s
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Margaret Suckley
Historian, Writer / 1891 - 1991
Margaret Suckley was a close friend and confidante of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and served as the archivist for the first American presidential library.
See full bio
(1891-1991)
Historian, Writer
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Lawrence H. Summers
Educator, Economist / 1954 -
Lawrence Summers served as chief economist of World Bank, secretary of the U.S. Treasury, Harvard president and director of the National Economic Council.
See full bio
(1954-)
Educator, Economist
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David Susskind
Talk Show Host, Television Producer / 1920 - 1987
David Susskind was a TV producer and host of the talk shows Open End (1958–67) and The David Susskind Show (1967–86).
See full bio
(1920-1987)
Talk Show Host, Television Producer
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Kiefer Sutherland
Actor / 1966 -
Actor Kiefer Sutherland, son of Donald Sutherland, appeared in numerous coming-of-age films throughout the 1980s, including Stand by Me and The Lost Boys.
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| Watch video
(1966-)
Actor
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Percy Sutton
Civil Rights Activist, Lawyer / 1920 - 2009
Percy Sutton was a Freedom Rider, civil rights activist and prominent African-American lawyer best known for representing Malcolm X.
See full bio
(1920-2009)
Civil Rights Activist, Lawyer
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Jonathan Swift
Writer / 1667 - 1745
Jonathan Swift was an Irish author and satirist. Best known for writing Gulliver's Travels, he was dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.
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(1667-1745)
Writer
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Taylor Swift
Singer / 1989 -
Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift is one of country music's top recording artists, having crossed over into pop and winning many awards.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1989-)
Singer
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Edward Tatum
Scientist / 1909 - 1975
Biochemist Edward Tatum won the 1958 Nobel Prize for his research, which helped create the field of molecular genetics.
See full bio
(1909-1975)
Scientist
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Henry Taube
Academic, Chemist / 1915 - 2005
Henry Taube was the first Canadian-born scientist to win the Nobel Prize in chemistry for work in electron transfer reactions.
See full bio
(1915-2005)
Academic, Chemist
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Zachary Taylor
General, U.S. President / 1784 - 1850
Zachary Taylor was an American military war hero best known as the 12th president of the United States.
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(1784-1850)
General, U.S. President
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Julie Taymor
Artist, Director, Playwright / 1952 -
Director, playwright and designer Julie Taymor was the creative force behind Broadway’s The Lion King, and is a director of theater, opera and film.
See full bio
(1952-)
Artist, Director, Playwright
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Julien Temple
Director / 1953 -
Julien Temple is an English filmmaker and music video director who began his career directing the Sex Pistols documentary The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle (1979).
See full bio
(1953-)
Director
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J.J. Thomson
Academic, Physicist / 1856 - 1940
J.J. Thomson was a Nobel Prize winning physicist whose research led to the discovery of electrons.
See full bio
(1856-1940)
Academic, Physicist
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Virgil Thomson
Critic, Songwriter, Conductor / 1896 - 1989
Virgil Thomson was a composer, conductor and musical critic known for his work in opera.
See full bio
(1896-1989)
Critic, Songwriter, Conductor
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Big Mama Thornton
Songwriter, Singer / 1926 - 1984
Big Mama Thorton was a classic blues singer and songwriter whose influential work has been covered by artists including Elvis and Janis Joplin.
See full bio
(1926-1984)
Songwriter, Singer
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James Thurber
Illustrator, Author / 1894 - 1961
James Thurber was an American cartoonist best known for his contributions to The New Yorker magazine.
See full bio
(1894-1961)
Illustrator, Author
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Strom Thurmond
U.S. Representative / 1902 - 2003
Strom Thurmond served as a U.S. senator for South Carolina from 1956 to 2003, during which time he switched from Democrat to Republican due to his opposition to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. He resigned from the Senate at age 100—becoming the oldest congressman in U.S. history.
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(1902-2003)
U.S. Representative
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Mary Todd Lincoln
U.S. First Lady / 1818 - 1882
Mary Todd Lincoln was the wife of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States.
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(1818-1882)
U.S. First Lady
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Marisa Tomei
Actress / 1964 -
American actress Marisa Tomei has starred in a number of successful films, including My Cousin Vinny and Slums of Beverly Hills.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1964-)
Actress
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Lee Trevino
Golfer / 1931 -
In 1971 golfer Lee Trevino, nicknamed Supermex, became the first player to win the U.S., British, and Canadian Open championships in a single year.
See full bio
(1931-)
Golfer
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Calvin Trillin
Journalist / 1935 -
Humorist and columnist Calvin Trillin is best known for his food essays, which have been published in collection such as 1974’s American Fried.
See full bio
(1935-)
Journalist
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Dalton Trumbo
Anti-War Activist, Director, Author, Screenwriter / 1905 - 1976
Dalton Trumbo was an Academy Award-winning screenwriter and novelist who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era and forced to work under various pseudonyms.
See full bio
(1905-1976)
Anti-War Activist, Director, Author, Screenwriter
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Tina Turner
Singer / 1939 -
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress who topped the pop music charts in the 1980s.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1939-)
Singer
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Marie Tussaud
Artist, Entrepreneur / 1761 - 1850
Marie Tussaud is best known for her Madame Tussaud's Museum of Wax, showing famous individuals as wax figurines.
