Abdul Ghaffar Khan: 1890..1988: Also called "Frontier Gandhi" for his organizing the people of the North West Frontier Provinces of the undivided India - now with Pakistan. Actively involved in freedom struggle awarded the "Bharat Ratna" 1987.
Abdullah Sheikh: 1906-1982: Founder of National Congress, Jammu & Kashmir. Former Chief Minister.
Abdul Rahman Tunku:1903..1973: First Prime Minister of Malaysia who was Instrumental in obtaining independence from the British.
Abu Bakr: 574..634AD: A trusted general of prophet Muhammad and became The first Caliph of the Muslim Empire from 632 AD.
Abul Fazl: 1561..1602: Celebrated poet and Prime Minister during Akbar's reign. Ain-i-Akbari and Akbar Nama are his works.
Acheson, Dean: 1893..1971: American Statesman, Secretary of State, promoted"Marshal Plan" and was responsible in establishing North Atlantic TreatyOrganization (NATO)
Abraham Lincoln: 1809..1865: Abolished slavery in USA - 16th President of USA (1861-1865) - was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865.
Adams Gerry: President of the Irish Republican Army's political wing "Sinn Fein".
Akbar: Great Mughal Emperor who ruled India from 1556.
Albert Einstein: 1879..1955...German...Discoverer of Theory of Relativity and aGreat Physicist...Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.
Adolf Hitler 1889...1945: Germany...Founder of Nazi Party... Dictator...His invasion of Poland was the cause of the WW II...after facing defeat in the WW II. committed suicide.
Aga Khan 1936 : Spiritual head of Shia Muslims across the world.
Andre Agassi 1970 :Famous Tennis Player...Famous during the 1990s...only Player to win all the four grand slams, the Olympic gold and ATP tour World Championship, together known as "Career Super Slam".
Alauddin Khilji - Strongest ruler of the Khilji Dynasty ruled between 1296 - 1316.
Alberuni: Arab historian who accompanied Muhammad Ghazni and wrote an account of India.
Alexander, the Great 356-323 BC: Greek conqueror...King of Macedonia...Student of Aristotle...made an invasion of India in 326 BC.
Alexander Fleming 1881...1995 : Scotland...Discoverer of Penicillin (1928) . Nobel Prize in 1945.
Alexander Graham Bell 1847...1922: USA...Inventor of Telephone in 1876.
Alexander Gustav Eiffel 1882...1923: French Engineer...Eiffel Tower, Paris and Panama Canal are his works.
Alfred Hitchcock 1899...1980: British American - Famous Director and Producer of suspense thriller movies of Hollywood, during the 1980/1990s.
Allan Octavian Hume 1899...1980: British...Founder of Indian National Congress and associated himself with the independence movement of India.
Aldous Huxley 1894-1963 : Famous British novelist...his brother Julian Huxley was the first DG of the UNESCO.
Abdul Avul Pakir Jainualbdeen Kalam: 1931...Called APJ Kalam...Man responsible for India's missile programmes...President of India 2002-2007...Bharat Ratna...1997.
Anatoly Karpov .. 1951 : Soviet Union - World Chess Champion.
Anna Hazare: 1937: Real name Kisan Baburao Hazare ...Crusader against corruption and his hunger fast during late August 2011 received worldwide support. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1992 for making Ralegan Siddhivillage in Maharashtra a role model village for participative development.
Acharya Kripalani - 1882-1982: Freedom Fighter and Parliamentarian - Close associate of Gandhiji.
Aamir Khusroo 1253..1325 : A great Persian poet who served under 11 Badshahs and 7 Sultans of Delhi. Believed to be the inventor and great exponent of Sitar.
Ashok Kumar 1911..2002: One of the legendary Hindi film actor.
Alauddin Khan, Ustad 1862..1972: Great Hindustani music composer.
Akio Morita 1921..1999: Electronic Expert...Founder of Sony Corporation.
Atal Behari Vajpayee 1924 :Freedom Fighter, poet, orator, writer, journalist, long serving parliamentarian, Union Minister, Prime Minister during 1998-2004... Represents Bharatiya Janata Party and was also its President.
Alfred Bernhard Nobel 1833-1896: Sweden...Inventor of Dynamite and founder of Nobel Prize.
Aristotle Onasis 1906-1975: Greek billionaire...Shipping magnate...Married Jacqueline Kennedy, widow of USA President John F. Kennedy.
Amrita Pritam: 1919 Famous Indian poet and novelist...Gyanpith Awardee.
Azim Hasham Premji...1945 : Founder WIPRO an IT giant and other group Companies. One of the richest man in India and the world.
Aishwarya Rai 1974: Miss World 1994...Famous Hindi Film Actress...Married to Abhishek Bachhan.
Acharya Ramanuja...11th Century: Hindu religious preacher, teacher and founded Rama Bhakti movement.
Arundhati Roy...1960: First Indian author to win Booker Prize for her book "God Of Small Things" ...Environmental Activist...Sydney Peace Prize in 2004
Aruna Asaf Ali: 1909...1996 : Freedom Fighter, Social Activist-Bharat Ratna 1997.
Alfonso de Albuquerque -: Founder of Portuguese rule in some portions of India Conquered Goa in 1510.
Alfred Adler 1870...1937: Famous psychologist from Vienna, Austria who introducedthe concept of "Inferiority Complex".
Alfred Lord Tennyson 1802...1892: England's famous poet laureate.
Andre Marie Ampere 1775...1836: France...Physicist...Formulate "Ampere Law" -SI Unit of electric current is named after him.
Amrit Kaur Rajkumari...1887-1964: Punjab...Freedom fighter...First woman Cabinet Minister of India under Nehruji's Cabinet, as Health Minister.
Akilan... 1922..1988: Noted Tamil author...Gyanpith Awardee.
Andrews CF...1871..1940: British missionary...Devoted his life for the freedom of India along with Gandhiji. He was known as "Deenabandhu".
Ang Dorjee: Nepali Sherpa...Twice climbed Mt. Everest without Oxygen and has climber Mt. Everest more than ten times. He accompanied India's first woman mountaineer to Mt.Everest 1984.
Archimedes ...287..212 BC: Greek Scientist...Discoverer and propounder of "Law of Floating " (buoyancy). Inventor of Archimedes Scree to raise water level.
Arya Bhatta...476-520: India's ancient astronomer who was in the court of Chandragupta Vikramaaditya. India's first satellite was named after him.
Annadurai, C.N....1909-1969: Founder of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Most popular Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. An eminent writer in Tamil.
Ashoka, the Great ...264..228 BC...Grandson of Chandragupta...Great emperor Of India - Embraced Buddhism after Kalinga War.
Aurobindo Ghosh...1872-1950: Philosopher...saint...poet...Founder of Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry.
Attila, the Hun...406...453: Barbarian leader who brought the fall of Romans.
Aristotle... 384-322 BC: Greek philosopher...student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.
Antonius Marcus ...83-30 BC: Roman General known as Mark Antony...His love for Cleopatra is famous through history but his life ended in suicide.
Aurangazeb...1618-1707: Mughal Emperor...Expanded Mughal rule almost through India...Patronised Islam and for this he estranged Hindus and Sikhs.
Acharya Narendra Dev...1889-1956: Scholar, social activist, educationist, Vice Chancellor of Benares Hindu University, Lucknow University.
Anwar el Sadat...1919-1981: Egypt...President 1970..1981...Famous for the campDavid Peace Treaty...Nobel Peace Prize Awardee in 1978 . Assassinated in 1981.
Arnold Schwarzenegger..1947 : Austrian American...Famous Hollywood actor Known for his filsm like Terminator, Predator etc., Now Governor of California.
Amartya Kumar Sen 1933: Indian born UK national... world recognized economist. Nobel Prize 1998 - Bharat Ratna 1999.
Ayrton Senna - 1960-1994 : Brazil...F1 world champion...killed in a crash during San Marino Grand Prix.
Arun Shourie...1943 :Famous Indian journalist...Union Minister during BJP led NDA government...Magasasay Awardee.
Adam Smith...1723-1790: Scotland...World Famous Economist...Known as Father of Economics.
Aung San Suu Kyi...1945: Myanmar...fighting against the military ruling for democracy...has been kept under house arrest for the past decade. Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
Amerigo Vespucci -1454-1512: Italian explorer - America is named after him.
Anand Viswanathan .. 1969: Great Chess Player from Tamilnadu...Grand Master and World Champion.. Arjuna, Padma Shri and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee
Ayyankali...1863-1941: Kerala...A great leader of the Harijans...Great organizer-Gandhiji called him as "Pulayaraja".
Alfred the Great: 849-899: King of England (Wessex).
Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar...(Sir) 1883-1953 : Great Scholar and an eminent lawyer from Tamilnadu...and a great orator in English.
Abdul Kalam Azad... 1888-1958: Freedom Fighter...Staunch nationalist...First Education Minister of India...Bharat Ratna Awardee... "India Wins Freedom"is his famous book.
Amitabh Bachhan...1942 : legendary Hindi Cinema actor...former MP.
Amar Gopal Bose...1929 : Founder "Bose Corporation" the high quality sound systems.
Annie Beasant...1847-1933 :Ireland... Founder of Home Rule League, TheosophicalSociety of India...Great supporter of India's freedom movement...Socialist ..Educationist... Reformer etc.,
Allan Border...1956 : Famous Australian Cricket Captain. The Test series between India and Australia is named after him and Sunil Gavaskar.
Anders Celcius ...1701..1744: Sweden.. inventor of Celcius or centigrade scale.
Agatha Christie: 1890..1976 : UK.. Famous Crime novelist.
Arthur Conan Doyle..(Sir) 1859...1930: British... Writer of detective novels. Creator of "Sherlock Holmes" character.
Alexander Dumas: 1802..1870: French novelist..."Three Musketeers" is his famous work.
Arvind Kejriwal 1968: An IIT graduate, selected for IRS and worked as an Addl. Incometax Commissioner, resigned and started Parivartan, an NGO to fight against corruption - instrumental in bringing RTI Act - Active Memberof the India Against Corruption organization, Ramon Magasaysay - 2006.
Abdus Salam: 1926...1996.. Pakistan...The first Pakistani and a Muslim Nobel Laureate for Science (Physics) in 1979.

