World Famous Personalities Profiles

Prepared By Sarfraz Malik

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Name About him

Abraham Lincoln (1809-’65) Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the U.S.A. from
1861 to 1865 and was returned from the Republican Party. He
opposed slavery and was a great champion of democracy. He
was assassinated in 1865.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Franklin was a famous American philosopher and statesman
who actively helped in promoting the declaration of
independence.
Acharya Vinoba Bhave Born 11 September, 1895 in Gujrat. He was educated at
Baroda.Met Gandhiji and joined Sabarmati Ashram in 1916.He
was originator of Bhoodan yagna Movement.He received
Magsaysay Award in 1969. He received Bharat Ratna award in
1983.
C.N.Annadurai Was the founding father of Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam
(DMK), a political party of South India.DMK obtained absolute
majority in the Tamil nadu Legislative Assembly at the elections
of 1967 and 1971.
Horgovind Khurana Has become famous in carrying out research work in the U.S.A.
He was awarded Nobel Prize in 1968 in Physiology and
Medicine.
Indira Gandhi Was President of Congress in 1959. Became Union Minister of
Information and Broadcasting in 1964-66. Was Prime Minister
of India in 1966-77 and again in 1980-1984.
Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) Famous Indian leader and statesman who was the first Prime
Minister of India. Author of `The Discovery of India’, `Glimpses
of World History’, etc.
Jefferson, Thomas He was the 3rd President of the U.S.A. and founder of the
Republican Party.He helped in drafting the Declaration of
Independence.
Konstantin Chernenko Became President of USSR after the death of President
Andropov in 1984. President Chernenko died in 1985.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) Martin Luther was a German preacher during the reign of
Henry VIII of England. He translated the Bible in German.
Founder of reformation movement and Protestantism in
Europe.
Mihir Sen He is the first Indian to swim the English Channel. He also
swam the Palk Strait, the Gibralter strait and Dardanelles strait.
Morarji Desai Resigned Bombay Provincial Civil Service and joined Non-
Cooperation Movement under Gandhiji in 1930.Was Chief
Minister of Bombay, 1952-1956, Union Minister in 1956-63.
After formation of the Janata Party, was the Prime Minister of
India from 1977 to 1979.
Mother Teresa Was born in Yugoslavia in 1910.The Roman Catholienun came
to India as a teacher and began organizing schools for slum
children in 1948. She has established 100 centres in the
country comprising schools,charitable dispensaries, home for
lepers, T.B. Patients, unwanted and crippled children. She was
awarded Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979, as the first Indian. Was
awarded Bharat Ratna in 1980.
Niels Bohr (1885-1963) Niels Bohr was a nuclear physicist of denmark. His pioneering
work led to the invention of nuclear fission and atomic bomb.
Received Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922.
Ravishankar Ravishankar is the world-famous artist in sitar.
Ramanujam (1887-1920) The great Indian Mathematician who was famous for his work
on Theory of Numbers. He became an F.R.S.in 1918.
H.G.Wells (1866-1946) H.G.Wells was a famous author of English novels. His science-
based tales are of great appeal all over the world. The famous
books written by him are “The Invisible Man”,”Time Machine”
and “The Shape of things to come.”
Abul Fazal (1551-1602) Famous Mughal court poet, scholar and councillor of Akbar. His
books Akbar-Nama and Ain-i-Akbari throw light on Mughal rule
and particularly on the reign of Akbar.
Abdul Ghaffar Khan A great congress leader of the N.W.F.P. and leader of Red
Shirts. He is popularly known as `Frontier Gandhi’. He received
the Nehru Award for peace and international understanding. He
was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1987.
Aesop (620-544 B.C.) Famous writer of greece. his fables are very instructive and
interesting.
Alexander the Great (356-323 b.C.) Became the king of Macedon in Greece in 336 B.C. One of the
greatest generals and conquerors of the world.Founded
Alexandria and invaded India in 326 B.C. Reached Beas. Died
at Babylon.
