Richard Wright, Groundbreaking Author of “Black Boy” and “Native Son”

Richard Wright, the first African-American man to make a living as an author, is known for landmark books like “Native Son” and “Black Boy.” Richard...

Niccolò Machiavelli, Author of “The Prince”

Niccolò Machiavelli lived through one of the most tumultuous periods in Italian history. An early alliance with the wrong faction suspended his political career;...

Stevie Wonder, Musician, Producer and Activist

Stevie Wonder, the Motown sensation, chart topper, producer and humanitarian, has been in the spotlight for four decades. Early Days Stevland Hardaway Judkins was born prematurely...

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...

Jean Renoir, French Filmmaker

Lauded after his death as one of cinema’s greatest directors, Jean Renoir earned comparatively few words of praise during his lifetime. From a childhood...

Margaret Sanger, Founder of Birth Control League (Planned Parenthood)

After seeing what she felt were too many women dying a result of unintended pregnancy, Margaret Sanger decided it was time for a revolution....

Auguste Escoffier, Innovative Chef and Inventor of the Chef’s Hat

Modern cuisine owes many of its practices to the great French chef Auguste Escoffier: he changed public dining in hotels and restaurants worldwide by...

Chuck Yeager, American Pioneer of Flight

Driven by an unshakable sense of duty and a love of life in the air, Chuck Yeager has spent decades pushing the boundaries of...

Hetty Green, the “Witch of Wall Street”

Hetty Green was a successful American businesswoman who was as renowned for her Wall Street savvy and fantastic wealth as she was for her...

F. Scott Fitzgerald, Author of “The Great Gatsby”

F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of 20th century America’s greatest authors. His short stories and novels explored the wealth, hopes and moral indifference of...