Babur... 1483-1530: Full name Zahiruddin Muhammad...founder of Mughal Dynasty.
Bala Saraswathy....1918-1945: Tamilnadu..Great exponent of Bharata Natyam classical dance.
Bana Bhatta... 7th Century : Sanskrit Scholar.. Poet...Kadambari and Harsha Charitha are his works.
Boris Becker... 1967: German... youngest Wimbledon Champion (1985)
Bishen Singh Bedi...1946 : Indian Cricketer and former captain.
Bhasa... 5th century: Sanskrit playwright. Yangandharayana, Charulatha are his famous works.
Bhaskara I...7th Century: Great Astronomer.
Bhaskaracharya I 1114...1185: Great Indian mathematician, astronomer.. first to use the decimal system. "Siddhanta Shiromani" his famous work.
Bhavabhuti ...8th century: Great Sanskrit Scholar.
Baichung Bhutia...1976: India's most famous footballer... First Indian to play in a foreign league (FC Bury)...Indian Team Captain.
Bjorn Borg...1956: Sweden... Famous Tennis player... five time consecutive Wimbledon champion.
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Dr. 1891..1956: Great Dalit Leader, writer, educationist, Social worker .. Father of Indian Constitution. Bharat Ratna.. 1990.
Bahadur Shah Zafar... 1807-1862: The last mughal ruler... exiled and died at Rangoon in Myanmar.
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee... 1838-1894: Bengali novelist, freedom fighter... "Vande Mataram" the national song is taken from his work "Anand Math".
Bartholomew Diaz... 1450-1500: Portugal navigator.
Begum Akhtar...Ghazal Queen of India...Padma Bhushan Awardee.
Benjamin Franklin...1706-1790 : US Statesman.. Instrumental in declaration of independence and drafting of American Constitution. Invented lightning conductor.
Bhagat Singh...1907-1931: Patriot and Revolutionary...Also called "Shahid e Azam". Hanged to death by the British on 23.3.1931 along with Sukh Dev and Raj Guru in the Lahore Conspiracy Case.
Banerjee, Womesh Chandra... 1844-1906: Freedom fighter and first president of INC.
Barbara Cartland...1902-2000: USA... famous author.
Bobby Fischer...1943: USA... World Chess Champion... 1972-1975.
Bill Gates .. 1956 :USA... Founder "Microsoft" ... one of the world's richest person and world's largest donor for philanthrophic activities through Bill Gates Foundation.
Boutros Boutros Ghali...1922: Egypt.. First African to become UN Secretary General - 1992-1996.
Bhupendra Kumar Hazarika - 1926: Famous singer, composer and musician...Dada Saheb Phalke Awardee and Padma Bhushan Awardee.
Basappa Danappa Jatti... 1912-2002: Karnataka... Former CM of Karnataka, Governor of Orissa, Vice President and Acting President of India.
Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi ..1922-2011: World acclaimed Hindustani classical Musician. Bharat Ratna.. 2009.
Bernard de Jussieu ..1699-1777: French Botanist who devised the system of plant. Classification based on natural affinities.
Bharata Muni... 5th Century: Sanskrit Scholar .. Natya Shastra is his famous work.
Bismillah Khan...1916-2004: One of the finest exponents of Shehnai... A world renowned musician ... Bharat Ratna ... 2001.
Ben Kingsley .. 1944 : British, who played the role of Gandhi in Sir Attenborough's Film Gandhi and won an Oscar award for that.
Bobby Moore...1941..1943: British legendary footballer.
Benito Mussolini ...1883 .. 1945: Italy ... Dictator 1922-1943 .. supported Hitler in WWII... faced defeat in North Africa and his attempt to invade Sicily resulted in his fall... killed by partisans.
Billie Jean King .. 1943 : One of the world's top woman tennis player .. Wimbledon 5 times, US Open 4 times and host of other championships.
Bachendri Pal .. 1956 : First Indian and world's fifth woman to climb Mount Everest ... 1984.
Boris Pasternak ... 1890-1960: Famous Russian poet and author ... Dr.Zhivago was his famous work ... Nobel Prize in 1958.
Bidan Chandra Roy ... 1882-1962: Prominent Physician ... CM of West Bengal ... Bharat Ratna 1961.
Bertrand Russel ... 1872..1970: British ... Philosopher ... Mathematician... Essayist ...Nobel Prize for Literature ... 1950 ... Principles of Mathematics, Scientific Outlookare his famous works.
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat .. 1923 : Politician ... BJP ... CM Rajasthan and Vice President 2002-2009.
Britney Spears .. 1981 : USA ... Famous Pop Singer ... Her albums "Baby one MoreTime" and "I did it Again" are huge hits.
Begum Khaleda Zia ... 1945: Wife of Zia-Ur-Rehman ... President ... PM of Bangladesh.
Balasaheb Thackeray .. 1926: Cartoonist turned politician ... founder of Shiv Sena.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak ... 1856-1920: Patriot and Statesman ... "Swaraj is my birthright" was his famous slogan. Exile in Myanmar for 6 years. The British Called him the "Father of Indian Unrest". His famous book was "Gita Rahasyam".
Boris Yeltsin .. 1931: President of Russia between 1991..1999 ....During his tenure the dissolution of Russia took place.

Clement Richard Atlee ... 1883-1967: He was the PM of England, when independence was granted for our country. He belonged to the Labour Party.
Caius Octavianus Augustus ... 63BC : First Roman Emperor. Month of August is named after him.
Chandrasekhar Azad ... 1906-1931: Revolutionary freedom fighter. Involved in the assembly bomb incident, Delhi and Lahore Conspiracy Case.
Charles Babbage .. 1791-1871: UK ... inventor of calculating machine, forerunner In the invention of computer.
Christian N. Barnard ... 1922-2001: South African Surgeon ... World's first heart transplant was performed by him.
Cariappa K M ... 1900-1993: Field Marshal ... First commander in chief of IndianArmy (1943-1953).
Chanakya ... 4th Century BC: Also called "Kautilya" .. he was the PM Chandragupta Maurya ... His book Arthasasthra is an authentic book on state management relevant even today.
Chandrasekhar ... 1920..2007: Politician, Parliamentarian and former PM of India 1990..1991.
Charles Spencer Chaplin ... 1889-1977 : Well known as Charlie Chaplin .. British .. One of the great film world comedian ... mostly during silent era.
Charlemagne ... 724-814: Well known as Charles the Great ... Founder of a new Roman Empire comprising Spain, Germany, Italy, Gaul etc.,
Charles (Philip Arthur George) 1948 :Britain ... Prince of Wales ... eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II ... married and divorced with Diana Spencer.
Charles I ... 1600-1649: UK ... He attempted to rule without a parliament. He was beheaded.
Chidambaram R: 1936: Chief Scientific Advisor of Government of India ... Leader of the "Pokhran Test" (Nuclear) in 1998.
Chidambaram P... 1945 : Politician INC... Finance Minister and Home Minister of India.
Chidambaram Pillai, V.O.1872...1936: Tuticorin, Tamilnadu ... freedom fighter ...Founder of the indigenous shipping industry in India.
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar...1889-1994 : Tamilnadu ... Great exponent of Carnatic Music.
Chou-En-Lai ... 1898-1976: China's revolutionary leader. PM in 1949.
Cleopatra .. 69-30 BC: Egyptian queen ... Wife of Julius Caesar and later mistress of Mark Antony. Daughter of Ptolemy Xi, Egypt ... Committed suicide.
Christopher Cockerell ..1910...1999: UK ... inventor of Hovercraft.
Christopher Columbus 1451...1506: Italian ... famous navigator to discover the Americas, Caribbean islands and other parts of the world.
Confucius ... 551..478 BC: Originally Kung Fu Tse ... philosopher and founder of Confucianism.
Chaitanya Maha Prabhu ... 1445..1533: Hindu spiritualist ... pioneer of Bhakti Movement.
Chandragupta Maurya ... 321-298 BC: Founder of Mauryan Dynasty which ruled most parts of India.
Chandragupta II ... 375-413: Also called "Vikramaaditya". His period of rule.Was known as "Golden period of Guptas".
Chengiz Khan ... 1162-1227: Great Mongol Warrior who attempted invasion of India during the reign of Iltumish (1210...1236).
Charles Dickens 1812..1870: UK ... famous writer.
Charles Robert Darwin : 1809...1882: British ... Proposed the "Evolution Theory"."Origin of Species" and "Descent of Man" are his great works.
Christian Huygens ... 1629-1695: Dutch ... Mathematician ... Physicist ... Evolved "Wave Theory of Light" ... invented pendulum clock ... discovered rings of Saturn.
Cecil de Mille ... 1881-1959: USA ... Great film producer of Hollywood. " Ten Commandments" and "Cleopatra" are his famous productions.
Chris Evert...1954: USA ... one of the greatest woman tennis player.
Charles de Gaulle ... 1890-1970: French General, Statesman and First President. Charles Goodyear ... 1800-1860: USA ... Inventor of vulcanized rubber and Founder of the Good Year Tyre company.
Carl Lewis ... 1961: An American legendary athlete in the late 1970s and 1980s. He set the trend of multi event participation and winning them too. He has won 8 olympic gold medals.
Claudius Caesar Nero ... 37-68 : Roman Emperor ... Persecuted Christians ... the Famous quote "When Rome was in Fire, Nero was fiddling" is attributed to him. The great fire of Rome took place during his reign. Committed suicide.
Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari ... 1878..1972: Tamilnadu .. freedom fighter ... Statesman .. Chief minister, Home Minister, Governor, First and Only Indian Governor General of India ... Founded Swatantra Pary ... Bharat Ratna 1954.
Chandrasekar Venkataraman...1888-1970: Popularly known as Sir C.V.Raman. India's most renowned scientist whose discovery of "Raman Effect" on diffusion of light won him Nobel for Physics in 1930. Founder of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru .. Bharat Ratna 1954 ... Lenin Peace Prize 1957.
Cecil John Rhodes ... 1853-1902: British Statesman ... He is the one to develop Rhodesia (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi ). Famous "Rhodes Scholarship" is named after him.
Charan Singh ... 1902-1987: Politician ... Deputy PM and Prime Minister (1979/80).
Charles F Richter DR ... 1900-1985: USA ... inventor of Richter Scale.

D
Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani ... 1932-2002: Popularly known as "Dhirubhai Ambhani" .. Founder of Reliance Group of Companies. India's largest private sector industry.
Dev Anand ... 1922--2011: Famous Hindi Film Actor.
David Beckam ... 1975: Famous England footballer.
David Ben Gurion ... 1886...1973: Israel's father of the nation and first PM 1948-1963.
Donald Bradman, Sir ... 1908-2001: Legendary Australian Cricketer with a test Average of 99.94.
Dale Carnegie ..1888-1955: USA... The famous American writer on "self improvement".
Dhayan Chand... 1906-1979: India's greatest hockey player.
Dilip Kumar... 1922: Famous Hindi Film actor ... Dadha Saheb Phalke Awardee.
Dalai Lama ...1935: Original name Tenzing Gyatso... Spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists. Fled to India in 1959 after an upraising in Tibet and established a Government in exile at Dharmshala in Himachal Pradesh ... Nobel Peace Prize Winner in 1989.
Deve Gowda ... 1933: Full name Hardanahalli Doddegowda Devegowda ... Politician-Janata Dal Secular Party... former CM of Karnataka and PM ... 1996-1997.
Diana Spencer... 1961-1997: Princess of Wales ... Married and divorced with Prince Charles ... killed in a car accident on 31.8.1997 in Paris, France.
Dwight F.Davis ..1879..1945: American Civil leader and donor of Davis Cup(Tennis).
Dwight David Eisenhower ...1890-1969: USA ... General and President of USA 1953-1961... Prior to becoming President of USA he was the Supreme Commander of North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Desiderius Erasmus ...1463..1536: Greatest humanist and scholar of Dutch Renaissance.
Dag Hammarsksjold ... 1905..1961: Swedish Diplomat, Secretary General of UN 1953..1961 ... Killed in an air crash ... Nobel Prize in 1961.
Dhondo Keshav Karve ... 1858...1962: Social worker specially towards widow remarriage and women education. Bharat Ratna ...1958.
Dwarakanath Kotnis : Doctor ... A legendary physician who led and became the hero of the Indian Medical Mission to war torn China during 1938.
David Livingstone ... 1813...1873: Scottish explorer who discovered the course of the Zambesi river, the Victoria Falls and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi).
Diego Maradona ... 1961: Argentinian footballer ... famous for "Hand of God"Goal against England in 1986.
Daler Mehndi ... 1968: Popular Punjabi singer.
Dadhabhai Naoroji ... 1825..1917: Freedom fighter ... First Indian to become a Member of Parliament of UK ... Congress President thrice ... Called the "Grand Old Man of India".
David Ogylvy ... 1912..1999: Founder of the internationally acclaimed advertising agency "Ogylvy & Mather".
Dayanand Saraswati ... 1824..1883: Hindu social reformer ... Founder Arya Samaj.
Desmond Tutu ... 1931:South African first Anglican Bishop and advocated for the end of apartheid through non-violence. Nobel Peace Prize...1984, Sydney Peace Prize ... 1999, Gandhi Peace Prize 2005, Presidential Medal of Freedom(USA)2009.

