1world Greatest Personalities

8/10/2019 1world Greatest Personalities

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WORLDS GREAT PERSONALITIES

Heres a list of some of the

worlds great personalities

who have made their mark in

several areas -

Abdul Rehman Tunku (1903-73)

The Malaysian statesman who

negotiated with the Britishfor the independence of

Malaysia. He was the first

Prime Minister of the country.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-65) The

16th President of the U.s., hesucceeded in abolishhing

slavery. He was re-elected as

President in 1864 and

assassinated by J ohn Wilkes

Booth in 1865.

Abu-Bakr (9573-634) Abu-Bakr

was a leading general of

Prophet Mohammed and was the

first Caliph of the Muslim

empire and ruled from 632 AD.

He made Islam a political and

military force in Arabia.


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Abul Fazal (1561-16020) The

author of Ain-i-Akbari and

Akbar Nama. He was the

celebrated Mughal court poet,

and Prime Minister during

Akbars reign.

Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890-1988)

also called Frontier Gandhibecause he organised the

people of the North-West

Frontier Province (NWEP) of

undivided India 9now merged

with Pakistan)on Gandhian

principles. He was a staunchCongress man who called

himself a soldier of the

freedom struggle. His admirers

called ah him Badshah Khan. He

was awarded the Bharat Ratna

in 1987.

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) The

Austrian-born German dictator

who influenced the course of

history in the 20th century.

He served in the German Army

inWorld War I. He laer founded


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the Nazi party and became

chancellor in 1933. He pushed

the countries of the world

into World War II in which

five million people lost their

lives. In 1939 his troops

invaded Poland causing the

outbreak of World War II, and

in 1945 German faced total

defeat. He married hismistress, Eva Braun, in April

1945 and the next day they

were said to have committed

suicide.

Aesop (600 BC) The Greekauthor of Aesops Fables which

are moral tales with animal

protagonists. The famous tale

The Tortoise and the Hare

was his creation.

Akbar (1542-1605) the greatest

Mughal Emperor of India who

reigned from 1556 (see section

on Indian History ).

Alberuni, the famous Arab

historian who visited India

along with the armies of


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Mahmud of Ghazni.

Alfonso, de Albuquerque

Founder of the Portuguese

empire in the east, he

conquered Goa in 1510.

Alexander the Great (356-323

BC) King of Macedonia

(Greece), who conquered mostof Aisa Minor and defeated

Porus (India)in 327 BC. A

mutiny in his army prevented

him from advancing further

into India and he died in 323

BC.

Alexander Graham Bell

(1847-1922) The

scottish-American scientist

who invented the telephone in

1876.

Andre Marie Ampere (1775-1836)

A french scientist who

formulated Amperes Law. The

5.1 unit of electric current

is named after him.


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mathematician known for his

discovery of the unique

principle of buoyancy. Also

discovered and analysed the

principle of lever and

invented the Archimedes screw

to raise water.

Arthur Holly Compton American

scientist noted for hisresearch on x-rays, he won the

Nobel prize in 1927.

Aryabhatta (476-520) The

Indian astronomer who attended

the court of ChandraguptaVikramaditya. Indias first

satellite is named after him.

Ashoka, the Great (264-228 BC)

Grandson of Chandragupta,

Ashoka was a great empoeror ofIndia. After the battle of

Kalinga, he renounced violence

and embraced Buddhism.

Aurobindo Ghosh An exponent of

Indian nationalism,

philosopher, poet and saint.


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His famous works include Life

Divine and Essays on the Gita.

Babur (1483-1530) Founder of

the Mughal empire in India, he

conquered the throne of Delhi

after thefirst battle of

panipat and ruled for about

four years (1526-1530).

Bana Bhatt Noted sanskrit

scholar and court poet of

Harshavardhana who wrote

Kadambari and Harsha Charit.

Bahadur Shah Zafar (1807-1862)The last ruler of the Mughal

dynasty. He fought against the

British in the first war of

Indian independence in 1857.

After his defeat, the British

exiled him to Rangoon.

Bannerjee, W.C. The first

President of the Indian

National Congress.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

Author of Vande Mataram, the


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national song of india taken

from his work Anand Math. He

was a celebrated Bengali

novelist.

Bairam Khan He was Akbars

uncle and also his tutor and

was known as Khan-i-Khona.

Bachendri Pal First Indian

woman and fifth woman in theworld to scale Mt Everest on

May 23, 1984 along with two

male members Lhatoo Dorjee and

Sherpa Sardar Ang Dorjee.

Bartholomew Diaz (1450-1500) A

portuguse navigator who wasthe first European to sail

round the Cape of Good Hope

(the southern tip of the

african continent).

