Andrew Lloyd Webber, Composer of Musical Theater

Considered one of the most successful contemporary composers, Andrew Lloyd Webber has consistently created works that garner international appeal and success. He has created...

Peter the Great, Czar of Russia

Peter the Great became czar of Russia when he was only 10 years old. As a young man, he showed little interest in politics...

Pelé, Brazilian Soccer Star

Pelé turned a childhood of playing soccer in a small Brazilian village into athletic stardom. Known as “The King of Football,” he spent his...

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...

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...

Jack Kerouac, Beat Author of “On the Road”

Jack Kerouac’s beatnik persona has reached near mythical levels. But the author of “On the Road” never enjoyed his celebrity status, and lived a...

Doris Lessing, Social Commentator and Nobel Prize Winner in Literature

A powerful, politically minded and acerbic Nobel Laureate, Britain's Doris Lessing was a treasured social commentator and novelist who continued her prolific and award-winning...

Charles Darwin, Developer of the Theory of Natural Selection

Charles Darwin was never a great student—but he was an avid collector of beetles. After graduating from college, the budding naturalist accepted a position...

Cornel West, Author, Professor and Hip-Hop Artist

Cornel West, a popular professor of religion at Princeton University, has received widespread notoriety for both his intellectual abilities and his knack for sparking...

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Composer of “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker”

Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky has given the world many classical music compositions, including the famous holiday staple “The Nutcracker,” and other memorable pieces like “1812...