Kim Jong Il, North Korea’s “Dear Leader”

Kim Jong Il assumed power a few years after his father suffered a heart attack. The dictator had a reputation as a somewhat erratic...

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Author of “The Little Prince”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote one of the most popular books ever published, “The Little Prince.” His adventurous spirit prompted him to become a pilot...

Meriwether Lewis, Western Explorer

Along with William Clark, Meriwether Lewis led the first expedition through the territory of the Louisiana Purchase, revealing the landscape and nature of the...

Stephen Jay Gould, Paleontologist and Science Writer

Renowned for both his revolutionary contributions to evolutionary biology and his ability to make science accessible to the public, Stephen Jay Gould drew upon...

Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi), Baroque Painter

Michelangelo Merisi, popularly known as Caravaggio, spearheaded the Baroque movement, and his paintings are acclaimed for their realism and their depiction of the violent,...

Charles Lindbergh, American Aviator

Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly a plane non-stop across the Atlantic at age 25. Though he experienced fame for his heroism,...

Ed Asner, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s” Lou Grant

Actor and political activist Ed Asner has earned critical acclaim both on Broadway and in Hollywood. He is best known for his Emmy and...

Charles Schulz, Creator of Peanuts Comic Strip

For more than 50 years, Charles Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts has been an essential part of the newspaper’s daily comics page for millions of...

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...

Neil Simon, Award-Winning Playwright

Crowned by Time magazine “the patron saint of laughter,” the creator of Felix Unger and Oscar Madison, along with a host of other memorable...