Francis Scott Key, Author of “The Star-Spangled Banner”

Francis Scott Key was a Federalist, a lawyer, attorney general of Washington, D.C., a husband and the father of 11 children. An ancestor and...

Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize-Winning Economist

Milton Friedman was inspired by the dire financial circumstances of the Great Depression, and became convinced that economic burdens could be lifted through encouraging...

Primary Sources About George Washington, Father of Our Country

As commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, George Washington led American troops to victory against the more powerful British forces in the Revolutionary War. After...

Pablo Picasso, Painter

From his Cubist works to his famous Blue Period, painter Pablo Picasso changed the face of art forever. Pablo Picasso's Early Days Pablo Ruiz Picasso was...

Garrison Keillor, Radio Host and Author

Garrison Keillor is a radio host, author, advice columnist, three-time husband and father. Biographers speak of his wry humor, his stage presence, and his...

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...

Samuel Adams, One of the United States’ Founding Fathers

Rebel, patriot and politician Samuel Adams helped organize protests against the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Tea Act of 1773 and developed a...

Amelia Earhart, Record-Breaking Pilot

Amelia Earhart set the gold standard for “enlightened feminism.” She was dubbed “Lady Lindy” because of her likeness to aviator Charles Lindbergh, and because...

Mary Lyon, Champion of Women’s Higher Education

Mary Lyon was a progressive educator and pioneer of women’s higher education. In 1837 she founded the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley,...

Sir Laurence Olivier, Stage and Screen Actor

Considered by many to be the greatest actor of the 20th century, Laurence Olivier changed the landscape of theater and film in his time,...