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Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist, although most people probably know him as the most intelligent

person who ever lived. His name has become part of many languages when we want to say someone is a

genius, as in the phrase, “She’s a real Einstein”. He must have been pretty brainy to discover the Theory of

Relativity and the equation E=mc2.

In 1999, ‘Time’ magazine named Einstein as the Person of the Century. No one could have guessed this would

happen when he was at school. He was extremely interested in science but hated the system of learning by

heart. He said it destroyed learning and creativity. He had already done many experiments, but failed the

entrance exams to a technical college.

He didn’t let this setback stop him. When he was 16, he performed his famous experiment of imagining

traveling alongside a beam of light. He eventually graduated from university, in 1900, with a degree in physics.

Twelve years later he was a university professor and in 1921, he won the Nobel Prize for Physics. He went on

to publish over 300 scientific papers.

Einstein is the only scientist to become a cult figure, a household name, and part of everyday culture. He once

joked that when people stopped him in the street, he always replied: "Pardon me, sorry! Always I am mistaken

for Professor Einstein.” Today, he is seen as the typical mad, absent-minded professor, who just happened to

change our world.

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Barack Obama

Barack Obama is the 44 President of the United States of America. He is also the winner of the 2009 Nobel

Peace Prize. He made history in 2008 when he won the U.S. presidential election. He is the first African

American to be President. Obama's charisma, intelligence, and powerful speeches have made him extremely

popular with many Americans. He has been very successful with his message for change.

Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961 to a black Kenyan father and white American mother. His parents divorced

and his mother married an Indonesian man. Barack's family moved to Indonesia in 1967. He attended schools

in Jakarta until he was ten years old, when he returned to Hawaii. Obama majored in political science and

international relations at Columbia University in New York.

After four years in New York, Obama moved to Chicago. There, he worked as the director of a community

project from 1985 to 1988. He entered Harvard Law School and became the first black president of the

Harvard Law Review. Obama taught law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years. He became

an Illinois Senator in 1996.

In 2004, Obama was elected as a U.S. Senator. He supported legislation on conservation, energy, immigration

and honest leadership. Obama is currently battling with serious issues such as the economy. He beat Mitt

Romney to win a second term in office, despite a poor economy and high unemployment. He thanked voters

by promising to spend his second term honoring their support, saying: "There's a lot more work to do."
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Bill Gates

William Henry Gates III was born on October 28, 1955. He is one of the world's richest people and perhaps the

most successful businessman ever. He co-founded the software giant Microsoft and turned it into the world’s

largest software company. He is the best-known entrepreneur of the PC revolution. He has also written two

best-selling books and started his own charity with his wife.

Gates was fascinated with electronics from a young age. In 1975 he read about a small technology company.

He contacted them to see if they were interested in a computer programme he had written. This led to the

creation of Microsoft. Gates later struck a deal with IBM that put Microsoft's Windows on IBM computers. This

deal made Microsoft a major player in the IT industry.

Gates was in charge at Microsoft from 1975 until 2006. He was an active software developer at the beginning.

He had a vision that computers could change everyone’s life. He helped make this vision come true and

developed many products that are now part of modern life. His management style has been studied and

copied around the world.

Gates stepped down as Microsoft CEO in June 2008. He now spends his time with his wife, Melinda, focusing

on their charitable foundation. They provide funds for global problems that are ignored by governments and

other organizations. ‘Time’ magazine voted Gates as one of the biggest influences of the 20th Century.

Scientists named the Bill Gates flower fly after him.

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Ernesto "Che" Guevara

Ernesto "Che" Guevara lived between 1928 and 1967. He was born in Argentina and became a doctor.

However, his political opinions led him to become one of history’s best-known freedom fighters. His role in the

Cuban revolution made him, and the image of his face, famous forever. He was captured and executed in

Bolivia after starting an unsuccessful revolution.

As a young medical student, Guevara went on a motorbike tour of Latin America. The extreme poverty he

witnessed transformed him. He became a fierce opponent of capitalism, which he said created great

inequality. He went to Guatemala and helped draw up many social reforms, until the Guatemalan government

was overthrown. Following this, Guevara decided to fight against social injustice everywhere.

He went to Mexico, where he met another revolutionary Fidel Castro. He joined with Castro and became a

military leader in a guerilla force that invaded Cuba. Guevara’s tactics played a key role in the successful

overthrow of the US-backed Cuban dictator Batista. Guevara became president of Cuba’s national bank. He

also wrote a comprehensive manual on guerilla warfare, which is still studied today.

Che Guevara remains one of the icons of the 20th Century. An Alberto Korda photograph of him entitled

‘Guerilla Hero’ was named as "the most famous photograph in the world". Even though he hated

commercialism, his image has appeared on every kind of product imaginable. Today, his profile is still largely

associated with revolution and fighting for the rights of the poor.
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The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama was born in Tibet on the 6th of July 1935. His real name is Tenzin Gyatso. He is the leader of

Tibet’s Buddhists but he lives in India, where thousands of his followers visit him. He is the world's most

famous Buddhist monk. He campaigns for freedom in Tibet and peace in the world.

Tenzin became Dalai Lama when he was just two years old. He became Tibet’s ruler in November 1950, when

he was fifteen. This was just one month after China took over Tibet. His first big job was to try and save his

country from Chinese rule. He tried for nine years, but then had to escape to India. He has never been back.

