Biographies of notable people — their path, achievements and key facts.
Rowan Atkinson
Actor and comedian Born Rowan Sebastian Atkinson, January 6, 1955, in Newcastle–Upon–Tyne, England; son of Eric and Ella May Atkinson; married Sunetra Sastry (a makeup artis...
Margaret Atwood
Born: November 18, 1939 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Canadian author, novelist, poet and cultural activist One of Canada's best-known writers, Margaret Atwo...
John James Audubon
Born: April 26, 1785 Les Cayes, Saint Dominigue (French colony) Died: January 27, 1851 New York, New York French-born American artis...
Red Auerbach
Red Auerbach (1917–2006), one of the most successful sports coaches and executives over a half-century, was the mastermind behind the Boston Celtics' 16 National Basketball Associa...
Augustus
Born: September 23, 63 B.C.E. Rome (now in Italy) Died: August 19, C.E. 14 Nola (now in It...
Marcus Aurelius
Born: April 26, 121 Rome (now in Italy) Died: March 17, 180 Vindobona (now Vienna, Austria) Roman emperor The Roman e...
Jane Austen
Born: December 16, 1775 Steventon, England Died: July 18, 1817 Winchester, England English author, novelist, and writer ...
Julius Axelrod
Born May 30, 1912, in New York, NY; died December 29, 2004, in Rockville, MD. Biochemist. American biochemist Julius Axelrod conducted important research in brain chemistry that spurred th...
Bashar al-Assad
President of Syria and physician Born on September 11, 1965, in Damascus, Syria; married Asma (Emma) al–Akhras, December 31, 2000; children: Hafez. Education: ...
Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi
Born: 1942 Surt, Libya Libyan revolutionary, dictator, and army officer Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi led the revolution that set up the Libyan republic in...
Harun al-Rashid
Born: c. 766 Reyy, Persia Died: c. 809 Tus, Persia Persian caliph Harun al-Rashid became the fifth caliph (religious and political leader of an Islamic state) of t...
Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab
Among the least understood of the thinkers and leaders who have shaped the modern world is Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (c. 1702–c. 1791), the founder of the fundamentalist branch of...
Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi
Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi (1966–2006) was killed in a United States air strike in central Iraq on June 8, 2006. The chaos he had helped set in motion in that c...