Happy Birthday, Steve Jobs, Creator of Apple Computers

Barack Obama made history when he was elected the 44th president of the United States, becoming the first black man to hold the nation’s highest office.

Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer and one-term Georgia governor who unexpectedly ascended to the presidency in 1980. Taking office during a turbulent time in the nation’s history, Carter served just one ineffective term, but in his post-presidency life he has become a respected humanitarian and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rebel, patriot and politician Samuel Adams helped organize protests against the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Tea Act of 1773 and developed a base of resistance that would eventually lead to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Little is known about Sun Tzu, a Chinese military strategist, general and philosopher, believed to have lived in the sixth or fifth century B.C. But much has been written about the book attributed to him, “The Art of War,” the earliest and perhaps the most influential book ever written on the topic.

His administrative skill—and his intelligent and tolerant leadership—earned Darius I the title of Darius the Great. He built the magnificent city of Persepolis and left behind inscriptions telling the story of his successes.

During his short career, Harry Houdini’s “death-defying” feats astonished his audiences. People from all walks of life came to watch Houdini escape from shackles, milk cans and water tanks. Their fascination with his act continued his legacy long after his untimely death.

In 1954, British medical student Roger Bannister became the first man to break the four-minute mile barrier, earning him international admiration and Sports Illustrated's first Sportsman of the Year award. When asked how he achieved his record-breaking feat, he replied, “It’s the ability to take more out of yourself than you've got.”

Irish revolutionary soldier and politician Michael Collins led the fight for Irish independence in the years after the Easter Rising. A national hero during the Anglo-Irish war, Collins soon found himself at the center of a bitter conflict that divided the country and would ultimately lead to his death at the age of 31. Today, the “Big Fella” is remembered as one of Ireland’s greatest heroes.