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)U.S. statesman who promoted

the american Declaration of

Independence (1776) and worked

on drafting the Coustitution

of America.

Begum Akhtar The ghazal queen


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of India who died in 1974. She

was awarded the Padma Bhushan

posthumously in 1975.

Bhaskara I An astronomer of

the 7th century, a

contemporary of Brahmagupta.

Indias second satellite is

named after him.

Bhaskara II Mahematician and

astronomer of the 12th

century. His name is also

associated with Indias third

satellite.

Bhagat Singh A patriot and

revolutionary, known as

Shahid-e-azam, who along

with Sukh Dev and Raj Guru

became a martyr on March

23,1931.

Bhaskaracharya The greatest

astronomer who lived in the

12th century. He wrote

Sidhanta-Siromani in 1150.

B.R. Ambedkar (1893-1956)


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Father of the Indian

Constitution, he was also a

well-known jurist.

Caption J ames cook (1728-79)

The great British explorer and

navigator. He travelled to New

Zealand and Eastern Australia

from 1768-71 in his ship

Endeavour. On his secondvoyage he reahed the

Antarctica circle and

discovered the Hawaiian Island

on his third voyage. He also

wrote the classic work Voyage

Round the World.

Charan singh The Lok Dal

leader who was Prime Minister

of India in 1979.

Changez Khan The Mongolconqueror who came to India

during the reign of IItutmish

(1210-36).

Chandergupta II (vikramaditya)

A brave emperor of the Gupta

dynasty during whose reign art


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and literature flourished; the

era was known as the Golden

Age of the Guptas.

Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)

Great British comedian, film

actor, director, producer and

composer. His wistful

Hollywood comedies are loved

the world over.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) An

English novelist whose famous

works include David

Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and

Great Expectations.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

(1445-1533) A pioneer of the

Bhakti movement in Bengali; a

devotee of Lord Krishna.

Chanakya Also known asKautilya, he was the writer of

the famed treatise

Arthashastra, a book on

statecraft. He was the Prime

Minister during Chandragupta

Mauryas reign.


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Chandragupta Maurya (321-298

BC) Founder of the Mauryan

Dynasty in India, and spread

his empire beyond India.

Kautilya (Chanakya) was his

minister.

Charles Robert Darwin

(1809-82) The British

naturalist who put forward histheory of evolution based on

natural selection. He studied

fossils and diverse plants and

animal life during his voyage

(1831-36) around south America

and the Pacific. His works Onthe Origin of Species (1859)

and Descent of Man (1871),

revolutionised mans knowledge

of evolution.

Christian Huygens (1629-16950)Dutch mathematician and

physicist renowned for

evolving the wave theory of

light. He invented the

pendulum clock basd on

Galileos theory (1580). He

also discovered the rings of


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Saturn and its fourth

satellite.

Christopher Columbus

(1451-1506) Italian explorer,

the first modern European to

discover America in 1492. He

reached Bahamas (1492)and

discovered Puerto Rico and

J amaica. In 1498-1500 hereached Trinidad and South

America.

Chou-en-Lai (1898-1976)

Chinese revolutionary and

Prime Minister from 1949-1958,who was instrumental in

bringing China into world

diplomacy. He played key role

in nearly every major

political and diplomatic event

or crisis involving China tillhis death in 1976.

Chatrapati shivaji Born in

1627, a military genius,

shivaji was the last Hindu

King who partly succeeded in

establishing Hindu Swaraj.

He fought many battles against


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Aurangzeb and was successful

in destabilising the Mughal

empire in India.

Lord Curzon (1895-1925)

Viceroy of India during

1889-1905, he became a

prominent figure after the

First World War.

Lord Cornwallis (1738-1805)

The British statesman who

commanded the British Army in

South Carolina during the War

of American Independence in

1781. He was Governor-Generalof India for two terms and is

well known for his land

reforms.

C.F. Andrews A British

missionary and close associate

of Mahatma Gandhi who came toIndia in 1904 and devoted

himself to Indias freedom

struggle. He came to be known

as Deena-Bandhu.

Cleopatra(69-30 BC) Queen of

Egypt noted for her beauty.


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She was daughter of Ptolemy XI

of Egypt and succeeded as

queen in 51 BC.

Dara Shikho Eldest son of

Shahjahan, he was killed by

his brother Aurangzeb who

usurped their fathers throne.

Dhanvantari An Indianphysician who attended the

court of Chandragupta

Vikramaditya.

