Historical Figures
103 biographies
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) stands as one of the most revered figures in American history, serving as the 16th President of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. His leadership during the American Civil War, his steadfast commitment to preserving the...
Adam Smith
Adam Smith (June 5, 1723 – July 17, 1790) was a Scottish philosopher and economist who is widely regarded as the father of modern economics. His groundbreaking work, “The Wealth of Nations” (1776), laid the foundations for classical economics and introduced concepts that continue to...
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who served as the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. As the leader of the Nazi Party, he initiated World War II in Europe and was the central architect of the Holocaust, the systematic...
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing (June 23, 1912 – June 7, 1954) was a British mathematician, logician, computer scientist, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist. Widely regarded as the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence, Turing made fundamental contributions to...
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. Einstein is best known to...
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885. Bell’s contributions to communication...
Alexander the Great
MilitaryAlexander III of Macedon (July 356 BC – June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon and a member of the Argead dynasty. He succeeded his father Philip II to the throne at the age of twenty and spent most of his ruling years on an...
Angela Davis
Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, philosopher, academic, and author who emerged as a prominent figure in the 1960s and 1970s for her work in civil rights, prison abolition, and radical politics. A member of the Communist Party USA and associate of the...
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel (born July 17, 1954) is a German former politician and research scientist who served as the Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. As the first female chancellor and the first chancellor from the former East Germany, Merkel’s tenure was marked by pragmatic centrism,...
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie “Anne” Frank (June 12, 1929 – February/March 1945) was a German-Dutch diarist and one of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. She gained fame posthumously with the publication of “The Diary of a Young Girl” (originally “Het...
Barack Obama: First African American President and Agent of Change
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office. A former constitutional law professor, community organizer, and Illinois state senator, Obama’s...
Benjamin Franklin
Politics & GovernmentBenjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [January 6, 1705 O.S.] – April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Among the leading intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding...
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell (May 18, 1872 – February 2, 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, essayist, social critic, political activist, and Nobel laureate. Widely considered one of the founders of analytic philosophy, Russell was a...
Catherine the Great
Yekaterina Alekseyevna (Russian: Екатерина Алексеевна), born Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst. Known to history as Catherine II, Empress and Autocrat of All the Russias.
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr.
Che Guevara
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna
Claude Monet
Oscar-Claude Monet
Cleopatra VII
Politics & GovernmentCleopatra VII Thea Philopator (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Θεά Φιλοπάτωρ) - “Thea Philopator” means “Father-Loving Goddess” - Also known as Cleopatra VII to distinguish her from previous queens of the same name
Confucius
Religion & SpiritualityConfucius (c. 551 BCE – c. 479 BCE), known in Chinese as Kong Qiu (孔丘) or Kong Fuzi (孔夫子), was a Chinese philosopher, teacher, and political figure whose teachings have profoundly shaped East Asian culture and society for over two millennia. As the founder of Confucianism, his ideas on ethics,...
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), known throughout his life as “The Commodore,” was one of the most successful American business magnates of the 19th century. Rising from modest beginnings as the son of a poor farmer, Vanderbilt built a transportation empire that...
Craig Stecyk
Craig Stecyk (born 1950) is an American artist, photographer, filmmaker, and writer whose creative work helped define and document the emergence of skateboarding culture in Southern California during the 1970s. As a co-founder of Jeff Ho and Zephyr Surfboard Productions and the creator of the...
Dante Alighieri
Arts & CultureDante Alighieri (c. May 1265 – September 14, 1321), fully named Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri, stands as one of the greatest poets in world literature and a foundational figure in Western culture. His masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, represents the supreme achievement of medieval literature...
Dogtown and Z-Boys
Zephyr Competition Team (Z-Boys)
Donald Trump
Donald Trump (born 1946) 45th and 47th President of the United States and businessman. This comprehensive biography explores Donald Trump’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Edward Jenner
Edward Anthony Jenner
Emily Dickinson
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, known posthumously as one of America’s greatest poets. During her lifetime, she was known locally in Amherst, Massachusetts, but gained international recognition only after her death.
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway, often referred to as “Papa” Hemingway in his later years. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954 and was awarded a Bronze Star for his war reporting.
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, also known as Fidel Castro. His official titles included: - Prime Minister of Cuba (1959-1976) - First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (1965-2011) - President of the Council of State (1976-2008) - Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale, OM, RRC, DStJ. Known as “The Lady with the Lamp” and “The Angel of Crimea.” She was the first woman to be awarded the Order of Merit (1907).
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often known by his initials FDR. He was the 32nd President of the United States, serving an unprecedented four terms from 1933 until his death in 1945.
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert. Often referred to as the “Prince of Song” (Fürst des Liedes) for his extraordinary contributions to the art song (Lied).
Frida Kahlo
Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón. Known professionally as Frida Kahlo. Often called “La Heroína del Dolor” (The Heroine of Pain).
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. Often known simply as Nietzsche. His works were published under his name without academic titles after he left his university position.
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский). Sometimes transliterated as Dostoevski or Dostoievsky. He held no titles but was occasionally called “The Prophet” by admirers.
Galileo Galilei
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de’ Galilei. Known as Galileo. Called “Father of Modern Science,” “Father of Modern Physics,” “Father of Modern Astronomy,” and “Father of Science.”
Gautama Buddha: The Awakened One
Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha (meaning “Awakened One” or “Enlightened One”), stands as one of history’s most influential spiritual teachers and the foundational figure of Buddhism. The title “Buddha” is not a personal name but an honorific...
George Orwell
Birth Name: Eric Arthur Blair Pen Name: George Orwell Born: June 25, 1903, Motihari, Bengal Presidency, British India Died: January 21, 1950, London, England Nationality: British Occupation: Novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic
George Washington
Born: February 22, 1732, Westmoreland County, Virginia, British America
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor and electrical engineer who developed the first practical radio telegraphy system. His pioneering work in wireless communication laid the foundation for modern radio technology and transformed global communications. Marconi’s relentless...
Harry S. Truman
Politics & GovernmentName: Harry S. Truman Full Name: Harry S. Truman Domain: Politics Category: historical
Helen Keller
Arts & CultureName: Helen Keller Full Name: Helen Keller Domain: Activism Category: historical
Helen Keller
Helen Keller (1880 – 1968) American author and disability rights advocate. This comprehensive biography explores Helen Keller’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Henry Ford
Name: Henry Ford Full Name: Henry Ford Domain: Automotive Category: historical
Hillary Clinton
Politics & GovernmentName: Hillary Clinton Full Name: Hillary Clinton Domain: Politics Category: historical
Hirohito
Politics & GovernmentName: Hirohito Full Name: Hirohito Domain: History Category: historical
Ho Chi Minh
Politics & GovernmentName: Ho Chi Minh Full Name: Ho Chi Minh Domain: Politics Category: historical
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) German philosopher who defined modern philosophy. This comprehensive biography explores Immanuel Kant’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov (1920 – 1992) Russian-American author and biochemistry professor. This comprehensive biography explores Isaac Asimov’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Isaac Newton
Science & TechnologyName: Isaac Newton Full Name: Isaac Newton Domain: Science Category: historical
J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling is one of the most commercially successful authors in history, creator of the Harry Potter series that has sold over 600 million copies worldwide and spawned a multi-billion dollar media franchise. Her journey from struggling single mother to one of the wealthiest women in Britain has...
James Joyce
Full Name: James Augustine Aloysius Joyce Born: February 2, 1882, Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland Died: January 13, 1941 (aged 58), Zurich, Switzerland Nationality: Irish Occupation: Novelist, Short Story Writer, Poet, Playwright Literary Movement: Modernism, Irish Literary Revival Notable Works:...
Jane Austen
Jane Austen is one of the most widely read and beloved authors in English literature, celebrated for her acute social observation, wit, and masterful prose style. Writing during the transition from the 18th to the 19th century, she perfected the novel of manners, using the limited sphere of country...
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment, whose ideas transformed political philosophy, educational theory, and literature. Unlike many of his Enlightenment contemporaries who celebrated reason and civilization, Rousseau argued that humans are naturally...
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc is one of history’s most extraordinary figures—a teenage peasant girl who led armies, crowned a king, and changed the course of the Hundred Years’ War. Her story of divine visions, military triumph, political intrigue, and martyrdom has inspired countless works of art,...
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach stands as one of the supreme geniuses in Western music history, a composer whose mastery of counterpoint, harmony, and musical architecture remains unmatched. Though recognized as an exceptional organist during his lifetime, Bach was primarily known as a church musician and...
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller Sr.
John Locke
John Locke is widely regarded as one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers and the “Father of Liberalism.” His ideas on empiricism, natural rights, religious toleration, and government by consent laid the philosophical foundations for modern democracy, constitutional...
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili)
Julius Caesar
Politics & GovernmentGaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC - 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. One of history’s greatest military commanders, Caesar’s political acumen,...
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx
Kim Jong Un
Kim Jong Un is the Supreme Leader of North Korea, serving as General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs Commission. Born on January 8, 1984 (or possibly 1983), Kim assumed power in December 2011 following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, becoming...