He traveled to the West – to Europe and the Americas. Thousands of people welcomed him. He has helped to

spread love and harmony around the world. He gives speeches wherever he goes and he has won many

awards. He got the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. He is always a famous figure on the news and is never without a

huge smile.

The Dalai Lama has been one of the best-loved and most well-known world leaders for many decades. He

continues to ask China to give his Tibetan people more control over their land. He makes Chinese leaders

angry by talking about Tibet. One day he might meet them and talk about a better and brighter future.
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Ingrid Betancourt

Ingrid Betancourt is a Colombian-French politician and formerly the world’s most famous hostage. She was

kidnapped in 2002 by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) while campaigning to be president.

Her six years in captivity in the Colombian jungle attracted media attention worldwide. She was rescued in July

2008 in a daring operation by Colombian security forces.

Betancourt was born in Colombia’s capital Bogota in 1961. Her mother was a politician and former Miss

Colombia. Her father was also a politician and was high up in UNESCO. Ingrid attended elite schools in France,

England and Colombia. After graduating, she married a fellow student and they had two children. Her

diplomat husband meant she traveled constantly and lived in different countries.

Her political career began in 1990. She distributed condoms to the poor in her election campaign. Her motto

was she would be like a condom against corruption. She was elected to government in 1994 and launched her

Green Oxygen Party. Four years later she became a Senator. In February 2002, she ignored government

warnings and tried to campaign in FARC-held territory.

The FARC had no plan to kidnap Betancourt. She walked straight into their hands. She became the FARC’s

most valuable hostage. Her 2,321 days in captivity were full of reports about her ill health and wretched living

conditions. A video released in 2007 showed her looking desperately frail. Following her daring rescue, she

received the Legion of Honour from French President Sarkozy.

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Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende is considered to be among the greatest ever Latin American novelists. Her very successful

novels are a mix of reality and mysticism. They are often based on her own experiences of life and of being a

woman. She travels the world giving lectures and promoting her books. In 2003 she became a US citizen and

currently lives in California with her family.

Allende was born in Lima, Peru in 1942. Her father was the Chilean ambassador. She is a distant cousin of

former Chilean president Salvador Allende. Her family moved around a lot when she was young because of the

political uncertainty in Chile in the 1960s. She grew up and went to school in Chile, Bolivia and Lebanon, where

she learnt English.

Allende got married when she was 20. She became successful early on and had a variety of jobs. She was a

well-known TV personality and a journalist for a feminist magazine. Between 1959 and 1965, she worked for

the UN in Chile and Belgium. She also translated romantic novels from English to Spanish, which sparked her

desire to write.

Pablo Neruda, a famous Chilean poet, told Allende she had too much imagination to be a journalist and should

write novels instead. In 1981, she started writing her dying grandfather a letter. This eventually transformed

into her first best seller ‘The House of the Spirits’ (1982). Allende was immediately compared to Gabriel Garcia

Marquez. Best sellers, awards and international acclaim followed.

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Lionel Andrés Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi was born on June 24, 1987 in the city of Rosario, Argentina. Everyone knows him now as

the best football player in the world. In fact, a lot of people say he might become the greatest player ever.

We’ll see about that at the World Cup. Messi is FIFA World Player of the Year. He also helped his club team

Barcelona win the European Champions League and the World Club Championship.

Messi grew up playing football. He joined his first club when he was five. At the age of eight, he signed up for

the famous Newell's Old Boys' youth team. His career nearly ended when doctors found out he suffered from

a growth hormone deficiency. Luckily, agents from Barcelona saw his talent and in 2000, he moved to Spain.

The Catalan club paid for his medical treatment and coached him until he made his Barcelona debut.

Lionel started breaking records as soon as he played his first game for Barcelona in the 2004-05 seasons. He

became the youngest footballer ever to play a La Liga game and the youngest to score a goal. He helped his

team win the league in his first season, and the league and Champions League double in the following season.

In the 2008-09 seasons he scored an impressive 38 goals as Barcelona won the treble.

Messi has an amazing career ahead of him. He is set to shine in South Africa. Many football experts compare

him to the legendary Pele and Maradona. This World Cup could be the stage for him to show people he really

is the best. His skills on the ball, ability to get past defenders and his goal-scoring are breathtaking. Top soccer

coach Arsene Wenger said Messi is “like a PlayStation. He takes advantage of every mistake teams make”.
 9

Malcolm X

Malcolm X, a.k.a. El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was a black American activist who had a lasting impact on race

relations in America. His speeches and political work helped bring to the world’s attention the evil of racism in

the USA. He led an extraordinary life that would take him from poverty, crime and prison to being a much

respected community leader.

He was born Malcolm little in 1925 but rejected his surname later in life because it represented his slavery

past. He adopted ‘X’ to signify his unknown ancestry. Malcolm was top of his class at junior high school and

wanted to be a lawyer. A teacher told him he was the wrong colour to study law and he dropped out of high

school.

He moved to New York in 1943 and slowly became involved in drug dealing, gambling, robbery and other

crimes. In 1946, he was sent to prison for ten years. He became an avid reader and educated himself in many

topics. He also converted to Islam and met leaders of the Nation of Islam and the Black Muslims. He left prison

in 1952.

In 1954, Malcolm X became leader of a Nation of Islam temple in New York. He became well known for his

political views and regularly appeared on TV and in newspapers. He became famous around the world. In

1964, Malcolm X made his pilgrimage to Mecca, where he realized all races were the same. Malcolm X was

assassinated while making a speech in 1965.