E
Ela Bhatt ..1933: Emancipator of women in the self employed sector .. Ramon Magasaysay awardee 1977.
Eileen Collins ... 1956 :USA ... Lt. Col ... Astronaut ... first woman to command a Spaceship - NASA.
Eleuth Ere Irenee Du Pont ... 1772..1834: French American ... Founder Du Pont ... the rayon giant company.
Elizabeth II ... 1926: Queen of Great Britain from 1952 ... 60 years.
Edward Jenner ... 1749..1823: British Physician ... Developer of the Small Pox Vaccine.
Edward Morgan Foster ... 1879-1970: Famous British writer who wrote number of Books on India like "Passage to India".
Euclid ... 350...300 BC : Greek Mathematician ... who propounded the geometrical theorems.
Erich Honeker ... 1913...1994: Marxist leader who ruled Germany for 18 years until he was ousted by public in 1989.
Enrico Fermi...1901...1954: Italian American ... Physicist ... Discovered over 400 Radio isotopes ... Fermium (element No.100) is named after him ... Nobel Physics 1938 ... Known as "Father of Atom Bomb".
Edwin Lutyens ... 1869-1944: British architect ... Designed city of New Delhi ... Rashtrapati Bhavan and many government buildings in New Delhi. He also designed the British Embassy in Washington, USA.
Ernest Hemingway ... 1898-1961:USA ... famous novelist ... Nobel Literature ..1954.
Edmund Hillary ... 1919 .. 2008-: New Zealand ... First to climb Everest in 1953.
Elvis Presley ... 1935..1977 : USA ... the most famous pop singer enthralling millions of music lovers.
Edson Arantes De Nascimento ... 1940 : Most popularly known as "Pele" ... Legendary Brazilian footballer to become a world star at 17 and play four consecutive world cups from 1958 to 1970, of which three times he was on the winning side.
Edmund Spencer ... 1552-1599: UK ... poet compared with Shakespeare and Milton. Known as "Poet's Poet"
Elizabeth Taylor ... 1932-2011: British American famous Hollywood actress ... known for her beauty. Married to Richard Burton (actor) twice.
Ernest Walton ... 1904...1995: Irish Scientist ... along with John Cockcroft,split the Atom artificially for the first time which paved the way for the "Nuclear Age" to usher in 1932. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1951.

Fa Hien ... The first Chinese Buddhist pilgrim to visit India during the reign of Chandragupta (Vikramaaditya).
Fakruddin Ali Ahmed ... 1905...1977:Freedom fighter and former President (5th)Of India 1974-1977.
Fidel Castro ... 1926:Cuban revolutionary and political leader. President of Cuba Since 1959 to 2011.
Francois Duvalier ... 1907...1971: Called "Papa Doc" ... Dictator of Haiti from 1957 to 1971.
Friedreich Engels ... 1820..1905: German ... Close friend of Karl Marx and helped in writing the Communist Manifesto.
Frederick Forsyth .. 1938: British thriller writer whose famous books are, The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Dogs of War etc.,
Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Great Urdu poet of Pakistan ... Died in 1984.
Frederick the Great ... 1712...1786: King of Prussia for 46 years ... Great ruler and a Scholar.
Ferdinand Magellan ... 1480-1521: Portugal ... Famous navigator ... first to circumnavigate the world... Discovered Pacific Ocean and named it so.
Francois Bernier... 1625 ... 1688: French Physician ... served as a personal physician to Aurangazeb.
Francis Xavier,Saint ... 1506...1552: A Spanish missionary who was responsible in spreading christianity across in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the East. He lived in Goa between 1540...1552 and died. His body is still preserved in a Church (Bom Jesus) in Goa.
Firdausi : A Persian poet ... Shahnama is his famous work.
Florence Nightingale ... 1820...1920: British ... devoted nurse ... Nursing profession Received recognition because of her after her service in the Crimean War. Also Known as "Lady with the Lamp". First woman to receive the "Order of Merit" (UK) in 1907.
Frances Marie Arovet De Voltaire ... 1697...1778: French writer and philosopher. His ideals influenced the outbreak of French Revolution in 1789.
Ferdinand Lessops ... 1805..1894: French engineer who constructed the Suez Canal.
Frank Moraes ... 1907...1974: Famous Indian journalist of the mid 1900s in Indian Express and the Times of India. His son Dom Maraes was a poet (1938-2004).
Franklin Delano Roosevelt...1882...1945: Became US President in 1933, elected for Four consecutive terms and continued till his death in 1945. The only US president to have been elected for four terms.
Frank Sinatra ... 1915-1998: USA ... singer and actress. Famous during 1940s. Has made a large number of albums and acted in nearly 60 films. Won Oscar and Grammy Lifetime awards.

George Stanley Arundale: 1867..1945: British settled in India ... Supported the national education and the Swadeshi Movement ... married Rukmani Devi (Arundale).
Gopinath Bordoloi...1890...1950: Maker of modern Assam ... Academician ... CMtwice before independence ... Bharat Ratna 1999.
Gro Harlem Brundtland ... 1939-: Norway's first woman PM and served for three terms ... was Director General of World Health Organization. Now Special Envoy to Secretary General of UN.
George Gordon Byron ... 1788..1824: British ... an acclaimed and renowned poet.
George Herbert Walker Bush ... 1924: American President between 1988...1992. His son George W Bush also became President in 2001.
George Washington ... 1732...1799: A general and First President of USA between 1789-1797.
Gottlieb Daimler ... 1834..1900: German engineer and inventor ... His contribution In internal combustion revolutionized the automobile industry.
George Eastman ... 1854..1932: American ... Inventor... he was the first color film Photography. His contribution and invention revolutionized the film industry.
Gabriel Daniel Farenheit ... 1686..1736: German .. Physicist ... introduced Mercury Thermometer and Farenheit scale standard.
Gabriele Fallopio ... 1523...1562: Italian anatomist who discovered the tube from Ovaries to the Uterus, in which fertilization takes place. Thus it is named as Fallopian Tube.
Galileo Galleli ... 1564...1642: Italian astronomer ... developed telescope and discovered satellites of Jupiter.
Gautama Buddha ... 563...483 : Born in Lumbini... Nepal. Founder of Buddhism.
Geoffrey Chaucer...1342..1400: British ... considered as the father of English poetry.
Govind Vallabh Pant ... 1887...1961: Freedom fighter ... Politician ...Congress leader CM of UP and Union Home Minister ... Bharat Ratna 1958.
Gugeliomo Marconi ... 1874..1937: Italian...Inventor of Radio and wireless system. Nobel Prize ... 1909.
Guru Gobind Singh ... 1666..1708: The 10th and last Guru of the Sikhs. Founder of "Khalsa".
Guru Nanak ... 1469...1538: Born at Nankana Sahib .. (now in Pakistan) founder of "Sikhism".
Guru Tegh Bahadur ... 1621-1675: Son of Guru Hargobind Singh .. 9th Guru ...Refused to embrace Islam and thus he was executed by Aurangazeb.
George Horace Gallup .. 1901..1984: American ... introduced the "Gallup Poll" system.
Giuseppe Garibaldi ... 1807...1882 ... Italian general and patriot who helped in Creating a United Italy with Mazzini. National Hero of Italy.
Gopalakrishna Gokhale ... 1866...1915: Freedom fighter ... statesman ... political Guru of Gandhiji ... Founder of Servants of India Society in 1905.
Gopalakrishnan, Adoor ... 1941: Kerala... Internationally acclaimed film director.
Gregory XIII ... 1502...1585: Pope between 1572 ... 1585 ... introduced the Gregorian Calendar.
Girish Raghunath Karnad... 1938: Famous playwright ... author, actor, director, Chairman Sangeeth Natak Academy ... Gyanpith Awardee.
Garry Kasporov ... 1963: Russia ... Chess Grand Master ... Youngest ever world Champion ... 1985.
Ganesh Vasudeo Mavlankar ... 1888...1956: Freedom fighter and first Lok Sabha Speaker.
Golda Meir...1898...1978: Israel's first woman PM ... 1969..1974.
Gregor Johann Mendel ... 1822..1884: Austrian ... Botanist who discovered the basic laws of heredity.
Gulzarilal Nanda ... 1898..1998: Gandhian, Labour Leader and twice acting PM of India ... Bharat Ratna ... 1997.
Gamel Abdel Nasser ... 1918-1970: Egyptian Statesman and President of Egypt in 1956. Was an influential leader in the Arab world who co founded NAM. During his period he nationalized the Suez Canal.
George Orwell ... 1903...1950: British ... Indian born author.
Gopal Swarup Pathak .. 1886...1982: Gandhian and Vice President of India 1969-1974.
Geet Sethi .. 1962: India's one of the great billiards player. Has won the world Championship in 1985. Youngest to win the title in the maiden appearance.
George Bernard Shaw .. 1856-1950: Ireland ... Witty, satirical dramatist and a great thinker conquered England and the world by his wits.
George Stephenson .. 1781..1848: ... Inventor of locomotive engine.
Gary Sobers ... 1936: World Class West Indian Cricketer from Barbados, West Indies. An all time great all rounder who held the record individual score of 365in test cricket, for more than couple of decades. His record was broken by his own country man Brian Lara who holds the record now. First batsman to hit six sixes in an over.
Guiseppe Tucci...Italian Scholar... An expert on Tibet and Buddhism. Fluent in many European languages and Asian languages like, Sanskrit, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit, Chinese, Tibetan.
George Foreman ... 1949 ...USA ... Former two times Boxing Heavy Weight World Champion, Olympic Gold Medallist.

Howard Aiken ... 1900..1973: USA .. Mathematician... forerunner in designing Digital computers.
Henry Bessemer, Sir ... 1813..1898: UK .. inventor of the process of converting cast Iron into Steel.
Homi J. Bhabha ... 1909-1966: Father of Indian Nuclear Science... Responsible for establishing the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai.
Hassanal Bolkiah ... 1946: Sultan of Brunei since 1967 (44 years) ... one of the richest person in the world.
Henrik Dam ... 1895...1976: Denmark ... Biochemist ... Inventor of Vitamin K ... Nobel Prize in Physiology ... 1943.
Humphry Davy, Sir ... 1778..1829: UK .. Chemist .. inventor of the miner's Safety Lamp.
Henry Fonda ... 1905...1982: US ... famous Hollywood actor ... son Peter and daughter Jane are also famous actors.
Henry Ford ... 1863 ... 1947: Pioneer in car manufacturing ... Founder of the Ford Motors and Ford Foundation.
Henry Kissinger ... 1923: German American ... Secretary of State under President Nixon ... Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for negotiating peace in Vietnam.
Haile Selassie I ... 1891...1975: Emperor of Ethiopia ... 1930-1974. Deposed in 1974.
Hannibal ... 247...182 BC : Carthaginian general who fought two wars against Roman Empire. Considered as the greatest general of antiquity.
Herge ... 1907...1983: Real name Georges Remi ... Author of Tin Tin series of Comics.
Herodotus...485...425 BC : Greek Historian.
Hippocrates ... 430 BC : Greek Physician ... called the father of medicine.
Hiuen Tsang ... 7th Century: Buddhist pilgrim from China visited India during 629-644.
Ho Chi Minh ... 1890...1969: Great revolutionary leader of North Vietnam and the First President.
Homer ... 700 BC ... Great poet... The Iliad, The Odyssey are his great works.
Henry Miller ... 1891...1980: American novelist ... his works "Tropic of Cancer" (1931) and "Tropic of Capricorn" (1935) created huge controversy in USA because of their sexual content.
Helen Keller ... 1880...1968: USA ... Deaf and blind from very young age. Author and educator of the blind, an inspiration to all blind people.
Hargobind Khorana ... 1922: Pakistan American.. First to synthesize artificial gene. Nobel Prize for Physiology in 1968.
Helmut Kohl ... 1930: An influential leader in Europe. Chancellor of West Germany(1982-1990) and first Chancellor of the united Germany in 1990 (till 1998).
Horatio Nelson ... 1758-1805: Britain's great admiral ... Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 in which he destroyed the French fleet but succumbed to wounds.
Harry Truman ... 1884.. 1972: US President between 1945...1953. He is the one to take The decision of dropping atom bombs in Japan in August 1945 during WWII.
Harold Wilson, Sir: 1916..1995: British Statesman and PM of UK thrice.

