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...

Ricardo Montalbán, “Fantasy Island’s” Mr. Roarke

For years, Mexican-born actor Ricardo Montalbán played Latin lovers, shady villains and a host of ethnic bit parts. But everything changed when he was...

Sidney Poitier, Pioneering African-American Actor

Sidney Poitier was the child of tomato farmers in the Bahamas. He moved to New York as a teenager and worked as a dishwasher...

Jackie Robinson, Baseball Pioneer

Jackie Robinson was an accomplished multi-sport athlete who in 1947 became the first black baseball player in the modern major leagues. He displayed courage...

Edmund Hillary, First Man to Summit Mt. Everest

An explorer at heart, humble New Zealand beekeeper Edmund Hillary became the first man to reach the peak of Mount Everest in 1953, and...

Sonia Sotomayor, First Hispanic Supreme Court Justice

Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic and the third female justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Hailing from a working-class background, Sotomayor...

Albert Einstein, Physicist Who Developed Theory of Relativity

Albert Einstein grew up in Munich, Germany and spent much of his life as a scholar in Berlin. He wrote several monumental papers that...

Claude Monet, Leader of the Impressionist School of Painting

French painter Claude Monet was the central figure of the Impressionist movement in the late 19th century, producing colorful, vibrant studies of natural and...

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...

Charles Dickens, Notable English Novelist

Charles Dickens is best remembered for novels such as “Oliver Twist” and “David Copperfield.” For his dedication to social justice, most notably his humanizing...