See full bio
(1761-1850)
Artist, Entrepreneur
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Mark Twain
Writer / 1835 - 1910
An adventurer and wily intellectual, Mark Twain wrote the classic American novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
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(1835-1910)
Writer
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Cicely Tyson
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress / 1933 -
Cicely Tyson is an Academy Award nominated and Emmy winning actress committed to presenting positive images of strong African American women.
See full bio
(1933-)
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress
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Liv Ullmann
Film Actress / 1938 -
Liv Ullmann is an actress known for her expressive face, natural beauty and intelligent performances, notably in Ingmar Bergman films.
See full bio
(1938-)
Film Actress
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Robert Urich
Film Actor, Television Actor / 1946 - 2002
American actor Robert Urich is best known for his role as Dan Tanna in Vega$. He died at age 55 from a rare form of cancer, synovial cell sarcoma.
See full bio
(1946-2002)
Film Actor, Television Actor
v
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Martin Van Buren
Governor, U.S. President, U.S. Vice President, U.S. Representative / 1782 - 1862
Martin Van Buren was the eighth president of the United States. His shrewd dealings laid the foundations for the Democratic Party and the modern political machine.
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(1782-1862)
Governor, U.S. President, U.S. Vice President, U.S. Representative
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Johannes Diederik van der Waals
Physicist / 1837 - 1923
Dutch physicist Johannes Diederik van der Waals was winner of the 1910 Nobel Prize for Physics for his research on the gaseous and liquid states of matter.
See full bio
(1837-1923)
Physicist
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Dick Van Dyke
Television Actor, Comedian, Talk Show Host, Television Producer, Writer / 1925 -
Dick Van Dyke is an American actor and comedian best known for hosting The Dick Van Dyke Show. He's also known for starring on Diagnosis Murder and for roles in films like Mary Poppins, Dick Tracy and Night at the Museum.
See full bio
(1925-)
Television Actor, Comedian, Talk Show Host, Television Producer, Writer
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Dick Van Patten
Television Actor / 1928 -
Dick Van Patten is an actor who most TV viewers will remember as Tom Bradford, the father of the brood on Eight Is Enough.
See full bio
(1928-)
Television Actor
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Steven Van Zandt
Musician / 1950 -
Steven Van Zandt is best known as a founding member, guitarist and backup vocalist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and an actor on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.
See full bio
(1950-)
Musician
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Nia Vardalos
Actress / 1962 -
Actress Nia Vardalos appeared on TV's Team Knight Rider before making her hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding in 2002.
See full bio
(1962-)
Actress
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Robert Vaughn
Actor / 1932 -
American actor Robert Vaughn is best known for his 1960s role as Napoleon Solo on the hit TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
See full bio
(1932-)
Actor
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Gianni Versace
Entrepreneur, Fashion Designer / 1946 - 1997
A designer to celebrities and royalty such as Princess Diana, Gianni Versace brought vitality and art to an industry considered out of touch with the street.
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| Watch video
(1946-1997)
Entrepreneur, Fashion Designer
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John Vorster
World Leader, Prime Minister / 1915 - 1983
Politician John Vorster served as prime minister and president of South Africa. He was forced to resign from the presidency because of a political scandal.
See full bio
(1915-1983)
World Leader, Prime Minister
w
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Tom Waits
Actor, Songwriter, Drummer, Guitarist, Singer / 1949 -
Tom Waits is an American singer-songwriter whose distinctively gritty voice has put a signature sound on the blues, jazz and avant-garde rock that he performs.
See full bio
(1949-)
Actor, Songwriter, Drummer, Guitarist, Singer
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Kurt Waldheim
Diplomat, World Leader / 1918 - 2007
Kurt Waldheim served two terms as the fourth secretary-general of the United Nations and was elected president of Austria 1986–1992.
See full bio
(1918-2007)
Diplomat, World Leader
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Kara Walker
Painter / 1969 -
Kara Walker is an African-American artist who rose to fame for her use of large paper silhouettes to explore social issues surrounding gender, race and black history.
See full bio
(1969-)
Painter
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Mary Walker
Women's Rights Activist, Doctor, Nurse, Surgeon / 1832 - 1919
Mary Walker was a physician and women's rights activist who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for her service during the Civil War.
See full bio
(1832-1919)
Women's Rights Activist, Doctor, Nurse, Surgeon
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Eli Wallach
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor / 1915 -
American actor Eli Wallach has appeared in such films as The Misfits; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
See full bio
(1915-)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
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Léon Walras
Educator, Economist / 1834 - 1910
Economist Léon Walras was an advocate of cooperatives as an alternative to revolution. He ran a bank for producers' cooperatives with Léon Say.
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(1834-1910)
Educator, Economist
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Bill Walsh
Coach / 1931 - 2007
Bill Walsh is known for his success as an head coach in the NFL, mostly with the San Francisco 49ers.
