Famous People

John Paul II

The first Slav pope: twenty-seven years on the throne and journeys to more than a hundred countries. Born in Wadowice on 18 May 1920 at 17:30.

John F. Kennedy

The thirty-fifth president of the United States, under whom the world stepped back from nuclear war in the Cuban missile crisis. Born in Brookline on 29 May 1917 at 15:00.

Martin Luther King

The Baptist minister who led the non-violent struggle for the rights of black Americans. Born in Atlanta on 15 January 1929 at exactly noon.

Queen Victoria

The queen who gave her name to an age: sixty-three years on the throne and an empire covering a quarter of the land. Born in London on 24 May 1819 at 04:15.

Napoleon Bonaparte

The artillery officer from Corsica who became emperor of the French and redrew the map of Europe. Born in Ajaccio on 15 August 1769 at 11:00 local mean time.

Nikola Tesla

The engineer whose alternating current beat direct current and underlies today’s power grids. Born at Smiljan at midnight on 10 July 1856.

Charles Darwin

The naturalist who explained the origin of species by natural selection. Born in Shrewsbury on 12 February 1809 at 03:00 local mean time.

The author of the laws of motion and of universal gravitation, who set the shape of physics for two centuries. Born at Woolsthorpe in the night of 4 January 1643 (25 December 1642 by the old English calendar).

Jawaharlal Nehru

The first prime minister of independent India and the father of Indira Gandhi. Born in Allahabad on 14 November 1889 at 23:36 local mean time.

Muhammad Ali

Three times world heavyweight champion, who refused the draft to Vietnam and won his case in the Supreme Court. Born in Louisville on 17 January 1942 at 18:35 Central time.

Elvis Presley

The singer whose 1954 record is where most listeners date rock and roll from. Born in Tupelo on 8 January 1935 at 04:35 Central time.

Amelia Earhart

The aviator who was the first woman to fly the Atlantic alone and who vanished over the Pacific in 1937. Born in Atchison on 24 July 1897 at 23:30 Central time.