| BC 1333-1323 (reigned) |
Tutankhamun (King Tut) |
Egyptian Pharaoh whose tomb (KV62) was discovered mostly intact in 1922. |
| BC 8th Century |
Homer |
Greek author of the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. |
| BC 469-399 |
Socrates |
Greek philosopher, greatly influenced Plato, tried by Athenian public court and put to death (by drinking hemlock) for impiety and corruption of the young. |
| BC 428?-347 |
Plato |
Greek philosopher and recorder of much of what we know about Socrates, teacher of Aristotle, wrote The Republic. |
| BC 384-322 |
Aristotle |
Greek philosopher, founder of pre-cursor to modern scientific method. |
| 373-461 |
St. Patrick |
Patron saint of Ireland, Christian missionary to the Irish. |
| 1167?-1227 |
Genghis Khan |
Founder of the Mongol Empire (most of Asia). |
| 1265-1321 |
Dante Alighieri |
Italian author of The Divine Comedy, the most popular volume being Dante's Inferno. |
| 1343?-1400 |
Geoffrey Chaucer |
English author of The Canterbury Tales. |
| 1412-1431 |
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) |
Maid of Orleans, patron saint of France, believed she was called of God to help the Dauphin (Charles VII) and played a crucial role in the Hundred Years' War against the English. Burned at the stake on May 30, 1431, for heresy. (Pronounced innocent 25 years later and canonized by Pope Benedict XV.) Book - Joan of Arc: Her Story |
| 1452-1519 |
Leonardo da Vinci |
Italian painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist, and Renaissance Man. Painted Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. |
| 1466-1536 |
Desiderius Erasmus |
Dutch humanist and thelogian, friend of Thomas More, and author of In Praise of Folly. |
| 1469-1527 |
Niccolo Machiavelli |
Italian author of The Prince, a guidebook for world rulers. |
| 1478-1535 |
Thomas More |
Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII, author of Utopia, refused to sanction the king's divorce and was executed on Tower Hill after time in the Tower of London. Book - The Life of Thomas More. DVD - A Man for All Seasons |
| 1491-1547 |
Henry VIII |
King of England who had a rough time getting a male heir. Wives: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr (in order: divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived). |
| 1547-1616 |
Miguel de Cervantes |
Spanish author (considered by many to be the greatest) of Don Quixote de la Mancha. CD of musical - Man of La Mancha |
| 1564-1616 |
William Shakespeare |
English poet and playwright -- most admit he's the best. Book - Complete Works |
| 1572-1631 |
John Donne |
English poet who penned such lines as "no man is an island", "for whom the bells", and "nowhere lives a woman true and fair". Book - Complete Works. |
| 1603?-1683 |
Roger Williams |
Founder of Rhode Island, proponent of separation of church and state, founded first Baptist church in America, an ancestor of mine. |
| 1608-1674 |
Milton |
English poet, author of Paradise Lost. |
| 1638-1715 |
Louis XIV |
The Sun King, the "greatest absolute monarch" of France, converted a hunting lodge into the Palace of Versailles with architect André Le Nôtre. |
| 1667-1745 |
Jonathan Swift |
Irish writer and satirist, wrote Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal (for the poor to sell their children for meat to reduce poverty). |
| 1685-1750 |
Johann Sebastian Bach |
German composer, organist of the Baroque period: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring; Sleepers Awake; Toccata & Fugue in D minor, Cantata 21. |
| 1685-1759 |
George Frideric Handel |
Baroque composer of oratorios (The Messiah, Ode for the birthday of Queen Anne), operas (Giulio Cesare), and instrumental pieces (Water Music). |
| 1688-1744 |
Alexander Pope |
English poet and writer of Essay on Man. |
| 1694-1778 |
Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet) |
French writer, philosopher of the Enlightenment. Wrote Candide. |
| 1706-1790 |
Benjamin Franklin |
A leader of the American revolution, also famous for witty quotations, experiments with electricity, and the fascination the French had for him. Books - Autobiography, An American Life |
| 1735-1826 |
John Adams |
Wielded tremendous influence in the Continental Congress on the Declaration of Independence, became first Vice President and second President of the United States. Book - John Adams |
| 1756-1791 |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
Austrian, one of the most influential classical composers: The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Eine kleine nachtmusik |
| 1769-1821 |
Napoléon Bonaparte |
Ruler of France and then emperor of the same as Napoléon I, conqueror and ruler of much of western and central Europe |
| 1770-1827 |
Ludwig van Beethoven |
German, possibly the greatest composer of all time: 5th Symphony, 9th Symphony, Für Elise, Pathètique & Moonlight Sonatas. Deaf by the end of his career. |
| 1771-1845 |
Sydney Smith |
English clergyman and witty writer. Book - Twelve Miles from a Lemon: Selected Writings & Sayings of Sydney Smith
|
| 1774-1809 |
Meriwether Lewis & William Clark (1770-1838) |
Explorers of the American West. Book - Undaunted Courage |
| 1782-1840 |
Niccolò Paganini |
Italian virtuoso violinist and composer, one of the greatest violinists ever (rumored due to a pact with the devil). CD - Béla Fleck Perpetual Motion |
| 1802-1885 |
Victor Hugo |
French poet and author of Les Miserables, Hunchback of Notre Dame |
| 1803-1869 |
Hector Berlioz |
French Romantic composer: Symphonie Fantastique |
| 1805-1844 |
Joseph Smith |
American founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Mormons) |
| 1806-1873 |
John Stuart Mill |
English philosopher and author of On Liberty |
| 1809-1849 |
Edgar Allan Poe |
American author of spooky (and sometimes downright creepy) poems, stories, and mysteries. Book - Complete Tales and Poems |
| 1810-1849 |
Frédéric Chopin |
Polish Romantic composer and pianist. Died in Paris, buried in Père Lachaise. CD - Favorite Piano Works |
| 1811-1886 |
Franz Liszt |
Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer: Liebestraume No. 3 in Ab Major, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (cartoon music - theme from Who Framed Roger Rabbit) |
| 1823-1860 |
Phineas Gage |
Unfortunately instrumental in furthering the understanding that different parts of the brain control mood and personality when a railway tamping iron shot up through his head and his personality changed dramatically. Book - Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science |
| 1832-1898 |
Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) |
English author, wrote Alice in Wonderland and Jabberwocky |
| 1833-1883 |
Gustave Doré |
French engraver and prolific illustrator of literary classics, including The Bible, Dante's Divine Comedy, Cervantes' Don Quixote, and Milton's Paradise Lost. Book - 120 Greatest Illustrations |
| 1835-1910 |
Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) |
American author and witty social critic. Wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. |
| 1840-1917 |
Auguste Rodin |
French sculptor: Le Penseur (The Thinker), Gate to Hell (Porte de l'Enfer). Book - Auguste Rodin |
| 1842-1900 |
Arthur Sullivan |
Half of Gilbert & Sullivan, creators of comic operas such as H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance |
| 1850-1893 |
Guy de Maupassant |
French author of The Horla |
| 1853-1890 |
Vincent van Gogh |
Dutch painter, cut off his ear, committed suicide (and painted in the meantime). Became famous after death. Book - The Complete Paintings |
| 1868-1917 |
Scott Joplin |
American ragtime musician and composer: The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag |
| 1879-1955 |
Albert Einstein |
Physicist, mathemetician: theory of relativity, worm holes, and lots of other interesting stuff I don't really understand. Book - A Biography |
| 1898-1963 |
C.S. Lewis |
English author and Christian apologetic whose works include The Chronicles of Narnia (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity. |
| 1911-1938 |
Robert Johnson |
American delta blues singer and guitarist, object of crossroads legend (selling soul for musical prowess). Box set |
| 1940- |
The Beatles |
British pop/rock group (most influential ever?): Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr. The White Album, Rubber Soul |
| 1941- |
Bob Dylan (Robert Allen Zimmerman) |
Probably America's greatest popular songwriter (although many don't love his singing voice). CD - Essential Bob Dylan |
