Biographies of notable people — their path, achievements and key facts.
Jeff Skoll
January 16, 1965 • Montreal, Quebec, Canada Philanthropist, chief executive officer Jeff Skoll was the first employee of the online auction Web site eBay. As president ...
Harry Slatkin
Founder of Slatkin & Co. Born c. 1961; married Laura; children: David, Ali (twins). Addresses: Office —Slatkin & Co., 214 E. 52nd St....
Bessie Smith
Born: April 15, 1894 Chattanooga, Tennessee Died: September 26, 1937 Clarksdale, Mississippi African American singer ...
Jimmy Smith
Born James Oscar Smith, December 8, 1928, in Norristown, PA; died February 8, 2005, in Scottsdale, AZ. Jazz musician. When many people think of jazz, most think of the saxophone, the drums...
Alexander McCall Smith
Author and professor Born August 24, 1948, in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe); married Elizabeth Parry (a physician), 1982; children: Lucy, Emily. Religion: Scottish Pre...
Lemony (Daniel Handler) Snicket
1970 • San Francisco, California Author, poet Many writers publish their work under a pseudonym, or alternate name. But Daniel Handler,...
John W. Snow
United States Treasury Secretary Born August 2, 1939, in Toledo, OH; married Carolyn; children: three. Education: University of Toledo, B.A., 1962; Univers...
Donald J. Sobol
Author Born October 4, 1924, in New York, NY; son of Ira J. and Ida (Gelula) Sobol; married Rose Tiplitz (an engineer and children's author), 1955; children: Diane, Glenn, E...
Socrates
Born: c. 469 B.C.E. Died: c. 399 B.C.E. Athens, Greece Greek philosopher and logician The Gr...
Stephen Sondheim
Born: March 22, 1930 New York, New York American composer Stephen Sondheim redefined the Broadway musical form with his creative and award winnin...
Susan Sontag
Born Susan Rosenblatt, January 16, 1933, in New York, NY; died of leukemia, December 28, 2004, in New York, NY. Author. Essayist and critic Susan Sontag was one of the most widely known fi...
Sophocles
Born: c. 496 B.C.E. Colonus, Greece Died: 406 B.C.E. Athens, Greece Greek dramatist ...
Annika Sorenstam
October 9, 1970 • Stockholm, Sweden Golfer Swedish golfer Annika Sorenstam is one of the best golfers to set foot on the green. She won...
Edward Soriano
Army Lt. Gen. Edward Soriano (born 1946) was one of the highest-ranking Filipino Americans in the history of the American military. He was involved in some of the most difficult of...
Gary Soto
April 12, 1952 • Fresno, California Author Gary Soto is a man who writes from experience. He grew up in one of the many barr...
Hernando de Soto
Born: c. 1496 Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain Died: May 21, 1542 Ferriday (now in Louisiana in the United States) Spanish explorer ...
Warren Spahn
Born April 23, 1921, in Buffalo, NY; died November 24, 2003, in Broken Arrow, OK. Professional baseball player. Warren Spahn was a remarkable left-handed pitcher who won more games than an...
Aaron Spelling
Born April 22, 1923, in Dallas, TX; died of complications from a stroke, June 23, 2006, in Los Angeles, CA. Television producer. Aaron Spelling reigned as the king of prime-time television...
Margaret Spellings
U.S. Secretary of Education Born in 1957 in Michigan; married (divorced, 1997); married Robert Spellings, 2001; children: Mary, Grace. Education: Uni...
David Spergel
Astrophysicist Born David Nathaniel Spergel, March 25, 1961, in Rochester, NY; married Laura H. Kahn (a doctor), August 26, 1990; children: Julian, Sarah, Joshua. ...