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Abraham, originally named Abram, is a central figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, often called the father of monotheism. Born in Ur of the Chaldees around 2000 BC, ...

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) was a French composer, pianist, and organist known as a child prodigy and a pioneer of French music. Born in Paris, he started piano lessons...

David, a young shepherd boy from Israel, is best known for his courage in the biblical story of David and Goliath. When the giant Philistine warrior Goliath challenged the Israelite ar...

David Lloyd George was a pivotal British statesman who served as Prime Minister from 1916 to 1922. Rising from humble beginnings in Wales, he became a leading Liberal MP known for his ...

Delilah is a significant character in the biblical narrative of Samson, which appears in the Book of Judges. She is a Philistine woman who earned Samson’s trust and affection but ultimately be...

Elijah was a powerful Hebrew prophet active in the 9th century BCE, recognized for his staunch defense of Yahweh's worship in Israel against the growing influence of Baal worship, driv...

Frederick Douglass (c. 1818–1895) was a former enslaved African American who became a powerful abolitionist, writer, orator, and social reformer. After escaping slavery in Maryland in 1838, he eme...

Hannah is a significant biblical figure known as the mother of the prophet Samuel. She was one of the two wives of Elkanah, and initially faced difficulty in having children, which brought...

Isaac is a central figure in the Bible, recognized as the miracle son of Abraham and Sarah. His birth was promised by God when his parents were very old, and his name means "laughter...

José Rizal (1861–1896) was a Filipino nationalist, physician, and writer whose works exposed the abuses of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. Born in Calamba, Rizal was a brilli...

Cain is a biblical figure and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. He is infamously known for murdering his brother Abel out of jealousy. The Genesis narrative explains that both mad...

Hua Mulan is a legendary Chinese heroine celebrated for disguising herself as a man to take her aging father's place in the army during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (4th to 6th cent...

Johnny Appleseed, born John Chapman in 1774, was a real American pioneer known for planting thousands of apple nurseries across the Midwest, especially in Ohio, Indiana, and Illi...

Jonathan, eldest son of King Saul, is a significant figure in the Hebrew Bible, known for his profound and loyal friendship with David. Unlike most royal heirs, Jonathan pledged his suppor...

Joseph, a pivotal figure in the Bible's Book of Genesis, was the beloved son of Jacob and Rachel. His brothers, jealous of their father’s special love for him and his colorful coat, sold J...

Joshua was the leader who guided the Israelites in their conquest of Canaan after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Commissioned by God, he led the people across the Jordan River*...

Gaius Julius Caesar (100–44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who dramatically changed Rome's history. Born into an aristocratic family, he advanced through military and political ranks, f...

Marcus Aurelius was Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 CE, celebrated for both his wise leadership and his involvement in Stoic philosophy. Born in 121 CE into a notable family, he was adop...

Mary, mother of Jesus, is an essential figure in Christianity, celebrated for her faith and her role as the mother of the Messiah. Born around 20 BC in Nazareth, she was engaged to...

Moses is a central figure in the Bible, known for leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. He was born into a Hebrew slave family during Pharaoh’s decree to kill Hebrew male infants. To...

Neil Postman was an influential American media theorist and cultural critic, best known for his book Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985). In this work, Postman argued that television fundamental...

Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) was a South African anti-apartheid leader and the first Black president of South Africa (1994–1999). Born into the Thembu royal family in a small village, he stu...

Oliver Goldsmith (1730–1774) was a versatile Anglo-Irish writer celebrated for his poetry, novels, and plays. His most notable works include the novel The Vicar of Wakefield, t...

Oliver Reginald Tambo (1917–1993) was a pivotal South African anti-apartheid leader and served as president of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1967 to 1991. He was born in a rural...

Robert Schumann (1810–1856) was a German composer, pianist, and notable music critic from the early Romantic era. He was born in Zwickau into a middle-class family. Although he initial...

Romulus and Remus are the legendary twin brothers credited with founding Rome around 753 BCE. According to Roman mythology, they were the sons of Rhea Silvia, a vestal virgin, and ...

St. Joan of Arc, born around 1412 to a peasant family in Domrémy, France, became a national heroine for her role in the Hundred Years' War. Believing she was guided by divine voices, s...

Samson is a legendary Israelite judge known for his extraordinary physical strength, famously derived from his uncut hair as part of a Nazirite vow. His story, found in the Book of Judge...