Dhyan Chand (1905-1979) A

great hockey players. He

captained the Indian hockeyteam which won a gold medal in

the historic 1936 Berlin

Olympics. He scored 101 goals

at the Olympic games and 300

goals in other international

matches and his record isstill unbroken. It earned him

the title, Hockey Wizard.

Dwight David Eisenhower

(1890-1969) Us general and

President between 1953 and

1961. In 1950 he was made


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supreme commander of NATO but

resigned when he won the

presidential electrions of

1952. He won his second term

in 1956.

Edward Morgan Forster

(1879-1970) Famous British

writer who has written

numerous books on India.Author of Where Angels Fear to

Tread, A Room with a View,

Howards End and Passage of

India.

Edward J enner (1749-1823) Theenglish physician and surgeon

who developed the small -

poxvaccine.

Epicurus (342-270 BC) A Greek

philosopher who foundedEpicurean philosophy, which

describes a life of indulgent

pleasure seeking, because it

leads to happiness.

Euclid (350-300 BC) Greek

mathematician, his important


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contribution was the use of

deductive principles of logic

as the basic of geometry. He

propounded many geometrical

theorems.

Fa-hien The first Buddhist

pilgrim of China to visit

India during the reign of

Chandragupta Vikramaditya.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz A

revolutionary Urdu poet of

Pakistan. He died in 1984.

Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)The Portuguese navigator who

crossed the ocean which he

named Pacific, reaching the

Marianas and the Philippines.

Firdausi APersian poet,well-known for his epic

Shahnama.

Florence Nightingale

(1820-1920) Also known as the

Lady with the lamp. She was

a devoted British nurse who


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developed the Mercury

thermomete in 1714 and later

devised its temperature scale.

Galileo ( 1564-1642) The

Italian astronomer, who

developed the telescope and

discovered four satellites of

J upiter, His belief that

Copernicus was right to

advocate that the sun is thecentre of universe led to his

persecution, While dying he

said Bur it earth does

move. He also discovered that

the movement of the pendulum

produces a regular timemeasurement. The pendulum

clock was later invented by

Hoygens.

Gautam Budha ( 563-483 BC)

Founder of Buddhism, born inLumbini village near Nepal, he

was the son of Sudhodana, king

of Kapilvastu in Nepal. He

renounced the world and later

came to be known as the

Buddha.


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Geoffrey Chaucer ( 1342-1400)

The English poet who is

considered the father of

English Poetry. His famous

works include The Book of

Dutches 9 1369) and Canterbury

Tales ( a collection of

stories)

George Washington ( 1732-1799

) the American general who ledthe revolt against the British

and declared Ameican

independence. He became the

first President of USA.

Dr George B, Kisitiakowsky. Achemist and professor at

Harvard who worked on the

first atomic bomb and later

strongly advocated the daimler

Moror Company in 1890 which

built the first Mercedes.

Govind Ballabh Pant (

1887-1961) Veteran Congress

leader, he was Chief Minister

of UP and later Union Home

Minister, He was awarded the

Bharat Ratna in 1958.


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Guru Tegh Bahadur Son of Guru

Hargobind, and the ninth Guru

of the Sikhs., He was executed

by Aurangzeb when he refused

to embrace Islam.

Guru Nanak ( 1469 - 1538 )

Founder of the Sikh religion,

born in Nankana Sahib, nowlocated in Pakistan; he was a

contemporary of the Mughal

ruler Akbar.

Guru Gobind Singh ( 1666 -

1708 ) The 10th and the lastGuru of the Skh who spent a

major part of his life

fighting the muslims. He

founded the Khalsa the inner

council of the Sikhs in 1699.

He is said to be the author ofDasam Granth.

Gugeliemo Marconi ( 1874-1937)

Italian physicist who invented

the radio and wireless system.

He shared the Nobel Prize in

Physics with Ferdinand Braun


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of Germany in 1909 for the

development of the wireless.

Henry Kissinger US foreign

policy advisor, born in

Germany, he fled from the

Nazis to live in US. Under

President Nixon he remained

Secretary of State. He helped

to negotiate the Vietnam issue( 1973). He shared the Bonel

Prize for Peace ( 1973) along

with North Vietnams

negotiator Le Duc Tho.

Henry Miller ( 1891-1980)Controversial American

novelist, author of Tropic of

Cancer ( 1931) and Tropic of

Capricorn ( 1935) which were

published in Paris but banned

in US until the 60s becauseof their frank sexual themes.

Homer ( 9th century BC ) The

Greek poet considered to be

the author of the classic

epics The lliad and The

Odyssey which rank among the


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most precious treasures in

world literature.

