Albert Einstein

(14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and the most influential physicist of the 20th century.

Marcus Aurelius

He was Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus’ death in 169. He was the last of the Five Good Emperors, and is also considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers.

Sheryl Sandberg (1969)

An American tecnology executive, avtivist and author, Sandberg is the cheif operating officer of Facebook. Before she joined Facebook as its COO, Sandberg was vice president of global sales and operations at Google and was involved in the launching at Google and was involved in Google's philanthropic arm, Google.org. In 2012, she was named in the Time 100, an annual list of the most 100 most influential people in the world, according to Times magazine.

Aesop

(620-564 bc) was a Greek writer credited with a number of popular fables. Although his existence remains uncertain and no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. In many of the tales, animals speak and have human characteristics.

William Harrison “Bill” Withers Jr.

(born July 4, 1938) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. He recorded several major hits, including “Lean on Me”, “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “Use Me”, “Just the Two of Us”, “Lovely Day”, and “Grandma’s Hands”. Withers won three Grammy Awards and was nominated for four more. His life was the subject of the 2009 documentary film Still Bill. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

Ladda Tammy Duckworth

(born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, serving as the junior United States Senator for Illinois since 2017. Duckworth was the first Asian American woman elected to Congress in Illinois, the first disabled woman to be elected to Congress, and the first member of Congress born in Thailand. An Iraq War veteran, Duckworth served as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot and suffered severe combat wounds, losing both of her legs and damaging her right arm.

Albert Sabin (August 26, 1906--March 3, 1993)

A Jewish Polish-American medical researcher, Sabin is best known for developing the oral polio vaccine, which has played a key role in nearly eradicating  the disease. He was elected to the Polio Hall of Fame and recieved National Medal of Science and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Gene Simmons

Born Chaim Weitz in Haifa, Isreal, Gene Simmons and his mother immigrated to Queens, NY, when he was eight years old. A singer, songwriter, and bassist, Simmons bevame part of a band called KISS. He has also made several appearances in films, telivision, and video games.

Andrew Garfield

Garfield, whose family name was changed from Garfinkel, is of Eastern European heritage though he was born in California and raised in England. He came to international attention in 2010 with a supporting role in the film The Social Network. He starred as Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the superhero film The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and reprised his role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which was released in 2014.

Martin Luther King Jr.

(January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) (aged 39) An American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. His main legacy is securing progress on civil rights in the United States. Because of this work, he has become a human rights icon. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. 

Gene Roddenberry

August 19

Star Trek created Gene Roddenberry

Gene Roddenberry may be best known for creating StarTrek, but the late writer/producer also wrote many popular series including Have Gun will Travel, The Virginian, and Dr. Kildare, often under pseudonym Robert Wesley. Following the cancellation of his most noted series in 1969, Roddenberry continued to interact with StarTrek fans as they spurred on a revival through a well documented letter writing campain. Roddenberry continued to produce and consult on the subsequent Animated Series, Films, and Sequal Shows until his death in 1991. Shortly before he passed, a new office building on the Paramont lot was dedicated as the Gene Rodenberry Building in honor of the man who created the studio's most enduring franchise.

George Walker Bush

(born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009.

George Herbert Walker Bush

(born June 12, 1924) is an American politician who was the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 and the 43rd Vice President of the United States from 1981 to 1989.

Robert Green “Bob” Ingersoll

(August 11, 1833 – July 21, 1899) was an American lawyer, a Civil War veteran, politician, and orator of the United States during the Golden Age of Free Thought, noted for his broad range of culture and his defense of agnosticism. He was nicknamed “The Great Agnostic”.

Julie Newmar

Did you know...
... that today is the Birthday of Julie Newmar (1933)? Julie Newmar is an American actress, dancer and singer, known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She is best known to many for her role as the purr-fect first Catwoman on the Batman TV series in the 60s. Happy birthday, Ms. Newmar!

