It could be hectic, stressful, mind-racking or a piece of cake. I am talking about the different emotions that one may portray when writing a biographical essay.
At one point or another, you will come across biographical essays, which are not as difficult as some people make it out to be.
However, the obstacle usually begins from how to start a biography essay. This is no surprise as some writers try to avoid being biographies at all costs and try writing about a different subject, rather than the one chosen to represent themselves.
However, just because you can write about something else does not mean that it is a worthy subject to include in the biographical essay and the more you try and avoid it, the more you will go against your own biases and preconceived ideas.
When you’re looking to start a biography essay, keep a close eye on the topics, writers and subject line choices. What are the authors’ stories they want to tell.
Is it an interesting take on a subject or is it about a man or a situation? Are you writing about the author’s life of self-actualization or are you writing about an author who has died?
To give you an idea. In my experience, the main topic of most books I read before writing my biographical essays is suicide.
Louis Braille was born in the Coupvray, France on January 4, 1809. His mother and father were Monique and Simon Ren Braille. Louis was the youngest of four other children. Their names were Louis-Simon, Catherine-Josephine, and Marie-Celine. Louis father, Simon Ren, was a saddler. He made saddles and harnesses for horses. His father had also … Read more
This report will talk about the life of a famous author, Charles Dickens. It will tell you about his early, middle, and later years of his life. It will also talk about one of his great works of literature. In conclusion, this report will show a comparison of his work to his life. Charles Dickens … Read more
Jimmy Carter’s parents, Earl and Lillian Carter, owned a peanut farm and warehouse and a store outside the small town of Plains, Georgia. Earl was bright, hardworking, and a very good businessman. “Miz” Lillian had been trained as a nurse. Jimmy Carter was born in a house that lacked electricity and indoor plumbing. By the … Read more
Aristotle was born in 384 BC and lived until 322 BC. He was a Greek philosopher and scientist, who shares with Plato being considered the most famous of ancient philosophers. He was born at Stagira, in Macedonia, the son of a physician to the royal court. When he was 17, he went to Athens to … Read more
Benjamin Franklin was a remarkably talented man. He started his career as a simple printer apprentice, but went far beyond the printers shop. He developed products that were far beyond the time. The Franklin stove for example, for cold winter nights and bifocal lenses for reading. Franklin tracked storm paths to help understand the wicked … Read more
Andrew Warhol was born August Sixth, 1928, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He was the youngest son of Julie and Andrej Warhola, both immigrants from Czechoslovakia. After a quiet childhood spent alternately alone and in art classes, Andrew went to college. He then got a job doing commercial art, largely advertisements for large companies. Over time his … Read more
I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. (Lowers, p. 6) In a way this quote by Voltaire describes the way he lived his life. He was a freethinker who believed that everybody should be able to say and write what … Read more
Niels Bohr studied at the University of Copenhagen which he entered in 1903. He won a gold medal from the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences for his theoretical analysis of vibrations of water jets as a means of determining surface tension. He received his Master’s degree from the University of Copenhagen in 1909 and his … Read more
Pappus was born in approximately 920 in Alexandria, Egypt. He was the last of the great Greek geometers and one of his major theorems is considered to be the basis of modern projective geometry (“Pappus”). Pappus flourished in the fourth century, writing his key work, the Mathematical Collection, as a guide to Greek geometry (“Biography”). … Read more
The man himself never stood taller than five feet, six inches tall, but in the realm of American literature, William Faulkner was a giant (Faulkner, American 101). The background and early years of Faulkners life sets the stage for his outstanding success in literature. He is unique in his works due to the various types … Read more
Chiang Kai-shek, also known as Chiang Chung-cheng, was the son of a middle-class wine merchant who lived in the village of Chikow in Chekiang Province. When he was fourteen years old, following the Chinese custom of that time, he was arranged to be marry by his mother (the brides name is not mentioned). His bride … Read more