Sir Humphry Davy ( 1778 - 1828

) A renowned British chemist

who invented the safety lamp

for miners. He also discovered

the anaesthetic properties of

nitrous oxide ( laughing gas);

the fact the chlorine is anelement and that diamonds are

a form of carbon.

Ibn Batuta A great scholar and

traveller from South Africa

who visited India in 1333 ADduring the reign of Mohammed

Tuglaq and wrote a chronicle

on him. He spent eight years

in India on his way to China.

Sir isaac Newton( 1642-1727)English mathematician and

physicist, famous for his

discovery of the law of

Gravitation and three Laws of

Motion.

J ames Prescort J oule (


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1818-89) The British physicist

who was the first to measure

the mechanical equivalent of

heat; unit of which has been

named after him.

J ames Watt ( 1736-1819 ) The

Scottish instrument maker who

turned to make high pressure

steam engines.

J amshedji Tata ( 1813-1904)

Founder of the Tata Iron and

Steel Company one of the

largest integrated steelworkds

in the world. He also foundedthe Indian Institute of

Science in Bangalore and built

the Taj Hotel in Bombay.

J acques Charles ( 1764-1823 )

A French physicist, known forhis Charles Law and

Gay-Lussacs Law of Gases.

J ayaprakash Narayan Also known

as Loknayak he formed the

J anata Party and defeated the

Congress party in 1977. He was


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conferred the Rashtra Bhushan

in 1977.

J aya Deva Lived in the 12th

century and is the author of

Gita Govinda. The book is a

noble work of lyrical poetry

and described the love of Lord

Krishna and his beloved Radha,

their separation and reunion.

J ohn Milton ( 1608-74) English

poet. He wrote a poem in

support of free press

Aeropagitica ( 1644 ) and

essays Tenure of Kings andMagistrates ( 1649). His epic

poem Paradise Los was

published in 10 volumes in

1667 and in 12 volumes in

1674. Paradise Regained and

Samson Agonisters were hisother major works published in

1671. He was totally blind for

a good many years of his life.

J ohn keats ( 1795-1821) An

English poet whose works

include La Belle Dame sans


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marci, Endymion ( A thing of

beauty is a joy forever). The

Eve of St Agnes and Ode to a

Nightingale.

J ohn of Arc ( 1412-31) French

girl, also known as the Maid

of Orleans. She led the French

resistance that forced the

English to raise the siege ofOrleans ( 1429) At the age of

17 she led an army of 12,000

to Rheims and persuaded

Charles. VII to go there to be

crowned as king of France. She

was ultimately captured andsold to the English ( 1430) by

Burgundians and was burned at

the stake in Roven.

J ohn Dalton ( 1766 - 1844)

English chemist who postulatedthe Atomic theory and defined

atomic weight. Also famous for

Daltons law-the pressure of a

mixture of gases is the sum of

partial pressure of the

components of the mixture.


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J ohn Logie Baird ( 1888-1946)

The Scottish television

pioneer, who invented the TV

in 1926.

J ulius Caesar ( 100-44 BC )

Roman general and statesman

who invaded Britain and

returned to Rome as a popular

hero. He fell in love withClepatra the Egyptian queen

who followed him to Rome. He

was given a mandate by the

people to rule as Caesar and

was worshipped as a god in his

lifetime. However, he wasmurdered by a group of trusted

friends led by Brutus.

J ohn F kennedy ( 1917-1963)

One of the most popular

Presidents of US He was thefirst Roman Catholic President

and the youngest Ameican to be

elected to the office of

President of the US. He wrote

several books; why England

Slept and Profile in Courage

are his two most famous books.


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He was assassinated on Nov 23,

1963.

Kabirdas Hindi poet who was

one of the gretest exponents

of the Bhakti movement, a

socia-religious movement. He

believed in the equality of

all religions and unity of

Hindus and Muslims.

Kaka Saheb Kalekar Philosopher

and educationist he was Vice

Chancellor of Gujarat,

University and one of the

oldest disciples of Gandhiji.He died on aug 21, 1991 at the

age of 96 . He authored more

than 120 books in Gujarati,

Marathi, Hindi and English.

Kalhana A Kashmiri Poet of the

11th century and author ofRajatarangini the book

describes the history of

Kashmir up to the 10th

century.

Kemal Ataturk ( 1881 - 1938 )

The reformed and builder of


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modern Turkey

Kanishka The greatest king of

Kushan dynasty ( 120-162 AD.)

He was a great conqueror but

later became a follower of

Buddha. He was the only ruler

of India whose territory

extended up to Central Asia.

Karl Marx ( 1818-83) A Germanjournalist and philosopher who

propounded the doctrine of

Communism also known as

Marxism. He is the author od

Das Kapital.