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Marie Curie

Marie Curie was born in 1867. She is one of the greatest scientists ever to have lived. She was a pioneer in the

field of radioactivity and discovered the chemical elements radium and polonium. Curie is the only person

ever to win two Nobel Prizes in two different sciences. Other achievements include being the first female

professor at the University of Paris.

Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland. Her father was a math and physics teacher and was a big influence on

Marie’s early education. From an early age Marie was an exceptional student with an amazing memory. She

often went without food and sleep to study. Her brilliant mind led her to Paris to study and conduct her

research.

She met her future husband Pierre Curie at the university. He considered Marie to be a genius and instantly

wanted to work with her. They got married and spent most of their time together in their laboratory studying

radioactive materials. Their research led to the discovery of radium, for which they were honoured with the

Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903.

Pierre was killed in 1906 and Marie was devastated and extremely lonely. She threw herself even deeper into

her work and won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911. She spent the 1920s raising funds for more research

into radium. In 1934 she died from a condition caused by decades of exposure to radiation. No one knew how

deadly radium was until years later.

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Mark Elliot Zuckerberg

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg was born on May the 14th, 1984. He is the creator of the social media site Facebook.

He was a star student at school, winning prizes in astronomy, maths and physics. He also excelled in Classical

studies. He studied Psychology and Computer Science at Harvard University, which is where he created

Facebook. His invention led to his becoming Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2010.

Zuckerberg excelled in everything he did in his youth. He was captain of the school fencing team, spoke many

languages and was a highly skilled computer programmer. While other kids played computer games, he

designed them. He created his first network while in high school to connect all of the computers in his father’s

dental surgery. He also built a media player which attracted the interest of Microsoft and AOL.

Zuckerberg started at Harvard in September 2002. In his first year, he created Facemash, a Facebook

predecessor, which let students select the college’s best looking people from a selection of photos. He

launched Facebook from his Harvard room in February 2004. It was the start of a rollercoaster ride that would

connect half a billion people worldwide and make him the world’s youngest billionaire.

Mark Zuckerberg is now one of the most influential people on the planet. He has dined with the president of

the USA and regularly attends global economic summits and technology forums. He stated: "The thing I really

care about is the mission, making the world open." In 2010, Zuckerberg signed a promise called the "Giving

Pledge", in which he promised to donate at least half of his life wealth to charity.
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Michelle Bachelet

Michelle Bachelet was born in 1951. She is the first woman to become President of Chile. She won the 2006

election in a runoff, campaigning to help reduce the country’s huge gap between rich and poor. In 2008, ‘Time’

magazine ranked her fifteenth on its list of the world's 100 most influential people. She is a qualified surgeon

and speaks five languages fluently.

Bachelet was born in Santiago, Chile. Her mother was an archaeologist and her father was an air force officer.

She spent most of her childhood traveling around Chile, living on different military bases. She attended a

prestigious girls-only public school and excelled in her studies. She started studying medicine in 1970. She

said: "It was a concrete way of helping people cope with pain."

Augusto Pinochet came to power in a 1973 coup and her life changed forever. Her father died in 1974 after

months of daily torture. Bachelet and her mother were also tortured. In 1975, they were exiled to Australia. A

year later she went to the German Democratic Republic, where she completed her medical studies and learnt

German.

In 1979, Bachelet returned to Chile and helped children whose parents were being tortured by Pinochet’s

government. She became a consultant for the World Health Organization. She also earned a Master’s in

military science. In 2002 Bachelet became Latin America’s first female Defence Minister. Four years later, she

became president. A record number of foreign heads of states attended her swearing in ceremony.
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Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi

Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi was India’s most important political and spiritual leader. He is honoured in

India as Father of the Nation. His non-violent protests led to independence for India from the British. His

beliefs and actions have inspired civil rights movements across the globe. He is an icon of world peace. His

birthday, 2nd October, is commemorated worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Gandhi was born in Gujarat, Western India, in 1869. He grew up surrounded by religious traditions of

compassion, vegetarianism, and tolerance for all people. He got married at the age of 13. When he was 19, he

went to London to study law. He returned to India to practice as a lawyer but was hampered by British

officials, so he accepted a job in South Africa.

In South Africa, Gandhi faced discrimination and hardship wherever he went. He was treated as a third-class

citizen by white people. This awakened in him questions about social justice and the role of the British in India.

He returned to India in 1915, ready to put to work the concept of passive resistance he developed in South

Africa.

Between 1916 and 1945, Gandhi campaigned tirelessly to set India free from British rule. He started by leading

protests against British taxes and landlords, and walked across India encouraging non-cooperation with the

British. He was arrested and imprisoned for creating unrest. Gandhi's fame spread all over the nation. He was

assassinated in 1948. Two years later, India became an independent republic.

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Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was born in Albania in 1910, and died in 1997. Her real name is Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She

became famous the world over for starting the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India. She began this work

in 1950 and for over forty years, she looked after the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying. She won the Nobel

Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work.

Agnes developed an interest in helping the less fortunate at a very young age. She was fascinated by stories of

people who dedicated their life to help others. She decided to become a nun when she was 12. She joined the

Sisters of Loreto as a missionary when she was 18. She initially went to Ireland, to learn English.

She arrived in India in 1929 and became a nun two years later. The poverty and suffering she saw around her

in Calcutta deeply disturbed her. A famine in 1943 killed thousands and worsened the situation. In 1946 she

received a call from God. "I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. It was an

order,” she said.

