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1. Famous Scientists
Aristotle
His works include Physics, Metaphysics, Politics, Poetics, Nicomachean Ethics and
De Anima.
Leonardo da Vinci
He designed bridges, war machines, buildings, canals and forts.
Benjamin Franklin
He is arguably the most famous 18th century American after George Washington.
Jane Goodall
She is a world famous authority on chimpanzees.
Jonas Salk
He developed a vaccine for polio in 1952.
Alexander Graham Bell
He is the inventor of the telephone and the metal detector.
Famous African American Scientists
There are numerous African American scientists and inventors who have made
notable inventions and creations in different fields. However, here are only some of the
most popular ones whose contributions have changed the world.
Daniel Hale Williams (1856-1931)
Daniel Hale Williams was the first African American cardiologist who is also considered
as the innovator of the open heart surgery. Daniel Hale Williams opened the first non-
segregated hospital in America so that other Afro-American people wouldn't face
problems due to racism.
George Washington Carver (1864-1943)
George Washington Carver is one of the most popular African American scientists. He is
the pioneer of developing commercial uses of peanuts, soy and sweet potatoes; and
also finding different methods for improving the quality of soil. As his work was
dedicated to help others, none of the works of George Washington Carver were
patented.
Sarah Goode (1850-1905)
Among famous African American female scientists, Sarah Goode is the most popular
as she is the first African American woman to receive a patent in the US. Her invention
of the folding bed or the cabinet bed has been the most useful inventions which will be

2. applicable forever. Read more on famous African American women.
Inventors
Thomas Alva Edison: Born on the 11th of February, 1847, Thomas Edison is famous
for inventing the light bulb, which he did towards the latter part of 1879. In fact, the
version he created in 1880, had practically all the features of the modern light bulb,
including an incandescent filament in an evacuated and transparent glass bulb, along
with a base that could be screwed on to a holder. He is also credited for inventing the
phonograph and the fluoroscope, which is an X-ray machine that has a source of X-
ray along with a fluorescent screen that enables direct observation. He died on the
18th of October, 1931.
Alexander Graham Bell: He was born on the 3rd of March 1857, and died on the 2nd
of August 1922, and was one of the most eminent American inventors. It was in the
early part of the 1870s, while he was experimenting with the telegraph, that Alexander
Graham Bell realized that perhaps the human voice could be transmitted through a
wire with the help of electricity. In fact, he had made a transmission by the month of
March, in 1876, however the sound that was carried was very faint. He continued
working on it, and on the 26th of November he demonstrated that sound could be
transmitted clearly, in a critical test, between Cambridge and Salem, in Massachusetts.
The instrument functioned as a transmitter as well as a receiver.
The Wright Brothers: Orville Wright, who was born on the 19th of August 1871 and
died on the 30th of January, and Wilbur Wright, born on the 16th of April 1867 and died
on the 30th of May 1912, are credited with inventing the airplane as well as making the
first controlled and powered human flight, which they demonstrated on the 17th of
December 1903. Within two years of that first flight, they developed their flying aircraft
into a fixed wing airplane, the first of its kind.
Vladimir Kozmich Zworykin: Born on the 30th of July 1889, he was a Russian born
American inventor who pioneered television technology. He was the inventor of a
television system that transmitted and received signals using cathode ray tubes. He
was partly instrumental in the development of television from the early part of the
1930s, which included charge storage type of tubes, infrared image tubes, as well as
the electron microscope. Many biographers have named him the real inventor of
television, although others dispute it. He died on the 29th of July 1982.
Raymond Samuel Tomlinson: Born in 1941, and a graduate of MIT, along with being
one of the pioneering figures of the Internet, since he worked on ARPANET, which was
the precursor of the Internet, his greatest gift to society was an email system, which he
devised in 1971, thus fostering the global communication system of today.

3. Artists & Writers
William Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest writer and poet ever known in the
English language who authored world's greatest poems, drama and sonnets.
Andy Warhol :
Andy Warhol was one of the most important artists of pop art, which became
extremely popular in the second half of the twentieth century. Though he is best
remembered for his paintings of Campbell's soup cans, he also created hundreds
of other works.
Stephen Ambrose:
Popular historian Stephen Ambrose, most well-known for his numerous World War
II books, wrote over thirty books and made history a popular pastime.
J. K. Rowling:
J. K. Rowling is the author of the hugely popular Harry Potter books. How did she
come up with the complex story of the wizarding world? Where did the name
Potter come from? Who was Hermione Granger based upon? Learn more about
this famous author in this biography of her life.
Civil Rights Around the World
Gandhi:
Mohatma Gandhi is considered the father of the Indian independence movement.
Gandhi spent twenty years in South Africa working to fight discrimination. It was
there that he created his concept of satyagraha. While in India, Gandhi's obvious
virtue, simplistic lifestyle, and minimal dress endeared him to the people. He
spent his remaining years working diligently to both remove British rule from
India as well as to better the lives of India's poorest classes.
Iqbal Masih:
Iqbal Masih was a young Pakistani boy who was forced into bonded labor at age
four. After being freed at age ten, Iqbal became an activist against bonded child
labor. He became a martyr for his cause when he was murdered at age 12.
Mother Teresa:
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic order of nuns
dedicated to helping the poor. Begun in Calcutta, India, the Missionaries of
Charity grew to help the poor, the dying, orphans, lepers, and AIDS sufferers in
over a hundred countries. Mother Teresa's selfless effort to help those in need has
caused many to regard her as a model humanitarian. Learn more about this
amazing …

4. Air and Space Explorers
Howard Hughes:
Howard Hughes was a businessman, a movie producer, and an aviator; however,
he is perhaps best remembered for spending his later years as an eccentric,
reclusive billionaire.
Laika:
Aboard the Soviet's Sputnik 2, Laika, a dog, became the very first living creature
to enter orbit. However, since the Soviets did not create a re-entry plan, Laika
died in space. Laika's death sparked debates about animal rights around the
world.
Red Baron:
During World War I, there was one man, Baron Manfred von Richthofen, who liked
to fly in a blazing red airplane and shoot down plane after plane. His
achievements made him both a hero and a propaganda tool. With 80 credited
victories, Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the "Red Baron," defied the odds and
became a legend in the air.
Yuri Gagarin:
On board Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made history on April 12,
1961 when he became both the first person in the world to enter space and the
first person to orbit the Earth.
Entertainers
Beatles:
The Beatles shaped not only music but also an entire generation. People
mimicked all that they did, including haircuts, clothing, and outlook. Learn more
about John, Paul, George, and Ringo and how they came to be The Beatles.
Joan Baez:
Joan Baez is a famous folksinger, best known for her life-long passion for
activism, performance at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, and several popular
songs in the 1970s.
Josephine Baker:
Josephine Baker became famous in France and Europe for her very sensual act
which often included her performing with barely any clothes. Baker also helped
the French underground during WWII and fought for integration in U.S.

5. Nightclubs.
World Leaders & Revolutionaries
Leon Trotsky:
Leon Trotsky was a Communist theorist, prolific writer, and a leader in the 1917
Russian Revolution. Exiled from the Soviet Union after losing a power struggle
over Lenin's successorship to Stalin, Trotsky was brutally assassinated in 1940.
Sir Winston Churchill:
A biography of Sir Winston Churchill, two-time Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom and the inspirational leader of his nation during World War II.
The U.S. Presidents
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)
Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)
Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977)
Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)
Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
George W. Bush (2001-2009)
Barack Obama (2009-)