Happy Birthday

Derided by some, held up as a technological savior by others, Steve Jobs helped launch a wave of personal computer use that has redefined the world’s economy and the way people interact, and he started it all from the comfort of his parents’ garage.

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.

In 2004, Wangari Muta Maathai became the first African Woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai is known as the founder of the “Green Belt Movement” to reforest Africa.

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.”

Violinist Pablo Sarasate is a figure of tremendous national and international regard. The distinctly Spanish flavor of his compositions, combined with his masterful technique and elaborate musical arrangements, have earned him a well-deserved place in the classical music hall of fame.

It's been more than 50 years since the blond-haired, blue-eyed, impossibly proportioned Barbie doll hit the market. She's held many jobs, lived in many homes, driven several cars and weathered her share of criticism, but she remains an extremely popular toy.

Joseph Lee dedicated his life to promoting recreation and play for children and adults alike, and is best known for transforming a fledgling playground association into a national recreation movement. He was the president of the National Recreation Association for almost 30 years, and many of the ideas he formed while at the post shaped the recreation field as it stands today.

Luther Burbank moved across the country to follow his horticultural dreams. Born on the East Coast, he relocated to California where he could pursue his life’s work of developing new breeds of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Today, Burbank’s contributions to horticulture and influence on bioengineering are still felt.

Gabriel García Márquez grew up in a home filled with storytelling and the supernatural. His seminal work of fiction, “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” transformed his birthplace of Aracataca, Colombia, into the magical town of Macondo. García Márquez ultimately won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his body of work.

Miriam Makeba, widely known as “Mama Africa,” was exiled from her home of South Africa for her revolutionary words and songs, but was widely respected for speaking—and singing—the truth about racism in the country.  Among other accomplishments, including acting as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, she continued performing into her 70s and exposed many Westerners to African music.

Inventor and industrialist George Pullman literally raised Chicago from the sewer and built luxury railroad cars for the elite. The media praised his “utopian” company town, but in reality, the town’s residents lived in misery. His unwillingness to negotiate with strikers drew the ire of workers and railroad owners alike, and he died as one of the most hated anti-union figures in America.

Theodor Geisel, more popularly known as Dr. Seuss, created quirky characters, lively rhymes and idiosyncratic illustrations. These qualities have ensured that his children’s books have remained enduringly beloved while they promote strong moral values. Seuss’ 44 books have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Toni Morrison grew up in a house of African-American storytellers and developed a love for books. After earning a masters degree in English and teaching for many years, she felt 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.

Michael Jordan was perhaps the most dominant player in NBA history, leading the Chicago Bulls to three straight NBA titles two different times. Electrifying on the court and polished 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 “On the Origin of Species,” the genesis of the modern theory of evolution. 

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.

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.

American pioneer Laura Ingalls Wilder did not begin writing her first book until she was 64. Only with her daughter’s coaxing did she ultimately decide to share her story, and a beloved children’s classic, the “Little House on the Prairie” series, was born.

Some consider Ronald Reagan the greatest president in contemporary American history: under his watch, the country saw the longest period of peacetime prosperity in its history. Critics of the Reagan era, however, point to the Iran-Contra scandal and the administration’s reluctance to recognize the AIDS crisis. Regardless of how Reagan’s legacy is viewed, it is certainly an enduring one.

Modest, patient and undeniably talented, Roger Staubach took a long route to NFL stardom, but once there he became one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history.

Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly a plane non-stop across the Atlantic at age 25. Though he experienced fame and acclamation for his heroism, he also suffered major setbacks, including the kidnapping of his son and accusations of being a Nazi sympathizer.

Outlier and icon, enemy of altruism and champion of the free market, writer and philosopher, Ayn Rand was too extreme to be categorized by any single school of thought other than her own. To this day, she has retained an avid following and garners intense interest from many great figures in business.

The 1920s were a dynamic time in American history. Flappers tested the limits of fashion. Bootleg liquor fought prohibition. In music, the era became known as the Jazz Age. And James P. Johnson, a budding pianist, became one of the best-known musicians of the time.

Jackie Robinson was an accomplished multi-sport athlete who in 1947 became the first black baseball player in the modern major leagues. He displayed courage in the face of racial abuse, earning the respect of teammates, opponents and fans during his Hall of Fame career. His on-field play and off-field involvement in political and social causes helped galvanize the American civil rights movement.