K.M. Munshi A great writer,

educationist and consitutional

law expert he played an active

role in Indias freedom

struggle.

Kublai Khan ( 1216-1294) A

Mongolian emperor who

conquered most of Asia. He was

the grandson of Chengiz Khan.

Lakshmibai of J hansi. The

ruler of J hansi, she was a


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great warrior of India and

took part in the first war of

independence in 1857 ( Indian

Mutiny)

Lal Bahadur Shastri (

1904-1966) Indian statesman,

who succeeded Pandit Nehru as

the second Prime Minister of

India ( 1964-66). He signedthe Tashkent Agreement with

Ayub Khan, for a ceasefire

between India and Pakistan.

Also known as Man of Peace

He died in Tashkent on

J anuary1, 1966 a few hoursafter he had signed the

Indo-Pak accord.

leonardo Da vinci (

1452-1519). The great Italian

painter, sculptor andarchitect who has been

described as a universal

genius of the Renaissance. His

masterpiece Monalist brought

him great fame, The Cena

Ultima ( The last Supper ) is

also one of his better known


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paintings. He also excelled as

an inventr, mathematician,

engineer, naturalist and

anatomist, In anatomy, he

learnt about the working of

the body by dessecting more

than 30 corpses. He also

created moulds of organs such

as the heart, lungs and the

womb.

Leo Tolstey ( 1828-1910) A

great Russian literary figure.

Mahatma Gandhi was greatly

influenced by his works which

include Anna Karenina, War &Peace, etc.

Leon Trotsky ( 1979-1940)

Russian revolutionary; one of

the leaders of the Bolshevist

revolution; he wasassassinated in 1940 when he

was in exile in Mexico.

Louis Pasteur ( 1822-1895) The

French scientist who

discovered that germs exist

and are the cause of


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infection. The technique of

pasteurising milk is named

after him. He also conducted

research in areas of

hydrophobia, bacteriology,

cholera, etc..

Louis Braille ( 1809-1852)

French inventor of the Braille

system ( raised pointlettering) a system of writing

and printing for the blind. He

himself became blind at the

age of 3 and became a teacher

for the blind in1828.

Marco Polo ( 1254-1323) The

Italian traveller, who was the

first European to visit China.

He also journeyed to India,

and other countries of the Far

East and published records ofhis travels.

Mercus J onius Brutus ( 85-82

BC) Roman governor and

principal assassin of julius

Caesar.


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Mahakavi Kalidas Indias

greatest Hindi poet and

dramatist, who lived during

the reign of Chandragupta

Vikramaditya. His famous works

works are Shakuntala,

Raghuvansha, Meghdoot and

Kumara Sambhava.

Madam Marie Curie (1867-1934)Madam Curie was the only

person to have won two Nobel

Prizes. A polish chemist known

for her discovery of radium

91898) Along with her husband

Pierre Curie, a Frenchscientist, she caried out

research in radioactivity and

was awarded the Nobel Prize in

physics in 1903. After her

husbands death she continued

her research and in 1911 wasawarded the second Nobel Prize

in Chemistry for her discovery

of radium and polonium.

Mathew Arnold (1822-1888) A

famous English poet and

critic. Some of his famous


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poems are Sohrab and Rustum

and Scholar Gypsy.

Martin Luther King (1929-68)

The Black American Clergyman

and civil rights leader. He

led the non-voilent movement

to obtain full civil rights

for American Negroes and was

awarded the Noble Prize forPeace in 1964. He was

assassinated on April 5,1968

by a white fanatic.

Mahavira (599-527BC) Born in

Kundagram near Vaishali(Bihar), he was an apostle of

non-voilence, who preached the

observance of chastity,

penance, contemplation and

self-mortification. He

achieved enlightenment under asala tree. J ainism became a

major religion under his

influence.

Madan Mohan Malaviya

(1861-1946) A prominent lawyer

of Allahabad, he also founded


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the Banaras Hindu University.

He was a President of Indian

National Congress, and an

Indian delegate to the Round

Table Conference in 1931.

Manu Regarded as the ancient

law giver of India and author

of Manu Smriti.

Marshal Tito (1892-1980)Ex-President of Yugolavia. He

was leader of the partisan

forces which fought

successfully against German

occupation. He was made

President of Yugoslavia forlife in 1963.

Megasthenes The Greek

ambassador in the court of

Chandragupta Maurya, who was

sent by Seleucus. He wrote adetailed account of India in

his work Indica.

Michael Faraday (1791-1867)

The British scientist who

discovered electromagnetism.

