People

Johnny Cash—the “Man in Black”—is an American legend. His music epitomizes the life and landscape of the American South, and has influenced generations of artists. His complex life inspired the 2005 critically acclaimed film “Walk the Line.”

John Foster Dulles was hailed as a “master craftsman” of foreign policy. Decades before his work as secretary of state under President Dwight Eisenhower, Dulles was an influential policymaker: In 1919 he was general counsel during the Treaty of Versailles, and in 1949 he traveled to Japan to broker a peace treaty.

Edward Bouchet was the first African-American graduate of Yale University. He later became the first African American to earn a doctoral degree, and only the sixth person in the Western Hemisphere to earn a doctorate in physics.

Dr. Charles R. Drew was a promising young doctor who quickly earned advanced medical degrees and began teaching and researching, particularly in the area of blood plasma collection and preservation. Dr. Drew was able to piece together findings by other doctors to create ways to mass-produce the collection and separation of blood plasma. He was later appointed the medical supervisor for the pilot program that became the American Red Cross’s Blood Donor Service. He was also one of the first African-Americans to become a member of the American Board of Surgery.

Born into a life of religion, Martin Luther King Jr. used his faith to help guide a divided nation toward racial equality, breaking barriers and demanding change through a strict code of nonviolence.

A tireless activist and scholar, W.E.B. Du Bois wrote “The Souls of Black Folk” and was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He remained committed to fighting racism and social injustice for his entire life.

A notoriously pessimistic philosopher who aspired to give meaning to the human condition through the appreciation and analysis of art, Arthur Schopenhauer challenged the depictions of the perceptual world put forth by Plato and Emmanuel Kant. A lonely and difficult man who lived a life that matched his own grim philosophy, he ultimately believed that art and sympathy could save man from suffering.

Jazz singer Nina Simone revolutionized popular music and emerged as one of the finest songwriters and musicians of her time. In addition to captivating audiences with her talent and passion, she remained a fierce advocate for the Civil Rights movement. FindingDulcinea provides a glimpse into the life and work of the woman who refused the term “jazz” in favor of “African-rooted classical music.”

The first African American and the first woman to be elected to Congress from Texas, Barbara Jordan was a memorable speaker at the Nixon impeachment hearing and elsewhere, but her true passion may have been teaching.

Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia have stirred controversy and drawn international attention in recent weeks. Winners of the 2009 World Ice Dance Championships, the duo is poised for Olympic glory, but face stiff competition from an American team.

Sidney Poitier was the child of tomato farmers in the Bahamas. He moved to New York as a teenager and worked as a dishwasher until a successful audition landed him a spot with the American Negro Theater. The 1949 film “No Way Out” launched his groundbreaking cinematic career. Poitier was the first black actor to win an Academy Award for a lead role. Throughout his life, Poitier has worked to bridge racial gaps both on and offscreen. 

A legendary track coach at the University of Oregon, Bill Bowerman coached 33 Olympians, including the talented Steve Prefontaine. He also designed lightweight running shoes and co-founded Nike.

Toni Morrison grew up in a house of African-American storytellers and loved books. After earning a masters degree in English, she taught for many years. At the age of 35, Morrison decided there was a book she wanted to read but had yet to find—so she wrote it herself. A prolific career ensued, with Morrison winning both the Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes for her fiction.

Snowboarder Shaun White is known as much for his tricks as his endorsement deals. Will another Olympic gold in Vancouver quiet his critics?

Michael Jordan was the most dominant player in NBA history, leading the Chicago Bulls to three straight NBA titles two different times. Electrifying on the basketball court and quietly dignified off it, Jordan’s image was marketed to a global audience and he retired as one of the most recognized figures in the world.

Kim Jong Il assumed power a few years after his father suffered a heart attack. The dictator has a reputation as a somewhat erratic playboy, but his nuclear ambitions must certainly be taken seriously; he exploded a nuclear bomb in 2006.

As commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, George Washington led American troops to victory against the more powerful British forces in the Revolutionary War. After the war, he presided over the Constitutional Convention and was elected as the first president of the United States.

King Louis XV of France was known as “the Well-Beloved,” although he apparently did little to earn the name. He reigned for nearly 60 years over an unstable country whose financial and political decline culminated in the French Revolution. Culturally, Louis XV helped usher in the rococo period and the beginning of the Enlightenment.

He was an actor, singer and a writer, but first and foremost, Gregory Hines was a dancer. Hines both popularized the art form of tap dance and stayed faithful to its unique history. A dancer for 54 of his 57 years, Hines had a unique ability to combine the aural and the visual, and is considered one of tap dancing’s greatest stars to date.

Lindsey Jacobellis is a snowboarder through and through, drawn to risk and adventure, and eager to push the envelope. A fall prevented her from winning gold in the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, but Jacobellis has the support of her coach, fellow snowboarders and fans, and appears on the brink of Vancouver glory.

Driven by an unshakable sense of duty and a love of life in the air, Chuck Yeager has spent decades pushing the boundaries of aviation and military service.

Charles Darwin was never a great student—but he was an avid collector of beetles. After graduating from college, the budding naturalist accepted a position on the HMS Beagle to examine and collect specimens across the world. While stationed on the Galapagos Islands, Darwin recorded observations that led to the publication of “The Origin of Species,” the genesis of the modern theory of evolution. 

Abraham Lincoln worked his way from a log cabin to the White House, teaching himself law and earning the faith of the electorate through his ability to communicate. Nearly a century and a half after the Civil War, Lincoln’s promise of freedom and unity has been realized, as Americans resoundingly elected their first black president.

In 2008, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska became the first Republican woman in U.S. history to be nominated for vice president.

Leo Szilard, the Hungarian Jewish physicist, molecular biologist and inventor, worked on the Manhattan Project but expressed himself as a “scientist of conscience,” using his knowledge of nuclear chain reactions to consult with the American government and protest about the risks of nuclear warfare.

Booker T. Washington spent his life making education available to African Americans in the post-Civil War South. He compromised with white Southern views to do so, making him a controversial figure, though undoubtedly one of the most influential African Americans of the time.

Mark Spitz was a brash swimming prodigy who overcame disappointment in the 1968 Olympics to win seven gold medals in 1972, setting a record that would stand for 36 years.

On April 19, 2008, Peggy Whitson completed a tour as the first female commander of the International Space Station. A veteran NASA astronaut, Whitson oversaw the station’s first expansion in six years.

Carole King started playing the piano at age 4 and hasn’t stopped since. Out of college in the 1960s King was writing some of the biggest hit singles of the generation. A rich solo career followed, capped by her last tour “Welcome to My Living Room.”

American figure skater Johnny Weir is known as much for his personality as his athletic prowess and artistry. His comeback is generating significant interest leading into Vancouver.