Biographies
31
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Lawyer and Indian independence leader
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869–1948), widely known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer and independence leader. His campaign
James William Fulbright
Senator and educational exchange advocate
James William Fulbright (1905–1995), known as J. William Fulbright, was an American senator and educator. He sponsored the Fulbrig
Thomas Edison
Inventor and businessman
Thomas Edison (1847–1931) was an American inventor and businessman whose laboratories helped develop sound recording, practical el
Ferdinand Magellan
Navigator and expedition commander
Ferdinand Magellan (c. 1480–1521) was a Portuguese navigator who led a Spanish-sponsored expedition seeking a westward route to th
Marie Curie
Physicist and chemist
Marie Curie (1867–1934) was a Polish-born physicist and chemist who worked in France. A pioneer of radioactivity research, she hel
Leonardo da Vinci
Renaissance artist, engineer and investigator of nature
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was an Italian Renaissance artist, engineer and investigator of nature. Celebrated for the Mona Lisa
Eleanor Roosevelt
Diplomat, human rights advocate and First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) was an American public figure, diplomat and human rights advocate. First Lady from 1933 to 1945, she
Marco Polo
Venetian merchant and traveller
Marco Polo (c. 1254–1324) was a Venetian merchant and traveller whose account of journeys through Asia became known as The Travels
Mother Teresa
Catholic nun, humanitarian and founder of the Missionaries of Charity
Mother Teresa (1910–1997) was an Albanian-born Catholic nun and the founder of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India. She
Alexander von Humboldt
Naturalist, geographer and explorer
Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), fully Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt, was a German naturalist, geographer a
Isaac Newton
Mathematician, physicist and natural philosopher
Isaac Newton (1643–1727, Gregorian calendar) was an English mathematician and natural philosopher whose work on motion, gravitatio
Pierre de Coubertin
Educator and Olympic movement pioneer
Pierre de Coubertin (1863–1937) was a French educator and sports organiser who played a central role in reviving the Olympic Games
Huda Shaarawi
Egyptian feminist, nationalist and social reformer
Huda Shaarawi (1879–1947) was an Egyptian feminist and nationalist who founded the Egyptian Feminist Union in 1923. She advocated
Michael Faraday
Experimental physicist and chemist
Michael Faraday (1791–1867) was an English experimental scientist whose discoveries transformed electricity, magnetism and chemist
Léopold Sédar Senghor
Poet, cultural thinker and first President of Senegal
Léopold Sédar Senghor (1906–2001) was a Senegalese poet, cultural thinker and Senegal’s first president, serving from 1960 to 1980
Stephen Hawking
Theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author
Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author. His research on black holes and the earl
Nikola Tesla
Inventor and electrical engineer
Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) was an inventor and electrical engineer known for his contributions to alternating-current motors and pol
Confucius
Chinese philosopher and teacher
Confucius (c. 551–479 BCE), also known as Kongzi, was a Chinese philosopher and teacher. His ideas about learning, humaneness, eth
Ibn Rushd (Averroes)
Philosopher, judge and physician
Ibn Rushd (1126–1198), known in Latin as Averroes, was an Andalusian philosopher, judge and physician. His commentaries on Aristot
Galileo Galilei
Astronomer, physicist and mathematician
Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and mathematician whose telescopic discoveries and studies of mot
Rosalind Franklin
Chemist and X-ray crystallographer
Rosalind Franklin (1920–1958) was an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose research was crucial to understanding DNA’s
Alexander the Great
King of Macedon and military commander
Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE), also known as Alexander III of Macedon, was a king and military commander. His conquests overth
Henrik Arnold Wergeland
Norwegian poet, playwright and public educator
Henrik Arnold Wergeland (1808–1845) was a Norwegian poet, playwright and public educator. A leading Romantic writer and Norway’s f
Charles Darwin
Naturalist and biologist
Charles Darwin (1809–1882) was an English naturalist whose work transformed biology. His studies of evolution, common descent and