She was an international symbol of charity, visiting many countries to help poor children. At the time of her

death, her organization was operating in 123 countries. After she died, the Pope started the process that

might one day make her a saint. An international survey ranked her as the "most admired person of the 20th

Century."
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Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was one of the most loved and respected people in the world. For countless reasons he was

and remains a huge hero. He was a person from whom we can all learn many lessons. He experienced many

things in his nine decades, from being tortured to becoming president of the country he loved. After retiring,

he continued to travel the world, helping people and raising awareness of global issues.

Nelson was born in 1918 into a South Africa that was divided along black and white racial lines. He said he had

a wonderful childhood and was a keen runner and boxer. He learnt more of the terrible apartheid system

when he studied to become a lawyer. This led to his campaigning for equal rights and his involvement in the

African National Congress (ANC), which he later became the leader of.

The South African government did its best to keep Mandela from spreading his message of equality for blacks

and racial unity. It put him in prison for 27 years. He became famous around the world as an icon of the

struggle for freedom in South Africa. Rock stars, actors, politicians and ordinary people campaigned to free

him and end apartheid. He was released from prison in 1990 and the world rejoiced.

Nelson Mandela's call for racial reconciliation won him the hearts of millions. He also won the Nobel Peace

Prize, in 1993, and over 250 more awards. A year later, he became his country's first ever black president and

served in office until 1999. In his retirement, he continued to tirelessly campaign for many global causes until

old age slowed him down. He died on the 5th of December, 2013, aged 95.
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Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) is probably one of history’s most famous names. He was a Spanish painter and

sculptor and perhaps the most recognized figure in twentieth-century art. He is best known for starting the

Cubist style. Among his most famous works is the painting of the German bombing of the Spanish city of

Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.

Picasso was born into a middle-class family. He took after his father, who was also a painter and a professor of

art. From the age of seven, Picasso had formal art lessons from his father. Picasso threw everything into art

and his school grades went down. Aged 16, the family sent Picasso to study at Madrid’s Royal Academy of Art.

Picasso moved to Paris in 1900. It was difficult for him to make a living. In 1911, he was questioned by the

police for stealing the Mona Lisa. In the summer of 1918, Picasso married ballerina Olga Khokhlova. She

introduced him to the rich people of Paris in the 1920s. He became a celebrity and a very respected artist.

Picasso also acted in movies and always played himself in his film appearances. He became famous for his anti-

war views. His painting Guernica showed the horror of war. He publicly opposed America’s involvement in the

Korean War. After his death, the French state kept many of his paintings. Today, much of his work hangs in a

collection at the Musée Picasso in Paris.

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Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian novelist and songwriter. He was born in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro. In 1970, he quit law

school to go travelling around South America, Africa, and Europe. He learnt much about the supernatural on

his travels, which would become themes of his books. He returned to Brazil and wrote song lyrics for famous

Brazilian singers.

In 1986, Coelho went on a walk that would change his life. He walked the 800-kilometre Road of Santiago de

Compostela in Spain, an ancient highway used for centuries by pilgrims. He said he experienced self-

awareness and spiritual awakening, which he wrote about in his novel ‘The Pilgrimage’. It opened up a new

way of writing for him.

A year later, Coelho wrote his most famous book, ‘The Alchemist’. The book sold very slowly at first and his

publisher dropped it. He found another publisher who had more faith in his writing and the book became one

of the best-selling books of all time. It reached number one in 18 countries, and so far has sold 30 million

copies.

Coelho is the best-selling Portuguese language author in history. His books have been translated in 67

languages. To date, Coelho has sold over 100 million novels. He was the world’s best-selling author in 2003. He

spends his time writing novels and a newspaper column. He is also a Messenger of Peace for the United

Nations and raises awareness of the UN’s ideals.

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Steve Jobs

Jobs guided Apple to be a major player in the digital revolution. The introduction of the iMac and other

cutting-edge products made Apple a powerful brand with a loyal following. Jobs also enjoyed considerable

success at Pixar. He created Oscar-winning movies such as ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Finding Nemo’. Jobs’ advice for

success is: “You’ve got to find what you love." He died in October 2011, aged 56.

Steve Jobs was the co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc. and former CEO of Pixar Animation Studios. He was the

largest individual shareholder in Walt Disney. Jobs’ name is associated with innovative products like the iPod,

iPhone, iTunes and iPad. He was a much-respected corporate leader whose management style is studied

worldwide. His attention to design, function and style won him millions of fans.

Jobs was born in San Francisco in 1955. He became interested in computers when he was a teenager and

attended lectures after school at Hewlett Packard. In 1974, Jobs got a job as a technician at the video game

maker Atari. He saved enough money to backpack around India and then returned to Atari, where he met

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Jobs and Wozniak founded Apple in 1976. Jobs persuaded Wozniak to make a computer and sell it. Together,

they developed the Mac. It was the first small computer with a user-friendly interface to be commercially

successful. Jobs also built the computer on which the World Wide Web was created. He developed a passion

for style and functional perfection, which became Apple trademarks.

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Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is a prolific and super-successful American film director and producer. He has won three Best

Movie Oscars, among hundreds of other awards. His movies have made nearly $8 billion, the highest for any

filmmaker in history. ‘Time’ magazine listed him as one of the 100 greatest people of the 20th Century. ‘Life’

named him the most influential person of his generation.