Ivan, the Terrible ...1530..1584: First Tsar/Czar of Russia crowned in 1547. His autocratic rule is recalled and talked about even today. This has earned him the name "The Terrible".
Indira Gandhi ... 1917..1984: Nehruji's daughter .. Congress President and Politician First woman PM of India ... Assassinated in 1984.
Idi Amin ... 1925..2003: Uganda ... The most talked about dictator/ruler of the modern times for his harshest and autocratic rule. His name has become a synonym for harsh behaviours.
Ibn Batuta : An African scholar and traveler from Somalia who visited India in 1333 AD during Muhammad Bin Tughlaq regime and wrote a chronicle on him.
Ivan Lendl ... 1960: Czech born American Tennis player of repute.19 times Grand Slam finalist. Won Australian, French and US Open, and two time Wimbledon finalist.
Ignatius of Loyola, Saint ... 1491..1556: Spanish .. Founder of Society of Jesuits ...A Christian missionary order.
Inder Kumar Gujral ... 1919: Diplomat ... Ambassador to USSR ... Union Cabinet Minister ... PM of India ... 1997..1998.
Isaac Newton, Sir ... 1642..1727: British Scientist ... Known for his Gravitational Theory .. His famous book is "Principle of Mathematica".
Ilaiyaraja... 1943: Tamilnadu ... Great musician and composer in the Tamil Film Industry. First Asian to compose a full symphony performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London.
Indraprasad Gordhanbhai Patel ... 1924: Renowned economist ... served in International Monetary Fund ... RBI Governor ... Director of London School of Economics (1984..1990).
Isaac Pitman, Sir ... 1813..1897: British .. Inventor of "Shorthand" system of writing.
Ian Thorpe ... 1982 ... Swimmer of great reputation ... 5 golds, 3 silvers and one Bronze medals in 2000 and 2004 olympics. Nicknamed "Thorpedo".
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar ... 1820..1891 : Great Scholar and reformer who fought against child marriage and in favour of widow remarriage and education.

Jacques Charles ... 1764..1823: French Physicist ... Famous for his Charles' Law and Guy Lussac's Law on gases.
Jayadeva ... 12th Century : Sanskrit poet ... his famous work is "Gita Govinda".
Jayalalitha, J ... 1948: Tamilnadu ... famous cine actress ... politician and chief of AIADMK ... CM of Tamilnadu.
Jagdish Chandra Bose ... 1858 .. 1937: Physicist and Botanist .. Founder of Bose Research Institute... Pioneer in the identification of life in plants ... he also developed wireless telegraphy independent of Marconi.
Joan of Arc ... 1412..1431: French patriot ... called as "Maid of Orleans" ... Canonized in 1920.
John Paul II ... 1920-2005: Poland ... first non-Italian and first Polish Pope.
Jean Frederic Joliot Curie ... 1900-1958: French scientist ... discovered artificial Radioactivity along with his wife Irene. Nobel Prize in 1935.
James Prescot Joule ... 1818..1889: British scientist .. His contribution of Joule's Law is named after him.
Jagjivan Ram ... 1908..1986: A Dalit leader from Bihar ... who was Union Minister for pretty long time ... youngest minister in Nehruji's provisional government in 1946 and immediately in the regular cabinet as Labour Minister.
Jamshedji Tata ... 1813..1904: Founder of the Tata Iron & Steel, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and the Tata Group of Companies, built India's first fivestar hotel "Taj" at Mumbai ... First Indian to own a car, a commercial pilot licence and to fly an aircraft.
James Watt ... 1736..1819: Developed steam engine which paved the way for railways. Inventor of unit of power current and thus "watt" is named after him.
Jayaprakash Narayan .. 1902..1979: Known as "Lok Nayak" .. a social activist... Founded Janata Party which, for the first time since independence, replaced the Congress government.
John Acton 1834-1902: British historian who gave the adage " power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely".
John Dalton ... 1766..1844: British chemist who gave the famous "Dalton's Law",postulated Atomic Theory and defined atomic weight.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy ... 1917..1963: One of the popular Presidents of USA .. First Roman Catholic President - youngest to become President ... a good author who wrote, "Why England Slept" and "Profile in Courage". Assassinated on 23.11.1963.
John Logie Baird ... 1888..1946: USA ... Inventor of Television.
John Keats ... 1608..1674: Famous British poet ... His famous quote is " a thing of beauty is joy for ever".
John Mathai Dr ... 1886..1959: Educationist, Administrator, Vice Chancellor Kerala and Bombay Universities ... Union Finance Minister in the first Indian Cabinet under Jawahar Lal Nehru.
Julius Caesar - 100-44 BC : The most famous Roman General who invaded Britain, married the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra . A dictator but with people's support . He was murdered by his own friends led by Marcus Junius Brutus. Thus came the synonym " you too Brutus".
John Milton ... 1608..1674: A renowned British poet and author. His most famous works are "Paradise Lost" and "Paradise Regained". The unique thing about him is that he was blind for most part of his life.
Jane Austen ... 1775..1817: British novelist ... His famous works are ... Emma, Pride and Prejudice.
Jamnalal Bajaj...1886..1942: Mahatma Gandhi's close associate, founded Satyagraha Ashram at Wardha ... Gifted Segaon village to Gandhiji which he renamed as Sevagram.
Jyoti Basu - 1914 - 2011: Veteran Communist Leader - CM of West Bengal for 5 consecutive terms.
John Cabot... 1425..1500: Italian navigator to discover New Foundland and Nova Scotia.
Jackie Chan ... 1954: A martial art exponent to make a number of films on the lines of Bruce Lee. He is from Hong Kong.
James Cook ,Capt. ... 1728..1779: British navigator to discover Sandwich islands Now known as Hawai'i.
Javier Perez de Cuellar ... 1920: Peru ... Diplomat ... UN Secretary General 1982-1991.
Jean Henri Dunant ... 1828-1910: Swiss ... Founder and Promoter of Red Cross movement .. Nobel Peace Prize 1901.
John Presper Ekert ... 1919...1995: Co-inventor of computer .. developed world's first electronic digital computer with John W. Manchly.
John Kenneth Galbraith ... 1908 ... 2006: American economist, statesman and author. He was the Ambassador to India during 1961..1963.
Johan Guntenberg ... 1400...1468: German ... inventor of movable type cast printing machine with which he printed the Bible first ... called the Guntenberg Bible.
John Keats ... 1795..1821: British ... youngest of the renowned English poets.
Jack Kevorkian... 1928 .. 2011: USA ... Medicine Doctor ... Euthanasia activist ... Known as "Dr.Death" for his helping the terminally ill patients.
John McEnroe ... 1959: USA ... famous tennis player ... the youngest to win US open Men's singles 1979.
Jagdish Chandra Bose ... 1858...1937: India's famous scientist.
Jayant V. Narlikar ... 1938: One of India's famous astronomers... Bhatnagar, Kalinga Awards.
Jawahar Lal Nehru ... 1889..1964 :India's most respected freedom fighter, statesman, Leader, First PM and longest serving PM of India ... 1947..1964 ... His daughter Indira Gandhi and grandson Rajiv Gandhi have also served as PM. Co-founder of NAM ... "Discovery of India" is his famous book.
Julius Nyere ... 1922..1999: President of Tanzania ... Popular and respected African leader.
John Cleveland Owens ... 1913: USA ... Called Jesse Owens ... First man to win 4 track and field gold medals in Olympics ... 1936 Berlin ... 100m, 200m, long jump and 4 X 100 m relay.
John Davidson Rockfeller ... 1839...1937: Rockfeller Corporation, University and Foundation.
Jean Jacques Rousseau ... 1712..1778: France ... Political philosopher whose thoughts and views stimulated the French Revolution.
Jonas Salk ... 1915-1995: USA ... Microbiologist ... developed the first polio vaccine.
Joseph Stalin ... 1879...1953: Soviet Statesman and a great leader for three decades. Modernisation of agriculture and five year plans (from 1929) were his major contributions.
Jonathan Swift ... 1667...1745: British ... Satirist and author. Gulliver's Travel is his famous book.
John Ruskin ... 1819-1900: UK ... Famous author and social reformer.
Jacques Kallis ... 1975 .. South Africa ... One of the world's top class allrounder in the Cricket. Has scored 43 centuries and has taken more than 275 wickets in Test Cricket and has 17 centuries and 270 wickets in ODI Cricket.

Kalidasa ... 4-5th century: India's most renowned poet ... His famous works are Meghadoot, Raghuvamsa.
Kofi Anan ... 1938: Ghana ... UN Secretary General from 1997 to 2006. Nobel Peace Prize 2001.
Kumaran Asan ... 1873..1924: Renowned Malalyalam poet and social worker.
Kemal Ataturk ... 1881..1938: Responsible for the modern day Turkey ... President.
Kiran Bedi ... 1949: Asian women's Tennis Champion ... First woman IPS (Police)-President's Gallantry Award 1979, Ramon Magasasay Award ... 1994 and UN Medal for outstanding service 2004. She is an active campaigner against corruption. She is part of the Anna Hazare's Team fighting against corruption and black money.
Kalpana Chawla ... 1961..2003: Indian origin American Astronaut to go into spaceby Columbia shuttle in 1997. On her second mission, she died when Columbia space shuttle disintegrated while landing in Texas on 1.2.2003.
Kabir Das : A great Hindi poet.
Kamaraj ... 1903..1975: Veteran Congress leader, freedom fighter, President of INC,CM of Tamilnadu 1954-1963 ... nicknamed "King Maker" ... introduced mid day meal scheme in schools ... Bharat Ratna 1976.
Kalhana ... 11th century : Kashmiri poet ... His famous book is "Rajtarangini" on the History of Kashmir upto 10th century.
Kanishka ... 120..162 AD: Great King of the Kushana Dynasty whose rule extended upto Central Asia ... followed Buddhism in his later years.
Kamal Hasan ... 1954: One of India's famous cine actor from Tamilnadu. Has won three national awards.
Karl Marx ... 1818-1883: German ... Introducer of Communism, wrote its manifestoand authored the famous communist doctrine "Das Kapital". Following of his ideals is called Marxism.
Kapil Dev Nikhanj - 1959: Haryana - One of India's great cricketers and an icon. Captain of the 1983 world cup winning team. Known as "Haryana Hurricane".
Kenneth Kaunda ...1924: Zambia's leading freedom fighter and first President (1964..1991).
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan ... 1890-1988: Known as " Frontier Gandhi " ... leader of the Pathans and people of North West Frontier Region ... Founder of "Khudai Khidmatgar" (Servants of God) movement ... Strongly opposed partition ... Bharat Ratna ... 1987.
Krishan Kant - 1927-2002: Gandhian - freedom fighter - Member of Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha and Governor (AP) and Vice President 1997-2002.
Kalki Krishnamurthy ... 1899...1954: Most acclaimed Tamil novelist.
Krishnamurthy ... (Jiddu) ... 1895..1986: World renowned philosopher.
Kublai Khan ... 1216...1294: A great mongol leader and first mongol emperor of China.
K M Munshi ... Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi ... 1887..1971: Freedom fighter, politician, activitist, writer, educationist ... Founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan ... Governor .. UP.
Kumara Padmanabha Svasankara Menon ... 1898-1982: Diplomat ... Foreign Secretary .. author ... his son K.P.S. Menon also held the post of Foreign Secretary.
Krishna Menon ... 1896..1974 .. Defence Minister ... Orator, Writer ... holds the record for the longest speech in UN on Kashmir issue in 1955 ... Sainik Schools are his brainchild.
Kelucharan Mahapatra ... 1926 ... 2004: Master of Odissi dance form ... produced two generations of dancers.
Kerry Packer ... 1937..2005: Australian media baron who is responsible for the Introduction of one day international cricket which has come to stay in spite of Initial criticisms as "Pyjama Cricket".
Kushwant Singh...1915: Famous journalist, author and editor of Illustrated weekly, Hindustan Times, National Herald ... He was also an MP ... His famous Column "With Malice Towards One and All" was widely read. His famous booksare Train to Pakistan, End of India and History of Sikhs.

