Ravi Shankar, Renowned Indian Musician

Ravi Shankar, India’s most famous sitar player and composer, is credited with popularizing Indian music in the Western world, and with influencing musicians in...

Friedrich Nietzsche, Philosopher

“Nietzsche’s actual thought is a…system, at the beginning of which stands the death of God…the ensuing nihilism, and at its end the self-surmounting of...

Jane Addams, Social Settlement Worker

Jane Addams was a pioneer in the field of social work and co-founder of the Hull House, a settlement house for lower class immigrants...

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...

Ray Charles, Legendary Musician

Nicknamed “The Genius” for his ability to weave musical genres together and excel in all areas of performance, Ray Charles was a distinctly American...

Rainer Maria Rilke, Author of “Letters to a Young Poet”

Rainer Maria Rilke spent his life traveling the globe. Despite a variety of lovers and locales—Prague, Munich, Rome, Paris and Switzerland—Rilke remained alone, seeking...

Abraham Lincoln, “The Great Emancipator”

Abraham Lincoln worked his way from a log cabin to the White House, teaching himself law and earning the faith of the electorate through...

Barbie, Doll of 1,000 Careers and Outfits

It's been more than 50 years since the blond-haired, blue-eyed, impossibly proportioned Barbie doll hit the market. She's held many jobs, lived in many...

Jack Kirby, Creator of Comic Book Superheroes

Jack Kirby was as much of a hero to the comic book industry as the characters he created. An innovator in the industry for...

Eliot Ness, Leader of the Prohibition-Era “Untouchables”

Eliot Ness had a distinguished career in law enforcement. He and his team of “Untouchables” fought against Al Capone and illegal bootlegging in Chicago...