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J. M. W. Turner was an English printmaker, painter, and watercolorist best remembered for his imaginative landscapes and expressive colorizations. Intensely reclusive and eccentric throughout his life, Turner lived in poor health and squalor for the last few years of his life. He was portrayed by actor Timothy Spall in the 2014 biographical film, Mr. Turner.
Welsh actor, Desmond Llewelyn, is best known for his role as Q in many James Bond films over a span of four decades. Even though he originally wanted to be a minister, his interest shifted to acting while in high school. He served in the army during World War II and resumed his acting career afterward.
Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni is regarded as his country's biggest film star of all time. Making his debut as an uncredited extra when he was just 14, he worked hard over the decades to become a major film star in his country. He was a big name in international cinema as well. He was the recipient of numerous prestigious awards.
Al-Ghazālī was a Persian Muslim polymath best remembered for his work in the fields of philosophy, theology, logic, and Sufism. Such was his popularity that al-Ghazali was awarded the honorific title Hujjat al-Islām during his lifetime itself. Among his other works, the Incoherence of the Philosophers is considered a landmark in the history of philosophy.
Kim Peek was a savant who suffered from the rare genetic syndrome, FG syndrome. Often called a “megasavant,” he had an exceptional memory and appeared in many documentaries. He was the inspiration for the character of Raymond Babbitt in the film Rain Man. He was born with macrocephaly and damage to the cerebellum and experienced considerable social difficulties.
German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer is noted for identifying the first published case of presenile dementia, which his colleague and German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin later identified as Alzheimer's disease. Alois publicly discussed his findings on brain pathology and symptoms of presenile dementia in late-1906 and penned a larger paper giving details of the disease and his findings in 1907.
Masaru Ibuka was a Japanese industrialist best remembered for co-founding Sony Group Corporation along with Akio Morita. From 1950 to 1971, Ibuka served as the company's president. When he retired in 1976, Morita was named chairman of Sony. Ibuka was the recipient of several prestigious awards such as the IEEE Founders Medal and the Medal of Honor with Blue Ribbon.
Nobel Prize-winning experimental physicist Robert Andrews Millikan had begun his career as a faculty member at the University of Chicago and penned countless physics books. He later devoted himself to his research on elementary electronic charge and the photoelectric effect. His famous oil-drop experiment is known to all physics enthusiasts.
Danish explorer and cartographer Vitus Bering is remembered for his exploration of the Bering Strait and Alaska. Starting as a ship’s boy at 15, he got a breakthrough with Tsar Peter I’s voyage to the East Indies. He later led the First and Second Kamchatka Expeditions. The Bering Sea and Strait bear his name.
Hans Langsdorff was a German naval officer best remembered for commanding the Admiral Graf Spee, a heavily armed cruiser, which was nicknamed pocket battleship by the British. The legendary ship played a key role in the Spanish Civil War where it conducted five non-intervention patrols.
Renata Tebaldi was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano. Regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest opera singers, Tebaldi is best remembered for her performances at popular opera houses like San Carlo, La Scala, and the Metropolitan Opera. Renata Tebaldi was the recipient of several prestigious awards, including a Grammy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Best known for developing the Langevin dynamics and the Langevin equation, physicist Paul Langevin was also a staunch Communist. Having worked on his doctoral thesis under Pierre Curie, he had formed a connection with Curie’s wife, Marie Curie, which developed into a full-blown love affair after Pierre’s death.
Finnish politician Kyösti Kallio, who represented the Agrarian League, or the Center Party of Finland, had also led his country as its 4th president and 8th prime minister. He later became the first Finnish president to resign and also the only one who died in office, after he passed away following his farewell ceremonies.
James McGill was a Scottish Canadian politician, philanthropist, and businessman best remembered for founding McGill University in Montreal, Canada. One of the most important members of the Château Clique, McGill was also one of the founding members of the famous gentleman's dining club, The Beaver Club.
Spanish singer, actor and baritone, Carlos Marín is a member of the popular multi-national classical crossover vocal group Il Divo. Marin has also spawned solo studio albums Little Caruso and Mijn Lieve Mama, performed in musicals like Les Misérables and Grease, earned acclaim as primo baritono in operas like The Barber of Seville and Madame Butterfly, and participated in zarzuela.
Frans G. Bengtsson was a Swedish poet, novelist, essayist, and biographer. He is best remembered for his magnum opus, a biography on Charles XII. Bengtsson is also remembered for his work Röde Orm, a Viking saga novel, which was translated as The Long Ships.