Akbar (1556-1605) The greatest of the Mughal Emperors of India. Founder of a
new religion Din-i-Ilahi. He abolished pilgrim tax and Jazia.
Took the Empire to its peak in administration.
Amir Khusro Scholar in the court of Alauddin Khilji. Laid the foundation of
Urdu poetry. He wrote in Hindi also, known as the “Parrot of
India”.
Annie Besant (1846-1933) Irish Lady who supported Indian Nationalist Movement.
Founder President of Theosophical Society.Was elected
President of the Indian National Congress.
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) Greek philosopher,artist,poet and thinker.Disciple of Plato and
teacher of Alexander the great.Founder of a famous school of
philosophy.”The ethics and Poetics” are his famous works.
Archimedes (287-212 B.C.) Greek mathematician,inventor & Scientist.Discovered the
principles of the lever and of specific gravity.Invented
Archimedean screw.
Dr.B.R.Ambedkar (1893-1956) Law minister of India,1947-51. Member of the constituent
Assembly. chairman of the constitution drafting
Committee.”Annihilation of Caste” is his famous work.
Aryabhatta (476-520 A.D.) Great Indian astronomer and mathematician.India’s first
scientific satellite was named after him.Explained the causes of
solar and lunar eclipses. Determined the diameter of the earth
and the moon. He laid the foundation of algebra and was
responsible for pointing out the importance of “Zero”.

Ashoka (273-236 B.C.) Indian Emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty. Embraced Budhism
after the Kalinga War. One of the existing monuments of
Ashoka is the Sanchi Stupas. His inscriptions on rocks and
pillars are of great historical interest. Famous for sanity of
thought, up rightness of character and love of humanity.
Aurobindo Ghosh (1872-1959) Politician,Philosopher,poet & saint. First editor of “bande
Mataram”, Works : Life Divine,EssaysonGita,Basis of Yoga.
Babar (1483-1530) Founder of the Mughal Empire in India. Conquered the throne
of Delhi after the first battle of Panipat (1526) against Ibrahim
Lodhi. His “Memoirs” hold a high a place in the history of
literature.
Banabhatta Court poet of King Harsha Vardhana. Works : Harshacharita
and Kadambari.
Bhaskaracharya Great mathematician and astronomer of the twelth century.
Work `Sidhanta Siromani’.
Bismarck (1815-1898) Known as the “Man of blood and iron”. Founded the German
Empire.A great administrator.
Gautama Buddha (623-543 B.C.) Kshtriya prince, son of Suddhodana, the king of Kapilavastu in
Nepal. Founder of Buddhism. Developed the philosophy of
pessimism.
Dr.H.J.Bhabha (1909-1966) Indian Physicist.President,Indian Science Congress,
1951.Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of India. Thew first
Atomic Reactor was completed under hisguidance in 1956 and
the second reactor was commissioned in 1960.Was made a
fellow of the Royal Society in London in 1941.
Subhash Chandra Bose (1897- ? Indian nationalist and organizer of the Indian National Army
(I.N.A.) during the World War II. Was called `Netaji’.Was
elected President of the Indian National Congress in 1937 and
1938. founder of the political party `Forward Block’.
Julius Caesar (102-44 B.C.) Roman Genaral and statesman. Invaded Gaul and Britain.
Paved the way for the Roman Empire. Was also an orator, poet
and historian.
Winston Churchill (1877-1965) British statesman,soldier and author. Leader of Conservative
party. Led Britain as Prime Minister during World War II. Won
Nobel Prize for literature in 1953. Famous work :`The
Gathering Storm, War Memoris, etc.
Chanakya (Kautilya) (4th Century B.C.) Famous minister of Chandra Gupta Maurya and was
responsible for the fall of the Nanda Dynasty. “Arthashastra” is
his famous book.It throws light on the then system of
government, the revenue system, the art of administration and
the duties of the king.
Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer who first propounded the astronomical
theory that the sun is the centre of the solar system and the
earth and other planets revolve round the sun.