Lal Krishanchand Advani ... 1927: Politician of repute representing BJP ... Was a Deputy PM and Union Minister in different fields.
Ludwig Van Beethoven ... 1770...1827: German ... World's renowned musician and composer.
Lenoid Brezhnev ... 1906..1982: Russia ... Great Communist leader and President of USSR ... succeeded Khurushchev.
Lincoln, Ellisworth ... 1880..1951 ... USA ... Engineer ... first to fly over Antarctica in 1935.
Lee Falk ... 1912..1999: USA ... creator of the Phantom and Mandrake the Magician Comic series.
Liaqat Ali Khan ... 1895..1951 ... Pakistan ... Muslim League Leader ... First PM of Pakistan ... Assassinated on 16th October 1951.
Leo Tolstoy ... 1828..1910: A great literary figure. His book " War and Peace" influenced Gandhiji.
Lal Bahadur Shastri ... 1904..1966: A great statesman ... Second PM of India ... Signed a Peace Agreement with President Ayub Khan of Pakistan at Tashkent,USSR, where he also died ... known for his honesty, integrity and a sense of responsibility ... Known as "Man of Peace".
Leonardo da Vinci ... 1412..1519: Famous Italian Painter ... His famous work is "Last Supper", "Monalisa". He was also keen in anatomy and dissected more than 30 corpses.
Lakshmi Bhai ... 1835..1858: Well known "Jhansi Ki Rani" "Rani Jhansi " ... great warrior, took active part in the first war of independence ... 1857.
Lao Tse ... 600 BC: Founder of Taoism.
Laxman, R.K. ... 1927: Great Cartoonist known for his creation "The Common Man". Magasaysay Award ... 1984.
Louis Braille ... 1809...1852: Inventor of the "Braille" reading system for the blind -The irony is that he himself was a blind from age 3 and became a teacher of the blind.
Louis Pasteur ... 1822..1965: French Scientist ... Discovered the existence of germs and their effect on human ... pasteurizing of milk is named after him.
Le Corbusier ... 1887-1965: Swiss/French ... His real name is Charles Edouard Jeanneret ... Famous architect who designed India's most beautiful city ... Chandigarh.
Lenin ... 1870..1924: His real name is Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ... Revolutionary Russian leader who liberated Russia from the Tsar rulers in 1917 and was the leader of the Government till his death.
Louis XIV ... 1638..1715: King of France who ruled for 61 years.
Lata Mangeshkar ... 1929: Most famous play back singer ... Dadha Saheb Phalke Award, Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavna and Bharat Ratna 2001.
Leander Paes ... 1974 : India's famous tennis player ... he is the second Indian to win an Olympic medal (bronze) in 1996 Atlanta Olympics ... Junior Wimbledon 1990 ... and a number of doubles titles in wimbledon and other open tournaments along with his famous partner Mahesh Bhupathi .
Linus Car Pauling ... 1901..1994: American ... won Nobel Prize twice ... Chemistry in 1954 and for Peace in 1962.
Lester Bowles Pearson ... 1897-1972: Canadian PM ... 1963-1968 who won Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 on the Suez Canal affair.
Lala Lajpat Rai ... 1865..1928: Patriot, freedom fighter ... Known as "Punjab Kesari " (Lion of Punjab).
Lech Walesa ... 1943: Poland ... A shipyard worker electrician at Gdansk Port, who became a labour leader and organized the "Solidarity Movement" to overthrow the Government then and become the President 1990-1995 and won a Nobel Peace in 1983.
Lee Kuan Yew ... 1923: Singapore statesman ... who became first PM of Singapore upon independence in 1959 and continued for 31 years (upto 2010) ... one of the longest ... all the developments in Singapore to its present state is due to his untiring efforts.

Malcolm Adiseshiah ... 1910..1994: Educationis, economist, Vice Chancellor of Madras University and Deputy Director General of UNESCO. Padma Bhushan.
Muralidhar Devidas Amte ... 1914 .. 2008: More popularly known as Baba Amte - Social and environmental activist ... he worked more for the welfare of Leprosy patients ... Padma Vibhushan 1986, Templeton 1990, Gandhi Peace Prize 1999. His son Prakash and his wife Mandakini were awarded Magasasay Prize for 2008 for continuing the works of Baba Amte..
Mulk Raj Anand Dr... 1872..1928: Famous author ... His famous work was "Coolie".Padma Bhushan awardee.
Muhammad Ali ... 1942: USA ... originally called Casius Clay ... World famous boxer- Heavy Weight Champion. His famous quote is "Fly like a butterfly and sting like a Bee".
Muhammad Azharuddin ... 1963: Former Indian Cricket Captain ... Now a member of parliament representing INC from Moradabad ... UP.
Menachem Begin ... 1913..1992: Israeli Prime Minister ... Nobel Peace Prize 1978.
Marlon Brando ... 1924-2004: American ... Cine Actor ... His famous film is "God Father".
Marcus Junius Brutus ... 85-42BC : Roman Senator who conspired and killed Julius Caesar.
Marie Sklodowska Curie ... 1867..1934: Poland ... Scientist ... Discovered Radium .... Won Nobel for Physics and Chemistry in 1903 and 1911.
Morarji Ranchodji Desai ... 1806..1995: Gandhian, freedom fighter, CM of Bombay, Union Minister and PM of India (1977) of the first non-congress government - Bharat Ratna 1991 and "Nishan e Pakistan"1990 ... the first Indian to receive both India and Pakistan's highest civilian award. His date of birth is uniquely 29th February. He lived for 100 years (actually 99+).
Michael Faraday - 1791-1867: British Scientist - famous for his contribution on Electromagnetism - inventor of electric motor.
Muammar al Gadaffi ... 1942..2011 : Libya ... leader and military dictator who came to power in 1969 and continued upto mid august 2011 when public uprising made himto go into hiding. He was finally killed on 20th October 2011.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ... 1869..1948: Lawyer, freedom fighter, lived in South Africa in his early days ... returned to India in 1915 and organized freedom movement - imprisoned a number of times ... Satyagraha and non-violence was his forte ... Called the "father of the nation" .... assassinated in January 1948, by Nathuram Godse.
Mirza Abdullah Khan Ghalib ... 1796-1868 : Renowned Urdu poet.
Mikhail Gorbachev ... 1931: Soviet Leader ... influential person politically in Europe- "Glasnost" and "Perestroika" policies adopted by him ... USSR disintegrated during his tenure and he resigned in 1991. Nobel Peace Prize 1990.
Maxim Gorky - 1868-1936: Famous Russian author ... his famous work was "Mother".
Maithili Saran Gupta ... 1886..1964: Famous Hindi Poet.
Maurice Green ... 1974 ... USA ... World famous sprinter.
Muhammad Hidayatullah ... 1905..1992: Chief Justice and Vice President 1979-1984.
Michael Jordan ... 1963 : USA ... Legend in Basket Ball ... played for Chicago Bulls in The NBA League, USA.
Mikhael Kalashnikov ... 1919: Russian ... Creator of the famous Kalashnikov Rifle which later to be called as AK 47 and other series of rifles on this.
Muhammad Ayub Khan ... 1907...1974: Military General and President of Pakistan from 1958-1969.
Martin Luther King ... 1929..1968: USA ... Black civil Rights Leader ... Nobel PeacePrize 1964 ... Assassinated on 29.3.1968 ... "I have a dream" is his famous speech.
Martin Luther ... 1483..1546: Christian religious reformer who founded the Protestant Reformation. Those who follow his ideologies are known as Lutherans.
Mahavira ... 599..527 BC: Founder of Jainism.
Manu: Ancient law giver ... his famous work "Manu Smriti" is relevant even today.
Madan Mohan Malaviya ... 1861..1946: Lawyer and founder Benares Hindu University ... President Indian National Congress and freedom fighter who participated in the Round Table Conference in 1931 ... Founder Hindu Mahasabha.
Mountbatten, Lord...1900..1979: Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in WWII for South East Asia ... Last Viceroy of India ... First Governor General of independent India.
Marco Polo ... 1254..1323: Italy ... traveler and the first European to visit China and other eastern countries including India.
Maria Montessori ... 1870...1952: Italian academician ... famous for her introduction of Montessori system of eduction for children where they are taught through practical play and individual guidance.
Marshal Tito ... 1892..1980: Yugoslavian leader who fought successfully against German occupation in 1941-he was an influential leader in Europe ... he was made the lifetime President from 1963 till his death.
Megasthenes ... 350..290 : Greek Ambassador representing Seleucus who was in the court of Chandragupta Maurya ... he wrote "indica" giving detailed account of his visits.
Madeline Slade ... 1892..1982:British who became the disciple of Gandhiji and accompanied Gandhiji throughout his freedom movement. More affectionately called "Mira Behn" in view of her dedication to Gandhiji and India.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah ... 1879..1948: Eminent lawyer ... Freedom fighter ... leader of the Muslims in India ... President of Muslim League ... fought for partition of India and became the first PM of Pakistan (1947-1948).
Muhammad Naguib - 1901-1984: First President of Egypt - 1953-1954. Although he along with Abdel Gamel Nasser fought together for freedom, he was put under house arrest for seventeen years by him and which was later revoked by PresidentAnwar Sadat in 1971.
Muhammad Bin Tughlaq... 1325..1351: Sultan of Delhi ... Known for his indecisive administrative skills.
Munshi Premchand ... 1880..1937: A renowned Hindi author of novels and short stories.
Madhavacharya ... 1238..1317: Exponent of Dwaita philosophy on Hinduism. He wrote commentaries on Gita and interpreted on Upanishads.
Madonna ... 1958: Full name Madonna Loouise Veronica Ciccone ... Italian American ... World's top pop star, with over 80 million albums sold.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ... 1911: India's famous yoga guru ... Founded Transcedental Meditation Movement and Maharishi Institute of Management.
Malleswari, Karnam ... 1976: Andhra Pradesh ... First Indian woman to win an Olympic medal ... Bronze in weightlifting in Sydney Olympics 2000 ... Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 1995...1996.
Marilyn Monroe ... 1926..1962: Famous American film actress known for her beauty.
Mao Zedong ... 1893..1976: China's revolutionary leader and found of People's Republic of China.
Maappillai K C Mammen ... 1873-1953: Kerala ... Founder of Malayala Manorama groups.
Marie Antoniette ... 1755...1793: Wife of King Louis XVI and Queen of France. Accused of treason and beheaded during the French Revolution.
Mata Hari... 1876...1917: Original name Margarette Geertruide Zelle of Netherlands ...A dancer and a spy for Germany. She was shot dead for treason.
Michaelangelo ... 1475...1564: Italy ... famous painter, sculptor, architect and poet ... his famous work is the painting of the ceiling/altar wall of Sistine Chapel, Rome ... about 6000 SQFT.
Max Muller - 1823-1900: German - Philologist - Taught Sanskrit at Oxford University. In his name centres around the world teaches various languages, specially German.
Madathil Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair ...1933: Famous Malayalam Writer, screenplay writer ... Padma Bhushan, Gyanpith, Sahitya Akademi and number of national film awards.
Mira Nair ... 1957: Famous Indian Film Director ... His famous productions are Salaam Bombay, Mississippi Masala, Moon Wedding (Golden Lion in Venice -2001)
Mikhail Botvinnik ... 1809..1852: Russian Electrical Engineer who was a world famous Chess player and world champion during 1940-1960s.
Martina Navratilova ... 1956: Czech born American ... All time great women tennis player to win 9 wimbledon titles and lot of other individual and doubles titles.
Mohan Singh Oberoi ...1900..2002: Founder of Oberoi Hotels ... from a very humble beginning he rose up to become one of the famous hotelier in the world.
Medha Patkar ... 1956: Social activist, Environmentallist and a strong opposer to Narmada Dam Project through her Narmada Bachao Andolan ... Right Livelihood Award 1991 and a number of Indian and international awards for her service.
Michael Schumacher ... 1967: German ... Formula 1 race's most successful driver. Won almost everything in F1 in the world and has a huge fan following.
Monica Seles ... 1973: Yugoslavia ... Famous Tennis star to become world champion at the age of 17 and thereafter a number of titles. An unfortunate incident of stabbing at the back by a fanatic fan in the Hamburg Open in 1973 ended her career.
Mohammad Rafi ... 1926..1980: India's most famous Hindi films play back singer who has sung more than 20000 songs.
Mihir Sen ... 1930..1997:First Indian to swim across English Channel.
Mrinal Sen ... 1923: Very famous Indian Film Director to produce films like Bhuvan Shome, Khariz etc.,
Manoj Night Shyamalan ... 1970: Indian born American Hollywood director to produce famous like "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable" etc.,
Manmohan Singh, Dr. 1932: Bureaucrat, RBI Governor, Finance Secretary, Politician INC, Finance Minister, and PM since 2004. As the Finance Minister introduced liberalizations in various sectors. A great and humble statesman.
Meghnath Saha ... 1893-1956: India's famous scientist who first attempted to develop a consistent theory of spectral sequence of the stars from the point of view of atomic theory.
Margaret Hilda Thatcher ... 1925: British PM 1979-1990 ... called the "Iron Lady".
Mark Twain ... 1835...1910: Original name Samuel Langhorne Clemens ... satirical,Witty and humorist author on social, political and moral issues. His famous work is Tom Sawyer.
Mike Tyson ... 1967 : USA ... Youngest to win the world heavyweight championship. Infamous for his ear biting incident Evander Holyfield in 1997.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni ... 1981 ...Jharkhand ... India's leading cricketer and present captain. Under his leadership, India has won the 2007 T20 inaugural championship and the 2011 ODI World Cup.
Michael Phelps ... 1985 ... USA ... Considered as the Legend of Swimming. He has won so far 22 individual medals, a record in the history of Olympic movement.

