Biographies of notable people — their path, achievements and key facts.
Chuck Berry
Born: October 18, 1926 San Jose, California African American singer, musician, and songwriter Chuck Berry, known as the "father of rock and roll," has ...
George Best
Born May 22, 1946, in Belfast, Northern Ireland; died of multiple organ failure, November 25, 2005, in London, England. Professional soccer player. George Best was England's top soccer sta...
Hans Bethe
Born Hans Albrecht Bethe, July 2, 1906, in Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine; died of congestive heart failure, March 6, 2005, in Ithaca, New York. Physicist. Over the course of his more than 60...
Mary Mc Leod Bethune
Born: July 10, 1875 Mayesville, South Carolina Died: May 18, 1955 Daytona Beach, Florida African American educator Ma...
Benazir Bhutto
Born: June 21, 1953 Karachi, Pakistan Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto became prime minister of Pakistan in 1988. She was the first woman ...
Owen Bieber
Born: December 28, 1929 Grand Rapids, Michigan American union leader From 1983 to 1995 Owen Bieber was president of the United Automobile, Aerosp...
J. Darius Bikoff
Chief Executive Officer of Energy Brands Born c. 1962, in New York; son of William (owner of a real estate management company and metals importer) and Suzie (a homemaker) Bikoff; ...
Larry Bird
Born: December 7, 1956 West Baden, Indiana American basketball player and coach Few players have left a mark on 1980s professional basketball like Larr...
Paul Biya
President of Cameroon Born February 13, 1933, in Mvomeka'a, Cameroon; married Jeanne Atyam, 1960 (divorced); married Chantal, 1994; children: three. Education: ...
Jack Black
April 7, 1969 • Santa Monica, California Actor, singer, musician Jack Black is a one-man dynamo—a manic, scruffy ball of energy who has...
Shirley Temple Black
Born: April 23, 1928 Santa Monica, California American actress and ambassador Shirley Temple Black is widely regarded as an American heroine who devote...
Elizabeth Blackwell
Born: February 3, 1821 Bristol, England Died: May 31, 1910 Hastings, England English physician, educator, reformer, and women's righ...
Tony Blair
Born: May 6, 1953 Edinburgh, Scotland Scottish-born prime minister of Great Britain British politician and Prime Minister Tony Blair represented a new ...
William Blake
Born: November 28, 1757 London, England Died: August 12, 1827 London, England English poet, engraver, and painter Wil...
Art Blakey
American jazz percussionist Art Blakey (1919–1990) helped to forge the characteristic sound of hard bop, perhaps the dominant style of modern jazz. His own powerful playing was ins...
Konrad Bloch
Born: January 21, 1912 Neisse, Germany Died: October 15, 2000 Burlington, Massachusetts German biochemist Konrad Bloc...
Charles Blondin
French daredevil acrobat Charles Blondin (1824–1897) gained fame as the first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. The amazing feat gained Blondin international reco...
Natalie Bloom
Founder of Bloom Cosmetics Born in 1971 in Melbourne, Australia; daughter of a clothing-store owner; married Brian Hamersfeld (a marketing executive), 1999; children: Chloe, ...
Orlando Bloom
January 13, 1977 • Canterbury, England Actor Orlando Bloom is best known for playing the elf warrior Legolas Greenleaf in the epic film...
Orlando Bloom
Actor Born January 13, 1977, in Canterbury, Kent, England; son of Harry Bloom (an activist) and Sonia Copeland–Bloom (a language instructor). Education: ...