PEOPLE TO KNOW Flashcards by D C

American writer and journalist of the 20th century, best known as the co-author of The Elements of Style and the author of Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web

EB White

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The pen name of Eric Blair, an English author of the 20th century known for his witty social commentary

George Orwell

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Jacob and Wilhelm, German siblings, scholars, and authors of the 18th and 19th centuries

Brothers Grimm

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American photographer of the 20th century
His most celebrated work, the photography book The Americans, became associated with the Beat Generation because of the way it depicted American life in the 1950s

Robert Frank

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Irish author of the 19th and 20th centuries, best known as a playwright
His most famous play, Pygmalion, was later adopted into a film
He co-founded the London School of Economics

George Bernard Shaw

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American photographer of the 20th century
Best known for his work documenting the effects of the Great Depression for the Farm Security Administration
He famously said he wanted his pictures to be “literate, authoritative, transcendent”

Walker Evans

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American entrepreneur who was the co-founder, CEO, and chairman of Apple
- He also served as the CEO of Pixar and was the founder of NeXT

Steve Jobs

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American businessman and investor who served as the chief executive officer of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014.He is the current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As of October 2021, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his personal wealth at $102 billion,ranking him as the 9th richest person in the world.

Steve Ballmer

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Yugoslav military leader and statesman of the 20th century who led the resistance movement in Yugoslavia during World War II and who later established communist rule in Yugoslavia

Marshal (Josep Broz) Tito

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19th-century French physicist best known for inventing a pendulum that demonstrates the rotation of the Earth

Foucault

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Olympic athlete and American military leader of the 20th century who served as general in World War II
An expert in motorized-vehicle attacks, he commanded troops in both North Africa and Europe

George Patton

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He is a character in Dumas’s The Three Musketeers, depicted as the antagonist

Cardinal Richelieu

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American baseball pitcher who played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1950s and 60s
Noted for retiring at the young age of 30, he nonetheless won 4 World Series championships, 3 Cy Young Awards, and 1 NL MVP
In 1972 he became the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Sandy Koufax

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American college basketball coach who has served as the head coach of the men’s team at Duke since 1980
He is the winningest coach in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history
He has led Duke to four NCAA titles

Mike Krzyzewski

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American education reformer and politician of the 19th century most famous for championing universal public education

Horace Mann

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American writer regarded as one of the most influential writers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries
Among his best-known works are the short story collection Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and his novel Infinite Jest
Also a well-respected nonfiction writer and professor at Pomona College, he committed suicide in 2008

David Foster Wallace

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Nobel Prize Yiddish literature writer

Isaac Bashevis Singer

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American basketball point guard who played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s
He is generally regarded as the greatest point guard ever, noted for his great size for the position
He is remembered for his showmanship and passing ability, and for helping to popularize the NBA on an international level along with Larry Bird and Michael Jordan
He won the NBA MVP award 3 times and won 5 NBA championships

Magic Johnson

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15th and 16th-century Renaissance Polish astronomer who argued that the Earth moves about the Sun, displacing the Earth from the center of the universe

Copernicus

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American soccer player who played forward in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s for the U.S. women’s national team
She helped popularize soccer in America and scored a record 158 international goals during her career

Mia Hamm

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American abolitionist and author of the 19th century, best known for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which had a tremendous effect on anti-slavery sentiment in America

Harriet Beecher Stowe

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She rose to fame during the Crimean War, where she tended wounded soldiers day and night, earning her the nickname “Lady with the Lamp”

Florence Nightengale

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Argentine soccer attacker who plays for FC Barcelona
Currently regarded as the world’s best player, and one of the greatest ever
Broke the world record for goals scored in a calendar year in 2012

Lionel Messi

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American tennis player who played in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s
Winner of 7 Grand Slam singles titles
Famed for his short temper and furious outbursts on the court

John McEnroe

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* Polish-born physicist of the 19th and 20th centuries who worked mainly in France and was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize

Marie Curie

* American abolitionist, author, philosopher, and transcendentalist of the 19th century, wrote essay "Civil Disobedience"

Henry David Thoreau

* Belgian-born American chemist of the 19th and 20th centuries best known for inventing Bakelite (in 1907), a nonflammable and inexpensive plastic * Recognized in 1993 as having been the world's first synthetic plastic, Bakelite helped bring about the beginning of the modern plastics industry

Leo Baekeland

* Successor to his stepmother, Hatshepsut, as pharaoh of Egypt in the 15th century B.C. * Under him the Egyptian Empire grew larger than it had ever been

Thutmose III

* Mexican author of the 20th and 21st centuries, celebrated throughout the Spanish-speaking world * His major works include *The Death of Artemio Cruz* and *The Old Gringo*

Carlos Fuentes

18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131) was a [Persian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persians) [polymath](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymath), [mathematician](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics_in_medieval_Islam), [astronomer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomy_in_the_medieval_Islamic_world), philosopher, and [poet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_poetry). Has had quatrains attributed to him in translation

Omar Khayyam

* American author of the 20th century best known for his novel *Invisible Man*, about an unnamed black man who considers himself invisible to society * A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969, he also wrote the essay collections *Going to the Territory* and *Shadow and Act*

Ralph Ellison

* American businessman and investor who co-founded Broadcast.com, which was acquired by Yahoo! in 1999 * He is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, as well as Landmark Theatres and Magnolia Pictures. * An investor on “Shark Tank”

Mark Cuban

* Retired Canadian NHL head coach who coached five teams * As a head coach he has won a record 9 Stanley Cups with three different franchises * He holds the record for most wins in league history

Scotty Bowman

* Irish-born British painter of the 20th century * He typically depicted figures trapped in geometrical cages set against flat backgrounds * His major works include *Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion* and *Study for a Self-Portrait - Triptych*

Francis Bacon (artist)

* French painter of the 17th century * A classicist who emphasized logic, order, and line over color, his work was one of the principal alternatives to the dominant Baroque style of the period * His major works include *Et in Arcadia ego* and *Death of Germanicus*

Nicolas Poussin

Irish author and academic of the 20th century, best known for his works *The Allegory of Love*, *The Screwtape Letters*, *The Space Trilogy*

CS Lewis

* Among his most famous works are *The Brothers Karamazov*, *Crime and Punishment*, and *The Idiot*

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Siddhartha Gautama, a prince born in the 6th Century B.C.E. in what is now Nepal

Buddha

* Greek historian and biographer of the first and second centuries * He is known for his works *Moralia* and *Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans*

Plutarch

2 time East German Olympic figure skating women’s champion in 1980s

Katarina Witt

* Co-founder of Microsoft and the founder of Vulcan, Inc. * He is also the owner of the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Seahawks

Paul Allen

Last Inca emperor, captured and controlled by Pisarro

Atahualpa

India's first prime minister from 1947 until his death in 1964; Indira Gandhi’s father

Jawaharlal Nehru

* Influential Irish author and playwright of the 20th century who wrote in both French and English * He is associated with modernism, minimalism, and the Theatre of the Absurd

Samuel Beckett

[Greek philosopher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_philosopher) and one of the founders of [Cynic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynicism_(philosophy)) philosophy. He begged for a living and often slept in a large ceramic jar, or [pithos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pithos), in the marketplace.

Diogenes

The creators of the comic book superhero Superman

Jerry Siegel (writer) and Joe Shuster (artist)

1729[^[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke#cite_note-2) – 9 July 1797) was an Irish [statesman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politician), [economist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economist), and [philosopher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher). Proponent of underpinning virtues with manners in society and religious institutions for the moral stability and good of the state.[^[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke#cite_note-3) These views were expressed in his [*A Vindication of Natural Society*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Vindication_of_Natural_Society). In his [*Reflections on the Revolution in France*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflections_on_the_Revolution_in_France), he asserted that the revolution was destroying the fabric of good society.

Edmund Burke

* German philosopher of the 18th and 19th centuries who influenced a great many writers and thinkers, notably Karl Marx * He stressed the all-important nature of mind or spirit

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

* 19th-century Chilean independence leader of Spanish and Irish descent who is regarded as one of Chile's founding fathers * Along with José de San Martín, he helped free Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence

Bernardo O’Higgins

* Indian-born British writer of the 20th and 21st centuries * He is known as the author of *Midnight's Children*, *Shame*, and the highly controversial *The Satanic Verses*

Salman Rushdie

* British-Canadian journalist of the 20th and 21st centuries who works for *The New Yorker* * His popular books, which often deal with social psychology and academic research, include *The Tipping Point* and *Outliers*

Malcolm Gladwell

* Canadian ice hockey center who played most notably for the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers in the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s * He won 5 Stanley Cups with the Oilers and another with the Rangers in 1994 * He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007

Mark Messier

[American](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) businessman, [investor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investor), [political donor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campaign_finance) and [philanthropist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philanthropy). He was the founder, chairman and [chief executive officer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_executive_officer) of [Las Vegas Sands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Sands) Corporation

Sheldon Adelson

American computer scientists and entrepreneurs who are the co-founders of Google

Larry Page and Sergey Brin

Serbian-American inventor and engineer of the 19th and 20th centuries noted for his contributions to the design of the modern AC electric power system

Nikola Tesla

* South African and British Commonwealth statesman and military leader who served twice as South Africa's Prime Minister * He is most known for playing an instrumental role in the establishment of the League of Nations, and later called for the creation of the UN * He served in both World Wars, and was also the only person to sign the peace treaties ending both of the wars

Jan Smuts

[Archbishop of Canterbury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishop_of_Canterbury) from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a [saint](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint) and [martyr](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyr) by both the [Catholic Church](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church) and the [Anglican Communion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Communion). He engaged in conflict with [Henry II, King of England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England), over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in [Canterbury Cathedral](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_Cathedral).

