George Orwell was an English novelist, essayist, and critic most famous for his novels 'Animal Farm' (1945) and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' (1949).

• Journalist, Author
  (1903–1950)

Nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009, Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in U.S. history.

• Supreme Court Justice, Lawyer
  (1954–)

James Meredith is a civil rights activist who became the first African American to attend the University of Mississippi in 1962.

• Civil Rights Activist
  (1933–)

Grammy winner Carly Simon was one of the biggest singer/songwriters in the 1970s. She was famously married to fellow rocker James Taylor and wrote the 1972 hit single 'You're So Vain.'

• Songwriter, Writer, Singer
  (1945–)

Ricky Gervais is a British comedian best known for co-writing and co-directing the television series 'The Office.'

• Author, Film Actor, Television Actor, Screenwriter, Television Producer, Comedian
  (1961–)

Anthony Bourdain has announced his long-awaited Singaporean-style street market concept food hall, set to be the largest in New York City, has been cancelled. The celebrity chef says unforeseen complications arose during development.

• Chef, Producer, Television Personality
  (1956–)

Scientist Hermann Oberth was an influential figure in modern astronautics with his trailblazing ideas on rocket flight.

• Scientist, Physicist
  (1894–1989)

Sidney Lumet was an award-winning stage director and filmmaker known for works like 12 Angry Men and Network.

• Producer, Screenwriter, Director
  (1924–2011)

Director, producer and playwright George Abbott lived to be 107 and participated in such Broadway productions as Boy Meets Girl, The Fall Guy and Our Town.

• Director, Playwright, Screenwriter, Producer
  (1887–1995)

Grammy Award-winning singer George Michael was one of the leading pop stars of the 1980s and '90s. His 1987 album 'Faith' won a Grammy for best album of the year.

• Songwriter, Singer
  (1963–2016)

Antoni Gaudí was a Barcelona-based Spanish architect whose free-flowing works were greatly influenced by nature.

• Architect
  (1852–1926)