N
Neil Armstrong ... 1930: USA .... First man to set foot on the moon ... 21.7.1969 ... Apollo XI.
Norman Ernest Borlaug ... 1914..2009: USA .. Father of "Green Revolution" ...Nobel Peace Prize 1970.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose ... 1897...1945: Freedom fighter ... Lead the Indian National Army and fought against the British with the help of Japan, but was overpowered ... escaped and believed to have died in an aircrash. Still to resolved.
Nirad C Chaudhary ... 1897..1999: Famous Indian author in English ... His famous works are "Passage to England" and "Autobiography of an Unknown Indian".
Nicolas Copernicus ... 1473...1543: Poland .... Famous astronomer ... considered as the founder of modern astronomy who solidly suggested that planets including the Earth revolve around the Sun.
Nargis Dutt ... 1929..1981: Wife of Sunil Dutt... the famous actor and Parliamentarian ... She was also a great actress ... her combination with Raj Kapoor gave us a number of hit films ... Padma Shri and was a Rajya Sabha Member ... Her very famous film was "Mother India".
Nawang Gombhu ... 1936: Famous and first mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest twice which record remained for 20 years. Padma Bhushan, Arjuna Award.
Nelson Rolihlala Mandela ... 1918: A great leader who fought against the apartheid policy of the South African Government and was imprisoned for 27 years ... Once the apartheid policy was lifted he became the first African President of South Africa.... Bharat Ratna 1990, Nobel Peace 1993, Gandhi Peace Prize etc.,
Narayanamurthy 1946: Founder of the great IT major Infosys .... first Indian company to be listed in US.
Nagarjuna ... 1st Century: Philosopher, Scientist, who was in the court of Kanishka ... Hieun Tsang the Chinese traveler described him as "one of the four lights of the world".
Napoleon Bonaparte ... 1769..1821: France ... General, Consul and King between 1769 .. 1797 ... though he achieved anumber of victories, he lost his battle in Waterloo and was exiled to St. Helena Island and died there in 1821.
Namboothiripad ... E M S ... 1909..1998: Political and a great Communist leader ... Marxist ... First elected Communist Governement in Asia was formed by him in Kerala in 1957.
Narayanaguru ... 1855-1928: Kerala ... An illustrious social reformer, religious leader and strived for the improvement of the backward class.
Narayan R.K ... 1906-2001: One of India's famous author - the famous works are Malgudi Days, Swami & Friends, Guide etc.,
Narayanan K.R ... 1921...2005: Full name Kocheri Raman Narayanan ... Foreign Service Diplomat, Union Minister in different Ministries, Ambassador to China, USA etc., Vice President 1992..1997 and then President 1997-2002.
Nicholas II ... 1868...1918: Russian Empire's last Tsar ... He and his family members were shot dead after the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Nivedita, Sister ... 1867..1911: Irish woman originally known as Margaret Elizabeth Nobel - became a disciple of Swami Vivekananda ... stayed in India for 12 years.
Nikhita Kurushchev ... 1894..1971: Russia ... Disciple of Joseph Stalin and succeeded him as the Secretary of the Communist Party and then became PM of USSR between 1958..1964 .. an influential leader around the world during his times.
Nani Palkhivala ... 1920..2002: India's most famous lawyer ... Ambassador to USA between 1977...1979 . Padma Vibhushan 1998.
Narasimha Rao, P.V. ... (Pamulaparti Venkata) ... 1921.. 2004: A great academician ... linguist who mastered nearly 15 languages ... CM .. AP., Union Minister and PM of India 1991..1996.
Naipaul, V.S. Sir (Vidhiadhar Surajprasad) 1932: Indian Origin Trinidad born famous author ... British national ... Booker Prize 1971 and Nobel for Literature in 2001 ... His famous books are "A House for Mr. Biswas", " A Bend in the River "and "The Enigma of arrival".
Narayana Menon, Vallathol ... 1878..1958: A renowned poet from Kerala ... Founder of Kerala Kala Mandalam.

O
Osama Bin Laden ... 1957..2011: Saudi Arabian billionaire and an Engineer by profession ... organizer of the terrorist group " Al Qaeda", responsible for the bombing of World Trade Centre Towers attack on 11.11.2001. After this he was at large. He was located hiding in Abbottabad, Pakistan and was killed by US navy.
Otto Van Bismark ... 1815..1898: German Statesman ... Chief architect of the German Empire ... Known as the "man of blood and iron".
Oliver Cromwell ... 1599..1658: British soldier, statesman, leader of the Puritan Revolution.
Otto Hahn ... 1879..1968: German ... Discoverer of Nuclear Fission based on which the atom bomb was developed ... Nobel Prize 1944.
Omar Khayyam ... 1050..1123: Persian scholar and poet, astronomer ... "Rubaiyat" was his classic work.
Otto I the Great ... 912-973: King of Germany and a Holy Roman Emperor.

Panini : Vedic era Sanskrit grammarian ... his famous work is "Ashtadhyayi".
Porus: Ancient day Hindu King of Punjab ... he fought valiantly against the invasion by Alexander but lost ... However, in appreciation of his valour and bravery, Alexander returned the Kingdom to him.
Pearl S. Buck ... 1892..1973: A famous American author who won Pulitzer Prize 1932 and Nobel Literature Prize in 1938. His famous book is " Good Earth".
Pedro Alvarez Cabral ... 1407 .. 1520: Portuguese navigator who discovered Brazil.
Purushottam Lakshman Deshpande ... 1919..2000: Known as Pu La ... a famous marathi writer and dramatist
Paul Harris ... 1868..1947: American ... Founder of Rotary International.
Prasanta Chandra Mahalobis ... 1893..1972: India's famous economist and statistician whose contribution to India's economic planning in the formative years were immense.
Phirozshah Mehta ... 1845..1915: Indian National Congress co-founder and a great advocate for "Swadeshi Movement".
Prophet Muhammad ... 570..632: Founder of Islam.
Pulakesin II ... 608..642 ... Chalukya Dynasty's most powerful ruler.
Pythagoras ... 582..500 BC : A greek philosopher, theologian, and mathematician. His "Pythagoras Theorem" was one of the complex one for mathematicians.
Pablo Ruiz Picasso ... 1881-1973: Spanish painter of repute.
Plato ... 427..347 BC : Greek Philosopher ... He was a student of Socrates and teacher for Aristotle ... his famous work is "Republic".
Pol Pot ...1928..1998: Born as Saloth Sar. Kampuchea (Cambodia) ... the most dreaded leader of the militant organization "Khmer Rogue" ... responsible for killing nearly two million people during his regime between 1975..1979. Also called "Saloth Sar".
Pete Sampras - 1971: USA -Famous tennis player to win six wimbledon titles.
Pushyamitra Sunga ... 185..151BCE: He was the commander of Brihadrata, a mauryan king. Founded the Sunga dynasty by killing his master Brihadrata.
Prafulla Chandra Roy ... 1861..1944 : Famous Scientist and considered as the "Father of Indian Chemical Industry".
Prannoy Roy ... 1946: India's leading psephologist (election analysis), TV Commentator, journalist, economist ... President of NDTV. Arundhati Roy, the famous writer is his cousin.
Purushottamdas Tandon ... 1882..1962 : Active Freedom fighter ... Bharat Ratna 1961.
Pankaj Advani ... 1985 : Bengaluru, Karnataka ... Only Indian to win both billiards and snooker world titles ... Arujuna 2004, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2006 and Padma Shri 2009.