Madame Marie Curie (1867-1934) Discovered Radium.Won the Nobel Prize twice (Physics-
1903,Chemistry-1911)
Lord Clive (Robert Clive)(1725-1774) Founded the British Empire in india by defeating Seraj-ud-daula
at Plassey in 1757. Twice appointed Governor of Bengal (1757-
’60) and (1764-’67)
Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay (1838- Bengali novelist. Introduced a rich style in the Bengali
1894) language. “Durgeshnandini”, “Bishabrika”, “Anandamath” are
some of his outstanding works.
W.E.Disney (1901-1966) American film cartoonist Producer of Mickey Mouse, Donald
Duck etc. Creator of Disneyland, California.
Dayanand Saraswati (1824-1883) Great hindu reformer.Founder of the `Arya Samaj (1875).
Fought against untouchability, preached widow re-marriage,
supported women’s education.
Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) American inventor. Invented telephone transmitter,
megaphone, phonograph, incandescent bulb, cinematograph,
etc.
Euclid (330-269 B.C.) Greek mathematician and author of elements of Germany.
Fa-hien The first Buddhist pilgrim from China who came to India during
the reign of Chandragupta II(`Vikramaditya’) to collect
Buddhist relics and sacred literature. he stayed in india from
401 to 410 A.D.
Michael Faraday (1791-1867) British scientist who founded the science of electromagnetism.
discovered the laws of Electrolysis.
Firdousi (940-1020) Epic poet of Persia. He was a court poet of sultan Mahmud of
Gazni. His `Shah-nama’ contains 60,600verses describingthe
history of Persia.
Galileo Italian mathematician and astronomer. Invented telescope
(1609) and the first man to see the satellites of Jupiter.(1564-
1642)
M.K.Gandhi (1869-1948) Led `Satyagraha’ movement in south Africa. Associated with
many movements during the struggle for independence of
India viz., Non-co-operation movement in 1920, Salt
Satyagraha, Quit India in 1942. His main principles were non-
violence and truth. He was called the `Father of the Nation’.
His autobiography `My Experiments with Truth’ is world-
famous.
Harsha Vardhana Hindu King of India (606-647 A.D.). The account of his reign is
available from two sources : Hiuen Tsand, a Chinese traveller,
and Bana Bhatt, the famous Sanskrit poet. Nalanda University
flourished during his time.
Hiuen Tsang Famous Chinese Buddhist pilgrim who visited India during the
reign of King Harsha, stayed in India from 629 to 644 A.D. and
learnt Buddhist scriptures at Nalanda University. He has left
interesting records of the conditions in India at that time.
Adolf Hitler German dictator and founder of National socialism. The
Chancellor of Germany since 1933 and Leader of Reich since
1934. Started a Fascist movement. Involved Germany into the
World War II and was defeated in 1945. Author of `Mein
Kampf’.
Ho-Chi-Minh Organised the revolutionary rationalist party of Indo-China
against French rule. Led the struggle for Vietnam’s
independence during World War II. As President of North
Vietnam he defied the USA for the unification of Vietnam, Great
communist leader.
Kalidasa Epic figure in classic sanskrit literature. Works :`Shakuntala’,
`Meghduta’,`Kumar Sambhava’ etc. Flourished in the time of
Vikramaditya.
Kabir One of the greatest expoexponents of Bhakti Movement – a
socio-religious movement spread in the Middle ages which
aimed at liberalising the religious practices of Hindus. Disciple
of Ramanand. Kabir believed in the unity of God and equality of
all religions.
Lenin Leader of the Russian Revolution in 1917. Head of the Soviet
Government from 1917 to 1924.
Leonardo da Vinci Italian painter, sculptor, architect, scientist and musician.
Famous paintings are `The Last Supper’ and `Mona Lisa’.
Mahavira Born in the 6th century B.C. Jainism which is a religious sect of
Hinduism was strengthened by him. Apostle of non-violence.
Prescribed code of penance for his followers. The religion did
not spread outside India.
Megasthenes Was Greek ambassador to Chandra Gupta Maurya’s Court sent
by seleucus. His book `Indika’ is a source of information about
the state of India at that time.
