Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.
L. Frank Baum was an author remembered for writing children's books including The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which inspired the 1902 Broadway musical and the 1939 live-action film of the same name. His works anticipated the invention of gadgets like TV that would be invented later. In 2013, Baum was made an inductee of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.
As a child, Alexander von Humboldt was sickly and a bad student. After failing to shine in economics and engineering, he grew up to revolutionize the domain of geography. He is remembered for his research on magnetic storms and his treatise on nature, Kosmos. He also spoke about climate change.
Henry David Thoreau was an American philosopher, essayist, poet, and naturalist. He is credited with popularizing transcendentalism and simple living. His philosophy of civil disobedience, which was detailed in his essay of the same name, later influenced world-renowned personalities like Leo Tolstoy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi.
Johan Ludvig Runeberg was a Finnish priest and poet. He is credited with writing Vårt land, the unofficial national anthem of Finland, and is regarded as a national poet of the country. As a priest, Runeberg was involved in the modernization of Virsikirja and produced numerous texts for the new edition. Johan Ludvig Runeberg is an aconic figure in Finland.
Lucian Blaga was a Romanian poet, philosopher, poetry translator, playwright, and novelist. He was also associated with the University of Cluj, where he worked as a professor of cultural philosophy. Over the course of his career, Lucian Blaga was honored with several prestigious awards, such as the Hamagiu Award and a nomination for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Philip Kapleau was an American religious teacher who taught the principles of Zen Buddhism. He is credited with founding the Rochester Zen Center, where he taught for almost 40 years. A passionate writer, Philip Kapleau remains widely read. He also continues to have a major influence on the westerners practicing Zen Buddhism in places like the United States of America.
Hungarian Catholic clergyman József Mindszenty was arrested more than once for opposing totalitarian governments. Eventually made the archbishop of Esztergom and a cardinal, he was later imprisoned by the communist government for refusing to secularize Catholic schools. Later freed, he underwent a 15-year voluntary confinement at the Hungarian US embassy.
Shiv Kumar Batalvi was an Indian writer, poet, and playwright who predominantly wrote in the Punjabi language. In 1967, he became the youngest person to receive the Sahitya Akademi Award for his epic verse play Loona, which is regarded as a masterpiece in Punjabi literature. The Shiv Kumar Batalvi Auditorium, which is located in Batala, was constructed in his honor.
Gottfried von Haberler was an Austrian-American economist, writer and educator, famous for his works on international trade. Beginning his career as professor of economics and statistics at the University of Vienna, he later taught at Harvard University before joining American Enterprise Institute. Author of several celebrated works; he is most famous for his 1937 book, The Theory of International Trade.
Born into an affluent family, Chilean author María Luisa Bombal later moved to Paris, where she attended the Sorbonne. She also participated in a literary movement in Argentina and spent 30 years in the US. Her novels portrayed women dissatisfied with their social roles and romantic failures.
Apart from being the grandson of famous Islamic scholar Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, Shah Ismail Dehlvi was also associated with the jihad of Syed Ahmad Barelvi. He was part of the Tariqah-i-Muhammadiyah, a movement, meant to cleanse Islam from Hindu practices, and was later killed in a battle with Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Lady Anne Barnard was a Scottish socialite, artist, and travel writer. She is best remembered for her five-year stay in Cape Town, during which she wrote a series of letters to Viscount Melville. Her letters became a prominent source of information about social life in South Africa at the time. She is also remembered for her ballad Auld Robin Gray.
Scottish obstetrician James Young Simpson is remembered as the first to use chloroform as an anesthetic in medicine. A University of Edinburgh professor, he was later made a queen’s physician in Scotland. He also received the title of a baronet. His research also included leprosy and fetal pathology.
Víctor Manuel Román y Reyes was a Nicaraguan political figure best remembered for his service as the President of Nicaragua from 1947 until his death in 1950. His actions during his presidency enabled the minority in Nicaragua to enter Congress.
René Kalisky was a Belgian writer best remembered for his plays, many of which were published by Gallimard even before they were performed. Over the course of his career, René Kalisky won several literary prizes, such as the Dramatic Literature Prize. His last play Falsch was adapted into a movie by the Dardenne brothers.
Hungarian-American mathematician Theodore von Karman is best known for his research on aeronautics. Born to a professor father, Karman was a math prodigy in childhood and was pushed into engineering. He was also the first recipient of the National Medal of Science. A bachelor for life, he lived with his mother and sister.
German astronomer and mineralogist Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth is credited with the discovery of 395 minor planets. His best-known discovery was the 69230 Hermes, which was assumed lost for over 50 years before being discovered again. He was associated with the Heidelberg Observatory for most of his life.
Max Azria was a Tunisia-born fashion designer. He was the founder of the contemporary women's clothing brand BCBGMAXAZRIA and the chairman and CEO of the global fashion house the BCBG Max Azria Group. The brand was eventually sold to Marquee Brands and Global Brands Group. Azria was twice married and had six children. He died of lung cancer in 2019.
John Batman was an Australian entrepreneur, grazier, and explorer. He is best remembered for his contribution in the Founding of Melbourne, which is now considered one of Australia's most important and largest cities. Numerous places in Australia have been named after John Batman.
Presidential Medal of Freedom-winning football player and coach Earl Blaik was the son of a blacksmith. He led the Army football teams to three consecutive national championships and was a strong supporter of two-platoon football. In 1951, almost his entire team was punished for breaking the honor code.