Thomas Becket

* French writer of the 19th century best known for playing a fundamental role in the development of the modern short story * A protégé of Flaubert, his works include the novel *Pierre et Jean* and the stories "Boul de Suif", "Le Horla", and "Deux Amis"

Guy de Maupassant

* Serbian tennis player ranked no. 1 in the world as of mid-2014 * Winner of 7 Grand Slam singles trophies * With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, he formed part of the longest stretch of dominance by three men in tennis history, winning 29 of 30 Grand Slam titles available from 2004 to 2012

Novak Djokovic

* English writer of the 19th and 20th centuries who wrote extensively about British imperialism * His works include the poems "The White Man's Burden" and "Gunga Din", the novella "The Man Who Would Be King"

Rudyard Kipling

* He was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death in 1970, and promoted socialist reform and modernization * The Suez Crisis occurred during his administration, and its end, along with his strong emphasis of pan-Arab nationalism, made him a hero in the Arab world

Gamal Abdel Nasser

* His most important surviving treatises include *Metaphysics*, *Politics*, *Poetics*, and *Physics*

Aristotle

* He led the nation to victory in the Mexican-American War and oversaw the acquisition of large territories in the west, including Texas and California * The Naval Academy also opened during his presidency

James K. Polk

* American media mogul who founded CNN and TBS * He also created the cartoon *Captain Planet and the Planeteers*, formerly owned the Atlanta Braves, and notably helped create the United Nations Foundation

Ted Turner

20th-century American poet who was Poet Laureate of the United States and a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for her work, characterized by its highly detailed yet distant nature

Elizabeth Bishop

* Pharaoh of Egypt in the 14th century B.C., believed to be the father of King Tut * He is most famous for abandoning traditional Egyptian religion and worshipping one god only, Aten, a solar deity or sun disc * Traditional polytheism was restored, however, in the years following his death

Akhenaten

* Vietnamese revolutionary of the 20th century who helped found the communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 * His forces helped drive out Japanese forces in the 40s and defeat the French in 1954 * Although he died during the Vietnam War, he served as an inspiration for the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong fighting for a united, communist Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh

Castilian knight and warlord in [medieval Spain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_Spain). As the head of his loyal knights, he came to dominate the [Levante](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levante,_Spain) of the [Iberian Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_Peninsula) at the end of the 11th century. He reclaimed the [Taifa of Valencia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taifa_of_Valencia) from Moorish control for a brief period during the [*Reconquista*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconquista), ruling the principality as its Prince ([Señorío de Valencia](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Se%C3%B1or%C3%ADo_de_Valencia&action=edit&redlink=1) [[es](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se%C3%B1or%C3%ADo_de_Valencia)]) from 17 June 1094 until his death in 1099.

El Cid

* Russian-born American writer of the 20th century who wrote at first in Russian and later in English * He is known for such works as the novels *Lolita*, *Pale Fire*, and *The Defense*, and the memoir *Speak, Memory*

Vladimir Nabokov

* American football wide receiver who played most famously for the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s * Considered the greatest wide receiver of all time, holding many receiving records, and among the greatest players in the history of the sport * Winner of 3 Super Bowls with the 49ers

Jerry Rice

* 15th and 16th-century Dutch theologian and humanist * Proponent of religious toleration who sought to reform the Catholic Church while maintaining his recognition of the pope * Friend of Sir Thomas More

Erasmus

* Czech-born writer of the 20th century, now a French citizen * The Czech Republic's most famous living author, his works include *The Book of Laughter and Forgetting* and *The Unbearable Lightness of Being*

Milan Kundera

Co-founder and former CEO of AOL

Steve Case

* French painter of the 19th century * Important figure in the genesis of modern art * Major contributor to the transition from Realism to Impressionism * His major works include *The Luncheon on the Grass*, *Olympia*, and *Fifer*

Edouard Manet

* American author of the 20th and 21st centuries, best known for her nonfiction works which explore American culture and family life * Her works include the essay collection *The White Album* and *The Year of Magical Thinking*

Joan Didion

20th-century Ottoman military officer who fought in the Balkan Wars and World War I and was a leader of the Young Turk revolution

Enver Pasha

* The stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, a French playwright and actor of the 17th century * Regarded as a genius of comedy, he was adored by the court of Louis XIV and aristocrats of Paris

Moliere

* Italian poet and humanist of the 14th century * A contemporary of Boccaccio, he is known for coining the term "the Dark Ages" and for contributing to the development of lyrical poetry

Petrarch

* American basketball shooting guard who played for the Los Angeles Lakers * Winner of 5 NBA championships and the 2008 NBA MVP award * Considered the greatest shooting guard since Michael Jordan, he is also renowned for his competitive spirit

Kobe Bryant

* French architect of the 19th century * Best known for his restorations of medieval buildings, he is considered a Gothic Revival architect * He also designed the interior of the Statue of Liberty

Eugene Viollet-le-Duc

Louisiana pirate who helped General [Andrew Jackson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Jackson) defend New Orleans during the [Battle of New Orleans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_New_Orleans) during the [War of 1812](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812)

Jean Lafitte

* American financier of the 19th and 20th centuries, enormously powerful and influential in his day * He is noted for helping to arrange the merger that resulted in the creation of General Electric * He is also responsible for merging several steel businesses, among them Carnegie Steel Company, to create U.S. Steel

JP Morgan

16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters. He was a member of the [Académie française](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acad%C3%A9mie_fran%C3%A7aise), and won the 1921 [Nobel Prize in Literature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_in_Literature) "in recognition of his brilliant literary achievements, characterized as they are by a nobility of style, a profound human sympathy, grace, and a true [Gallic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_people) temperament"

Anatole France

British politician who won the Nobel Prize in literature

Winston Churchill

* English philosopher from the 17th century who argued that governments should depend on the consent of the governed and criticized the notion of monarchs' divine right * Also claimed that the human mind is a blank slate (*tabula rasa*) at birth and until experience eventually begins to write on it * His writings greatly influenced the American Founding Fathers

John Locke

* American multi-sport athlete of the 20th century * She won 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal in track and field at the 1932 Olympic Games * After finding success in basketball for some years, she began to play golf in the mid-30s and went on to find enormous success in the sport, eventually being named AP Female Athlete of the Year six times

Babe Didrikson Zaharias

* 14th-century Italian poet, regarded as an important humanist of the Renaissance * A friend of Petrarch, his works include *The Decameron* and his collection of biographies *On Famous Women*

Boccaccio

* Egyptian colonel and statesman who overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan in the Revolution of 1952

Nasser

* United States Senator of the 20th century who represented Arkansas from 1945 to 1974 * During his time in office he supported the creation of the United Nations and segregation, but opposed McCarthyism and American involvement in the Vietnam War

J. William Fulbright

* Italian painter of the 16th century * He is considered the most important member of the Venetian school * Renowned for his use of color and loose brushwork * His major works include *Assumption of the Virgin*, *Pesaro Madonna*, and *Venus of Urbino*

Titian

* American baseball pitcher of the 1900s, 1910s, and 20s who played for the Washington Senators * He is regarded as one of the greatest pitchers ever, and still holds the record for career shutouts

Walter Johnson

* Czech-American tennis player who competed in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s * She is one of the most accomplished tennis players in history * She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and a record 31 Grand Slam doubles titles

Martina Navratilova

* English poet of the 19th century who was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and highly popular during his time * His works include "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and "Crossing the Bar" * He wrote the famous lines "'Tis better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all"

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

* American businessman of the 20th century who was instrumental in establishing the McDonald's Corporation as a fast food giant * He also owned the San Diego Padres

Ray Kroc

* Italian philosopher and priest of the 13th century and a saint of the Roman Catholic Church * A proponent of natural theology, he reconciled reason and faith by arguing that philosophy could be compatible with Christianity

Thomas Aquinas

* Irish satirist and author of the 17th and 18th centuries * He is best known for writing the novel *Gulliver's Travels* and the satirical essay "A Modest Proposal"

Jonathan Swift

* German and Swiss painter of the 19th and 20th centuries * He had a highly individual style that was influenced by expressionism, cubism, and surrealism * His major works include *Twittering Machine*, *Fish Magic*, and *Viaducts Break Ranks*

Paul Klee

* American basketball small forward who played for the Boston Celtics in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s * Known for his all-around skills and shooting ability, he helped popularize basketball as a global game along with Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson * He was a 3-time NBA MVP and a 3-time NBA champion * He later became a coach and executive, and is the only person in NBA history to be named MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year

Larry Bird

* American author of the 20th century primarily associated with the Harlem Renaissance * In his writing he often depicted the black experience in the United States * His poems include "The Weary Blues" and "The Negro Speaks of Rivers"

Langston Hughes

* American basketball center who played for the Boston Celtics in the 1950s and 60s * Known as a great rebounder and defender, he keyed a Celtics dynasty that saw him win 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons * A prominent figure in the Civil Rights Movement, he had a rivalry with Wilt Chamberlain

Bill Russell

* French philosopher of the 17th century who was fundamental to modern philosophy and the Scientific Revolution * He is best known for the statement "I think, therefore I am"

Rene Descartes

* German philosopher from the 18th century whose major work is *Critique of Pure Reason* * He aimed to unite reason and experience, as in his mind metaphysics had not arrived at answers on important topics such as free will, God, and the soul

Immanuel Kant

* American baseball shortstop and third baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s * He is best known for holding the record for consecutive games played * He won the AL MVP twice and also won a World Series title

Cal Ripken, Jr.

