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A list of 100 people who have made a difference in history, for better or worse. See their names, dates, achievements, and biographies on this web page.
- Princess Diana
Charles proposed on 6 February 1981 and it was made official...
- Women
In her own right Eleanor made a significant contribution to...
- Inspirational People
This is a selection of inspirational people, people who have...
- 6. William Shakespeare
Arguments have also been made for Francis Bacon. The...
- 8. Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King Jr was one of America’s most influential...
- Pablo Picasso
During 1904-06, Picasso entered a phase known as ‘The Rose...
- Princess Diana
A list of people from various fields who have made a positive impact on the world. Learn about their achievements, challenges and inspirations from their biographies.
- Rosa Parks: Wouldn’t give up her seat. Tired from a full day’s work, Rosa Parks boarded a Montgomery bus on December 1, 1955 and forever became one of the inspirational people who changed the world.
- Todd Beamer and the passengers of Flight 93: Fought back against 9/11 terrorists. When account manager Todd Beamer and the other passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 realized their plane had been seized by terrorists, they worked quickly and courageously to reclaim control.
- Mohamed Bouazizi: Sparked a revolution. Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi never had any dreams bigger than saving enough money to rent or buy a pick-up truck, but he became one of the inspirational people who changed the world.
- Candy Lightner: Stood up against drunk driving. After her 13-year-old daughter was killed by a repeat DWI offender, Candy Lightner founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in her home on March 7, 1980.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Whenever you’re talking about influential people, it’s hard not to mention Martin Luther King Jr. The civil rights leader was one of the most prominent figures in the 20th century, a minister who fought for racial equality and is best known for his “I Have a Dream” speech at the 1963 March on Washington.
- Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein, one of history’s most outstanding scientists, developed his theory of relativity at age 37. Nobody revolutionized physics like he did.
- Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was a man who lived for what he believed in. He was the leader the country needed during one of the darkest times in American history, led the Union to victory over the Confederacy, and abolished slavery with his Emancipation Proclamation, which made him one of America’s most beloved presidents.
- Nikola Tesla. Nikola Tesla was an inventor, engineer, physicist, and futurist who contributed significantly to electrical science and technology while working with Thomas Edison — although their turbulent work relationship caused by clashing ideologies is well-known, and the two scientists later parted ways for good.
- Fatima Al-Fihri
- Maya Angelou
- Sofonisba Anguissola
- Susan B. Anthony
- Virginia Apgar
- Jane Austen
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Josephine Baker
- Jeanne Baret
- Clara Barton
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In the early 9th century, in what is now Morocco, Fatima al-Fihri could have lived the rest of her life as a wealthy heiress when she inherited a fortune after her father died. Instead, she established the world’s first university. With her inheritance, al-Fihri built a mosque and education center for her community. Those institutions eventually gr...
Maya Angelou was a writer, poet, civil rights activist, dancer, and director best known for titles such as her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1928, Angelou fought back against a society filled with racism and prejudice to write more than 30 books, direct 1998’s Down in the Delta starring Alfre Woodard...
Unlike men, female artists in Renaissance Italy weren’t allowed to learn their craft by becoming masters’ apprentices. But that didn’t stop Sofonisba Anguissola from studying with other artists like Bernardino Campi, Bernardino Gatti (Il Sojaro), and even Michelangelo himself. Anguissola became one of the few globally recognized female Renaissance ...
The year 2019 year marked the 100th anniversary of (many) women gaining the right to vote in the United States—and 2020 marked the 200th birthday of one of the women who made it possible: Susan B. Anthony. Born in Massachusetts in 1820, Anthony was a lifelong activist on behalf of women’s rights. With fellow suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Antho...
Virginia Apgar’s career was full of firsts: In 1937, she became the first female board-certified anesthesiologistand the first woman to achieve the rank of professor at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she was the first professor of anesthesiology. In 1952, she presented a five-step system for assessing the condition of newborn babies ...
Jane Austen completed just six novels before she died at the age of 41 in 1817, yet she managed to change the course of literature. Her books, including Pride and Prejudice, were groundbreaking in their use of literary realism and free indirect narrative style—modes that would become so commonplace in fiction that it’s easy to miss how experimental...
There’s not a lot to say about Ruth Bader Ginsburg that hasn’t already been stated: The associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, who passed away on September 18, 2020, has been the subject of countless articles and books (including several children’s books), as well as an Oscar-nominated documentary (RBG) and a Felicity Jones-starring biopic (O...
On the surface, Josephine Baker is best known as an enchanting singer who wowed crowds pretty much anywhere she performed—but she was much more than that. A dedicated civil rights and social activist, Baker actually worked as a spy for the French Resistance across North Africa and Europe during WWII. She was known to sneak photos of German military...
The French crewmembers of the Étoile voyage in the 1760s fully intended to circumnavigate the globe—they just didn’t think a woman would be doing it with them. Dr. Philibert Commerçon had been hired as the ship’s botanist on the expedition, and he hatched a plan to bring along his lover, fellow botanist Jeanne Baret. Since women weren’t allowed, Ba...
Clarissa “Clara” Harlowe Barton started tending to wounded soldiers just a week after the Civil War began, using supplies from her own home. She proved herself to be a relentless, reliable, fearless nurse throughout the war, eventually earning the nickname “Angel of the Battlefield” and even narrowly avoiding death herself when a bullet tore throug...
Learn about the lives and achievements of 130 women who made a difference in various fields and challenges. From Fatima al-Fihri to Kamala Harris, discover the stories of these inspiring and influential figures.
A collection of photographs and stories of men and women who made a clear mark on our civilization, from ancient to modern times. See how history evolves and debates the impact of present-day figures such as Zuckerberg, Bezos, Garza and more.
Jul 10, 2023 · 1. Rosa Parks, born in 1913, shaped the landscape of civil rights when she refused to stand on a segregated passenger bus in Montgomery, Alabama, so that a white person could sit. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a reaction to Parks' arrest. She inspired actions that lead to the end of segregation in the United States.