“I am not a man. Those evil influences, those lusts, whose non-destruction would have individualised me as… a man, I have completely annihilated. Know, therefore… that I am a Buddha. ” – Gautama Buddha, from the Pali scriptures (Goddard, page 5) Throughout history there have been hundreds of influential figures. Some are well-known for their … Read more
William Shakespeare was a great English playwright, dramatist and poet who lived during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest playwright of all time. No other writer’s plays have been produced so many times or read so widely in so many countries as his. Shakespeare was born to … Read more
Intrigued by the notions of inalienable rights, John Locke became known as a 17th century English philosopher of the enlightenment. Born on August 29,1632, Locke possessed a good deal of influence because of his connection with England and the United States. John Locke had a plethora of Philosophical theories. I will further elaborate on the … Read more
“I just paint things I always thought were beautiful, things you use every day and never think about I just do it because I like it. (Beckris 110) I just do it because I like it is Andy’s philosophy on life. Andy might just be the most interesting and and at the same time the … Read more
Nam June Paik was born in Seoul, Korea on July 20, 1932. He was the fifth and youngest child of a textile merchant. In 1947, at the age of 14, he studied piano and composition with two of Korea’s foremost composers. The family moved to Tokyo, Japan in 1950 to avoid the havoc of the … Read more
Eduard Munch (1863-1944) was a Norwegian painter, engraver, and printer. He is often reputed to have been a loner and a misogynist. Many of his works revolve around a motif concerning women and their obscene vulgarity. The two works that will be described here are Vampire (1893) and Jealousy (1896). These two depict women as … Read more
Something about Charles Dickens and his ability to take his reader to unbelievable places with his imaginative powers allows him the honor of being the most popular English novelist of the 19th century. Dickens has thrilled his readers for many years with his down-to-earth stories about real people forced into real situations. Charles Dickens has … Read more
Irene Curie was a brilliant dedicated scientist who accomplished many things throughout her life but was overshadowed by those around her throughout her life. She was overshadowed by Nobel laureate parents Maire and Pierre Curie, by co-laureate and husband Jean Frederick Joliot, by her physicist daughter Helene, who was married to Paul Langevin’s grandson, and … Read more
Melville, Herman (1819-91), American novelist, a major literary figure whose exploration of psychological and metaphysical themes foreshadowed 20th-century literary concerns but whose works remained in obscurity until the 1920s, when his genius was finally recognized. Melville was born August 1, 1819, in New York City, into a family that had declined in the world. The … Read more
Thomas Hobbes was born on April 5, 1588 in Wiltshire. Leading a sheltered and leisured life, his education was provided his uncle, a tradesman and alderman of Malmesbury. Before the age of fifteen, he attended school in Magdalen Hall, Oxford. He left in 1608 and became companion to the eldest son of Lord Cavendish of … Read more
Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott, an educator and philosopher, and Abigail May, the energetic, philanthropist. Louisa grew up in Concord and Boston, suffering from poverty as a result of her selfish idealist father’s inability to support his family. Bronson Alcott habitually sacrificed his wife and daughters … Read more
Abigail Adams helped plant the seeds that would start women and men thinking about women’s rights and roles in a country that had been founded on the ideals of equality and independence. Introduction Abigail Adams was born Abigail Smith on November 22, 1744, in Weymouth, Massachusetts, a farm community about fifteen miles southeast of Boston. … Read more
In England, the period between the Gothic and Renaissance styles is known as the Elizabethan age. It reached its peak in the late 1500s, toward the end of the long reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and is often considered the last phase of the long- lasting Tudor style. Although the Elizabethan age produced a certain … Read more
Howard Robard Hughes was a very inventive, attention getting man. He was an out-spoken entrepreneur who was best known for his hard work and dedication in motion pictures and the aviation industry. His inherited fortune gave him the opportunity to start building on his dreams at an early age. Although Howard remained in the news … Read more
Gnaeus Pompeius, better known as Pompey, was born on September 29, 106 BC. He was four years older than Julius Caesar. Pompeys father was a rich Roman noble, who was elected to the consul in 89 BC. Pompey distinguished himself as a great leader early in his life. In the civil war between Gaius Marius … Read more