* 10th and 11th-century Japanese writer and lady-in-waiting at the Japanese Imperial court * She is best known as the author of the classic Japanese work *The Tale of Genji*, often regarded as the world's first novel

Murasaki Shikibu

Key general/president in 19th century Mexico, fought lots of wars, controversial because probably ended up losing lots of territory

Santa Anna

* 20th-century political figure who was the Shah of Persia and the last King of Iran * The Shah was a secular Muslim who promoted modernization and recognized Israel, and he was overthrown in 1979 in the Iranian Revolution * He died in 1980 while in exile in Egypt, having been granted asylum by President Anwar Sadat

Mohammed Reza Palavi

Aztec emperor and ruler of Tenochtitlan who was overthrown by the Spanish under Hernando Cortés

Montezuma II

* Chilean statesman and poet, revered in Latin America during his lifetime * He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971

Pablo Neruda

born 10 July 1931) is a [Canadian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadians) [short story](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_story) writer who won the [Nobel Prize in Literature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_in_Literature) in 2013.

Alice Munro

American track and field sprinter and long jumper who famously starred in the 1936 Summer Olympics, winning 4 gold medals

Jesse Owens

* Algerian-born French author and philosopher of the 20th century * His works include *L'Étranger*, *La Peste*, and *La Chute*

Albert Camus

* Chief consort and wife to the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten in the 14th century B.C. * Her bust is one of the most famous surviving artifacts of Ancient Egypt

Nefertiti

* Canadian ice hockey center who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins * Selected first overall in the 2005 draft, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2007 and 2014 * He led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup title in 2009 and Canada to the gold medal at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics

Sidney Crosby

* German-Australian photographer of the 20th and 21st centuries * Best known as a fashion photographer who produced provocative black-and-white photos for *Vogue* among other publications

Helmut Newton

[King of the West Saxons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_the_West_Saxons) from 871 to c. 886 and [king of the Anglo-Saxons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_the_Anglo-Saxons) from c. 886 to 899. He was the youngest son of King [Æthelwulf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelwulf_of_Wessex). He had a reputation as a learned and merciful man of a gracious and level-headed nature who encouraged education, proposing that primary education be conducted in [Old English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_English) rather than Latin and improving the legal system and military structure and his people's quality of life.

Alfred the Great

* Greek statesman and general of Athens from the 5th century B.C. * Promoted Athenian democracy and championed the arts, overseeing the creation of many great structures like the Parthenon and much of the Acropolis * His rule is sometimes known as the Golden Age

Pericles

PM of Pakistan and former International Cricketer

Imran Khan

First and only female PM of Australia

Julia Gillard

* He helped open relations with the People's Republic of China and negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, putting an end to American involvement in the Vietnam War

Henry Kissinger

(June 8, 1921 – June 20, 2012) was an American artist known for his brilliantly colored, [expressionist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expressionist) paintings and [screenprints](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenprints) of athletes, musicians, and sporting events.

LeRoy Neiman

* American essayist and lecturer of the 19th century and a major leader of Trascendentalism * He is best known for championing individualism and for his essay *Self-Reliance*

Ralph Waldo Emerson

* King Louis XIII's chief minister * He helped to establish absolute monarchy in France, founded the *Académie Française*, and contributed to the retention of Quebec as a French colony

Cardinal Richelieu

* English artist of the 20th and 21st centuries known for his paintings, prints, photography, and stage design * Best known as a major figure in the Pop Art movement * He is also known for creating photography collages known as "joiners" * His major works include *A Bigger Splash* and *We Two Boys Together Clinging*

David Hockney

* English philosopher of the 17th century best known for his 1651 book *Leviathan* * He is regarded as a founder of modern political philosophy

Thomas Hobbes

* American Olympic diver who competed in the 1970s and 80s * Arguably the greatest diver of all time, he is the only male diver to sweep the diving events (on springboard and platform) in consecutive Olympic Games

Greg Louganis

* American author and screenwriter of the 20th and 21st centuries * His works include the memoir *Adventures in the Screen Trade*, the novel (and screenplay for) *The Princess Bride*, and the screenplays for *Misery*, *All the President's Men*, and *Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid*

William Goldman

*Washington Post* journalists who did much of the original reporting on the Watergate scandal, which resulted in government investigations and the resignation of President Nixon

Woodward and Bernstein

* French civic designer of the 19th century * Best known for his renovation of Paris, introducing the wide boulevards and uniform building facades for which the city is so famous today

Georges-Eugene Haussman

* American physicist of the 20th century who, along with Enrico Fermi, is known as the "father of the atomic bomb" * Played a major role in the Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons

J. Robert Oppenheimer

* Belgian comic book writer and artist of the 20th century * Best known as the creator of the popular *The Adventures of Tintin* series

Hergé

A number of phrases from his work have become commonplace in the English language, including "Nature, red in tooth and claw" ("In Memoriam A.H.H."), "'Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all", "Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die", "My strength is as the strength of ten, / Because my heart is pure", "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield", "Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers", and "The old order changeth, yielding place to new".

Tennyson

* He authored *Rights of Man*, in support of the French Revolution, and *The Age of Reason*, which supported deism and promoted reason

Thomas Paine

American inventor of the 19th century who perfected the design of the modern sewing machine, which incorporated a lockstitch design

Elias Howe

* 19th-century Argentine general who played a major role in the successful South American struggle for independence from Spain * He was directly involved in the liberation of both Chile and Peru, and is seen along with Simón Bolívar as one of the liberators of Spanish South America

Jose de San Martin

* 18th and 19th-century Ottoman military leader who became the head of Sudan and Egypt * Considered the founder of modern Egypt, he made many economic and military reforms and established a dynasty that would last until the Egyptian Revolution of 1952

Muhammad Ali of Egypt

Egyptian pharaoh of the 26th century B.C., most famous for having allegedly built the Great Pyramid of Giza

Khufu

* English soccer midfielder who played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and the Los Angeles Galaxy from the 1990s to the 2010s * A global icon with his wife Victoria, formerly Posh Spice of the Spice Girls * Became the first marquee soccer player to join the MLS in 2007

David Beckham

* American basketball forward who played in the 1980s, most notably for the University of Southern California * Considered by many to be the greatest female basketball player ever, she was named College Player of the Year 3 times and won an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. national team in 1984 * She is the sister of former NBA star Reggie Miller

Cheryl Miller

English playwright and author of the 20th century, most famous for his books about Winnie-the-Pooh

AA Milne

* American college basketball coach who served as the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team from 1974-2012 * She is the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history -- men's or women's -- in any division * She never had a losing season as head coach, and won 8 NCAA titles

Pat Summitt

* American football running back who played in the 1970s and 80s for the Chicago Bears * Nicknamed Sweetness, he won 2 NFL MVP awards and 1 Super Bowl title * He formerly held many notable rushing records, and remains one of the most revered players in NFL history

Walter Payton

* The pen name of Marie-Henri Beyle, a 19th-century French writer, known for his psychologically realistic works * He is best known for his novels *The Red and the Black* and *The Charterhouse of Parma*

Stendhal

American steel magnate of the 19th and 20th centuries who headed Bethlehem Steel Corporation, America's second-largest steel producer

Charles M. Schwab (not the investor, Charles R.)

* American basketball center who played for the Philadelphia (later San Francisco) Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s * A rival to Celtics great Bill Russell, he set multiple NBA records (including the single-game scoring record, 100 points) and is remembered as an imposing athletic specimen * He won 4 NBA MVP awards and 2 NBA titles

Wilt Chamberlain

Jamaican-born political leader and black nationalist who was a proponent of the Back-to-Africa movement and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association

Marcus Garvey

* German philosopher of the 19th century who substantially influenced existentialism * He challenged Christianity and morality and believed strongly in the idea of "life-affirmation"

Friedrich Nietzsche

American general of the 20th century who commanded Allied forces in the Pacific in World War II and later commanded troops of the United Nations in the Korean War

Douglas MacArthur

* American liguist and academic of the 20th and 21st centuries who is a professor at MIT * Considered the father of modern linguistics, he has written over 100 books on linguistics, politics, philosophy, media, and war

Noam Chomsky

American businessman who founded BET and in 2001 became the first African-American billionaire

Robert L. Johnson

British politician who served as [Prime Minister following Thatcher after serving in her government.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom) Despite a dwindling majority, he passed further reforms to education and [criminal justice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_Justice_and_Public_Order_Act_1994), [privatised British Rail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privatisation_of_British_Rail) and the coal industry, and signed the [Downing Street Declaration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downing_Street_Declaration), reinvigorating the [Northern Ireland peace process](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland_peace_process), which would eventually help lead to the [Good Friday Agreement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday_Agreement).

John Major

* 19th and 20th-century American author known for his novels *The American* and *The Portrait of a Lady*

Henry James

* French writer of the 16th century credited with establishing the essay as a literary genre * His best-known work is *Essais*, translated as "Attempts"

Michel de Montaigne

* He oversaw the Berlin Airlift, the creation of NATO, and the start of the Cold War * He also instituted the Marshall Plan to help Europe in its post-war recovery and gained approval for the Korean War.

Harry Truman

American [sculptor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculpture) best known for his work on [Mount Rushmore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore). He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including [Stone Mountain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain) in Georgia, [the statue of](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_statue_of_Philip_Sheridan) Union General [Philip Sheridan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Sheridan) in Washington, D.C., as well as [a bust](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bust_of_Abraham_Lincoln_(Borglum)) of [Abraham Lincoln](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln) which was exhibited in the [White House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House) by [Theodore Roosevelt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt)[^[6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutzon_Borglum#cite_note-6) and which is now held in the [United States Capitol crypt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Capitol_crypt) in Washington, D.C.

Gutzon Borglum

* French author of the 19th century known for his perfectionist writing style and his novels *Madame Bovary* and *Sentimental Education* * He served as a guardian and mentor to Guy de Maupassant

Gustave Flaubert

* American basketball center who played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s * A 3-time NCAA champion with John Wooden's UCLA Bruins and famous for his Sky Hook, he went on to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

* Former American football player who coached the Oakland Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XI in 1976 * He later became a successful broadcaster and gained enormous popularity for an NFL video game series he has endorsed since the 80s

John Madden

* German tennis player who competed in the 1980s and 90s * She won 22 Grand Slam singles titles in her career, the most of any male or female player in the Open Era * She married American tennis star Andre Agassi in 2001

Stefi Graf

20th-century Israeli leader who was important to the formation of Israel and was named the country's first prime minister

David Ben-Gurion

American author of the 19th century, noted for his biographies and his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle"

Washington Irving

* Swiss-born French architect and writer of the 20th century * Best known as a pioneer of modern architecture * His major works include Villa Savoye and Notre Dame du Haut as well as the book *Towards a New Architecture*

Le Corbusier

* American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins from 1983 to 1999 * Winner of the NFL MVP award in 1984 * Held many single-season passing records until most were broken in recent years as the league has become more pass-oriented

Dan Marino

* American basketball power forward who has played for the San Antonio Spurs 1997-2016 * Widely considered the greatest power forward of all time * Has won 5 NBA championships and 2 NBA MVP awards

Tim Duncan

* Greek shipping magnate of the 20th century who also founded Olympic Air

Aristotle Onassis

July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patriot, revolutionary, and republican. He contributed to the [Italian unification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_unification) and the [creation of the Kingdom of Italy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclamation_of_the_Kingdom_of_Italy). Also known as the "*Hero of the Two Worlds*" because of his military enterprises in South America and Europe.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

* American baseball center fielder who played for the New York Yankees in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s * A 3-time AL MVP, he won 9 World Series championships * He is best remembered for his record 56-game hitting streak, which still stands * He famously married Marilyn Monroe, and his brothers Dom and Vince also played in the major leagues

Joe DiMaggio

(February 9, 1874 – May 12, 1925) was an American poet of the [imagist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagist) school, which promoted a return to classical values. She posthumously won the [Pulitzer Prize for Poetry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Poetry) in 1926. Often free verse poetry

Amy Lowell

PM of New Zealand

Jacinda Ardern

* Italian architect and writer of the 16th century * Best known for influencing all subsequent Western architecture with the teachings from his *Four Books of Architecture* * Many of his buildings still stand in what was the republic of Venice

Andrea Palladio

Pope when Martin Luther posted his theses.

Leo X

One of the founders of microbiology, he created vaccines for anthrax and rabies

Louis Pasteur

* American poet of the 19th and 20th centuries, celebrated by critics and readers alike and noted for his realistic treatment of rural life in America * Some of his poems include "Mending Wall", "Acquainted with the Night”

Robert Frost

* English painter of the 18th and 19th centuries * Best known as a Romantic painter of the landscapes of Dedham Vale where he grew up * His major works include *Dedhum Vale* and *The Hay Wain*

John Constable

Australian international [cricketer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket), widely acknowledged as the greatest [batsman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batsman) of all time. His career [Test](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_cricket) [batting average](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batting_average_(cricket)) of 99.94 has been cited as the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport.

Don Bradman

* Danish philosopher from the 19th century, considered a forerunner of existentialism * A consistent theme of his writing was the loneliness and fear that can come with religion

Soren Kierkegaard

* Flemish painter of the 16th and 17th centuries * Noted for his extravagant Baroque style, he is famous for his counter-Reformation pieces depicting mythological and religious subjects * His major works include *Elevation of the Cross*, *Prometheus Bound*, and *The Fall of Man*

Peter Paul Rubens

Irish author of the 19th century, best known for his wit, his novel *The Picture of Dorian Gray*, and the play *The Importance of Being Earnest*

Oscar Wilde

* Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher and mathematician of the 7th and 6th centuries B.C. * He is noted for having attempted to explain natural phenomena without referring to mythology * For this rejection of mythological explanations, as well as for his use of deductive reasoning, geometry, and hypotheses, he is credited with having laid the groundwork for the scientific revolution

Thales (Thay-leez) (of Miletus)

* American football coach of the 20th century for whom the NFL's Super Bowl trophy is named * He is famous for leading the Green Bay Packers to six NFL Championships and to victories in the first two Super Bowls

Vince Lombardi

* Greek-Roman philosopher and citizen of Egypt of the first and second centuries A.D. * He authored several important and highly influential scientific treatises on astrology and mathematics

Ptolemy

* English poet of the 18th and 19th centuries, a major figure of Romanticism * Named Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, he is known for his poem "The Prelude" and for his close friendship with Samuel Taylor Coleridge

William Wordsworth

* Scottish-born American inventor of the 19th and 20th centuries who is credited with the invention of the telephone * He devoted much of his research and career to elocution, hearing, speech, and the education of the deaf * He helped found the National Geographic Society

Alexander Graham Bell

* American author of the 20th century noted as a central figure in the development of creative nonfiction * A Pulitzer Prize-winner, he co-founded *The Village Voice* * His major works include *The Executioner's Song*, *The Armies of the Night*, and *The Naked and the Dead*

Norman Mailer

Ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 13th century B.C. who is often considered the most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire

Ramesses the Great

* French writer of the 19th century, noted as an important naturalist * He was a leading figure in the sociopolitical liberalization of France, and is most famous for his essay "*J'Accuse*", his criticism of the French government during the Dreyfus Affair

Emile Zola

* Chinese ruler of the 3rd century B.C. who was the king of the State of Qin and later the first emperor of a unified China * He instituted many economic and social reforms, and is known for building large portions of the Great Wall of China, as well as his own enormous mausoleum, guarded by thousands of terracotta sculptures of soldiers

Qin Shi Huang

Current PM of Australia

Scott Morrison

He is remembered for playing multifaceted tough guys in films such as [*The Public Enemy*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Public_Enemy) (1931), [*Taxi!*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi!) (1932), [*Angels with Dirty Faces*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_with_Dirty_Faces) (1938), [*The Roaring Twenties*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roaring_Twenties) (1939), [*City for Conquest*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_for_Conquest) (1940) and [*White Heat*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Heat) (1949), finding himself [typecast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typecasting_(acting)) or limited by this reputation earlier in his career. He was able to negotiate dancing opportunities in his films and ended up winning the Academy Award for his role in the musical [*Yankee Doodle Dandy*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Doodle_Dandy) (1942).

James Cagney

* Japanese baseball outfielder who has played professionally since the early 90s, most notably for the Seattle Mariners * He has won 10 Gold Glove Awards, 1 AL MVP, and 2 AL batting championships * He had a record 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons

Ichiro Suzuki

* The pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, an English author of the 19th century

Lewis Carroll

* English poet of the 18th and 19th centuries, regarded as a founder of English Romanticism along with his friend William Wordsworth * He is known for his poem "Kubla Khan", about Xanadu, the summer palace of the ancient Mongol emperor Kublai Khan

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

English author of the 20th century who wrote the children's book *Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car*

Ian Fleming

* American track and field athlete who competed in the heptathlon and long jump in the 1980s and 90s * She won medals in the two events in four different Olympic Games, most notably winning gold in both events at the 1988 Games in Seoul * She is widely regarded as one of the best female athletes of the 20th century

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

* American basketball coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s * Winner of a record 11 NBA championships as a head coach

Phil Jackson

Co-founder of PayPal and the founder of Clarium Capital Management

Peter Thiel

* German-born British painter of the 20th and 21st centuries * Best known for his figure and portrait paintings, he is considered a realist whose work is often psychologically jarring * His major works include *Girl with a White Dog* and *Benefits Supervisor Sleeping*

Lucian Freud

* Ancient Chinese general and philosopher of the 6th century B.C. * He is widely credited as the author of *The Art of War*, regarded as the fundamental text on military strategy of its time

Sun Tzu

Co-founder of PayPal and the co-founder and CEO of Tesla Motors

Elon Musk

Basketball player - After converting to Islam in 1968, he notably changed his name from Lew Alcindor in 1971

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

* American football quarterback who played for the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s * Winner of a record 4 Super Bowls as quarterback of the 49ers * Considered by many as the greatest quarterback of all time

Joe Montana

Emperor of the 6th century B.C. who founded the Achaemenid Persian Empire, an Iranian empire in Western Asia that would at one point be the largest empire the world had ever seen

Cyrus the Great

(22 December 1696[^[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Oglethorpe#cite_note-1) – 30 June 1785) was a British soldier, Member of Parliament, and philanthropist, as well as the founder of the [colony of Georgia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_of_Georgia) in what was then British America. As a social reformer, he hoped to resettle Britain's worthy poor in the New World, initially focusing on those in [debtors' prisons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debtors%27_prison).

James Oglethorpe

* Canadian ice hockey center who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s * Despite many health problems and injuries, he had a stellar career and is regarded as one of hockey's all-time greats * He was the NHL's MVP 3 times and won 2 Stanley Cup titles * He later became owner of the Penguins, and won a Stanley Cup as owner in 2009

Mario Lemieux

* 20th-century Chilean politician who became the first Marxist to become president of a Latin American country when he won the Chilean presidency in 1970 * He was overthrown and committed suicide during a military coup supported by the CIA in 1973

Salvador Allende

* Brazilian architect of the 20th and 21st centuries * Best known for his designs of the civic builidngs in Brasilia, which was a planned city created for the purpose of becoming Brazil's capital

Oscar Niemeyer

* Spanish painter and printmaker of the 18th and 19th centuries * He was considered an Old Master of the Romantic movement, and his subjects were often darker than those of his contemporaries * His major works include *La maja desnuda*, *The Third of May 1808*, and *Black Paintings*

Francisco Goya

* 17th and 18th-century king of Sweden who led the Swedish army in the Great Northern War * Although he earned victories early on, he eventually lost his life in 1718, leading to the temporary end of absolute monarchy in Sweden, but more importantly, to the end of the Swedish Empire

Charles XII of Sweden

* Indian cricketer who played professionally from the 1980s to 2013 * Was widely viewed as the greatest batsman in the world * He helped lead India to the 2011 Cricket World Cup title

Sachin Tendulkar

* American industrialist of the 19th and 20th centuries who founded the Standard Oil Company * He became the world's richest man, worth more than $1 billion, which, adjusting for inflation, made him the richest person in history * In retirement he was a prolific philanthropist, noted in particular for founding the University of Chicago

John D. Rockefeller

* Dominican-American baseball first baseman who has played for both the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim since debuting in 2001 * A 3-time NL MVP and 2-time World Series champion with the Cardinals, he is the only player in history to bat at least .300 with 30 or more home runs and 100 or more RBIs in his first 10 seasons

Albert Pujols

* American basketball small forward who played in both the ABA and NBA in the 1970s and 80s * Nicknamed Dr. J, he popularized midair play and dunking, serving as an inspiration to later stars like David Thompson and Michael Jordan * He won the NBA MVP award in 1981 and won a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983

Julius Erving

* English soccer midfielder who played for Manchester United in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s * Considered the greatest English player of all time, he led England to its only major tournament victory at the 1966 World Cup held in England

Bobby Charlton

He has historically been credited with the independent discovery of oxygen in 1774 by the thermal decomposition of mercuric oxide,[5] having isolated it.

