Learn about the people who shaped history, from founders and presidents to philosophers and activists.
1732-02-22 – 1799-12-14
Commander of the Continental Army and first President of the United States.
1743-04-13 – 1826-07-04
Principal author of the Declaration of Independence and third President.
1706-01-17 – 1790-04-17
Founding Father, inventor, diplomat, and polymath.
1735-10-30 – 1826-07-04
Champion of independence and second President of the United States.
1751-03-16 – 1836-06-28
"Father of the Constitution" and fourth President of the United States.
1755-01-11 – 1804-07-12
First Secretary of the Treasury and champion of a strong federal government.
1809-02-12 – 1865-04-15
16th President who preserved the Union and abolished slavery.
1818-02-14 – 1895-02-20
Escaped slave who became the leading abolitionist voice in America.
1822-04-27 – 1885-07-23
Union Army commander who won the Civil War and 18th President.
1929-01-15 – 1968-04-04
Leader of the Civil Rights Movement and champion of nonviolent resistance.
1913-02-04 – 2005-10-24
"Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" who refused to give up her bus seat.
1882-01-30 – 1945-04-12
32nd President who led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II.
1874-11-30 – 1965-01-24
British Prime Minister who led the United Kingdom through World War II.
1917-05-29 – 1963-11-22
35th President who navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis and championed the Space Race.
470 BCE – 399 BCE
Athenian philosopher considered the father of Western philosophy.
100 BCE – 44 BCE
Roman general and statesman whose rise to power ended the Roman Republic.
1736-05-29 – 1799-06-06
Fiery orator whose "Give me liberty, or give me death!" rallied support for independence.
1757-09-06 – 1834-05-20
French aristocrat who became a key American ally and hero of both the American and French Revolutions.
1822-03-01 – 1913-03-10
Escaped slave who led hundreds to freedom on the Underground Railroad and served as a Union spy.
1807-01-19 – 1870-10-12
Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War.
1908-07-02 – 1993-01-24
Civil rights lawyer who argued Brown v. Board and became the first Black Supreme Court Justice.
1940-02-21 – 2020-07-17
Civil rights leader, Freedom Rider, and longtime U.S. Congressman known for "good trouble."
356 BCE – 323 BCE
King of Macedon who created one of the largest empires in ancient history by age 30.
495 BCE – 429 BCE
Athenian statesman who led Athens during its Golden Age and championed democracy.
428 BCE – 348 BCE
Student of Socrates and founder of the Academy, the Western world's first institution of higher learning.
63 BCE – 14 CE
First Roman Emperor who transformed Rome from a republic into an empire and ushered in the Pax Romana.
1564-02-15 – 1642-01-08
"Father of Modern Science" who championed the heliocentric model and revolutionized astronomy.
1475-03-06 – 1564-02-18
Renaissance sculptor, painter, and architect who created the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the statue of David.
1890-10-14 – 1969-03-28
Supreme Allied Commander in WWII who planned D-Day and later served as the 34th President.
1911-02-06 – 2004-06-05
40th President who challenged the Soviet Union and was in office when the Cold War ended.
1452-04-15 – 1519-05-02
Renaissance polymath, painter, inventor, scientist, and engineer.
69 BCE – 30 BCE
Last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt.