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Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison rose from humble beginnings to work as an inventor of major technology. -
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright became chief assistant to architect Louis Sullivan. Wright then founded his own firm and developed a style known as the Prairie school, which strove for an "organic architecture" in designs for homes and commercial buildings. Over his career he created numerous iconic buildings. -
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi studied law and came to advocate for the rights of Indians, both at home and in South Africa. Gandhi became a leader of India's independence movement, organizing boycotts against British institutions in peaceful forms of civil disobedience. -
Albert Einstein
Albert was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics -
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso became one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century and the creator (with Georges Braque) of Cubism. A Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and stage designer, Picasso was considered radical in his work. -
Martha Graham
Martha Graham is said to be the mother of modern dance. -
Buckminster Fuller
Buckminster Fuller is regarded by many as one of the key innovators in of the 20th century. Driven by the design philosophy of "more for less." -
Amelia Earhart
In 1923, Earhart, fondly known as "Lady Lindy," became the 16th woman to be issued a pilot's license. She had several notable flights, becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, as well as the first person to fly over both the Atlantic and Pacific. -
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock worked for a short time in engineering before entering the film industry in 1920. He left for Hollywood in 1939, where his first American film, Rebecca, won an Academy Award for best picture. Hitchcock created more than 50 films, including the classics Rear Window, The 39 Steps and Psycho. Nicknamed the "Master of Suspense," Hitchcock received the AFI's Life Achievement Award in 1979. -
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa taught in India for 17 years before she experienced her 1946 "call within a call" to devote herself to caring for the sick and poor. Her order established a hospice; centers for the blind, aged, and disabled; and a leper colony. She was summoned to Rome in 1968, and in 1979 received the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work. -
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan initially chose a career in entertainment, appearing in more than 50 films. While in Hollywood, he served as president of the Screen Actor's Guild and met his future wife, Nancy (Davis) Reagan. He served two terms as governor of California. Originally a liberal Democrat, Reagan ran for the U.S. presidency as a conservative Republican and won two terms, beginning in 1980. -
Maria Callas
Maria Callas was a professional opera singer. -
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil rights activist who had a seismic impact on race relations in the United States. -
Jim Henson
Jim Henson, the man behind the Muppets. Henson began working as a puppeteer in college, creating characters like Kermit the Frog. He worked as a producer on Sesame Street, a popular kids' show that launched in 1969, and created The Muppet Show in 1976. -
Ted Turner
He founded the first 24-hour cable news network, CNN, which debuted in 1980. -
John Lennon
John Lennon partnered with Paul McCartney and became the most successful songwriting partnership in musical history. -
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan was a folk rock singer-songwriter. -
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali was a boxer, philanthropist and social activist. After his winning boxing career, he has devoted much of his time to philanthropy. -
Richard Branson
Richard Branson is an entrpreneurar who was over 200 companies in his Virgin Group. -
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey, media giant, hosted her own talk show for two and a half decades. She was an American television host, actress, producer and philanthropist.