See full bio
(1931-2007)
Coach
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Ray Walston
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor, Comedian / 1914 - 2001
Actor Ray Walston enjoyed a successful acting career and is best known for his character Uncle Martin O'Hara on the CBS series My Favorite Martian.
See full bio
(1914-2001)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor, Comedian
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Paul Warfield
Football Player / 1942 -
Paul Warren is a former professional American football wide receiver from Warren Ohio known for his grace on the field in the 1960s and 1970s.
See full bio
(1942-)
Football Player
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Dionne Warwick
Singer / 1940 -
Soul singer Warwick became a superstar with early hits like "Walk On By" and "I Say a Little Prayer," and later with albums like Dionne and Heartbreaker.
See full bio
(1940-)
Singer
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Charles Watson
Murderer / 1945 -
Tex Watson was a member of Charles Manson's "Family," and was Manson's right-hand man. He was convicted of the family's infamous 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, which were orchestrated by Manson.
See full bio
(1945-)
Murderer
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Rosemary West
Serial Killer / 1953 -
Serial killer Rosemary West murdered at least 10 young women. Most of them were dismembered and buried in the cellar of her home on Cromwell Street.
See full bio
(1953-)
Serial Killer
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Tina Weymouth
Bassist / 1950 -
Tina Weymouth is best known as the bassist in the band The Talking Heads.
See full bio
(1950-)
Bassist
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Jaleel White
Television Actor / 1976 -
Actor Jaleel White rose to fame as the nerdy boy-next-door Steve Urkel on the 1990s hit sitcom Family Matters.
See full bio
(1976-)
Television Actor
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Meg White
Singer / 1974 -
Meg White is best known a member of the musical duo, The White Stripes.
See full bio
(1974-)
Singer
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Eli Whitney
Inventor / 1765 - 1825
Eli Whitney was an American inventor who created the cotton gin and pushed the “interchangeable parts” mode of production.
See full bio
(1765-1825)
Inventor
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John Greenleaf Whittier
Activist, Journalist, Poet / 1807 - 1892
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.
See full bio
(1807-1892)
Activist, Journalist, Poet
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Jeffrey Wigand
Activist, Chemist / 1942 -
Jeffrey Wigand became famous in the 1990s when he took public his knowledge that cigarette companies had tried to conceal the dangers of smoking.
See full bio
(1942-)
Activist, Chemist
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Andy Williams
Singer, Television Personality / 1927 - 2012
Andy Williams is an American singer whose hits include “Moon River.” His Emmy-winning TV show entertained families during the 1960s and 1970s.
See full bio
(1927-2012)
Singer, Television Personality
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Joe Williams
Singer / 1918 - 1999
Joe Williams was an American singer known for his mastery of jazz, blues and ballads and for his association with Count Basie in the 1950s.
See full bio
(1918-1999)
Singer
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Treat Williams
Film Actor / 1951 -
Treat Williams in primarily a film actor known for roles in such films as Prince of the City and Once Upon a Time in America.
See full bio
(1951-)
Film Actor
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Flip Wilson
Television Actor, Comedian / 1933 - 1998
Comedian Flip Wilson was one of the first successful African American hosts on television. The Flip Wilson Show ran from 1970 to 1974.
See full bio
(1933-1998)
Television Actor, Comedian
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Teddy Wilson
Pianist / 1912 - 1986
Teddy Wilson was an influential pianist of jazz and swing. He played and recorded with jazz greats such as Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman and Ella Fitzgerald.
See full bio
(1912-1986)
Pianist
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Oliver Winchester
Entrepreneur / 1810 - 1880
Oliver Fisher Winchester operated the Winchester Repeating Arms Co., which provided rifles and ammunition used in the Civil War and by American settlers.
See full bio
(1810-1880)
Entrepreneur
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Henry Wirz
Military Leader / 1823 - 1865
During the Civil War, Confederate soldier Henry Wirz commanded the Andersonville Prison, where many Union prisoners-of-war died as a result of poor conditions.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1823-1865)
Military Leader
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Dick Wolf
Television Producer / 1946 -
Dick Wolf is an Emmy-winning television producer who brought the Law & Order franchise to the small screen.
See full bio
(1946-)
Television Producer
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Carter G. Woodson
Historian / 1875 - 1950
Carter G. Woodson was an African-American writer and historian known as the "Father of Black History Month." He penned the influential book The Mis-Education of the Negro.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1875-1950)
Historian
y
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Minoru Yamasaki
Educator, Architect / 1912 - 1986
Minoru Yamasaki is an American architect designed the original World Trade Center complex and the Twin Towers.
See full bio
(1912-1986)
Educator, Architect
z
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Frank Zappa
Director, Songwriter, Guitarist, Music Producer / 1940 - 1993
Musician Frank Zappa made more than 60 albums during his career. Flouting convention and fusing musical genres, Zappa's music was often politically charged and intentionally shocking.
See full bio
(1940-1993)
Director, Songwriter, Guitarist, Music Producer
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Stefan Zweig
Journalist, Author, Playwright / 1881 - 1942
Stefan Zweig was an Austrian writer and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
See full bio
(1881-1942)
Journalist, Author, Playwright