Joseph Priestly

* Argentinian writer and poet of the 20th century known for his short stories which combine myth, fantasy, magical realism, and philosophy * Some of his most famous works include *The Aleph*, *Ficciones*, and *Los Conjurados*

Jorge Luis Borges

* American athlete of the 20th century who played multiple sports * Of mixed Native American and European American ancestry, he most famously won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics * Considered one of the greatest pure athletes ever, he also spent time playing professional football, baseball, and basketball

Jim Thorpe

* American baseball pitcher who played for 5 teams in the 1890s, 1900s, and 1910s * He holds the records for most career wins and innings pitched * An MLB award was established in his memory to honor each season's best pitcher

Cy Young

* American tennis player who competed in the 1970s and 80s * She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles in all * Her career winning percentage in singles matches is the highest in history

Chris Evert

* American satirical writer of the 20th century * His major work is the war novel *Catch-22*, whose title entered the English lexicon, meaning any situation that puts one in a double bind

Joseph Heller

* Welsh poet of the 20th century known for his rhythmic verse and turbulent lifestyle * His works include the radio dramas *Under Milk Wood* and *A Child's Christmas in Wales*, but he is most famous for the beginning of one poem, "Do not go gentle into that good night"

Dylan Thomas

* German-born Swiss author of the 19th and 20th centuries * He is best known for his novels *Steppenwolf* and *Siddhartha*, which explore such themes as spirituality, the duality of existence, and knowledge

Hermann Hesse

* Queen of Sweden in the 17th century known for her unconventional artistic and intellectual tastes * In 1654 she abdicated her throne and converted to Catholicism, and later moved to Rome, where she became a patron of the arts

Christina, Queen of Sweden

* French painter of the 19th and 20th centuries * He helped lead the development of the Impressionist movement, and often portrayed feminine sensuality in his paintings * His major works include *Bal du moulin de la Galette*, *Nude*, and *Luncheon of the Boating Party*

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

* American basketball center who played in both the ABA and NBA from the 1970s through the mid-90s * He is noted for his ferocious rebounding and for being the first player to successfully jump from high school to the pros * He won the NBA MVP award 3 times and led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA title in 1983

Moses Malone

* American multi-sport athlete of the 1980s and 90s * He was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in 2 major American pro sports * A Heisman Trophy winner in 1985, he went on to star as a running back for the Los Angeles Raiders and as a DH and outfielder for 3 MLB teams * He became highly popular in the late 80s and early 90s, but a major hip injury derailed his career * He is regarded as one of the greatest pure athletes in pro sports history, once running the fastest 40-yard dash time ever recorded at an NFL Combine

Bo Jackson

* French painter and sculptor of the 20th century * Best known for developing Cubism along with Picasso * His major works include *Violin and Candlestick* and *Fruitdish and Glass*

Georges Braque

Current president of Turkey

[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recep_Tayyip_Erdo%C4%9Fan)

* Spanish painter of the 17th century * A key figure of the Baroque movement, he is best known for his portraits * His major works include *Las Meninas*, *Rokeby Venus*, and *The Surrender of Breda*

Diego Velazquez

Current PM of Japan

Fumio Kishida

* American basketball center who played in the 1990s and 2000s for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks * Regarded as one of the greatest female basketball players ever, she won 3 WNBA MVPs, 2 WNBA titles, and 4 Olympic gold medals as a member of the U.S. women's national team

Lisa Leslie

* American football running back who played for the Cleveland Browns from 1957-65 * He is regarded as one of the greatest players in NFL history * He was an 8-time NFL rushing champion and 3-time NFL MVP * He was a multi-sport athlete in high school and in college at Syracuse, where he was a first-team All-American in lacrosse * After retiring he had a mildly successful acting career

Jim Brown

Current president of Italy

**Sergio Mattarella** [OMRI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Merit_of_the_Italian_Republic) [OMCA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Order_of_Merit_for_Culture_and_Art) (Italian pronunciation: [[ˈsɛrdʒo mattaˈrɛlla]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Italian); born 23 July 1941) is an Italian politician, jurist, academic and lawyer who has served as the 12th and current [president of Italy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Italy) since 2015.

(22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the [unification of Italy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_of_Italy) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the independent and unified Italy[^[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Mazzini#cite_note-7) in place of the several separate states, many dominated by foreign powers, that existed until the 19th century.

Giuseppe Mazzini

* Jamaican sprinter who won Olympic gold medals in his three events at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games * Holds the world record in both the 100m and the 200m

Usain Bolt

* Lituanian-American football quarterback who played most famously for the Baltimore Colts in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s * Considered by many to be the first great modern QB, he set many records and was named NFL MVP 3 times * He won 2 NFL championships and 1 Super Bowl championship

Johnny Unitas

* English Romantic poet of the 19th century * His best-known work is the satirical poem "Don Juan" * He is noted for his rebellious nature and many love affairs * A hero in Greece for his aid in fighting against the Ottoman Empire in the Greek War of Independence, he died at age 36 from a fever contracted in Greece

Lord Byron

* Mexican business magnate who was the world's wealthiest person 2010-13 * He is the chairman and CEO of such telecommunications companies as Telmex and América Móvil, and of the global conglomerate Grupo Carso

Carlos Slim Helu

* American photographer of the 20th and 21st centuries * Best known for his fashion and portrait photographs of celebrities * His photos were mainly in black-and-white and mimicked the style of Greek sculpture

Herb Ritts

* 20th-century Italian author known for his short stories and novels * His works include *Invisible Cities*, *The Baron in the Trees*, and *If on a winter's night a traveler* * He was a member of Oulipo, a mostly French group of experimental writers

Italo Calvino

17th-century French author known for his classic *Fables*, a series of stories about animal characters that poke fun of and dispense moral lessons about the human condition

Jean de la Fontaine

* Scottish author of the 19th century * He is best known for *The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde* and *Treasure Island*

Robert Louis Stevenson

English poet and playwright whose [dramatic monologues](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramatic_monologue) put him high among the [Victorian poets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_literature). Now popularly known for such poems as [*Porphyria's Lover*](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Porphyria%27s_Lover), [*My Last Duchess*](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/My_Last_Duchess), [*How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix*](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/How_They_Brought_the_Good_News_from_Ghent_to_Aix), and [*The Pied Piper of Hamelin*](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Pied_Piper_of_Hamelin_(Browning)), and also for certain famous lines: "Grow old along with me!" ([*Rabbi Ben Ezra*](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Rabbi_Ben_Ezra)), "A man's reach should exceed his grasp" and "Less is more" ([*Andrea Del Sarto*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Del_Sarto_(poem))), "It was roses, roses all the way" (*The Patriot*), and "God's in His heaven—All's right with the world!" ([*Pippa Passes*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippa_Passes)).

Robert Browning

“Father of history,” known for having written the [*Histories*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histories_(Herodotus)) – a detailed account of the [Greco-Persian Wars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Persian_Wars).

Herodotus

* French soccer attacking midfielder who played most notably for Juventus and Real Madrid in the 1990s and 2000s * Led France to the World Cup in 1998, which was held in France * Infamously sent off with a red card for headbutting an opponent in his last game ever in the World Cup Final of 2006

Zinedine Zidane

* American baseball player who played multiple positions during a career that lasted from the early 1960s until 1986 * Most famously playing for the Cincinnati Reds, he is the all-time MLB leader in hits, and won 3 World Series titles and 1 NL MVP * Despite his accomplishments he is banned from induction into the Hall of Fame because of his gambling on baseball games while playing and managing the Reds

Pete Rose

* Nigerian-American basketball center who played most notably for the Houston Rockets in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s * Widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever, he was known for his quickness, footwork, and remarkable agility for his size * He won 2 NBA titles, 2 NBA Finals MVPs, 1 NBA MVP award, and 2 Defensive Player of the Year awards

Hakeem Olajuwon

15th and 16th-century religious leader and Sikh Guru who founded the religion of Sikhism

Guru Nanak

* American politician of the 19th century who represented Kentucky in both the House of Representatives and the Senate * Admired by Abraham Lincoln, he is regarded as one of the great senators in American history, especially for his central role in producing the Missouri Compromise in 1820 and the Compromise of 1850

Henry Clay

American baseball right fielder who played for the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers from 1954 to 1976 Best known for breaking Babe Ruth's longstanding all-time home runs record

Hank Aaron

* Emperor of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century who oversaw his empire at its political, economic, and military height * He restructured the Ottoman legal system and was a great patron of culture, his reign coinciding with the Ottoman Empire's golden age of artistic development

Suleiman

20th-century American medical researcher who discovered and developed the first polio vaccine