Spielberg was born in Ohio in 1946. He was interested in movies when he was very young. At 12, he made a 9-

minute film to earn his Boy Scout photography badge. Aged 13, he won a prize for a 40-minute war movie.

When he was 16, Spielberg filmed a 2-hour science fiction epic. He set his sights on Hollywood.

Spielberg failed to get into film school because of his high school grades. He was undeterred and went directly

to Universal Studios, where he got a position as an intern. In 1968, he made a short film that caught the

attention of Universal’s vice president. Spielberg became Hollywood’s youngest ever director. He spent seven

years making TV movies.

Spielberg’s first major movie was the shark horror film ‘Jaws’. It was a sensational hit and made Spielberg a

household name. He has since made many blockbusters that have become a part of world culture, including

Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and E.T. Spielberg has also dealt with serious issues such as slavery, the Holocaust

and terrorism. He has also ventured into video game production.

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Walt Disney

Walt Disney was one of the most famous people ever to have lived. He has touched the lives of millions of

children and adults. He holds the record for winning the most Academy Awards (26) and was an innovative

film producer and animator. He created some of the most successful characters, movies and theme parks of

the 20th Century.

Disney was born in 1901 in Chicago. He developed a great love of drawing as a youngster. When he was ten,

he discovered the world of theatre and cinema and fell in love with it. He became the cartoonist for his high

school newspaper. In 1920, he set up his own animation company and his “Laugh-O-Gram” cartoons became

very popular.

Disney wanted more and so he moved to Hollywood. He developed a character based on a pet mouse he once

had. He gave the mouse his own voice and personality. Disney’s wife named him Mickey. Disney put Mickey in

his first movie with sound, ‘Steamboat Willie’. By 1930, Mickey Mouse was the world’s most popular cartoon

character and Walt Disney was a household name.

Following on from Mickey’s success, Disney created characters such as Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. He then

produced an animated feature-length version of Snow White, which was the most successful movie of 1938.

Dozens more movies followed, including Fantasia and Bambi. Disney built up a global entertainment empire,

including his Disneyland theme park. He died of cancer in 1966.

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived between 1756 and 1791. He is one of the most famous composers ever to

live. You can hear his music almost everywhere today – in TV commercials, movies, mobile phone ringtones,

and of course concert halls. He composed over 600 works ranging from symphonies, piano concertos, operas

and choral music. Many musicians and music experts say he was a musical genius.

Mozart was born into a musical family in Salzburg, Austria. His father worked for the local orchestra, taught

the violin and was a composer. Mozart started learning the keyboard when he was three and composed his

first pieces of music aged five. His father soon became unable to keep up with his son’s outstanding talents.

Between the ages of six and seventeen, Mozart went on tours of Europe with his family. He performed in front

of royalty and met many great musicians. He also studied the works of the great composers, including Johan

Bach, who he met in London in 1764 and 1765. By his mid-teens, Mozart had established himself throughout

Europe as an up-and-coming composer.

Mozart moved to Vienna and started composing some of his finest works, including the opera “The Marriage

of Figaro”. He married, had two children and lived quite a lavish lifestyle. He worked non-stop producing music

that is studied by students all over the world today. He continues to be one of the greatest influences on

classical music.
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Angelina Jolie

Angelina was born in LA in 1976. She loved movies and started acting classes to follow her dream of movie

stardom. She was rebellious and became a punk with dyed purple hair and tattoos. Her movie career took off

in 1997 and within a few years she had won an Oscar. Her 2001 role as Lara Croft in the blockbuster “Tomb

Raider” shot her to international fame.

Angelina hasn’t limited her career to acting. She became involved in humanitarian work while filming in

Cambodia. She is now a UN Goodwill Ambassador, visiting refugee camps in poor countries. She donates large

sums of money to help the plight of underprivileged people. She has effectively used her stardom to highlight

world problems.

Unfortunately, Jolie’s personal life has come to overshadow her other pursuits. The tabloids are obsessed with

her relationships, especially the current one with Brad Pitt. The couple is now referred to not as Brad and

Angelina but as “Brangelina”. The media seem more caught up with what they eat and drink than the

important humanitarian work Angelina continues to do.

Helping other people is what truly motivates Angelina. In 2001, she said: “We cannot close ourselves off…and

ignore the fact that millions of people are out there suffering.” In addition to acting awards, she has received

wide recognition for her humanitarian work. She became the first winner of the UN’s Citizen of the World

Award. It seems likely more accolades will follow.

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Anne Frank

Anne Frank was a young Jewish German girl who gained international fame after her death following the

publication of her diary. She wrote about her life, thoughts and experiences of hiding from the Nazis in World

War II. Her account of her two years spent in an attic in Amsterdam became an international best seller. She

died aged 15 in a German concentration camp.

Anne Frank was born in 1929 in Germany. Her father was a German officer from World War I. Anne was a very

studious and diligent student who had a passion for books. She moved to Amsterdam with her family after

Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. She attended a Montessori school and was a very energetic and outgoing

girl.

In June 1942, Anne received a notebook for her thirteenth birthday. She decided to use it as a diary and wrote

about her dreams to become an actress. In July, she and her family were ordered to go to a work camp.

Instead, they hid in the attic of her father’s workplace. They shared the small space with another family for

two years.

In August 1944, German security police discovered the hideout and arrested its occupants. Anne was sent to

the Auschwitz concentration camp. Anne died in March 1945 and was buried in a mass grave, the

whereabouts of which is still unknown. Her diary was found and given to her father. It is one of the most

widely read books in the world today.