Marie and Pierre Curie’s pioneer research was again brought to mind when on 20 April last year, their bodies were taken from their place of burial at Sceaux, just outside Paris, and in a solemn ceremony were laid to rest under the mighty dome of the Pantheon. Marie Curie thus became the first woman to … Read more
Mozart is perhaps the greatest musical genius who ever lived. Mozart ‘s full name is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Most people called him Mozart or Wolfgang. Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, January 27, 1756. Mozart is the greatest musical child prodigy who ever lived. He began composing minuets at the age of 5 and symphonies … Read more
John Marshall was born in 1755. He was the 4th chief justice of the U. S Supreme Court of Virginia for 34 years. (http://www. encyclopedia. com/articles/08102. html) He was a federalist who believed that the U. S should have a powerful central government. Marshall defended the U. S. constitution, and did not trust the Jeffersonians … Read more
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is remembered for his imaginative writings and the lasting creation of Middle-earth world. However, he was also a great scholar and linguist, holding the position of the Rawlingson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University. His writings owe much of its power to his ocean of knowledge about European languages … Read more
Chopin gives a great deal of thought in her literature to issues that she views as important. She was encouraged not to become a “useless” wife; she was also involved in the idea of becoming an independent woman (LeBlanc 1). Kate Chopin is a well-known American writer. Kate Chopin was born on February 8, 1851, … Read more
Ronald William Howard was born March 1st, 1954 in Duncan, Oklahoma. He is the older of two brothers. His parents, Rance Howard his father was an actor, director and writer, his mother Jean Howard was an actress, in 1959 his family relocated to Hollywood. Young Ron quickly joined the family business and his first television … Read more
Few individuals have come along that have totally captured the imaginations of their historians. Perhaps the most known of these characters is Napoleon Bonaparte. The part of his life often found most interesting was his modest beginnings. Here, like some Hollywood movie is the tale of an exceptional man whose intelligence and rise from the … Read more
Kurt Donald Cobain was the lead singer/songwriter of the band Nirvana, until April 5 1994 when he committed suicide. Troubled by depression, chronic stomach problems, and an addiction to heroin, his ailments in his personal life showed through in his music. His music evolved from the hard punk sound of their first album, to the … Read more
Lennon was born in 1940 during the Nazi bombing of Britain and given the middle name Winston, after Prime Minister Churchill. Knowing firsthand the horror of a world at war and living through the era of Vietnam’s senseless carnage as well, Lennon came to embrace and embody pacifism via such classics of the Beatles era … Read more
The rapid evolution of a style characterized by canvases filled with swirling, bright colors depicting people and nature is the essence of Vincent Van Gogh’s extremely prolific but tragically short career. Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853, in Holland, son of a Dutch Protestant pastor and eldest of six children. His … Read more
Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the greatest composers in Western musical history. More than 1,000 of his compositions survive. Some examples are the Art of Fugue, Brandenburg Concerti, the Goldberg Variations for Harpsichord, the Mass in B-Minor, the motets, the Easter and Christmas oratorios, Toccata in F Major, French Suite No 5, Fugue in … Read more
He was labeled a terrible graphic designer in the nineties. His agonized typography drove a clique of critics to indict him of not being serious and of destroying the origins and foundation of communication design. Now, the work and techniques of David Carson dominates design, advertising, the Web, and even motion pictures. David Carson graduated … Read more
E. E. Cummings, who was born in 1894 and died in 1962, wrote many poems with unconventional punctuation and capitalization, and unusual line, word, and even letter placements – namely, ideograms. Cummings’ most difficult form of prose is probably the ideogram; it is extremely terse and it combines both visual and auditory elements. There may … Read more
At about 6:30 on the evening of April 20th, 1889 a child was born in the small town of Branau, Austria. The name of the child was Adolf Hitler. He was the son a Customs official Alois Hitler, and his third wife Klara. As a young boy Adolf attendated church regulary and sang in the … Read more
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in the 6th or 5th century BC in the kingdom of the Sakyas on the borders of present day Nepal to King Suddhodana and Queen Mahamaya of the warrior caste. The boy would grow to become the Buddha, the spiritual leader whose life and teachings are the foundation of … Read more
Al Capone, born to Gabriele and Teresina Capone, was born in Brooklyn, New York. At age 5 he starrted school at Public School no. 7 on Adams street. Als school had outbreaks of violence. Male Students engaged in fist fights with female teachers. At age 14 he engaged in a fight between himself and a … Read more
Thomas Alva Edison – born February 11, 1847, Milan, Ohio, U. S. d. Oct. 18, 1931, West Orange, N. J. American inventor who, singly or jointly, held a world record 1,093 patents. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial research laboratory. Edison was the quintessential American inventor in the era of Yankee ingenuity. He … Read more
Dolce and Gabbana, an Italian ready-to-wear line, was founded in 1982 by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Since the distinguished duo established they have become influential and innovative to the fashion industry. Their clothes signify a sanguine, sexy glamour, which, however raw, never over powers the wearer’s character, making them one of the most momentous … Read more
Juan Domingo Pern, born in 1895 in Lobos, Argentina, was the President of Argentina on two occasions separated by eighteen years. He first came to power by the election of February 28,1946. He ruled for almost ten years until he was pressured to resign by the Argentine military and in September of 1955 he left … Read more
The old world had many great leaders. Alexander the Great, Hannibal and even Julius Caesar met with struggle on their rise to power. Perhaps Genghis Khan was the most significant of all these rulers. To prove that Genghis Khan was the greatest ruler, we must go back to the very beginning of his existence. We … Read more
An unlikely candidate to dispute the unfair, misogynistic treatment of women by men and society, Christine de Pizan successfully challenged the accepted negative views that were being expressed about women by the all-male literary world of her era. Part of Christines uniqueness stems from the time in which she lived, the middle to late 1300s. … Read more
Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in Trier in the German Rhineland. His grandfather was a rabbi. His father, a successful lawyer, had his entire family baptized for business and social reasons. He studied law at Bonn and philosophy at the University of Berlin. While in Berlin he became acquainted with the philosophy … Read more
Albrecht Durer was a well-educated man and an experienced painter. Albrecht was a great artist in all areas of art. Albrecht Durer was born in 1471 and died in 1528. He was 57 years old. Albrecht was born in Nuremburg, Germany. Albrecht’s father was a goldsmith. The German painter (Durer) was under great tension. He … Read more
To read George Eliot attentively is to become aware how little one knows about her. It is also to become aware of the credulity, not very creditable to ones insight, with which, half consciously and partly maliciously, one had accepted the late Victorian version of a deluded woman who held phantom sway over subjects even … Read more
Henry Ford was one of the most brilliant entrepreneurs in creating the automobile assembly line, it was his controversial characteristics and unorthodox approach towards administrating the Ford Motor Company which resulted in the conglomeration of one of the most successful corporations in the world. At the turn of the century everything was booming! The growth … Read more
The people of Plainfield, considered Ed Gein a gentle man who everybody trusted. Ed had a very strict childhood. His father died when he was very young. His mother then decided that she would raise her children and not marry or be involved in any relationship. Mrs. Gein told Ed and his brother Henry that … Read more
Through out history money, wealth and capital have dictated a way of life to the masses. Wealth dictated the lives that the rich lived and the lives of the poor that worked for and surrounded them. In some cultures your class could never be escaped in life, you had to wait for your next incarnation, … Read more
Tupac Shakur grew up around nothing but self-delusion. His mother, Alice Faye Williams, thought she was a “revolutionary. ” She called herself “Afeni Shakur” and associated with members of the ill-fated Black Panther Party, a movement that wanted to feed school kids breakfast and earn civil rights for African Americans. During her youth she dropped … Read more
On Sept. 1, 1923 Mr. and Mrs. Pierino Marchegiano of Brockton, MA became the proud parents of a lively twelve pound baby boy. The child was named Rocco Marchegiano, but the world would one day know him as the legendary boxer Rocky Marciano. When “bambino Rocco” was 18 months of age, he contracted pneumonia. Although … Read more
Nicholas Romanov was an ignorant, incompetent and insensitive leader. His character was the decisive factor in bringing on the revolution The last Tsar of Russia was a tragic figure a classic case of being a leader in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing within his power could have prevented the forces of change … Read more
Kings are generally thought to be beautiful, God-like humans from a certain genealogy. They are placed at the throne due to whom they were born to and/or who they marry. Richard of Glouster is born of the royal family but, he does not possess the qualities of a King to be legitimate according to Shakespeare’s … Read more
Freud was born in Freiberg, on May 6, 1856, and educated at the University of Vienna. When he was three years old his family, fleeing from the anti-Semitic riots then raging in Freiberg, moved to Leipzig. Shortly thereafter, the family settled in Vienna, where Freud remained for most of his life. Although Freud’s ambition from … Read more
Albert Camus (1913-1960) was a representative of non-metropolitan French literature. His origin in Algeria and his experiences there in the thirties were dominating influences in his thought and work. Of semi-proletarian parents, early attached to intellectual circles of strongly revolutionary tendencies, with a deep interest in philosophy (only chance prevented him from pursuing a university … Read more
Mother Teresa was a wonderful woman and a great influence on the world today. She was born in 1910 in Macedonia with the name Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She was born into a family of deeply religious Catholics. Agnes felt she got the calling to work for God at the young age of fourteen. She joined … Read more
Tycho Brahe was born on December 14th, 1546 in a town called Knudstrup in Scania, Denmark. His early years were filled with pain, as he was kidnapped by his uncle and raised in his castle in Tostrup, Scania. His education was backed by his uncle, and he went to the University of Copenhagen to study … Read more
Jonathan Swift was born only 7 months after his father’s death, on November 30th, 1667. His mother raised Jonathan at the expense of his Uncle Goodwin. It is believed that his Uncle Goodwin wasn’t rich and therefor Jonathan was no stranger to poverty. Despite his uncle’s lack of funds he still had a nurse who … Read more
Kurt Cobain was citied in the Seattle area with a shotgun. Days later on the fifth of April, Kurt Cobain went into the small room above his garage in his Seattle home and ended it all. Fans across the world were stunned by the news of Kurt Cobains sudden and shocking suicide. Kurt was the … Read more
Amelia Mary Earhart had the courage and independence to do anything she wanted to do. This includes crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a plane and sharing her visions for aviation and women. She inspired many, formed the first women aviators association, and she tried to fly around the world. That is why I think that … Read more
Chaim Potok lives a very full life he has served his country, peoples, and religion very well and with great impact. First, to be discussed is his life birth through the present. He was born at a very early age on February 17, 1929, in New York, New York to Benjamin and Mollie Potok. The … Read more
George Frederick Handel was born on February 24, 1685 in Halle, Germany. One of the greatest composers of the late baroque period (1700-50) and, during his lifetime, perhaps the most internationally famous of all musicians. Handel was born February 24, 1685, in Halle, Germany, to a family of no musical distinction. His own musical talent, … Read more
In 428 B. C. Aristocles (later known as Plato) was born in Athens. He was born on the island of Aegina, which lies just twelve miles off shore from Athens in the Saronic Gulf (Havelock 3). Aristocles was born into a great political family (Friedlander 14). His father being the descendant of Codrus, the last … Read more
Bertolt Brecht was one of the chief innovators of modern theatrical techniques. He was both a poet and a playwright all in one. His epic theatrical creations developed drama as a forum for social and idealistic causes. Brechts imagination, artistic genius, and social views distinguish his work and his life. Eugen Bertolt Brecht was born … Read more
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was probably the greatest genius in Western musical history. He was born in Salzberg, Austria on January 27, 1756. The son of Leopold Mozart and his wife Anna Maria Pertl. Leopold was a successful composer and violinist and assistant concertmaster at the Salzberg court. At the age of three, Wolfgang showed signs … Read more
Marco Polo is one of the most well-known heroic travelers and traders around the world. In my paper I will discuss with you Marco Polo’s life, his travels, and his visit to China to see the great Khan. Marco Polo was born in c. 1254 in Venice. He was a Venetian explorer and merchant whose … Read more
Michelangelo, the second of five brothers was born on March 6, 1475, at Caprese, in Tuscany, to Ludovico di Leonardo di Buonarotto Simoni and Francesca Neri. The same day, his father noted down: “Today March 6, 1475, a child of the male sex has been born to me and I have named him Michelangelo. He … Read more
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Mass. Her father, Edward Dickinson, was a lawyer and leading citizen of Amherst. Her mother was Emily Norcross Dickinson. Emily had an older brother, William Austin, and a younger sister, Lavinia. Emily Dickinson had more formal education than most women of her time. As … Read more
“ The greatest artist this country has ever produced seems to at last be coming into his own. America’s other great artists—our painters, sculptors, composers—don’t really rank with the tops of all time. They’re not Rembrandt or Michelangelo or Beethoven. Wright alone has that standing. ” (Robert Campbell) One of America’s most influential and imaginative … Read more
Robert Francis Kennedy was born on November 20, 1925 in Brookline Massachusetts. He was the seventh child, and third son of Rose Fitzgerald and Joe Kennedy . “I was the seventh of nine children,” he later recalled, “and when you come from that far down you have to struggle to survive. “( Alden Whitman, 2001). … Read more
It’s hard today to speak about Handel’s life and works without mentioning the similarities between him and Bach; first of all they were born in the same year:1685, even if it’s not a case than the most geniuses of the late baroque era (Couperin, Telemann Scarlatti ) would have almost been all co-aged. Neverhless unlike … Read more
Isshinryu Karate was developed and introduced in 1954 by Tatsuo Shimabuku on the island of Okinawa. His karate was the offspring of two different systems, Goju-Ryu and Shorin-Ryu. Goju-Ryu being the Hard method, and Shorin-Ryu being the Soft method. He introduced katas from other forms into his own form, and developed features unique to his … Read more
Jacob Lawrence’s unique career has earned him a National Medal Of Arts , election to the National Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Academy of Design,a National Council of the Arts commisionership, and dozens of honorary degrees and awards, including the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal. His paintings has been freatured in several major art … Read more
Many aspects of writing catch a reader’s attention and keep one interested in a book. E. M. Forster put many of these aspects in his books making them well written and quite interesting. He combined great characters, a decent story line, and his prolific knowledge of writing to make his books readable and enjoyable. E. … Read more
Anneliesse Marie Frank was born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, the second daughter of Otto and Edith Frank. Anne and her older sister Margot (born February 6, 1926), were born in the post-World War 1 era and they, along with their parents, were German citizens under the laws of the Weimar Republic (1918-33). … Read more
Dalai Lama literally means ocean priest. His vast followers, awestruck by his presence, cast their eyes downward, fall to the ground and weep. They cannot look directly in his eyes out of respect. The Dalai Lama realizes the magnitude of his position, but dismisses the idolatry. His people call him His Holiness. He calls himself … Read more
John Dryden was England’s most outstanding and controversial writer for the later part of the seventeenth century, dominating the literary world as a skilled and versatile dramatist, a pioneer of literary criticism, and a respected writer of the Restoration period. With Dryden’s great literary and critical influence on the English society during the Restoration period … Read more
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India, on October 2, 1869. Although his father was a chief minister for the maharaja of Porbandar, the family came from the traditional caste of grocers (the name Gandhi means “grocer”). His mother’s religion was Jainism, a Hindu religion which ideas of nonviolence and vegetarianism are very important. … Read more
Eudora Welty was born in 1909, in Jackson, Mississippi, grew up in a prosperous home with her two younger brothers. Her parent was an Ohio-born insurance man and a strong-minded West Virginian schoolteacher, who settled in Jackson in 1904 after their marriage. Eudoras school life began attending a white-only school. As born and brought up … Read more
Willem De Kooning had been widely acknowledged as one of the greatest painters of this century known for his daring originality. Several exhibitions in the U. S. and abroad have celebrated the artistic achievements of this eminent artist’s 60-year career. This essay covers part of his early life with real focus on his late paintings. … Read more
Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher. He had many important contributions to mathematics and physics such as the construction of mechanical calculators, considerations on probability theory, the study of fluids, concepts of the pressure and vacuum, and the Pascal Triangle. After a divine experience in 1654, he devoted himself to meditating … Read more