He also discovered benzene,


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liquid gases and optical

glass. In 1841 he discovered

the induction of electric

current which led to the

invention of the electric

motor. He also contributed to

the development of

electrolysis.

Mira Behn (1892-1982) AnEnglish woman named Madeleine

Slade, who became Ghandhijis

disciple and was dedicated to

India and to Ghandhijis

teachings.

Mohammed Bin tughlaq

(1325-1351) Alearned Sultan of

Delhi who was well-known for

his profound ideas and poor

administrative capabilities.

He tried to shift his capitalfrom Delhi to Devagiri in

Deccan. When he found that his

subjects did not approve of

the idea, he re-shifted to

Delhi.

Mohammed Neguid The first


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president of Egypt, he was put

under house arrest in 1954 by

Abdel Gamel Nasser for 17

years. Later President Anwar

Sadat freed him in 1971.

Montessori, Maria (1870-1952)

Italian educationist and

founder of the montessori

system of education thatstresses development of a

childs own initiative and

natural abilities, especially

through practical play and

individual guidance rather

than through strict control.

Mohammed Ali J innah

(1879-1948) Founder of the

separate muslim state of

pakistan. He was the president

of the Muslim League for yearsand after partition of India,

became the first

Governor-General of Pakistan

in 1947.

Lord Mountbatten Britains

supreme Allied Commander in


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South-East Asia during World

War II, he became the last

Viceroy of India. He declared

India a free nation and became

the first Governor-General of

independent India.

Munshi Premchand (1880-19370)

A well-known author of Hindi

novels and short stories whichgave him international fame.

Nargis Dutt First lady of the

Indian screen to have been

nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

She was a recipient of thePadmashri and is well known

for her film Mother India.

Napolean Bonaparte (1769-1821)

French sttesmn, king of Frnce

(1769-97), the most brillintgenerl of his time, he won

series of splendid victories

against England , Russia and

Austria in 1805. He was

defeated in the Battle of

Waterloo in J une 1815 and

exiled to St Helena, where he


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died in 1821.

Nicolus Copernicus (1473-1553)

Polish stronomer known for his

discovery of the hevenly

bodies and his theory that

they move round the sun and

that the sun is the centre of

the universe.

Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1658)

A follower of J oseph

Stalin.When Stalin died he

became the first secretary of

the Soviet Communist Party and

was Prime Minister during1958-64. He died in 1971.

Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658)

The English soldier and

statesman who established a

commonwealth in Britain ndbecame its haed with the title

Loed Protector. He ruled the

country for five years between

1653 and 1658.

Panini Well known Hindu sage

and Sanskrit grammarain, he


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belonged to the Vedic era and

authored Ashtadhyayi.

Porus A Hindu king of Punjab,

who fought against the Greek

invader, Alexander, when the

latter invaded India and

nearly defeated him. Alexander

admired his gallantry and

returned his kingdom to him.

Pulakesin II (608-642 A.D.)

The most powerful ruler of the

Chalukyan dynasty that ruled

the Deccan.

Pythagoras (582-500 BC) A

Greek philosopher, theologian

and mathematician (especially

geometry). Though his famous

theorem was previously known,

he was the first to prove itsuniversal validity.

Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)

Queen Elizabeth I of England

(1558-1603) was the daughter

of Henry VIII. Her reign saw

the thought provoking


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development of literature,

William Shakespeare lived

during her time.

Ranjit Singhji (1780-1839) A

Sikh prince of Punjab, he

captured lahore in 1799 and

proclaimed himself Maharaja.

He wrested control of Punjab

from the Afghans and Pathansand earned the title Lion of

Punjab.

Raja Rammohan Roy (1774-18330)

The social reformer who tried

to eradicate sati, pardah andchild marriage; also advocated

widow re-marriage and womens

education. He was the founder

of the Brahmo Samaj.

Rabindranath Tagore NoblePrize winners

Rene Franck President of the

International Hockey

Federation for 17 years. He

died in 1983.


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Robert Wilhelm Bunsen

(1811-1899) A German scientist

who invented the Bunsen

burner.

Robert Boyle (1627-1691) An

Irish chemist, famous for his

Boyles Law of Gases.

Robert Clive (1725-1774) Hecame to India as a clerk in

the East India company. He

became commander-in-Chief and

fought against the French in

India. He defeated

Siraj-ud-Daulah in the Battleof Plassey in 1757. Later he

ruled India as Governor (1765)

and ultimately committed

suicide in 1774.

Roger Bacon (1214-94) Englishscientist, encyclopaedist,

philosopher and invertor of

the magnifying glass and

gunpowder.

Rudolf Diesel (1858-1931) A

German engineer who invented


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the diesel engine in 1893.