 24

Celine Dion

Celine Dion is a superstar in both French and English. She is one of the most talented and successful artists of

her generation. In May 2008, she received France’s highest award, but her beginnings were slightly more

humble. She was the youngest of 14 children born to poor parents. Music was a key part of family life and her

earliest dream was to be famous.

When she was eighteen, at a Michael Jackson concert, she decided she wanted to be a star like him. She

needed a change of image and had cosmetic and dental surgery. She also had English lessons to polish her

accent for singing songs in English. Her English debut, the 1990 album ‘Unison’, brought her to the world’s

attention.

Dion has spent two decades making hit albums in English and sticking to her roots by singing in French. She

says she is a French singer who occasionally records in English. Her 1995 release ‘D’eux’ is still the best-selling

French album of all time. She continues to perform regularly and is today regarded as one of pop music's most

influential female vocalists.

Dion is also a clever businesswoman. She has branched out into different areas to market her name. She

started and then sold a successful restaurant franchise. She then signed a profitable deal with perfume giant

Coty to release her own line of fragrances. She also supports many charities worldwide. She has achieved her

childhood dream and helped countless people along the way.

 25

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was born in France in 1883 and died in 1971. She was a pioneering fashion designer

who revolutionized women’s fashion. She designed modern and simple clothes that were often based on

menswear. She was so important that she was the only designer named in ‘Time’ magazine's list of the 100

most influential people of the 20th century.

Chanel had a very poor upbringing. Her mother worked in the poorhouse where Gabrielle was born. She died

when Gabrielle was six and then her father abandoned her. She adopted the name Coco while she was a cafe

singer in 1905. Two lovers funded her first store in Paris in 1910. They also helped her hats become popular

with rich women.

In the 1920s, Chanel rose to become Paris’ top fashion designer. Her comfortable, yet elegant clothes were

popular across Europe. Women found her mannish clothes to be liberating. In 1922 Chanel introduced her

perfume, Chanel No. 5, which is still highly profitable. Her famous Chanel suit has also stood the test of time

and is part of the modern woman’s wardrobe.

At the beginning of World War II she moved into the Ritz Hotel in Paris, which became her home for 30 years.

During the Nazi occupation of Paris she had a lover, a German spy. This relationship made her unpopular for a

decade after the war. Her 1954 collection did badly in France. Today, however, her name is the biggest in

fashion.
 26

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born in 1985. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the

world. The legendary Dutch genius Johan Cruyff said he's one of the best ever. Ronaldo became a soccer

superstar playing for English team Manchester United, Spain's Real Madrid and for Portugal. He plays in

midfield, from where he regularly scores spectacular goals.

Ronaldo started kicking a ball around when he was three. His skill was obvious then and by ten years old, two

of Portugal's top clubs wanted to sign him. He joined Sporting Lisbon and became the only player in their

history to play for the Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, B team and first-team within one season. His skills soon

attracted Europe's big teams.

Manchester United decided Ronaldo was the perfect replacement for David Beckham and signed him in 2003.

He set the English Premier League alight in his time there with his silky skills, and helped the team win nine

trophies, including the UEFA Champions League. He also picked up the FIFA World Player of the Year award in

2008.

In 2009, Ronaldo joined his boyhood heroes Real Madrid and became the most expensive footballer in history.

His transfer fee was over $131 million. He broke Real's scoring record in his second season, with 53 goals in all

competitions. He bettered that in 2011-12, netting 60 times to help Real win Spain's La Liga. In 2012, Diego

Maradona said Ronaldo was "the best player on the planet."

 27

David Beckham

David Beckham is an English footballer who has played for Manchester United and Real Madrid, as well as

representing his country 100 times. He moved to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 to increase the profile of

football in America. He married Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and has become a worldwide celebrity, an

advertising brand and a fashion icon.

Beckham was born in London in 1975. His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters. His talent

was obvious from an early age and he signed with Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday. He helped

the youth team win several trophies and made his first team debut in 1995. He helped his team achieve

considerable success in his eleven seasons with them.

Beckham has been runner-up twice as world football’s best player. He won many trophies with Manchester

United, including the Champions League, and won a league title with Real Madrid. He also captained his club

and country. He was famously sent off in a match against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup. In 2003, Beckham

received an honour for services to football from Britain’s Queen.

Beckham has many interests off the soccer pitch and is rarely out of the headlines, especially concerning his

marriage and children. He has established football academies in Los Angeles and London. In 2006 he was

named a judge for the British Book Awards. He lives near Tom Cruise and the two are best buddies. Beckham

is also a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.

 28

Fernando Botero

Fernando Botero was born in 1932 in Medellin, Colombia. He paints in the neo-figurative style and calls

himself "the most Colombian of Colombian artists". He largely paints large people – figures that are much

larger than life in all parts of their body. His critics often call them “fat people”. Botero doesn’t know the

reason why he paints such obese forms.

Botero grew up looking at paintings in his local Catholic church. These were in the centuries-old Baroque style

and influenced his style. He was never rich enough to visit galleries and see other works. He held his first

exhibition when he was 20, in the capital Bogota. He used the money he received to go to Europe to study art.

Throughout the 1960s he lived in New York. He found a new inspiration in the Italian Renaissance. He began to

experiment with creating volume in his figures by expanding them and compressing the space around them.

This became his unique and trademark style. In 1997, Colombian terrorists destroyed his sculpture ‘Bird’ in

Medellin. Seventeen people died in the attack.

