Gwendolyn Brooks, First African-American Pulitzer Prize Winner

Gwendolyn Brooks, renowned poet, was the author of many memorable works centered on the black experience in America and the issues of the Civil...

Upton Sinclair, Muckraking Journalist and Author of “The Jungle”

Best known for exposing horrific practices in the meatpacking industry with his novel, “The Jungle,” Upton Sinclair was more than just a muckraker. From...

Peggy Guggenheim, Art Collector

American heiress Peggy Guggenheim was considered to be as intriguing as the art she collected. One of the pioneering collectors of Abstract Expressionism, she...

Erik Erikson, German Psychologist

German psychoanalyst Erik Erikson is best known for his groundbreaking theories about the psychosocial stages of development, for coining the term “identity crisis,” and...

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,...

Enrico Fermi, Nuclear Physicist

Enrico Fermi’s pioneering work in the field of nuclear fission won him a Nobel Prize, and ushered in the nuclear age. His discoveries led...

Milton Bradley, Father of the Modern Board Game

Milton Bradley is a household name for his creation of such board game classics as The Game of Life, but he was more than...

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, First Elected Female President in Africa

In honor of her October 29 birthday, we look at the life and career of longtime politician and economist-in-exile Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who became the...

William Faulkner, American Novelist

William Faulkner, revered modernist writer, historian and sociologist, is known for capturing the raw beauty of the rural South in all its dark complexity....

Napoleon Bonaparte, French Military Leader

Napoleon Bonaparte is known for being a highly ambitious military leader, leading France in conquests throughout the Middle East and Europe, but he was...