Jonas Salk

* Canadian ice hockey defenseman who played for the Boston Bruins and Chicago Black Hawks in the 1960s and 70s * A high-scoring playmaker as a defenseman, he revolutionized the position and is the only defenseman to have won the league scoring title, doing so twice * He won 3 MVP awards and 8 straight Norris Trophies, awarded to the NHL's top defenseman

Bobby Orr

* English author of the 19th and 20th centuries, noted for his prolific writing in a variety of different genres * He is most famous, however, as a writer of science fiction; his major works include *The Time Machine*, *The War of the Worlds*, and *The Invisible Man*

HG Wells

* Canadian ice hockey right winger who played professionally from the 1940s through 1980, notably for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers * Considered one of the greatest players of all time, he is nicknamed Mr. Hockey and won 6 Hart Trophies and led the league in scoring 6 times

Gordy Howe

* American basketball forward who has played for the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers * Winner of 2 NBA championships with the Heat and 4 NBA MVP awards * He controversially left Cleveland to join the Heat in 2010 despite growing up in Ohio, but returned to the Cavs in 2014 * Widely considered at present to be the best basketball player in the world

LeBron James

* American baseball center fielder who played in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, primarily for the New York/San Francisco Giants * He is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-around baseball players of all time * Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, he won 12 Gold Glove Awards, 2 NL MVPs, and 1 World Series title

Willie Mays

* German mathematician of the 16th and 17th centuries and one of the major figures of the scientific revolution * While he invented an improved version of the refracting telescope, he is best known for his laws of planetary motion

Johannes Kepler

The founding fathers of the Israelites in the Old Testament, consisting of Isaac, Abraham, Jacob, and the sons of Jacob

The Patriarchs

* American author of the 20th century, noted for his works concerning the black experience in America * He is known for his autobiography *Black Boy* and his novels *The Outsider* and *Native Son*

Richard Wright

* In 1950, he invaded South Korea, beginning the Korean War, which, after American and UN intervention, ended three years later

Kim Il-sung

* American tennis player who competed professionally in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s * She famously won the Battle of the Sexes tennis match against Bobby Riggs in 1973 * She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles

Billie Jean King

American [abolitionist](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abolitionism_in_the_United_States), [prohibitionist](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition), [prisoner of war](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner_of_war) and [surgeon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgery). She is the only woman to ever receive the [Medal of Honor](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor).

Mary Walker

* French poet of the 19th century most famous for his collection of poems called *Les Fleurs du mal* (The Flowers of Evil) * His verse is known for its morbid beauty, depictions of the fleeting nature of modernity, and its use of and mixture with prose

Charles Baudelaire

* Argentine soccer attacker who played most notably for Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona, and Napoli from the 1970s through the 1990s * Considered the greatest player of all time along with Brazil's Pelé * Famously led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title

Diego Maradona

Arthur Wellesley, a British general and statesman of the 19th century who commanded the allied army that defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo

Duke of Wellington

Hall of Fame American baseball outfielder who played most famously for the Detroit Tigers in the 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s He still holds the records for highest career batting average and most career batting titles

Ty Cobb

English explorer of the 16th and 17th centuries who explored the Americas and is credited with introducing both the potato and tobacco into England

Walter Raleigh

* Succeeded Gamal Abdel Nasser as President of Egypt in 1970, and negotiated the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, which was unpopular to many Arabs and led ultimately to his assassination in 1981

Anwar Sadat

English poet of the 17th century best known as the author of *Paradise Lost*, an epic poem about the Biblical fall of man, regarded as one of the greatest works of English literature

John Milton

* Portuguese soccer attacker who plays for Real Madrid, and formerly for Manchester United * Named the world's best player in 2008 and 2013

Cristiano Ronaldo

Scottish poet and author of “Auld Lang Syne,” "[A Red, Red Rose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Red,_Red_Rose)", "[A Man's a Man for A' That](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Man%27s_a_Man_for_A%27_That)", "[To a Louse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_a_Louse)", "[To a Mouse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_a_Mouse)", "[The Battle of Sherramuir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_Sherramuir)", "[Tam o' Shanter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tam_o%27_Shanter_(poem))" and "[_Ae Fond Kiss_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ae_Fond_Kiss)".

Robert Burns

Last American male figure skater to win individual medal

Evan Lysacek

* American industrialist of the 19th century who made his fortune in railroads and shipping. Commonly known as “Commodore”

Cornelius Vanderbilt

* Canadian ice hockey center who most famously played for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, and New York Rangers in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s * Nicknamed The Great One, he is widely regarded as the greatest hockey player ever, and holds numerous records * Most notably, he is the leading point-scorer in NHL history, and also won 9 Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player * He won 4 Stanley Cup championships with the Oilers in the 80s

Wayne Gretzky

* American animator, cartoonist, and director of the 20th century * Best known for creating the *Looney Toons* characters during the Golden Age of Hollywood Animation * He created Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, two of the most iconic cartoon characters of all time

Tex Avery

Most decorated Olympic figure skaters

Canadian ice dancers Virtue and Moir

* Romanian gymnast who competed in the 1970s and 80s * One of the most famous gymnasts of all time, she most notably became the first female gymnast to record a perfect score of 10 in the 1976 Olympics * At the 1976 Games, she won three gold medals, including one in the all-around competition

Nadia Comaneci

* Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist of the 19th and 20th centuries * He founded steel company and later sold it to J.P. Morgan, eventually resulting in the creation of U.S. Steel

Andrew Carnegie

* American baseball center fielder who played for the New York Yankees in the 1950s and 60s * Widely considered to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, he is remembered for his hitting ability, winning the Triple Crown in 1956 * He won 3 AL MVPs and 7 World Series championships

Micky Mantle

American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "[Hoosier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosier) Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his [dialect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialect) works and his children's poetry. His poems tend to be humorous or sentimental. Of the approximately 1,000 poems he wrote, the majority are in dialect. His famous works include "[Little Orphant Annie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Orphant_Annie)" and "[The Raggedy Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raggedy_Man)".

James Whitcomb Riley

President of China & General Secretary of the Communist Party

Xi Jinping

* American basketball guard who played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1960s and 70s * Nicknamed Mr. Clutch, his silhouette was incorporated into the NBA's logo * A 14-time NBA All-Star, he won the NBA championship in 1972 * Since retiring as a player, he has held multiple executive positions for NBA teams, earning praise for his savvy personnel decisions

Jerry West

She is remembered for such poems as "[How Do I Love Thee?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonnets_from_the_Portuguese#Number_43)" (Sonnet 43, 1845) and [*Aurora Leigh*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_Leigh) (1856).

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

* Dutch painter of the 17th century * A member of the Dutch Golden Age, he is considered a Baroque painter who specialized in quotidian interior scenes * His major works include *The Milkmaid*, *The Astronomer*, and *Girl with a Pearl Earring*

Jan Vermeer

* Indian emperor of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent * After the destructive Kalinga War, he converted to Buddhism and contributed to the expansion of Buddhism as a world religion

Ashoka

* American sports columnist of the 20th and 21st centuries, highly popular and nicknamed The Sports Guy * He is noted for mixing pop culture into his analysis of sports, and currently heads Grantland.com, a sports site affiliated with ESPN

Bill Simmons

* Canadian ice hockey left winger who played for the Winnipeg Jets, Hartford Whalers, and Chicago Black Hawks from the 1950s through 1980 * Widely viewed as the best left winger ever, he was noted for his speed and powerful slapshot * A 2-time Hart Trophy winner and 1-time Stanley Cup champion, his son Brett became a Hall of Fame hockey player himself in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s

Bobby Hull

[Athenian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaic_Greece#Athens) statesman, [lawmaker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law) and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in archaic Athens.His reforms failed in the short term, yet he is often credited with having laid the foundations for [Athenian democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_democracy).

Solon of Athens

born April 22, 1943) is an American poet and essayist. She won the 2020 [Nobel Prize in Literature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_in_Literature), whose judges praised "her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal".

Louise Gluck

* American basketball player and coach most famous for coaching the UCLA Bruins from 1948-1975 * Won 10 NCAA championships in a 12-year period as coach of UCLA * First person inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach

John Wooden

* French writer of the 16th century * A French Renaissance humanist, his most famous work is the series of novels *Gargantua and Pantagruel*

Francois Rabelais

* Ancient philosopher of China, believed to have lived in the 6th century B.C. * He is known as the author of the classical text *Tao Te Ching*, which laid the foundation for Taoism

Lao-Tse

* 19th-century French novelist known for his complex, fully human characters and regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature * His most famous work, *La Comédie humaine*, is a long series of novels and short stories about modern French society after the fall of Napoleon

Honore de Balzac

* American tennis player who played in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s * Held the record for most Grand Slam singles titles with 14 until Roger Federer broke his record in 2009 * Famously had a rivalry with fellow American Andre Agassi throughout their careers

Pete Sampras

* American humorist and author of the 20th and 21st centuries * He is best known for his popular collections of essays and short stories, which are self-deprecating and often deal with his own personal or familial experiences

David Sedaris

American businessman who for two decades was the successful CEO of General Electric

Jack Welch

English physician of the 18th and 19th centuries who pioneered the smallpox vaccine and who is now regarded as the father of immunology

Edward Jenner

American billionaire businessman and [media magnate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_magnate). He was the founder and chairman of the second incarnation of [Viacom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viacom_(2005-2019)) which was dissolved in 2019 (a year before his death) and was the [majority owner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majority_owner) and chairman of the [National Amusements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Amusements) theater chain.

