Michael Phelps, Record-Breaking Swimmer

Michael Phelps is one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history, with 28 total medals, 23 of which are gold. At the 2008 Beijing...

Osamu Tezuka, Japan’s “God of Comics”

Osamu Tezuka has been called the “god of comics” in Japan. After writing his first comic strip in third grade, Tezuka published his first...

Eleanor Roosevelt, Philanthropist and Revolutionary First Lady

Eleanor Roosevelt was more than just a first lady. She was a politician in her own right, serving on the United Nations, promoting the...

E.B. White, Essayist and Author of “Charlotte’s Web”

Revered by children for books such as “Charlotte’s Web” and “Stuart Little,” renowned among writers for the invaluable Strunk & White’s “The Elements of...

Berry Gordy Jr., Founder of Motown Records

Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. brought black music to white audiences. He premiered a new sound, and launched the careers of such artists...

Fats Waller, Jazz Entertainer and Composer

Fats Waller's piano virtuousity and outsize personality made him a jazz legend. But his talents didn’t stop there; he was also a vaudeville performer,...

Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize-Winning Author

Toni Morrison grew up in a house of African-American storytellers and developed a love for books. After earning a masters degree in English and...

Pablo Sarasate, Spanish Composer and Violin Virtuoso

Violinist Pablo Sarasate is a figure of tremendous national and international regard. The distinctly Spanish flavor of his compositions, combined with his masterful technique...

June Carter Cash, Country Music Singer/Songwriter

June Carter Cash spent her life surrounded by art and music. She put out three successful solo albums, and her relationship with country legend...

Alex Haley, Author of “Roots”

Characterized by his slow, honeyed voice, Alex Haley was one of America’s most popular oral and written storytellers. His timeless novel “Roots” illuminates and...