Robert Holden

(born 1965) is a British psychologist, author, and broadcaster, who works in the field of positive psychology and well-being, and is considered “Britain’s foremost expert on happiness”.He is the founder of the “Happiness Project”, which runs an eight-week course annually, called “Happiness Now”,and the author of 10 best-selling books such as, Happiness NOW!, Be Happy, Success Intelligence and Shift Happens!…

Gary Larson

Did you know...
... that today is the Birthday of Gary Larson (1950)? Best known for his cartoon series The Far Side, Larson's comic strip was syndicated and published in more than 1,900 newspapers around the world. Trivia fans: Fans of the strip have named three different insects after Gary Larson: Strigiphilus garylarsoni, Garylarsonus and Serratoterga larsoni! Happy birthday, Gary!

Maya Angelou

 (born Marguerite Ann Johnson April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) American author and poet. She published six autobiographies, five books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than fifty years

Jules Ralph Feiffer (born January 26, 1929)

An award winning cartoonist and writer, Jules Feiffer became famous for his Feiffer, a satirical comic strip notable for its emphasis on very literal captions. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 as leading editorial cartoonist, and in 2004, he was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame. He wrote the animated short Munro, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1961. The Library of Congress has has recognized his "remarkable legacy" from 1946 to the present, as a cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, adult and children book author, illustrator and art instructor. He has written more than thirty-five books, plays, and screenplays.

William Irwin "Will" Eisner (March 6, 1917-January 3, 2005)

An American cartoonist and writer, Will Eisner first became known for his series The Spirit, which featureda masked crime fighter. Eisner popularized the term "graphic novel" with the publication of his book A Contract with God, which revolves around poor Jewish characters who live in a tentament building in New York City. One of the comic industries most prestigious awards, The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, are named in his honor.

LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson

(born June 23, 1979) is a former professional American football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played the majority of his 11-year career with the San Diego Chargers. He serves as President/Co-Chairman of Tomlinson’s Touching Lives Foundation.

Golda Meir (May 3, 1898-December 8, 1978)

Born Golda Mabovitch, in Kiev, Russia, she and her family immigrated to Milwaukee, WI, in 1905. In 1921, Meir married Morris Meyerson (she officially Hebraized her name from Meyerson to Meir in th 1950s) and they immagrated to Palestine and joined a kibbutz, a communal settlement. In 1924, the couple moved to Jerusalem and had two children. Always politically active, Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, after serving as minister of labor and foriegn minister. She was the world's fourth and Israeli's first and only woman to hold such an office. Meir was often referred to as the "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics.

Melvin Brooks

(born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, comedian, and composer. He is known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. Brooks began his career as a comic and a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows. He became well known as part of the comedy duo with Carl Reiner in the comedy skit The 2000 Year Old Man. He also created, with Buck Henry, the hit television comedy series Get Smart, which ran, from 1965 to 1970…Source

Henrietta Szold (December 21, 1860-February 13, 1945)

Hadassah founder of Hemrietta Szold was raised in Baltimore, MD, ny parents who encouraged education--even for a daughter. Her work to help Jewish immagrants started when she organized Enhlish-language and American-citizenship night classes to provide them with greater opportunities. But it was a trip to pre-state Israel, when she saw Jews living in camps without proper plumbing or sanitation, that inspired her to take action. In 1912, Szold founded Hadassah, the Women Zionist Organization of America, an organization that remains active today. In the U.S., Hadassah advocates on behalf of women's rights, religious autonomy, and U.S.-Israel diplomacy. In Israel it supports health education and research, women's initiatives, and schools and programs for underprivlaged youth.

Helen Thomas

Did you know...
... that today is the Birthday of Helen Thomas (1920)? American reporter and author Helen Thomas was best known for her longtime membership in the White House press corps. She covered the White House during the administrations of ten U.S. presidents -- from the start of the Kennedy administration to the second year of the Obama administration!

Dolores del Río

(August 3, 1904[1] – April 11, 1983), was a Mexican actress. She was the first major female Latin cross-over star in Hollywood,with an outstanding career in American films in the 1920s and 1930s. She was also considered one of the more important female figures of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. Del Río is remembered as one of the most beautiful faces of the cinema in her time. Her long and varied career spanned silent film, sound film, television, stage and radio