Biographies of the famous, influential, and inspirational.
100 people who changed the world
People who influenced and changed the world throughout history. From Socrates and Plato to Sir Winston Churchill and J.F. Kennedy.
Over 50 influential women who helped to shape the world in which we live. Including: Sappho, Elizabeth I, Indira Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony, Helen Keller, Princess Diana, Joan d’Arc, Marilyn Monroe and Mother Teresa.
A selection of inspirational people who have helped create a better world. Includes Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Albert Einstein.
Famous men and women who have campaigned for, and promoted human and civil rights. Includes Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.
Great artists – such as, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci and Pablo Picasso.
Greatest works of art – Mona Lisa, Statue of David
The great scientists who have changed our world from Archimedes to Albert Einstein and Marie Curie. Also list of famous inventors.
Famous poets and authors. Great writers including J. R. R. Tolkien, George Orwell, Ernst Hemingway, J.K.Rowling and C.S. Lewis
Saints and sages from different religious and spiritual traditions.
100 great sporting personalities, including football, athletics, tennis, gymnastics, boxing and more
A list of famous Africans, including Nelson Mandela, Haile Selassie, Kofi Annan, Tegla Laroupe, and Wangari Maathai.
Famous military leaders from Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Napoleon to modern military commanders.
Featured biographies
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Nelson Mandela. (1918 – 2013 ) Campaigned for justice and freedom in his South Africa. Spent 20 years in jail for his opposition to apartheid. After his release he became the first President of democratic South Africa.
- J.K.Rowling – Best selling author of Harry Potter Series.
- Benjamin Franklin – Great American polymath.
- Martin Luther King – Civil rights activist.
- Emily Dickinson – American poet.
- George Orwell – Author of 1984 and Animal Farm.
- J.RR. Tolkien – Author of Lord of the Rings.
- J.M. Keynes – Revolutionary economist who created Keynesian economics.
- Sri Chinmoy – spiritual teacher, peace advocate.
- Swami Vivekananda – spiritual teacher and Indian reformer.
Recently added pages
- Babe Ruth (1895 – 1948) – Famous US baseball player
- Ronald Reagan (1911 – 2004) – US President
- Angelina Jolie (1975 – ) Actress, director, humanitarian.
- Alex Salmond (1954 – ) Nationalist SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland.
- Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) – Philosopher and religious reformer. Humanist thinker
- Grace Kelly (1929-1982) American film actress and Princess of Monace
- Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982) Swedish actress, staring in Casablanca
- Female authors – Famous female authors from Sappho to Sylvia Plath
- Meister Eckhart – (1260- 1327) Germany mystic, philosopher and religious administrator
- People who promoted religious tolerance – Timeline of religious tolerance
- People who changed their minds – Some of the greatest u-turns in beliefs and opinions.
- Martin Niemöller (1893-1984) – German pastor, imprisoned for opposing Hitler.
- Germans who resisted Hitler – Including: Dietrich Bonhoffer, Claus von Stauffenberg.
- Famous pacifists – From Gandhi and Einstein to conscientious objectors.
- Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980) – English / American film producer.
- Walt Disney (1901 – 1966) American cartoonist and entertainment mogul.
- Famous historical figures – from the age of the Ramayana to the present day.
- Famous French people – from Jean d’Arc to Zinedine Zidane.
- Frederick Douglass – (1818 – 1895) African American, anti-slavery campaigner.
- Pope Francis (1936 – ) First pope from the Americas.
- Maximilian Kolbe (1894 – 1941) Franciscan Saint from Poland
- Sophie Scholl (1921-1943) – German student who resisted Hitler and Nazi party.
About Biography Online. A collection of biographies about famous, inspirational and influential people, who have helped to shape and change the world. We are continuing to add more biographies over time. The main author of Biography Online is Tejvan Pettinger from Oxford, UK.