Laozi (Lao Tzu)
Religion & SpiritualityFull Name: Laozi (老子), also rendered as Lao Tzu, Lao-Tze, or Laotze
Leo Tolstoy (Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy)
Full Name: Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Лев Николаевич Толстой)
Leonardo da Vinci
Full Name: Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci
Louis Pasteur
Full Name: Louis Pasteur
Ludwig van Beethoven
Full Name: Ludwig van Beethoven ( baptized December 17, 1770; no exact birth record exists, but he was likely born December 16, 1770)
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી). Reverently known as “Mahatma” (Great Soul), a title first accorded to him by Rabindranath Tagore. Also called “Bapu” (Father) by the Indian people and officially honored as the “Father of the Nation” in...
Malcolm X
Malcolm Little (birth name), also known as Detroit Red, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz after his pilgrimage to Mecca. Known to history as Malcolm X, a name he adopted while serving as national spokesman for the Nation of Islam, with the X representing the African family name lost to slavery.
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, DStJ, PC, FRS, HonFRSC. Known as the “Iron Lady” for her uncompromising politics and leadership style. First female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Marie Curie
Maria Salomea Skłodowska, later known as Marie Curie after her marriage to Pierre Curie. She held the titles of Professor at the University of Paris, Director of the Curie Laboratory at the Radium Institute, and was the first female Nobel Prize laureate.
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (1926 – 1962) American actress and cultural icon. This comprehensive biography explores Marilyn Monroe’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by his pen name Mark Twain. He adopted the pseudonym from a riverboat term meaning “two fathoms deep” (safe water for navigation), which he first used in 1863 while working as a newspaper reporter in Nevada.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Michael King Jr., later renamed Martin Luther King Jr. His father, Michael King Sr., changed both their names in 1934 to honor the German Protestant reformer Martin Luther.
Maya Angelou
Marguerite Annie Johnson, later known as Maya Angelou. She acquired the nickname “Maya” (from “my” or “mya sister”) from her older brother Bailey Jr., who called her “mya sister.” The surname “Angelou” came from her first husband, Tosh...
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev (1931 – 2022) Last leader of the Soviet Union who ended the Cold War. This comprehensive biography explores Mikhail Gorbachev’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa (1910 – 1997) Catholic nun and Nobel Peace Prize winner for humanitarian work. This comprehensive biography explores Mother Teresa’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 – 1821) French military leader and Emperor of France. This comprehensive biography explores Napoleon Bonaparte’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela (1918 – 2013) South African anti-apartheid leader and president. This comprehensive biography explores Nelson Mandela’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla (1856 – 1943) Serbian-American inventor and electrical engineer. This comprehensive biography explores Nikola Tesla’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) Irish poet and playwright known for wit and flamboyance. This comprehensive biography explores Oscar Wilde’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973) Spanish painter and sculptor who co-founded Cubism. This comprehensive biography explores Pablo Picasso’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest-reigning monarch of the House of Tudor, presiding over a 44-year reign that gave name to the Elizabethan era—a period of English history marked...
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II (1926 – 2022) Queen of the United Kingdom for 70 years. This comprehensive biography explores Queen Elizabeth II’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the longest of any female head of state in...
Queen Victoria - Overview
Alexandrina Victoria
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks (1913 – 2005) American civil rights activist known as the Mother of the Movement. This comprehensive biography explores Rosa Parks’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí (1904 – 1989) Spanish surrealist painter known for melting clocks. This comprehensive biography explores Salvador Dalí’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis. This comprehensive biography explores Sigmund Freud’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Stephen Hawking
Born: January 8, 1942, Oxford, England Died: March 14, 2018, Cambridge, England Nationality: British Field: Theoretical Physics, Cosmology
Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking (1942 – 2018) English theoretical physicist and cosmologist. This comprehensive biography explores Stephen Hawking’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Sun Tzu
Arts & CultureSun Tzu (544 BC – 496 BC) Chinese military strategist and author of The Art of War. This comprehensive biography explores Sun Tzu’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
The Wright Brothers
The Wright Brothers (1867 – 1948) American aviation pioneers who achieved the first powered flight. This comprehensive biography explores The Wright Brothers’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919) 26th US President and trust-busting reformer. This comprehensive biography explores Theodore Roosevelt’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison (1847 – 1931) American inventor of the light bulb and phonograph. This comprehensive biography explores Thomas Edison’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) Dutch Post-Impressionist painter of Starry Night. This comprehensive biography explores Vincent van Gogh’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin (1870 – 1924) Russian revolutionary and founder of the Soviet state. This comprehensive biography explores Vladimir Lenin’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Walt Disney
Walt Disney (1901 – 1966) American animator, filmmaker, and entertainment visionary. This comprehensive biography explores Walt Disney’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman (1819 – 1892) American poet known for Leaves of Grass. This comprehensive biography explores Walt Whitman’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) English playwright and the world’s greatest dramatist. This comprehensive biography explores William Shakespeare’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965) British Prime Minister who led Britain through WWII. This comprehensive biography explores Winston Churchill’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) Austrian composer and musical prodigy. This comprehensive biography explores Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.