Benito Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883 outside the village of Dovia di Predappio in the Northeastern Italian province of Forli. He had one sister and one brother. They always fought and argued over little petty things with each other. His sister name was Edvige and his brothers name was Armaldo. His mother Rosa … Read more
Phineas Taylor Barnum reinvented the circus. His knowledge of what people want and how to make people think they want what he had was amazing. He constantly fooled people and had a way of making the customers come back. Barnum was ultimate salesman. He single handedly turned the circus into the “Greatest Show On Earth” … Read more
George Washington seems today a figure larger than life itself.. almost as he was when he was a familiar person in the halls, homes, shops, and bars of 18th-century city Williamsburg. On Duke of Gloucester Street, in the Raleigh Tavern’s Apollo Room, or the Governor’s Palace Gardens, his powerful frame and his nice attitude.. his … Read more
I believe one of the most influential African Americans of all time is Marcus Garvey. Marcus Garvey achieved accomplishments in not just one, but many areas. His accomplishments ranged from a worldwide Black political organization, The Untied Negro Improvement Association, to the first, and to this day the largest Black-owned multinational businesses, the Black Star … Read more
Jean Toomer’s family was not typical of migrating African Americans settling in the North, or fleeing the South. Each of his maternal grandparents were born of a caucasian father. But a “speck of Black makes you Black. ” Thus, Toomer’s grandfather, Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback, was a free born black, a Union officer in the … Read more
Heinrich Himmler was Reichsführer-SS (Reich SS Leader) and Chief of the German police. In this capacity, he was responsible for the implementation of the Final Solution – the extermination of the Jews – as ordered by the Führer, Adolf Hitler. He was born in Munich on October 7, 1900. His father was the son of … Read more
Richard Joseph Daley, the grandson of Irish immigrants, was born in the Bridgeport area of Chicago on May 15, 1902 less than a block from where he later lived as mayor. An only child born to first and second-generation Irish immigrants, Richard J Daley graduated from De La Salle Institute in 1919. As a member … Read more
His gap-toothed grin is one of the most recognized in the United States and the world. Broad shoulders on top of an abnormally muscular torso with legs of steel are also trademarks of the man. For most people, the sight of his bulging biceps wielding ridiculously large arsenal of weapons is not an uncommon phenomenon. … Read more
Leonhard Euler, (born April 15, 1707, died Sept. 18, 1783), was the most prolific mathematician in history. His 866 books and articles represent about one third of the entire body of research on mathematics, theoretical physics, and engineering mechanics published between 1726 and 1800. In pure mathematics, he integrated Leibniz’s differential calculus and Newton’s method … Read more
Clara Schumann was born in Liepzig Germany on September 13, 1819 and died on May 20, 1896. Claras parents were Friedrich Wieck, a music teacher who married one of his students, a soprano named Marianne. Claras father made claims before she was even born that she would be a great musician and child prodigy. Her … Read more
Timothy Leary, also known as Uncle Tim, The messiah of LSD, and The most dangerous man in America, was born on October 22, 1920, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He went to a public high school where he discovered girls and the ability to attract attention from those in authority. After high school he attended Jesuit College … Read more
Few people recognize his name today, and even among those who do, the words Nikola Tesla are likly to summon up the image of a crackpot rather than an authentic scientist. Nikola Tesla was possibly the greatest inventor the world has ever known. He was, without doubt, a genius who is not only credited with … Read more
Maurice Sendak was born June 10, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were poor immigrants from Poland who came to America before World War I. Many of his relatives died in the Holocaust, and this was an important influence upon his childhood. His parents were always upset about the relatives they had lost and … Read more
Theodore Roethke was born on May 25, 1908 in Saginaw, Michigan. He was born to Otto and Helen Huebner Roethke. In 1872 Roethkes father and grandfather emigrated from Germany. This is where Roethkes grandfather and father bought 22 acres of land and started a market garden. After making enough money they bought a greenhouse. In … Read more
Robert Edward Lee is considered one of the greatest generals in the history of the United States. Lee was opposed to many views of the south, including succession and slavery, yet his loyalty to his native state of Virginia forced him to fight for the south and refuse command of the Union armies during the … Read more