Sumner Redstone

2014 and 2018 men's figure skating gold medal

Yuzuru Hanyu

* American businessman who was formerly the chairman of NASDAQ * In 2009 he pleaded guilty to several felonies

Bernie Madoff

* American golfer who turned pro in 1954 and became the first superstar of the sport's television age * He had a rivalry with his friend Jack Nicklaus and won 7 major championships

Arnold Palmer

American media mogul who is the founder and CEO of the media conglomerate News Corporation

Rupert Murdoch

* Hungarian photographer of the 20th century * Best known for his photographs portraying Parisian life, both high society and the seedier underbelly of the city

George Brassai

* English painter of the 18th and 19th centuries * Best known as the preeminent Romantic painter of landscapes

JMW Turner

* French writer of the 19th century, best known for his historical novels * His most famous works are *The Three Musketeers* and *The Count of Monte Cristo*

Alexandre Dumas

* American tennis player who played in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s * Winner of 8 Grand Slam singles titles, with wins at all 4 majors giving him the career Grand Slam * Famously had a rivalry with fellow American Pete Sampras throughout their careers

Andre Agassi

Co-founder and founding CEO of Linkedin

Reid Hoffman

* 20th-century Danish physicist best known for developing the model of the atom with a nucleus at the center and electrons orbiting around it * Also a contributor to both the Manhattan Project and the field of quantum mechanics, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922

Niels Bohr

American developer who is the creator and CEO of Twitter, as well as the founder and CEO of Square

Jack Dorsey

* American baseball pitcher who played for four MLB teams during a record-breaking 27-year career, which ended in 1993 * He is best known for the high velocity of his pitches, and holds the record for career strikeouts * He is now the owner and president of the Texas Rangers

Nolan Ryan

American baseball first baseman who played for the New York Yankees in the 1920s and 30s Arguably the greatest first baseman ever, he was a 6-time World Series champion and a 2-time AL MVP

Lou Gehrig

Greek philosopher who tutored Alexander the Great

Aristotle

Current monarch of Denmark

Queen Margrethe

* Brazilian soccer striker who played most famously for Inter Milan and Real Madrid during the 1990s and 2000s * Named the world's best player 3 times around the turn of the millenium * Led Brazil to its record 5th World Cup win in 2002 * Was the all-time leading scorer in World Cup tournaments until 2014

Ronaldo

Norwegian Three-time Olympic figure skating champion in 1930s

Sonja Henie

* Wealthy Swedish scientist and arms manufacturer of the 19th century who invented dynamite

Alfred Nobel

* Portuguese author of the 20th and 21st centuries * A celebrated world literary figure, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998 * His major works include *Blindness* and *The Gospel According to Jesus Christ*

Jose Saramago

Founder and CEO of Oracle and the third wealthiest person in the United States

Larry Ellison

(February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American writer and [playwright](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playwright). In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States (and the first from the [Americas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas)) to receive the [Nobel Prize in Literature.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_in_Literature) He is best known for [*Main Street*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Street_(novel)) (1920), [*Babbitt*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babbitt_(novel)) (1922), [*Arrowsmith*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowsmith_(novel)) (1925), and [*It Can't Happen Here*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Can%27t_Happen_Here) (1935). His works are known for their critical views of American [capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism) and [materialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_materialism) in the [interwar period](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interwar_period).[^[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinclair_Lewis#cite_note-1) He is also respected for his strong characterizations of modern working women. [H. L. Mencken](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Mencken) wrote of him, "[If] there was ever a novelist among us with an authentic call to the trade ... it is this red-haired tornado from the Minnesota wilds."

Sinclair Lewis

* As an editor and journalist, he is noted for having published Émile Zola's famous article "*J'accuse*" on the front page of his newspaper *L'Aurore*, one of the major events of the Dreyfus Affair

Clemenceau

* Italian architect and engineer of the 15th century * In the arts, he is credited with the discovery of perspective

Filippo Brunelleschi

* American entrepreneur and investor who co-created the first widely used Web browser, Mosaic * He co-founded Netscape and venture capital firm

Marc Andreessen

* Led a rebellion of Arabs against the Turks in World War I, later depicting the experience in his book *Seven Pillars of Wisdom*

T.E. Lawrence

* American expatriate modernist poet and author of the 20th century, noted for his promotion of Imagism * His works include the collection *Ripostes* and the long poem "Hugh Selwyn Mauberley" * He served as a mentor to many notable 20th-century authors such as Hemingway, Joyce, and T.S. Eliot, helping to publish their work * He later controversially supported Mussolini and Hitler

Ezra Pound

* American author of the 20th century whose works have frequently been adapted into films or TV dramas * He is best known for *Breakfast at Tiffany's* and *In Cold Blood*, about the murder of a Kansas family * His childhood friend Harper Lee helped him research and write *In Cold Blood*

Truman Capote

* French existentialist and feminist writer and philosopher of the 20th century * Her most famous works include the treatise *The Second Sex* and the novels *Les Mandarins* and *L'Invitée* * She is also known for her lifelong relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre

Simone de Beauvoir

* Dutch soccer attacker and manager who played most notably for Ajax Amsterdam and FC Barcelona from the 1960s to the 1980s * Centerpiece of the "Total Football" Dutch and Ajax sides of the 1970s * Brought his football philosophies to Barcelona, and later managed the side to its first European crown

Johann Cruyff

* English author of the 20th century, noted for his at times controversial reflections on modernity, sex, and health * His novels include *Sons and Lovers*, *Lady Chatterley's Lover*, and *Women in Love*

DH Lawrence

* German author and politician of the 18th and 19th centuries, highly influential to European literature * His works include the two-part play *Faust* and the novels *The Sorrows of Young Werther* and *Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship*

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

February 28, 1901 – August 19, 1994)[^[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Pauling#cite_note-4) was an American [chemist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemist), [biochemist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochemist), [chemical engineer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_engineer), [peace activist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_activist), author, and educator. [*New Scientist*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Scientist) called him one of the 20 greatest scientists of all time,[^[6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Pauling#cite_note-Horgan-6) and as of 2000, he was rated the 16th most important scientist in history. For his scientific work, he was awarded the [Nobel Prize in Chemistry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_in_Chemistry) in 1954. For his peace activism, he was awarded the [Nobel Peace Prize](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize) in 1962.

Linus Pauling

Scottish author and playwright of the 19th and 20th centuries best known as the creator of Peter Pan

JM Barrie

* English scientist of the 19th century most famous for establishing the notion of the electromagnetic field in physics * He is credited with the discoveries of diamagnetism, electromagnetic induction, and the laws of electrolysis

Michael Faraday

* Russian ice hockey left winger who has played for either the Washington Capitals or Dynamo Moscow (of the Russian Superleague) since 2001 * He was NHL rookie of the year in 2006 and won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP in 2008, 2009, and 2013

Alexander Ovechkin

* American businessman of the 20th century who founded eponymous Publishing Company * He helped create and launch *Jet* and *Ebony* magazines

John H. Johnson

* American military leader and statesman of the 20th and 21st centuries * He served in the Vietnam War then rose through the American military ranks, becoming a general in the U.S. Army and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Colin Powell

* American football running back who played in the 1980s and 90s for the Detroit Lions * He is remembered as an incredibly elusive running back and was a 10-time All-Pro selection, 4-time NFL rushing champion, and 1-time NFL MVP * He surprised many when he retired, still in top form, in 1999

Barry Sanders

* American baseball left fielder who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s * The son of a former MLB All-Star, he won a record 7 (NL) MVP awards * He also holds the records for career home runs and home runs in a season * In recent years his career has been called into question, due to his alleged use of illegal steroids

Barry Bonds

* Irish poet of the 19th and 20th centuries, a prominent literary figure and recipient of the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature * He is perhaps best known for his collection *The Tower*, which contains poems like "Among School Children", "Leda and the Swan", and "Sailing to Byzantium"

William Butler Yeats

* American journalist of the 20th century, known for his eccentric lifestyle and development of Gonzo journalism, for which reporters heavily involve themselves in the action * His most famous works include *Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas*, *Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs*, and *Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72*

Hunter S. Thompson

* American college basketball coach who coached Army, Indiana, and Texas Tech * Nicknamed The General, he is best known for his long tenure as head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, during which he won 3 NCAA titles

Bobby Knight

* Hungarian-American businessman, investor, and philanthropist, noted for his significant contributions to such international causes as education, healthcare, and human rights activism

George Soros

* He is known for his philosophical dialogues, which include the *Republic* and the *Symposium*

Plato

* German photographer of the 20th and 21st centuries * Known for his large-scale landscape and architecture photographs * His photographs are, as of 2012, the most expensive ever sold

Andreas Gursky

* American poet of the 20th century, noted for his witty poems and humorous light verse * One of his most famous lines is, "Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker"

Ogden Nash

French [heiress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beneficiary), [socialite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialite) and businesswoman. She was one of the principal [shareholders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareholder) of [L'Oréal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Or%C3%A9al). At the time of her death, she was the [richest woman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_billionaires), and the 14th richest person in the world, with a net worth of US$44.3 billion.

Liliane Bettencourt

(February 12, 1663 – February 13, 1728) was a New England Puritan minister and a prolific author of both books and pamphlets. One of the most important intellectual figures in English-speaking colonial America, he is remembered today chiefly for his Magnalia Christi Americana (1702) and other works of history, for his scientific contributions to plant hybridization and to the promotion of inoculation as a means of preventing smallpox and other infectious diseases, and for his involvement in the events surrounding the Salem witch trials of 1692–3.

Cotton Mather

* American politician of the 19th century who was Vice President under both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson and also served as Senator, representing his native South Carolina * He promoted states' rights and nullification, and for his defense of slavery pointed the South toward secession

John C. Calhoun

* French sculptor of the 19th and 20th centuries * Best known for designing the Statue of Liberty

Frédéric Bartholdi

* 19th and 20th-century Mexican revolutionary general who famously raided Columbus, New Mexico in 1916 and was pursued unsuccessfully by American General John Pershing. Assassinated in 1923 at age 45.

