World Biographical Encyclopedia

Satchel Paige was an American professional baseball pitcher whose prowess became legendary during his many years in the Negro leagues. He is rated as one of the greatest players in the history of baseball.

Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson was an American composer, singer, songwriter, and musician. He revolutionized American music by simultaneously combining the best of jazz, blues, gospel, and country flavors into his songs. His soulful singing style, which fuses the exuberant intensity, indelibly influenced many pop and rock singers, notably Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, among many others.

Christian Coulson

Christian Coulson is an English actor. He is best known for portraying the 16-year-old Tom Marvolo Riddle in the "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" movie.

Simone de Beauvoir

Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir was a French writer and philosopher, who laid the foundation for the modern feminist movement. She was a member of the intellectual fellowship of philosopher-writers who have given a literary transcription to the themes of Existentialism.

Usher Raymond

Usher Raymond IV is a popular American singer and songwriter. One of the best-selling music artists of the contemporary era, Usher has sold a total of 23.8 million albums and 38.2 million digital songs in the United States alone.

Florence Joyner

Florence Griffith Joyner was an American sprinter who set world records in the 100 metres (10.49 seconds) and 200 metres (21.34 seconds) that have stood since 1988. During the late 1980s, she became a famous figure in international track and field because of her record-setting performances and flashy style.

Jan Smuts

Jan Smuts was a South African statesman, military leader, and philosopher. Smuts successfully led troops against Britain in the Boer War. He later commanded the South African Defence Force fighting alongside British soldiers in several First World War campaigns. Smuts also sought to promote South Africa as a responsible member of the British Commonwealth.

Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett is a former American professional basketball player. The first athlete to be drafted directly into the National Basketball Association from high school in 20 years, he began his way to the status of one of the most dominant players of his time within the Minnesota Timberwolves. For the remainder of his career, he also competed for the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets.

Luigi Galvani

Luigi Aloisio Galvani was an Italian physician, physicist, biologist, and philosopher. One of the early pioneers of bioelectricity, he is known for his extraordinary work on the nature and effects of electricity in an animal tissue, which later led to the invention of the voltaic pile.

William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce was one of Britain’s great social reformers involved in campaigns against slavery, the promotion of education, Christianity, strict morality and animal welfare. Wilberforce saw his life’s mission to end slavery and is remembered for his active participation in getting Parliament to outlaw the slave trade.

Huseyn Aliyev

Huseyn Aliyev was an Azerbaijani painter. He was known as a graphic artist and a master of romantic landscapes painted with watercolor, oil or made in the technique of monotyping. The typical feature of his works is blinking of bright colored spots.

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder is an American actress. A Golden Globe winner, she is known for starring in the films Beetlejuice and Little Women, among many others. One of the most profitable and iconic actresses of the 1990s, she made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. As Lydia Deetz, a goth teenager in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988), she won critical acclaim and widespread recognition.

Pope John XXIII

Pope John XXIII was the head of the Catholic Church from 28 October 1958 to his death in 1963.

Ruth Handler

Ruth Handler was an American businesswoman and inventor. Handler was the co-founder of Mattel, a company that manufactures a variety of popular toys. Ruth Handler was the mastermind behind the creation, marketing, and sales of the Barbie doll, first sold in 1959. She was also a breast cancer survivor - an experience she used to start another company, Nearly Me, which manufactured realistic-lookin...

Jimmy Page

James Patrick Page is an English musician, songwriter, and record producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. He is also considered one of the most popular guitarists of all time.