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

English writer, whose famous

works include: Tales From the

Hills, The Light That Failed,

J ungle Book, Barrack Room

Ballads, Kim, J ust-so Stories,

puck of Pooks Hill. He was

awarded the Nobel Prize forLiterature in 1907 which he

later returned.

Sarojini Naidu (1879-1948)

Also called the Nightingale

of India, she was a greatpoetess in the English

language. She partucipated in

Indias freedom struggle and

became president of the Indian

National Congress in 1925 and

the first woman governor of astate (UP).

Swami Dayanand Saraswati

(1824-1883) Founder of the

Arya Samaj and author of

Satyarth Prakash. He is

well-known for his opposition


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of various social taboos.

Samudragupta (330-375 AD) Son

and successor of Chandragupta

I; a powerful and able Hindu

king, he was also known as

Indias Napolean.

Shahjahan (1592-1666) Moghul

emperor of India, brought theMoghul empire to its golden

age. A great patron of art,

architecture and literature,

he built the Taj Mahal, in

memory of his beloved Mumtaz

Mahal. He was deposed by hisson Aurangzeb and imprisoned

in Agra.

Shankaracharya (born 788 Ad)

One of the greatest Hindu

reformers who revived theHindu religion and

successfully threw back the

tide of Budbism and J ainism.

He was a founder of the

Advaitic philosophy.

Sher Shah Suri Ruled India


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between 1540 and 1545. The

first Muslim king who paid

special attention to

administrative reforms. The

Grand Trunk Road was

constructed during his rule.

He also introduced currency in

India.

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Arenowned Austrian psychologist

who developed the theory of

psychoanalysis. He published

The Interpretation of dreams

and The Ego and the Id.

Sir Syed Ahmed (1817-1898) An

educationist and reformer of

the Muslim community in India.

He established the M.A.O.

College at Aligarh in 1975

which later became the AligarhMuslim University.

Sohrab Modi The Grand Old Man

of Indian Cinema and winner of

the Dada saheb Phalke Award in

1978, he produced Indias

first technicolour film J hansi


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Ki Rani in the early 50s.

Another film, Mirza Ghalib,

was the first Hindi film to

receive the Presidents Gold

Medal In 1955. He died In

1984.

Stalin (1879-1953) Soviet

statesman and architect of the

former USSR, he became premierin 1941 and triumphed as a

leader during World War II. An

active revolutionary leader

from the age of 17, he took

part in the civil war and rose

to become an outstandingfigure in soviet Russia

Sunga Pushyamitra Brahmin

commander-in-chief of the last

Mauryan King Brihadratha. He

killed his master and foundedthe Sunga dynasty.

S.S. Bhatnagar (1894-1955) An

Indian scientist remembered

for his outstanding work as an

administrator.

Sun Yat Sen (1866-1925) The


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founder and the first

president of the Chinese

republic in 1912. In 1905 Sun

Yat Sen founded the China

Revolutionary League in Europe

and J apan and played a

prominent part in the

revolution of 1911.

Tansen A great exponent ofIndian classical music. He was

one of the nine gems in the

court of Akbar.

Tantiya Tope One of the heroes

of the War of Indianindependence in 1857, he was a

brave Commander of Nana

Sahibs forces.

Tarabai of Gwalior resisted

the attempts of LordEllenborough to annex Gwalior.

She was the thirteen-year old

widow of J ankoji Scindia who

died in Feb.1843.

Tenzing Norgay Indian

mountaineer; the first to


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conquer Mt Everest on May 29,

1953 along with Sir Edmund

Hillary. He was awarded the

Padma Bhushan in 1959.

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)

Us born inventor with more

than 1300 US and foreign

patents to his credit for his

inventions; most of themconcerned with electricity.

Some of his important

inventions are: The

incandescent lamps, phonograph

(Gramophone), carbon telephone

transmitters, microphone, etc.

Thomas Addison (1793-1860) The

British physician known for

his study of what is now known

as Addisons Disease and for

his works on ductless glands.

Timur (1336-1405) Head of the

Chaghta Truks. He was a

powerful warrior and a

plunderer known for the Sack

of Delhi (indiscriminate

massacre and plunder) during


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his invasion of India in 1398

AD.

Todar Mal (1556-1605) One of

the nine gems and revenue

minister in the court of

Akbar, known for his reforms

in policies of land revenue.

Tulsidas Was a great Hindipoet, Hindu religious preacher

and known for his work,

Ramachandaritamanas, which

pepicts the life of Lord Rama.

Valmiki A celebrated Sanskritpoet of ancient India, the

author of the Ramayana.