Botero’s works now hang in galleries all over the world. He is guaranteed millions of dollars for each painting

he does. His works instantly become collector’s items and many people buy them as investments. In 2005,

Botero painted a series of 50 paintings that graphically showed the horror of the events in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib

prison. This is typical of Botero using art for social commentary.

 29

J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling is the pen name she uses as a writer. The J is for Joanne, her real first name, but she prefers to be

called Jo. Apparently, people only call her Joanne when they’re angry with her. The K is made up. Her

publisher asked her to write using a name with two initials, but she didn’t have a middle name.

Jo did a few different things before she struck upon the idea of writing children’s books. She worked as a

researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International and as an English teacher in Portugal. The idea

for the Harry Potter novels came from nowhere while she was on a train to London. She said, “The characters

and situations came flooding into my head”.

Seven Potter novels later and Rowling is one of the richest women in the world. In fact, she is the first novelist

ever to become a billionaire from writing. Her rags to riches story is a fantasy story in itself. She was on

government handouts while writing her first novel. Her last four books broke records for the fastest sellers in

literary history.

Today she devotes much of her time to many charitable causes. She famously demanded that Coca-Cola

donate $18 million to the Reading is Fundamental charity if it wanted a tie-up with the Potter movies. The

future? In March 2008, she said: "I will continue writing for children because that's what I enjoy".
 30

John Winston Ono Lennon

John Winston Ono Lennon is one of the most famous musical artists ever. He shot to fame as one of The

Beatles. He co-wrote most of the band’s songs, the majority of which are now rock classics. He also helped

shape the social revolution of the 1960s. His solo career further elevated him as a music legend. Lennon also

achieved fame as a peace activist.

Lennon was born in Liverpool in 1940. He was brought up by an aunt, who bought him a harmonica and taught

him how to play the banjo. Lennon’s mother played him Elvis Presley records and he fell in love with Rock and

Roll. He told his mother and aunt he would be a famous singer one day.

Lennon met Paul McCartney in 1957 at a church hall concert. They became friends and began writing songs

together. They formed a band called The Beatles. They became popular playing live at local clubs in Liverpool

and Germany. Then they became the most successful and influential act in music history. Lennon famously

said The Beatles were more popular than Jesus.

Lennon left The Beatles in 1970. That same year he released the ‘John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band’ album, which

he recorded with his Japanese wife Yoko Ono. His album ‘Imagine’ followed in 1971. The title song became an

anthem for anti-war movements. More classic albums followed. On 8th December 1980, Lennon was shot and

killed outside his New York apartment by a deranged fan.

 31

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp was born in 1963. He had a troubled childhood and often harmed himself to overcome his

shyness. He said his scars and tattoos mean his body is like a journal of his life. His mother bought him a guitar

when he was 12. He had several unsuccessful attempts at becoming a rock star. Years later, he played guitar

on an Oasis song.

In 1983 he married Lori Allison, a Hollywood make-up artist. She introduced him to the actor Nicolas Cage,

who encouraged him to take up acting. His break came the following year with a role in "A Nightmare on Elm

Street". This was the first of many successful films that would make Depp one of Hollywood’s top earners.

Depp’s marriage ended in divorce in 1985. He became romantically involved with celebrities including actress

Winona Ryder and supermodel Kate Moss. He finally found true love with French singer Vanessa Paradis. The

couple has two children who Depp says have given him everything in life, including deep love. He lives with his

family and makes wine in France.

Depp has appeared in some of the most memorable movies of the past two decades. All of his roles have been

extremely different. He played J.M. Barrie (the creator of Peter Pan), Willie Wonka, and more recently Jack

Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean”. He said he only chooses films that he finds personally interesting and

not those that might be a commercial success.

 32

Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake is an American pop singer, songwriter, producer, dancer and actor. He rose to fame as part

of the boy band ‘N Sync and achieved great success after going solo. He has won six Grammy Awards and an

Emmy. He has sold more than 50 million albums in his music career. He has also ventured into the fashion and

restaurant businesses.

Timberlake was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1981. His first attempts at singing were on the TV show Star

Search. He performed under the name of Justin Randall and sang country songs. In 1993, he joined the cast of

The Mickey Mouse Club, along with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Two years later, he joined ‘N Sync

and became an international superstar.

‘N Sync were big business and their second and third albums were the fastest selling albums of all time. In

2002, Timberlake began working on his first solo album ‘Justified’ and the group was no more. Timberlake

performed at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. A year later he received $6 million from McDonald’s for the

song “I’m Lovin’ It”.

Timberlake released his second album ‘FutureSex/LoveSounds’ in 2006. It debuted at number one in the US

album charts. He also found time to appear in several movies and collaborate with other artists, including

Madonna and 50 Cent. Timberlake has his own record label, restaurant chain and clothing line. He is an avid

golfer and in 2007 hosted a PGA Tour tournament.

 33

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the most important leader of the American civil rights movement. He helped

unite a nation with his powerful speeches and use of non-violent protests. His 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech

is one of the greatest in human history. King’s efforts to end racial discrimination earned him the Nobel Peace

Prize in 1964.

King was born in 1929 in Atlanta. His father was a reverend and so King had a religious upbringing. He

graduated from college with a degree and a Ph.D. in religious studies. King went to India to visit Gandhi’s

family. He was inspired by Mohandas Gandhi's success with non-violent resistance and saw it as a “potent

weapon” in America’s struggle for civil rights.

