcolm X’s assassins. Of the four assassins, only Hayer was identified with certainty.
Film actress Susan Hayward earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress for her role in Smash-Up, and later won for her performance in I Want to Live.
1917-1975
Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She had a thriving career for many years before she lost her battle with addiction.
1915-1959
1952-
Hedda Hopper, a woman with amazing hats, was an American gossip columnists during the first half of the 1900s. She was also an actress and radio personality.
1890-1966
Crazy Horse was an Oglala Sioux Indian chief who fought against removal to an Indian reservation. He took part in the Battle of Little Big Horn.
1842-1877
1805-1871
Harry Houdini's grand illusions and daring, spectacular escape acts made him one of the most famous magicians of all time.
1874-1926
Howlin’ Wolf was a singer and musician famous for his Mississippi Delta style blues singing, guitar and harmonica playing, which he performed in Chicago clubs.
1910-1976
Noted for his exceptional good looks and comedic film performance, Rock Hudson was an iconic actor who, later in life, contracted and died from the AIDS virus.
1925-1985
British singer Engelbert Humperdinck made it big in 1967 with hit song "Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)."
1936-
1955-
Etta James is a Grammy Award-winning singer known for hit songs like "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "At Last."
1938-2012