Varahmihira A distinguished

astronomer, mathematician and

philosopher of early times. He

was one of the nine gems inthe court of King Vikramaditya

(Chandragupta II).

Vasco de Gama (1470-1524) The

portuguese explorer who made

the first voyage from Europe

round Africa to the East and


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reached Calicut (India) in

1498.

Vikramaditya He was the

greatest emperor of the Gupta

dynasty. His reign constitutes

the most glorious chapter of

Indian history, when art and

literature flourished.

V.V.Giri The third

Vice-President (1967-1969) and

the fourth President of India

(1969-Acting).He was a

recipient of the Bharat Ratna

(1975). He died in1980.

Vijayalakshmi Pandit Sister of

J awaharlal Nehru, she was the

first woman minister of an

Indian state (UP). She holds

the distinction of being thefirst woman to become

President of thev UN General

Assembly and first Indian

woman ambassador to Moscow.

Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902) A

disciple of Ramakrishna


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Paramhansa, he championed the

greatness of Vedantic

philosophy. His famous talk at

the Chicago Conference of

World Religions in 1893 made

the Westerners realise the

greatness of Hindustan for the

first time. He established the

Ramakrishna Mission, in the

memory of his guru SriRamakrishna Paramhansa

(1836-1886).

Ved Vyas A great Sanakrit

scholar, who wrote the

Mahabharata, one of the mostrevered texts of the Hindus.

Vladimir Illich Lenin

(1870-1924) Also known as

Nikolai Lenin, he was a

Russian revolutionary leaderwho was exiled to Siberia in

1895 where he continued to

guide the revolutionary

struggle of the Russian

people. In 1898 he created a

new party, the Bolshevik

party, to bring about the


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communist revolution in

Russia. On November 7,1917, a

new socialist government was

formed under the leadingship

of Lenin.

Walt Disney (1901-66) A

merican film producer famous

for his cartoon characters,

Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) He

was President of America

During World War I. He become

famous for his 14 points and

played a noteble part in thesetting up of the League of

Nations.

William Wordsworth(1770-1850)

The English poet whose famous

works include The Prelude,Intimations on Immortality,

The Recluse, The Solitary

Reaper, etc.

Sir Winston Churchill

(1874-1965) British statesman

and war leader, who was Prime


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Minister during World War II.

His pulication The Second

World War (in 6 volumes),

became very famous and earned

him the Nobel Prize in 1953.

He resigned as Prime Minister

in 1955 and published his

major work, A History of the

English Speaking People.

William Crooks (1832-1919) The

British chemist and physicist

who discovered the element

thallium in 1861 and invented

the radiometer. He also

pioneered research on Cathoderays.

William Thompson Kelvin

(1824-1907) A British

physicist, who put forward the

idea of an absolutemeasurement of temperature and

invented the Kelvin scale of

temperature.

Lord William Bentinck

(1828-1835) Governor- General

of India, famous for the sati


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reforms and suppression of

human sacrifice. He also

introduced English education

in India.

William Shakespeare

(1564-1616) English dramatist

and poet, considered the

greatest literary figure in

English literature. He wasborn as Stratford-on-Avon, the

son of a tradesman. He married

Anne Hathaway in 1582. His

first play was Henry VI and

his first major poem Venus and

Adonis.

Yuri Gagarin (1934-68) A

Russian cosmonaut. In 1961 he

become the first man to travel

in space. He complated one

revolution around the earthand it took him 89.34 minutes

to do so. He also holds the

record of being the first

person to fly at such a great

height, (340 Km from the

earth).


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Ved Vyas A great Sanskrit

scholar, who wrote the

Mahabharata, one of the most

revered texts of the Hindus.

Vladimir Illich Lenin

(1870-1924) Also known as

Nikolai Lenin, he was a

Russian revolutionary leader

who was exiled to Siberia in1895 where he continued to

guide the revolutionary

struggle of the Russian

people. In 1898 he created a

new party, the Bolshevik

party, to bring about thecommunist revolution in

Russia. On November 7,1917, a

new socialist government was

formed under the leadingship

of Lenin.

Z..A. Bhutto (1928-79)

President of Pakistan in 1971

and subsequently Prime

Minister of Pakistan. He was

deposed by an army coup led by

Zia-ul-Haq and executed in

1979.


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Zakir Hussain He was the third

President of India, and died

in office on May 3,1969. He

was also Indias second

Vice-President from 1962-1967.

Zoroaster A celebrated Persian

prophet and religious leader

who lived in the 7th centuryBC. He is the founder of

Zoroastrianism whose followers

are the parsees who settled in

India.1

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