King was instrumental in achieving many successes in ending segregation laws. He led the Montgomery Bus

Boycott which ended racial segregation on public buses in Montgomery. He realized that non-violent protest

would attract extensive media coverage of the struggle for racial equality. His campaigns soon elevated the

Civil Rights Movement to be the most important issue in American politics.

King helped organize the famous Million Man March on Washington in 1963, where he spoke to the nation

appealing for racial harmony. His non-violent protests met with success as Congress passed civil rights laws

(1964) and voting rights laws (1965). King’s friendship with President John F. Kennedy also helped his cause.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Stevie Wonder pays tribute to King with his song "Happy Birthday".
 34

Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky is an American author, lecturer, linguist, philosopher, and political commentator. He is a top

professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His ideas completely changed

teachers’ understanding of how we learn languages. Chomsky is well known for his prolific research and

publications. He is cited as a source more often than any other living person.

Chomsky was born in 1928 in Pennsylvania, USA. The young Noam got into writing and politics at a very early

age. When he was 10, he wrote an essay on the threat of fascism during the Spanish Civil War. Needless to

say, he was a gifted student and he followed current events very closely. He graduated with an MA in

philosophy and linguistics.

Chomsky received his Ph.D. in linguistics in 1955. His thesis helped shape today’s understanding of what

language is and how we all learn it so naturally. He joined the teaching staff of MIT in 1955 and has remained

there to this day. Chomsky has spent decades there researching and writing on language, psychology and

politics and has influenced hundreds of researchers and academics.

Chomsky is a fierce critic of US foreign policy and continually questions the misuse of American power. He has

strongly opposed all wars from Vietnam to Iraq. He is largely shunned by the media in the United States for

being unpatriotic and has received death threats. However, he is in high demand for his ideas and speeches

around the world.

 35

Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino is an award-winning American film director, screenwriter and actor. He is known for his

stylish and violent movies. He rose to fame in the early 1990s for his unique directing method that relied

heavily on dialogue. His screenplays are usually full of unforgettable lines and scenes. He has become a cult

director around the world while achieving superstar status.

Tarantino was born in Tennessee in 1963. He dropped out of high school when he was 15 to learn acting. He

got a job in a video rental store and spent all day watching and analyzing films. He had long discussions about

them with customers. For Tarantino, this proved to be an education in directing that he would bring to his

own moviemaking.

Tarantino met a movie producer at a Hollywood party who encouraged him to write a screenplay. In January

1992 ‘Reservoir Dogs’ came out and Tarantino instantly became a cult legend. He then wrote the screenplays

for the box-office hits ‘True Romance’ and ‘Natural Born Killers’. In 1994, Tarantino made his classic ‘Pulp

Fiction’ and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Tarantino made a few more films before writing and directing the ‘Kill Bill’ movies. These films combined the

movie styles of Chinese martial arts, Japanese drama, spaghetti westerns and Italian horror. They confirmed

him as one of Hollywood’s elite directors. Tarantino once said: "When people ask me if I went to film school I

tell them, ‘No, I went to films.’”

 36

Shakira

Shakira is a Colombian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and dancer. She is one of Latin America’s

top stars and is very popular internationally. She is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time. She has sold

more than 50 million albums worldwide, and has won numerous awards. She is also the only South American

singer to have a number one record in the USA.

Shakira was born in 1977 in Colombia. Her mother is of Spanish and Italian ancestry, and her father is of

Lebanese descent. She speaks fluent Spanish, English, Portuguese and Italian, and a little Arabic. Shakira was

an outstanding student at school. Reports are she has an IQ of 140. She grew up writing poems on a

typewriter she got as a Christmas gift.

Shakira wanted to perform from the age of four. She danced at school every Friday and her classmates

nicknamed her "belly dancer girl". She said: "That's how I discovered my passion for live performance." Aged

13, she signed a three-album contract with Sony Music. The first two flopped; but the third, ‘Pies Descalzos’

sold over five million copies and made her a star.

Shakira crossed over into singing in English. Her 2001 album ‘Laundry Service’ sold 13 million copies and

established her as an international phenomenon. Gabriel García Marquez asked her to write the songs for the

movie ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’. Shakira has written the lyrics to every song she has recorded, bar two.

She describes herself as a perfectionist.

 37

Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr.

Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. is an actor and rapper. He first became famous in the late 1980s as the

rap artist Fresh Prince. He made a very successful move into movies. He is the only actor in Hollywood history

to make eight consecutive films that earned $100 million in the USA. ‘Newsweek’ magazine called him the

most powerful actor on the planet.

Smith was born in 1968 and raised in Philadelphia. His mother was a school administrator and his father was a

refrigeration engineer. He began rapping as a teenager. His friends nicknamed him The Prince. He met D.J.

Jazzy Jeff and the duo became hip-hop stars in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1988, they won the first ever

Grammy in the Rap category.

In 1990, the NBC television network signed Smith to star in the sitcom ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’, which

launched his acting career. Smith decided he would become “the biggest movie star in the world” and began

studying box office successes. His studying paid off. His movies ‘Independence Day’ (1996) and ‘Men In

Black’(1997) were both box office hits.

Smith is now one of Hollywood’s hottest actors. His movies make huge amounts of money and appeal across

age, race, and gender. He has been nominated for a Golden Globe, two Academy Awards, and has won many

Grammys. He has also appeared in movies with his son Jaden, in ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’, and his daughter

Willow, in ‘I Am Legend’.