R
Raja Ramanna ... 1926: Renowned nuclear physicist ... Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre., Secretary Atomic Energy Dept., Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and also Union Minister.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa - 1836-1886: Famous religious leader from West Bengal - hic chief disciple was Swami Vivekananda - Ramakrishna Mission is named after him.
Ramachandran, M(aruthur) .G(opalan). ... 1917..1987: Famous Tamil Cinema Actor turned politician to the first cine actor to become the Chief Minister of State ... Bharat Ratna 1988.
Rajneesh ... 1931..1990: Originally Chandra Mohan Jain ... a famous self proclaimed god man who founded the "Rajneesh Ashram" at Pune ... In the later years activities inside the Ashram became very controversial.
Ronald Reagan ... 1911..2004: Hollywood's famous film star to become President of USA ... 1981-1988.
Ronald Amundsen ... 1872..1928: Norway ... Explorer ... First to reach South Pole .. 1911.
Richard Attenborough, Sir ... 1923: British actor and director who gave us films like, Gandhi, Jurassic Park, The Great Escape etc.,and has acted in a number of films. Gandhi won him 8 Oscars.
Robert Baden Powell ... 1857..1941: British ... Founder of Scouts Movement.
Roger Bannister, Sir ... 1929: UK ... Athlete and Medicine Doctor of repute. First person to run a mile under 4 minutes in 1954.
Richard Evelyn Byrd ... 1888..1957: USA ... Explorer ... first to fly over North and South Pole.
Rudolf Diesel ...1858..1918: German ... inventor of internal combustion engines (Diesel Engine) in 1893 which revolutionized the automobile industry.
Rajiv Gandhi ... 1944..1991: Grand son of Nehruji and son of Smt.Indira Gandhi, Commercial Pilot ... Politician INC ... PM of India 1984...1989 ... Assassinated on 21.5.1991 by LTTE suicide bomber ... Bharat Ratna 1991.
Raj Kapoor - 1924-1988: Film actor, director, producer and a great entertainer -Famous even amongst Russians - has a number of hit films.
Rudyard Kipling ... 1865..1936: Indian born British national ... a famous author whose "Jungle Books" is very famous. Nobel literature 1907 ... Born in Bombay.
Robert Koch ... 1843-1910: German Physician ... discovered the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis ... Nobel Prize 1905.
Ram Manohar Lohia Dr..... 1910..1967: Freedom fighter, socialist and a respected member of parliament.
Rakesh Sharma ... 1954: The first Indian to go into space in Soyuz T 11 in 1984.
Robert Gabriel Mugabe... 1924 : First PM of independent Zimbabwe, then President. A respected statesman in the world.
Rupert Murdoch ... 1931: USA ... The most respected Newspaper magnate ... a rich person owning several newspapers, broadcasting and other companies including Harper Collins, Fox, News Corp etc.,
Richard Milhous Nixon ... 1913..1994: US President 1969..1974. Resigned because of "Watergate scandal".
Rajendra Prasad Dr. 1884..1963: Gandhian and a respected statesman ... first President of India and the only one to continue for two terms ... 1950..1962.
Raja Rammohan Roy ...1774..1833: Social Reformer who fought against "Sati" "Child Marriage" etc., He actively supported widow remarriage, women education. Founder of Brahma Samaj.
Robert Boyle ... 1627..1691: Ireland ..... Chemist ... Proposed the "Boyle's law of gases".
Robert Clive ... 1725..1774: British ... Came to India as a Clerk of East India Co., and rose to the level Governor in 1765. He was famous for his "Battle of Plassey" 1757 where he managed to corrupt the general of Siraj ud Dawla and won the battle. It was a turning point in Indian History. Committed suicide in 1775.
Robert Wilhelm Bunsen - 1811-1899: German - Scientist - Inventor of Bunsen Burner.
Rowling J.K ... 1965 : British author ... who became world celebrity with her "Harry Potter" series of books.
Ronald Ross ... 1857..1932: British .. Physician and Bacteriologist ... Discovered Malaria Parasite ... Nobel Prize 1902.
Rahman A.R. ... 1967: India's most famous music director and the first Indian to win Oscar for "Slum Dog Millionaire".
Ravi Shankar ... 1929: Internationally acclaimed Sitar Maestro. Bharat Ratna 1999 .... His daughter Anoushka is also a famous Sitar player.
Robert Louis Stevenson ... 1850..1894: Scotland ... author famous for his books like Treasure Island, Kidnapped and Dr.Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde.
Rabindranath Tagore ... 1861..1941: India's great poet, philosopher, writer of National Anthem for India and Bangladesh ... First Indian to receive Nobel Prize(Literature) in 1913 for his work "Gitanjali".
Radhakrishnan S. Dr... 1888..1975: Scholar, philosopher, writer and statesman ...Professor Oxford University, Chairman UNESCO, First Vice President and Second President of India 1962..1967. His famous books are "Hindu View of Life"and "Indian Philosophy".
Ravi Varma, Raja ... 1848..1906: Raja from the Royal family of Kilimanoor, Kerala ...World renowned artist ... responsible for the creation of portraits of Hindu epic characters and incidents.
Rukmani Devi Arundale ... 1904..1986: Famous Bharata Natyam dancer and Composer.

S
Salim Ali ... 1896..1987: Famous Ornithologiest called the "Bird man of India".
Samudra Gupta .... 330..375 AD : son and successor of Chandragupta I ... a powerful and able Hindu King known as "Indian Napoleon".
Sarojini Naidu ... 1879-1948: Freedom fighter, President of INC 1925, First woman governor (UP) ... Known as "Nightingale of India".
Salvador Allende ... 1909..1973: Chile ... Statesman, President 1970, First to form a Marxism led government in South America.
Sunderlal Bahuguna ... 1927: Environmental activist ... Founder "Chipko Movement" which opposes the Tehri Dam Project.
Solomon Bandaranaike ... 1899-1959: PM of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) till 1959 until his assassination ... His wife Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world's first woman PM ... their daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga also became PM of Sri Lanka.
Surendranath Banerji ... 1848..1952: First Indian to quality in ICS (now IAS etc) President of INC twice.
Samuel Beckett ... 1906..1989: Ireland ... playwright and novelist ... Nobel Prize 1969.
Shyam Benegal ... 1934: Famous Indian Cinema Director and famous around the world.
Sabeer Bhatia ... 1968: Co founder of hotmail.com.
Subramania Bharati ... 1881..1925: Poet ... famous for his patriotic songs which influenced the youth. Tamilnadu's famous literary personality.
Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar ... 1894...1955: Famous scientist responsible for creation of various research laboratories in India ... Director of CSIR , Secretary Atomic Energy Commission, Chairman ... University Grants Commission ... India's most respected scientific award has been instituted in his name.
Simon Bolivar ... 1783..1830: South American popular revolutionary leader called "Liberator" responsible for the creation and independence of Venezeula, Columbia, Panama, Ecuador. Bolivia is named after him.
Satyendranath Bose ... 1894..1974: Physicist ... elementary particle "Boson" is named after him.
Sergei Bubka ... 1964: Ukraine ... World's best pole vaulter whose record of 6.14m set in 1994 still remains unbeaten ... Won world titles six times.
Subramanyan Chandrasekar... 1910..1995: Indian born at Lahore ... American Citizen ... Won Nobel Physics 1983 ... Nephew of Sir C.V.Raman.
Sean Connery ... 1930 : Scotland ... famous for his role as James Bond in Hollywood films.
Sigmund Freud ... 1856 .. 1939: Austria ... Psychiatrist ... Founder of Psychoanalysis.
Sonia Gandhi ... 1946: Italian/Indian ... Wife of Rajiv Gandhi ... Now MP and President of INC ... An influential politician of India.
Sunil Gavaskar ... 1949: India's famous cricketer and Captain. First to score 10000 runs in test cricket ... now a leading commentator ... called "Sunny Bhai".
Steffei Graf ... 1969: German ... a legendary tennis player of 1980s/1990s ... Won Grand Slam in 1988 ... married to Andre Agassi another famous tennis player.
Stephen Hawking ... 1942: British astrophysicist ... considered as the next Einstein .... Unfortunately suffers from a nervous disorder ... confined to wheel chair and communicates only through computer ,,, scientific author.
Stephen Henry 1970 : Scotland ... Greatest Snooker player ... World Champion seven times ... continuously for 5 years 1992-1996.
Stan Laurel ... (Arthur Stanley Jefferson) 1890..1965: UK ... a great comedian who made billions of people across the world to smile along with his partner Oliver Hardy.
Srinivasa Iyer, Semmangudi ... 1907 .. 2003: Great exponent of carnatic music from Tamilnadu.
Shivarama Karanth ...1902..1997: India's famous literary person from Karnataka ..."Chomana Dudi" is his famous work.
Saifuddin Kichlew ... 1888..1963 : Gandhiji's close associate ... founder All India Peace Council ... Stalin Peace Prize Winner.
Sophia Loren ... 1934: Famous Italian actress ... Oscar Award Winner ... Her beauty and sensuous portrayal enthralled many young hearts.
Sudharshan Patnaik ... 1976: Puri, Orissa ... World's famous sand artist ... won many international awards.
Sonal Man Singh ... 1944: India's famous classical dancer.
Samuel Morse ... 1791...1892: Invented telegraphy and the dot and dash code for sending telegrams, named after him.
Swaraj Paul, Lord ... 1931: Indian...British national ... industrialist ... Member of House of Lords, Vice Chancellor of Wolverhampton University.
Sidney Poitier ... 1924: USA ... First Hollywood Black actor to get an Oscar.
Srinivasa Ramanujam ... 1887..1920: World renowned and recognized mathematician ... Born at Erode, Tamilnadu.
Satyajit Ray... 1921..1992: India's most famous film director whose films have world wide recognition for their portrayal of everyday life. Won Oscar for Life Time Achievement, Bharat Ratna 1992 ... his famous films are Pather Panchali, Aparijitha, Charulatha etc.,
Sanjiva Reddy, Neelam ... 1913...1996: Freedom Fighter, CM ... AP, Union Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, President of India 1977..1982.
Svetlana Savitskaya ... 1949 : Russia ... First woman to walk in space and only woman cosmonaut to enter space twice.
Sethi, Dr. P.K - 1927: Famous Orthopaedic Surgeon ... inventor of Jaipur Foot ... Magasasay Award 1981.
Shankar (Pillai) ... 1902-1982: Cartoonist ... "Shankar's Weekly" "International Children's Art Competititon" and "International Dolls Museum" are all founded by him.
Shankar Dayal Sharma Dr:... 1919..1999: Freedom fighter, Scholar, Congress President, Chief Minister (MP), Union Minister, Vice President and President 1992..1997.
Sam Walton ... 1918..1992: Founder "Walmart" Chain of stores
Shivaji, Chatrapati ... 1627...1680: Maratta warrior, leader, King of Maratha Empire (1674) ... fought against Aurangazeb ... conquered regions upto Gingee in Tamilnadu.
Socrates ... 470..399 BC : Greek philosopher .. Plato's master ... charged with impiety and corrupting young minds, found guilty and made to die by drinking hemlock (a poisonous plant potion).
Steven Spielberg ... 1947: USA ... One of the world's most successful film director to produce famous films like Jaws, Jurassic Park, Schindler's list (Oscar winner) etc.,
Srinivas, Uppalapu - 1970: Great exponent of carnatic music through Mandolin, a western string instrument.
Sylvester Stallone ... 1946: Hollywood's famous actor ... Rocky, Cliffhanger are his famous films.
Subbulakshmi M.S..... 1916..2004: India's most famous carnatic musician ... performed a special recital of devotional songs in the Silver Jubilee celebrations of UN in 1970 .. Magasasay 1974 .. First musician to receive Bharat Ratna 1998.
Subramaniam C - 1910-2000: Freedom fighter, Union Minister, Governor (Maharashtra) - Bharat Ratna 1998.
Sun Yat Sen ... 1867...1925: China ... Revolutionary leader of China who was responsible for ending the monarchy in China in 1911 and also became the first President of Republic of China .
Swaminathan M.S. Dr. 1925: Internationally recognized agricultural scientist ... responsible for India's Green Revolution during the 1970s ... Founded M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation ... Padma Vibhushan, Magasasay and World Food Prize Winner.
Sankaracharya 8th Century : Reformer and reviver of Hinduism ... founded "Advaita" philosophy in Hinduism.
Shahjahan ... 1592-1666: Mughal Emperor ... able administrator ... built Taj Mahal -Kept in captive for a decade, until his death, by his son Aurangazeb.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ... 19201975: Father of Bangladesh ... President and Prime Minister ... Killed in a coup on 15.8.1975.
Sher Shah Suri ... 1486 .. 1545: Afghan who founded the Sur Dynasty and ruled between 1540-1545 ... Grand Trunk Road and introduction of currency are his contributions.
Sohrab Modi ... 1897..1984: "Grand Old Man" of Indian Cinema, Dadha Saheb Phalke Awardee ... Produced India's first Technicolor film "Jhansi ki Rani".
Shabana Azmi ... 1954: Famous film actress who won five national awards for her acting. Her famous films are Ankur, Arth, Khandhar, Paar etc.,
Sheikh Hasina ... 1947 : Daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and now (2011) PM of Bangladesh.
Salman Rushdie ... 1946: Indian/British national ... famous author ... Booker Prize winner ... his book "Satanic Verses" received widespread criticism from Islamic countries and was even banned. Iran' s spiritual leader had even slapped a death penalty on him for this book. The other famous book is "Midnight Children".
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar ... 1973: India's/world's greatest cricketer to debut at the age of 16. Arjuna and Khel Ratna award winner. Holds almost every possible record in batting except the top individual score in Test Cricket. The only cricketer in the world to have scored hundred centuries (51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs) and also the second cricketer (after Shewag) to have scored a double century in ODI cricket.
Sithu U Thant ... 1909-1974: Myanmar Diplomat ... UN secretary General 1962-1972.
Saint Thomas :... One of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ who visited India around 52AD and founded some churches in Kerala.
Shashi Tharoor 1956 :... Kerala ... Formerly an UN diplomat ... Under Secretary General ... now Member of Parliament.
Santosh Yadav... 1969: The first woman in the world to climb Mt.Everest twice within a year ... Now an officer in the Indo Tibetan Border Police ... Padma Shri 2000.

