Jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone made jazz into a major global phenomenon.
Black scientists like George Washington Carver, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Otis Boykin and Mae C. Jemison have made great contributions to scientific progress.
Abolitionists like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison raised their voices in protest against slavery.
Explore our collection of famous Russians for insights into some of the nation's most iconic citizens like Vladimir Putin, Rasputin, Catherine the Great and Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin.
William Shakespeare, J.K. Rowling, Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Middleton and Princess Diana are among the most famous British people.
Native American leaders like Geronimo, Sitting Bull, Pocahontas, Crazy Horse, Chief Joseph and Sacagawea fought for recognition and rights for their people.
Famous U.S. immigrants like Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla and Arnold Schwarzenegger embody the American dream.
In the U.S. Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson and William Tecumseh Sherman played prominent roles.
Civil rights activists, known for their fight against social injustice and their lasting impact on the lives of all oppressed people, include Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, W.E.B. Du Bois and Malcolm X.
During the American Revolution, George Washington, Abigail Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and others rose to prominence.
Basketball players such as Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant excel at a fast-paced, demanding professional sport.
Women's rights activists like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Gloria Steinem and Malala Yousafzai have fought for full equality.
The month of March celebrates the contributions women have made throughout history in science, politics, law, sports, the arts, entertainment, and many other fields. Explore biographies, videos and articles that celebrate all of these women's historic achievement
Mobsters like Al Capone, Bugsy Siegel, Lucky Luciano and “The Teflon Don,” John Gotti, are notorious from coast to coast.
America's Founding Fathers included George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe and Benjamin Franklin.
Beat generation writers like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, Amiri Baraka and William S. Burroughs left highly influential marks in literature.
Spanish explorers include Juan Ponce de León, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Francisco Pizarro, Hernán Cortés and Hernando de Soto.
The British royal family includes Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria, Princess Diana, Prince William, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.
Female talk show hosts include Oprah Winfrey, Tyra Banks, Joan Rivers, Rosie O’Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres, Barbara Walters, Sally Jessy Raphael and Kelly Ripa.
Black artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Augusta Savage, Kara Walker, Jacob Lawrence and Gordon Parks show the African American perspective to the world.
Black writers like Toni Morrison, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Alex Haley, Maya Angelou and James Baldwin created great literary works.
Hispanic athletes like Roberto Clemente, Alex Rodriguez, Lionel Messi, Sammy Sosa and Oscar De La Hoya have become household names.
Hispanic and Latino musicians like Selena, Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony and Carlos Santana have conquered the music world, breaking barriers in many genres.
Black inventors like George Washington Carver, Madam C.J. Walker, Lonnie G. Johnson, Garrett Morgan and Patricia Bath are among history's most revered geniuses.