Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865) was a Hungarian physician known as the “savior of mothers” for his pioneering work in obstetrics and the prevention of childbed fever. While working in Vienna General Hospital in the mid-19th century, Semmelweis observed a stark contrast in mortality rates between two maternity wards: one staffed by doctors and medical students, the…
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer regarded as one of the greatest and most influential authors of all time. He received nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year from 1902 to 1906 and for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, 1902, and 1909….
Thomas Thompson (1813-1891) was an American artist associated with landscape and genre painting. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but first ran a business career. He later passed through art, studying at the Lowell Institute and with the great painter Alvan Fisher. Simple, rural life scenes became a dominant motif of Thompson’s work — and…
Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, statesman, secular humanist, social democrat, and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a principal leader of the Indian nationalist movement in the 1930s and 1940s. Upon India’s independence in 1947,…
Yuri Shargin is a Russian cosmonaut who was born on April 6, 1960, in Moscow, Russia. He served as a Colonel in the Russian Air Force before being selected as a cosmonaut candidate in 1997. Shargin made his first spaceflight aboard the Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft, which launched on October 14, 2004, and docked with the…
Azim Khamisa is a peace activist, author, and founder of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation (TKF), established after his 20-year-old son, Tariq, was killed by a 14-year-old gang member, Tony Hicks, in 1995. Rather than seeking revenge, Khamisa forgave Hicks and, alongside Hicks’ grandfather, Ples Felix, formed TKF to combat youth violence through education, mentorship, and…
Elizabeth Blackwell was a pioneering figure in the field of medicine. Born in 1821 in Bristol, England, she became the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, graduating from Geneva Medical College in 1849. Blackwell faced numerous obstacles and discrimination in her pursuit of a medical career, but her determination and…
Abul Hasan ash-Shadhili was born in Morocco in 1187 and died in Egypt in 1258. He was a leading figure in the Shadhili Sufi order, which is one of the most important Sufi orders in the world. He was a prolific writer and his works are still studied by Sufis today. Ash-Shadhili’s teachings are based…
Carl Ransom Rogers (January 8, 1902–February 4, 1987) was an American psychologist and psychotherapist who was one of the founders of humanistic psychology. He is best known for developing client-centered therapy, a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the client. Carl Ransom Rogers Quotes 01. “The…
Antoine Lavoisier, born in 1743 in Paris, France, was a prominent French chemist often referred to as the “father of modern chemistry.” He is best known for his fundamental contributions to the understanding of chemical reactions and the establishment of the law of conservation of mass. Lavoisier conducted meticulous experiments that led to the discovery…