T
Tansen ... 1492..1589: A great classical musician to be one among the nine gems in the court of Akbar.
Tantiya Tope (Ramachandra Pandurang Tope) 1814..1859: Maharashtrian hero of 1857 war of independence (mutiny) - he was the commander of the Nana Sahib's forces ... also called Tatya Tope.
Tiruvalluvar ... 1st century : Tamil poet famous for his two line 1330 couplets (epithets) carrying every aspect of human life and values. They are called Thirukkural.
Tipu Sultan ... 1750..1799: A muslim ruler of Karnataka whose bravery and valour and conquests was a big threat to the British. He was the first to use rocket technology. Killed in the IVth Anglo Mysore War at Srirangapattinam.
Tulsi Das ... 1532..1623: Great Indian poet ... His famous work is "Ramacharita Manas" (Ramayana) a great Hindu epic.
Tenzing Norgay ... 1914-1986: First to conquer Mt. Everest along with Sir Edmund Hillary on 29.5.1953. Padma Bhushan 1959.
Thomas Alva Edison ... 1847..1931 : USA ... An Inventor who has patented more than 1300 products ... notable being Gramaphone, Incandescent lamp, Microphone etc.,
Thomas Addison ... 1793..1860: UK ... Physician ... discovered what is known today as " Addisson's Disease".
Timur ... 1336...1405: Turkish powerful warrior ... infamous for his sacking of Delhi during his invasion in 1398.
Todarmal ... 1556...1605: One of the nine gems in the court of Akbar ... he was known for his land reforms.
Thomas Jefferson ... 1743..1826: American President (3rd) ... He was the author of the "Declaration of Independence".
Tussaud, Madame ... 1761..1850: Switzerland ... Wax modeler ... Founded the famous Wax Museum in London which houses the full size wax models of leading personalities of the world ... a major tourist attraction.
Thomas Babbington Macaulay, Lord ... 1800-1859: Responsible for the reformation of educational system in India during his tenure as Law Member of Governor General Council and insisted for English as medium of education. Indian Penal Code, Civil Procedure Code are his contributions which are even now present in countries like, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Zimbabwe etc.,
Talat Mehmood ... 1924..1998: Famous Ghazal Singer who rendered a number of songs for the famous hindi film actor Dilip Kumar.
Theodore Roosevelt ... 1858..1919: President (26th) ... Nobel Peace Prize 1906 - "Teddy Bear" the doll is named after him.
Teresa, Mother ... 1910...1997: Original name Agnes Gonxha Bejaxhui ... Albanian nun. Came to Calcutta as a teacher and founded the destitute home "Missionaries of Charities" ... Magasasay 1963., Templeton 1973, Nobel Peace 1979 and Bharat Ratna 1980.
Tushar Kanti Ghosh ... 1899..1994: Famous Indian journalist and one of world's longest serving editor ... Amrita Bazzar Patrika.
Tiger Woods ... 1975: USA ... World's most famous Golfer ... At the age of 24 he won four major tournaments called "Grand Slam", youngest ever to do so. Holds a number of other records from his childhood playing days. Unfortunately, he lost some of his personal glory due to his involvement in ex-marital affairs.

U
Usha ... P.T., 1964: India's famous women athlete ... called " Golden Girl " and "Payyoli Express"... first Indian Woman to reach the final of an Olympic event ... 400 m hurdles ... and missed a medal bronze ... by 1/100th of a second ... Has more than 100 international medals.
Usha Uthup ... 1947: Famous play back singer in most Indian languages ... she has sung in a number of foreign languages also. Her songs with a western music touch has enthralled many a music lovers.
Usai Bolt ... 1986 ... Jamaica: Great athlete holding 100 and 200 mtrs world records, two time (2008 and 2012) olympic gold medallist in both these events and also holds the world record for 4 X 100 mts relay along with his countrymen team mates.

V
Vincent Van Gogh ... 1853..1890: Netherlands ... internationally acclaimed painter committed suicide.
Vatsyayana ... 5th Century AD: Sanskrit writer famous for his book "Kamasutra" the art of sex.
Venkataraman R. 1910...2009: Union Minister, Vice President and President (8th) 1987-1992.
Victoria ... 1819...1901: Queen of Britain ... the longest serving monarch of Britain .... 64 years.
Visveswarayya ... M 1861...1962: Karnataka ... Engineer, educationist, statesman and Dewan of Mysore ... Bharat Ratna 1955.
Vivekananda, Swami ... 1863...1902: Original name Narendranath Dutta ... Chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ... saint, philosopher who raised the level of respect for India internationally. Founder of Ramakrishna Mission and Ramakrishna Mutt and order of Monks. He participated in the Parliament of World Religions in 1893 at Chicago and his speech "My dear sisters and brothers of America" inspired the whole world.
Voltaire ... 1694...1778: Original name Francois Marie Arquet ... French philosopher and writer whose thoughts influenced the French Revolution.
Varahagiri Venkata Giri...1894..1980: Labour leader, Vice President, acting President and President 1969..1974. Bharat Ratna 1975.
Valmiki :... Most celebrated Sanskrit poet who authored Ramayana, Hindu's most revered epic text.
Varahamihira :... Distinguished astronomer, mathematician, philosopher of ancient days - he was one of the nine gems in the court of Chandragupta II Vikramaaditya.
Vasco da Gama ... 1470..1524: Portugal ... Explorer of repute, who reached Calicut in India circling around Africa, in 1498, which began the Portuguese arrival in India later years.
Ved Vyas : Sage era Sanskrit poet who wrote the Hindu's most revered epic text Mahabharata.
Vijay Amritaraj ... 1953: India's famous tennis player, commentator and a Hollywood producer.
Vijayalakshmi Pandit ... 1900-1990: Nehru's sister ... First woman minister of a state (UP) and also to be the President of UN General Assembly. She was also the first Indian woman ambassador to Moscow, Russia.
Vladimir Illich Lenin ... 1870...1924: Russia's revolutionary leader ... founded the "Bolshevik Party" which brought the communist revolution and change of rule from monarchy. He became the leader of the first socialist government on 17.11.1917.
Vinobha Bhave:... 1895..1982: Gandhi's disciple ... Founder of "Bhoodan" movement. First Indian to receive Magasaysay Award 1958 and Bharat Ratna 1983 (posthumously) ... Called "Acharya Vinobha Bhave.
Verghese Kurien Dr..... 1921: Father of India's white revolution "Operation Flood" Started the Cooperative Milk Producers' Federation at Anand, Gujarat ... Chairman of National Dairy Development Board ... World food Prize 1989 ... Magasasay 1963-Padma Vibhushan.
Venus Williams - 1980: USA - very successful recent woman tennis player - Her sister is also an equally successful player.
Vallabhbhai Patel, Sardar - 1875-1950: Close associate of Gandhiji and a very active freedom fighter - called "Iron Man of India" - architect of Unification of Princely States and Reorganisation of States . Deputy PM under Nehruji - Bharat Ratna 1991.
Vikram Sarabhai ... 1919..1971: Famous Nuclear Scientist ... Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission ... responsible for the Commission of Rocket Launching Station at Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Valentina Tereshkova ... 1937: Russia ... First woman to go into space in 1963 by Vostok VI.
Vishwanath Pratap Singh ... 1931.. 2008: Belonged to the princely state of Manda ...Politician from Janata Dal, Union Minister and PM between 1989...1990 . He was also a good painter and poet.

W
Winston Churchill, Sir ... 1874..1965: British author and Statesman... Minister and Prime Minister of England 1940-1945 ... and 1951..1955. Only British PMs to receive Nobel Literature Prize in 1953. Famous for his Cigar smoking and V for Victory sign.
William Jefferson Clinton ... 1946: USA .. President 1993..2001.
Walter Elias Disney ... 1901..1966: USA ... Cartoonist and creator of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck characters ... Founder of Disney worlds.
William Einthoven ... 1860...1927: Netherlands ... Inventor of electrocardiogram (ECG) ... Nobel Prize in 1924.
Waldemar Haffkine ... 1860...1930: First Director of the Plague Research Laboratory, Mumbai which is now known as Haffkine Institute.
William Golding, Sir:... 1911..1993: British ... novelist ... His famous book is "Lord of the Flies" Booker Prize and Nobel Literature in 1983.
William Ewart Gladstone ... 1809..1898: British statesman and PM of UK for four times between 1868 and 1894.
William Gilbert Grace ... 1848..1915: British ... famous cricketer who captained England team 13 times and scored over 54000 runs in his entire career.
William Harvey ... 1578..1657: British Physician ... who discovered the mechanics of blood circulation in 1616.
William Jones, Sir ... 1746..1794: UK ... Great indologist who mastered 28 languages.
Wilson Jones ... 1922..2003: India's famous billiards player and National Champion 22 times and three world titles. First Indian to become world champion in any sportin 1958. Aruna 1962, Padma Shri 1965, Dronacharya 1996.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ... 1756-1791: Austria ... World's great musical composer and a genius ... started his career at four and began touring on musical concerts at six. He has a number of musical operas to his credit of which, Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute are great hits.
William Shakespeare ... 1564..1616: British ... All times great poet and dramatist ... Mastery over English is unparallel ... His poems and plays are even today the subject of study in Literature. Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, The Tempest are the most famous ones.
Wole Soyinka - 1934: Nigerian writer, poet, playright and dramatist. The first black African to get Nobel Literature in 1986. His famous works are - The Interpreters, Death and the King's Horsemen.
William Crooks ... 1832...1919 : UK ... Chemist and Physicist ... Discovered the element "Thallium" in 1861 and also radiometer.
William Thompson Kelvin ... 1824...1907: British Physicist who invented the Kelvin Scale of Temperature.
William Wordsworth ... 1770..1850: UK ... a great poet whose works are even today subject of study. His famous works include The Prelude, The Recluse, The Solitary Reaper etc.,
Woodrow Wilson ... 1856..1924: USA ... 28th President ... 1913..1921 . After the WWI, he played a crucial role in setting up "League of Nations" which precedes the United Nations.
Wodehouse, Pelham Grevile (PG)...1881..1975: British comical novelist ... "Butler Jeeves" is the immortal character created by him.
Wright Brothers, - Orville (1871..1948) & Wilbur (1867..1912): USA ... Inventors of Airplane.

Y
Yuri Gagarin ... 1934..1968: Russian ... the first man to go into space in 1961 and went into orbit at 340 Kms above from earth, and completed one revolution in 89.34 mts.
Yehudi Menuhin ... 1916..1999: American Jewish ... World famous violinist.
Yasser Arafat ... 1999-2004: Real name is Mohammed Abdel Raouf Arafat al Oudwa-al-Husseini ... President and leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization and I President of Palestinian National Authority 1996-2004 ... Nobel Peace 1994.

Z
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto ...1928..1979 : PM and President of Pakistan ... Deposed by General Zia ul Haq and executed in 1979.
Zakir Hussain ... 1897..1969: Vice President (1962..1967) and Third President(1967-1969) ... Bharat Ratna ... 1963.
Zoroaster ... 6th Century BC: Founder of Zoroastrianism ... In India, his followers are called "Parsees" ... He was from the ancient Persia.
Zia-ur-Rahman...1937...1981: Bangladesh ... Became the President in 1975 through a coup ... He was assassinated on 30th May 1981. His wife Khaleda Zia became PM later.
Zail Singh, Gyani... 1916...1994: Freedom Fighter, State and Union Minister, Chief Minister of Punjab, and became President of India 1982..1987. He was the President, during "Operation Blue Star", assassination of Smt.Indira Gandhi, and during the sikh riots in Delhi 1984. He met with an automobile crash and died on 25.12.1984.
Zubin Mehta ... 1936: Indian born world famous musician and conductor of Israel's Philharmonic Orchestra.
Zakir Hussain... 1951: World famous tabla maestro and recognized all over the world.