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30 biographies

Anne Frank

1933

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...

Charles Dickens

1837 – 1901

Charles John Huffam Dickens

Charlie Chaplin

1889 – 1952

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr.

Claude Monet

1852 – 1870

Oscar-Claude Monet

Craig Stecyk

1950

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

Dante 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

1961 – 2014

Zephyr Competition Team (Z-Boys)

Ernest Hemingway

1914 – 1918

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.

Franz Schubert

1814 – 1815

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

1910 – 1920

Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón. Known professionally as Frida Kahlo. Often called “La Heroína del Dolor” (The Heroine of Pain).

George Orwell

1903

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

Helen Keller

Name: Helen Keller Full Name: Helen Keller Domain: Activism Category: historical

Helen Keller

1880 – 1968

Helen Keller (1880 – 1968) American author and disability rights advocate. This comprehensive biography explores Helen Keller’s background, career, major achievements, and lasting impact.

J.K. Rowling

1965

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

1882

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

1775

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...

Leo Tolstoy (Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy)

1812

Full Name: Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Лев Николаевич Толстой)

Leonardo da Vinci

1503

Full Name: Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci

Ludwig van Beethoven

1802 – 1814

Full Name: Ludwig van Beethoven ( baptized December 17, 1770; no exact birth record exists, but he was likely born December 16, 1770)

Mark Twain

1857 – 1861

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.

Maya Angelou

1928 – 2014

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...

Oscar Wilde

1854 – 1900

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

1881 – 1973

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.

Salvador Dalí

1904 – 1989

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.

Sun Tzu

Sun 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.

Vincent van Gogh

1853 – 1890

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.

Walt Disney

1901 – 1966

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

1819 – 1892

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

1564 – 1616

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.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

1756 – 1791

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.