Sarah, originally named Sarai, is a significant figure in the biblical narrative, serving as the wife and half-sister of Abraham. She is honored as the founding matriarch of Juda...

Andres Bonifacio (1863–1897) was a Filipino revolutionary leader and founder of the Katipunan, a secret society that ignited the 1896 uprising against Spanish colonial rule. Growing up in ...

Apolinario Mabini (1864–1903) was a Filipino revolutionary leader, lawyer, and statesman who played a central role in the Philippine struggle for independence from Spanish and American rule. D...

Mark Antony (83–30 BCE) was a crucial Roman general and politician who significantly impacted the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. A devoted ally of Julius Cae...

David Walker (c. 1796–1830) was a bold African American abolitionist and writer, born in Wilmington, North Carolina, to a free mother and an enslaved father. After relocating to ...

Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400) was a pivotal English poet and writer, best known for The Canterbury Tales, a landmark work of medieval literature. This collection details colorful stories tol...

H.G. Wells (1866–1946) was an English author, known as a trailblazer in science fiction. He rose to prominence with his initial novel, The Time Machine (1895), where he introduced the ...

Prince Rogers Nelson, known simply as Prince, was a groundbreaking American musician whose career spanned nearly four decades. Born in Minneapolis in 1958, he was a prodigious multi-...

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) was a prominent English writer, critic, and lexicographer, notable for his major influence on English literature. He is best remembered for his "A Dictionary of the En...

Sarojini Naidu, known as the "Nightingale of India," was a significant poet, political activist, and social reformer who played a major role in India's quest for independence. Born...

Sophocles (c. 497/496 – 406/405 BC) was a highly regarded ancient Greek tragedian whose writings significantly shaped classical drama. He authored over 120 plays, yet only seven, including...

Aaron was the older brother of Moses and the first high priest of the Israelites, significantly contributing to their liberation from Egypt. Born to the Levite family of Amram and Jocheb...

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a French aristocrat, aviator, writer, and poet, notably recognized for his cherished novella, The Little Prince. Born in 1900, he fused his love fo...

Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) is one of Italy's greatest poets, celebrated for his epic poem The Divine Comedy, created in the early 14th century. This work is split into three sections: I...

Harriet Jacobs (1813–1897) was an African-American writer and abolitionist born into slavery in North Carolina. She is best known for her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Sl...

Jacob, son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, is a key biblical figure known for his complex life that shaped Israel's history. Born as a twin holding his brother Esau’s heel, his story...

Lazarus of Bethany is a notable figure in the New Testament, primarily recognized for being raised from the dead by Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John, it is told that Lazarus fell il...

Milkha Singh, popularly known as “The Flying Sikh,” was a legendary Indian track-and-field athlete born in 1929 in what is now Pakistan. Orphaned during the Partition, he later joined the ...

Ruth, a Moabite widow, is a key character in the biblical Book of Ruth. Her story takes place during Israel's troubled period of the Judges, marked by widespread moral decline. Despite her...

Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) was a pioneering English writer and a key figure in 20th-century modernism. She is renowned for her innovative use of stream of consciousness narration and her e...

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's foremost dramatist. Known...

Charles Lamb (1775–1834) was an English essayist, poet, and critic, famous for his Essays of Elia, a collection of personal, humorous, and reflective essays published between 1823 and 18...

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, born in 1947, was the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010. Hailing from a prominent political family, she served as the first female Vice Preside...

Ishmael was the first son of Abraham, born to Hagar, Sarah's handmaid. His birth resulted from Sarah's impatience with God's promise of a child, prompting Abraham to conceive with Haga...

Judith Butler, born in 1956, is a prominent philosopher and gender theorist known for transforming the discussion around gender and identity. Their pivotal work, *Gender Trouble*...

Rani Lakshmi Bai, known as the Queen of Jhansi, played a crucial role in India's First War of Independence in 1857. She was born as Manikarnika Tambe in 1828 and received a good ed...

Charlie Chaplin, a prominent figure in film history, began his career in the entertainment world at a very young age. His parents, both involved in music hall entertainment, influenced his early p...

Hagar is an Egyptian slave woman in the Bible who plays a crucial role in the early story of Abraham’s family. She was given to Abraham by his wife Sarah to bear a child when Sarah couldn'...

Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer and an early feminist who passionately advocated for women's rights, particularly in education. Her groundbreaking 1792 work, *A Vindica...

Nicodemus was a prominent Jewish leader and Pharisee noted in the Gospel of John. His name translates to “conqueror of the people.” As a respected teacher and member of the Jewish ru...

Aeschylus (c. 525–456 BCE) was an ancient Greek playwright, often recognized as the "father of tragedy" due to his role in evolving early Greek drama into a more sophisticated art form. Born n...

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer, best known for his remarkable eight-year journey across the present-day American Southwest, following a disastrous 1527 expedition to Flo...

Frederick Griffith was a British bacteriologist, best known for his groundbreaking 1928 experiment that uncovered bacterial transformation. While examining Streptococcus pneumoniae, the germ r...

Jesus of Nazareth is a key figure in Christianity, having lived around 2,000 years ago. Known for his transformative teachings and ministry, he began his work around age 30, following ...

John Bunyan (1628–1688) was an English Puritan preacher, widely recognized for writing The Pilgrim's Progress, a Christian allegory published in two parts (1678 and 1684). This work il...

Julian of Norwich (c. 1342–1416) was a notable Christian mystic and anchoress in medieval England. She is best known for writing Revelations of Divine Love, the first known book in English aut...

Kublai Khan was the fifth emperor of the Yuan Dynasty and is renowned for conquering all of China by 1279, becoming the first Mongol ruler to accomplish this. After winning a civil war...

Mahatma Gandhi, born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, India, was a leading figure in Indian nationalism and a global symbol of nonviolence. Raised in a ...

Mohammad Ali Jinnah, widely known as Quaid-e-Azam (“Great Leader”), was the founder of Pakistan and its first Governor-General. Born on December 25, 1876, in Karachi, he was a skil...

O. Henry, the pen name of William Sydney Porter, is best known for his short stories featuring ironic twists and richly drawn characters from everyday life. Born in 1862, Porter lived a va...

Thucydides (c. 460 – c. 400 BC) was an Athenian historian and general; he is best known for writing the History of the Peloponnesian War. This work details the conflict between Athens and Sp...

Marcus Junius Brutus was a Roman senator, renowned for his crucial role in the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. Born around 85 BCE into the prestigious Junia family, he claime...

William Hazlitt (1778–1830) was a renowned English essayist, critic, and philosopher, best known for his vivid and passionate essays that explore art, literature, politics, and everyday life...

Deborah is a remarkable figure in the Bible, recognized as a prophetess, judge, military leader, and songwriter who guided Israel during the 12th century B.C. She was a wise an...

J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904–1967) was an American theoretical physicist, famous for being the scientific director of the Manhattan Project. He was instrumental in developing the first ...

Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent American Baptist minister and civil rights leader born in 1929. He championed nonviolent resistance to combat racial segregation and discri...

Oswald Theodore Avery (1877–1955) was a pioneering American scientist known for his discovery that DNA is the material responsible for heredity. While working at the Rockefeller Institute,...

St. Peter the Apostle, originally named Simon, was a fisherman from Bethsaida near the Sea of Galilee. He is one of Jesus' twelve apostles and a central figure in early Christianity. Jesus...

Adam and Eve are central figures in the creation story found in religious texts like the Bible and Quran. According to these traditions, Adam was the first human created by God, formed...

Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father of the United States, best known as the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born around 1755–1757 in the Caribbean, he ...

Samuel is a pivotal figure in the Bible, bridging the era of Israel’s judges and its monarchy. Born to Hannah after her fervent prayer, he was dedicated to God and raised in the tabernacle...

Ruby Bridges is a prominent figure in American history for her courageous role in desegregating public schools during the Civil Rights Movement. Born in 1954 in Mississippi, she became...

Thomas Gray (1716–1771) was a leading English poet of the mid-18th century, renowned for his poem Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard (1751). This elegy, inspired by the death of his close f...

Nebuchadnezzar II was the powerful king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire from 605 to 562 BCE and is considered its greatest ruler. He expanded his empire through military campaigns, conquering...

Anne Frank was a German-born Jewish girl who became one of the most well-known victims of the Holocaust through the diary she kept while hiding from the Nazis during World War II. ...

Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) was an American writer, philosopher, and a key figure in the Transcendentalist movement. He is best known for his book Walden and his essay Civil ...