Pancho Villa

(c. 1825 – March 16, 1903) was an American [saloon-keeper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_saloon) and [Justice of the Peace](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_of_the_Peace) in [Val Verde County, Texas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Verde_County,_Texas) who called himself "The Only Law West of the [_Pecos_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecos_River)". According to legend, he held court in his saloon along the [Rio Grande](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande) on a desolate stretch of the [Chihuahuan Desert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chihuahuan_Desert) of southwest Texas.

Roy Bean

* English writer of the 18th century who is regarded as one of the founding feminist philosophers * Her daughter, Mary Shelley, wrote *Frankenstein*

Mary Wollstonecraft

Iranian president 2013-2021

Hassan Rouhani

* American businessman, aviator, and filmmaker of the 20th century * He acquired and expanded TWA, and as an aviator, set multiple airspeed records * He produced several popular Hollywood films, among them *The Outlaw*, starring Jane Russell * He is also noted for his odd and reclusive behavior in his later years

Howard Hughes

American [Congregationalist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregationalist) clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the [_abolition of slavery_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abolitionism), his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial. His rhetorical focus on Christ's love has influenced mainstream Christianity to this day.

Henry Ward Beecher

* Brazilian soccer striker who played most famously for Santos in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s * Considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, having scored over 1000 goals in his career * Winner of a record 3 World Cups with Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1970

Pele

* Polish-born English author of the 19th and 20th centuries * Noted for his stylish prose, his works include *Heart of Darkness*, *Nostromo*, and *Lord Jim*

Joseph Conrad

American actress and a [spy](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy) for the [Union Army](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Army) during the [American Civil War](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War). She is considered one of the most successful Civil War spies.

Pauline Cushman

* American inventor who is best known for his innovations in human-computer interaction, most notably the invention of the computer mouse * He is also noted for his work on networked computers and hypertext

Douglas Englebart

* The pen name of François-Marie Arouet, a French philosopher of the 18th century and a leading figure in the Enlightenment * A considerable influence on the French and American Revolutions, he championed freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and the separation of church and state

Voltaire

* French painter of the 19th and 20th centuries * A post-Impressionist, he was described by Picasso as "the father of us all" because he formed the bridge between impressionism and modern styles like cubism * He is known for his small, repetitive brushstrokes that build up to form a larger image * His major works include *Mont Sainte-Victoire seen from Bellevue*, *The Card Players*, and *The Bathers*

Paul Cezanne

* English athlete of the 1950s * Best known for being the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, achieved in 1954

Bannister

* American author of the 20th century noted for his work in comparative religion and mythology * His works include *A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake* and *The Hero with a Thousand Faces*, which had a considerable influence on George Lucas and the development of his *Star Wars* series * He is known for the line "Follow your bliss"

Joseph Campbell

* American author of the 20th century, considered part of the Lost Generation * He is best known for his experimental trilogy of novels *U.S.A.*, which depict American society of the early 20th century

John Dos Passos

* Swedish golfer who competed in the 1990s and 2000s * She is one of the most accomplished female golfers in history, having won more tournaments than anyone, including 10 LPGA majors

Annika Sörenstam

* American skateboarder who competed professionally in the 1990s and 2000s * A pioneer of vertical skateboarding, he popularized the sport thanks in large part to his series of licensed video games

Tony Hawk

* 20th-century American businessman who founded Sam's Club and Walmart * Several of his descendants now rank among the wealthiest people in the world

Sam Walton

* Egyptian revolutionary and statesman of the 20th century who contributed to the overthrow of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952

Anwar Sadat

15 February 1748 [[O.S.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates) 4 February 1747][^[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham#cite_note-Johnson2012-2) – 6 June 1832) was an English [philosopher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher), [jurist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurist), and [social reformer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_reformer) regarded as the founder of modern [utilitarianism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism).[^[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham#cite_note-Sweet-3)[^[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham#cite_note-utilitarianphilosophy.com-4) Bentham defined as the "fundamental [axiom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axiom)" of his philosophy the principle that "it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong."[^[5]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham#cite_note-5)[^[6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBurns200546%E2%80%9361-6) He became a leading theorist in [Anglo-American](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Americans) [philosophy of law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_law), and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of [welfarism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfarism).

Jeremy Bentham

* Swiss-born French philosopher of the 18th century and one of the central figures of the Enlightenment * He argued that humans are good in the context of nature, but corrupted by society * Influential to modern thought and particularly to the French Revolution, he is known for his works *On the Social Contract*, *Discourse on Inequality*, *Émile*, and his autobiography *Confessions*

Jean Jacques Rousseau

* American baseball shortstop and third baseman who has played for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees since 1994 * He is a 3-time AL MVP who has also won 2 Gold Glove Awards and 1 World Series title * Regarded as one of baseball's greatest all-around players, he controversially admitted in 2009 to having used steroids from 2001-03

Alex Rodriguez

8 December 1864 – 19 October 1943) was a French sculptor known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity, but later gained recognition for the originality and quality of her work. Longtime associate of sculptor [Auguste Rodin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Rodin), and the [Musée Rodin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_Rodin) in Paris has a room dedicated to her works.

Camille Claudel

King of Sweden in the early 17th century, responsible for leading Sweden during the Thirty Years War and for establishing it as a European power and empire

Gustavus Adolphus

* French baron and political philosopher of the 18th century * His treatise *The Spirit of Laws* is famous for its articulation of the merits of the separation of powers in government

Montesquieu

* English painter, engraver, and satirist of the 18th century * He pioneered sequential art, series of pictures similar to comic strips

William Hogarth

* American baseball shortstop who played for the New York Yankees since 1995 * He is a 5-time World Series champion and is regarded as one of the greatest shortstops ever * He is the Yankees' career leader in hits and games played

Derek Jeter

American comic book writer and artist best known for co-creating Batman, along with Bill Finger

Bob Kane

* Brazilian author of the 19th and 20th centuries, regarded as one of the greatest writers in Brazilian literature * His major works include *Dom Casmurro*, *Quincas Borba*, and *The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas*

Machado de Assis

Current PM of Israel

Naftali Bennett

* French philosopher of the 20th century known as a central figure of existentialism * His works include *Being and Nothingness* and the play *No Exit*

Jean-Paul Sartre

* German soccer sweeper who played most famously for FC Bayern Munich in the 1960s and 70s * Only man to have won the World Cup as both captain and coach of his national team * Arguably considered the greatest defender in soccer history

Franz Beckenbauer

* Nigerian writer and professor of the 20th and 21st centuries * He often focused on colonialism, the effect of Christianity, and the clash between African and Western values

Chinua Achebe

Czech humorist and writer of the 19th and 20th centuries, most famous for his satirical collection *The Good Soldier Švejk*

Jaroslav Hašek

Using single-lensed microscopes of his own design and make, he was the first to observe and to experiment with [microbes](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbes)

van Leeuwenhoek

* He was condemned to death by the citizens of Athens, who found him guilty of denying the existence of the gods and of corrupting the minds of the Athenian youth

Socrates

(January 21, 1813 – July 13, 1890) was an [explorer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_explorers) of the [Western United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_United_States), military officer, and politician. He was a [U.S. Senator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate) from California, and in 1856 was the first [_Republican_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Republican_Party_(United_States)) nominee for [President of the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States). A native of Georgia, he was an opponent of [slavery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States) and participated in the [California genocide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_genocide).

John C Fremont

* French author of the 20th century * A member of the experimental writing group Oulipo, he is known for experimenting with word play in his writing * His works include *La Vie mode d'emploi* and *La disparition*, a novel written without the use of the letter "e"

Georges Perec

* American swimmer who famously won a record 7 gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics alone, a record that was only surpassed by Michael Phelps's 8 gold medals in 2008 * He remains the only person to have set new world records in all events in which he competed, which he accomplised at the 1972 Games

Mark Spitz

Ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 16th and 15th centuries B.C. who is arguably the most famous and successful of the female rulers of Egypt

Hatshepsut

19th-century English surgeon who pioneered antiseptic surgery, promoting the idea of sterile surgery to reduce infections

Joseph Lister

* American photographer and painter of the 20th century * Important player in the Dada and Surrealist movements * Best known for his photography, he spent most of his career in Paris

Man Ray

American gymnast who most famously won the gold medal in the all-around competition at the 1984 Olympics, becoming a national celebrity in the process

Mary Lou Retton

* American photographer of the 20th century * Best known as a portrait and fashion photographer * He captured portraits of rock and roll bands such as the Beatles * Later in life, he worked as the staff photographer of *The New Yorker* magazine

Richard Avedon

* American-born English poet and playwright of the 20th century * He is best known for his play *Murder in the Cathedral* and the poems "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "The Waste Land"

T.S. Eliot

* American sprinter and long jumper who competed from the 1970s until 1997 * He won 10 Olympic medals and 10 World Championship medals in total * At the 1984 Olympics he famously matched Jesse Owens's feat of winning gold in all 4 of his events at a single Games * He won his last Olympic gold in the long jump in 1996

Carl Lewis

* Italian painter of the 16th and 17th centuries * He is considered a founder of the Baroque movement * His major works include *The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew* and *Calling of Saint Matthew*

Caravaggio

18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the [Social Democratic Party of Germany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Germany) (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and served as the [chancellor of West Germany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancellor_of_West_Germany) from 1969 to 1974. He was awarded the [Nobel Peace Prize](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize) in 1971 for his efforts to strengthen cooperation in western Europe through the [EEC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EEC) and to achieve reconciliation between West Germany and the countries of [Eastern Europe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Europe).[^[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Brandt#cite_note-1) He was the first Social Democrat chancellor[^[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Brandt#cite_note-2) since 1930.

Willy Brandt

* American basketball center who played most notably for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat * Winner of 4 NBA championships and the 2000 NBA MVP award * Famed for his enormous size and accompanying larger-than-life persona

Shaquille O'Neal

American comic book writer best known as the co-creator of characters such as Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, and Spider-Man

Stan Lee

Senator who got caned

Charles Sumner

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