Mao-Tse-Tung (1893-1976) Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party 1936-59. First
Chairman of the Central Government of the People’s Republic
of China., 1949-59. Organised the Red Guards to start the
Cultural Revolution.
Karl Marx (1818-83) German philosopher and socialist. Author of `Communist
Manifesto’ and `Das Kapital’. Communism is based on his
teachings.
Michael Angelo(1475-1564) Italian painter, sculptor, architect and poet who did much to
beautify the churches of Rome and Florence by his genius.
Marco Polo (1256-1323) Famous Venetian traveller and explorer. The first European to
visit china. Made journeys through China, India and other
Eastern countries and published a record of his wanderings.
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) French Emperor and General. Conquered most of Europe. Was
defeated in the battle of Waterloo in 1815 and died in exile at
St.Helena’s Island.
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) British nurse and hospital reformer. Organised a nursing service
during the Crimean War (1854-56), which reformed the age-old
system in hospitals. Her system was later adopted throughout
the world. Known as `The Lady with the Lamp.’
Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish painter and sculptor.Founded cubist school of painting.
`Guernica’ is his civil war painting.
Maharana Pratap (1540-97) Raiput chief who refused to acknowledge Akbar’s overlordship.
Defeated at Haldighat in 1576. Reconquered the greater part of
his possessions.
Ramkrishna Paramhanssa (1833-1886) Indian religious saint and preceptor of Swami Vivekanand.
Roosevelt (1882-1945) President of the USA from 1933 till his death, being the first
 American to be elected for more than two terms. He met the
economic crisis of 1933 with a policy for a `New Deal’.
William Shakespeare(1564-1616) The Greatest poet and dramatist of england. Author of several
plays such as `Julius Caesar’, `Macbeth’, `Romeo and Juliet’,
`Hamlet’, `The Merchant of Venice’, `Antony and Cleopatra,
etc.
Socrates (463-399 B.C.) Greek Philosopher and intellectual leader. Plato was his pupil.
He was sentenced to death on charges of impiety and
corrupting the young.
Stalin (1879-1953) Soviet Statesman. played an important part in the Russian
Revolution of 1917. Became the outstanding leader of Russia
after the death of Lenin in 1924. Introduced in 1929 the
famous Five Year Plan to build new Russia. General Secretary
of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, 1924-41.
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish dramatist, socialist, writer and journalist. His famous plays
are `Pleasant and Unpleasant’, `Man and
Superman’,`Mrs.Warren’s Profession’.
Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902) A great Hindu Saint and religious leader. His original name was
Narendranath Datta. Follower of Ramkrishna Paramhansa. Led
the Vedanta movement. Founded Ramkrishna Mission at Belur
(West Bengal). Among his books `Janam Yoga’, `Bhakti Yoga’
and `Karma Yoga’ are best known.
Savarkar (1883-1966) Nationalist leader from Maharashtra. Leader of the Hindu
Mahasabha. Author of `Indian War of Independence’.
Shankaracharya (Born 788 A.D.) A great scholar,philosopher and religious teacher. Countered
the influence of Buddhism and Jainism. Wrote authoritative
commentaries on the Upanishadas.
Shivaji (1627-80) Brave general and capable administrator. Fought successfully
many battles against Aurangzeb’s army and was instrumental
in shattering the structure of Mughal Empire in India. Made the
Marathas a strong nation. Was crowned king in 1674 at
Raigarh.
Shah Jehan The Mughal Emperor (1628-58). Built Taj Mahal at Agra in
memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Lal Quila and Jama Masjid
in Delhi were also built in his time.
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) Great Indian
poet,novelist,dramatist,composer,philosopher,educationist,artist
and humanist. Won Noble Prize for literature in 1913. Works :
`Gitanjali’, `Gora’, `Chitra’,`Wreck’, `Post Office’, `Hungry
Stones’, etc. Founded the international university Visva-Bharti
at Shantiniketan (W.B.)
Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920) One of the pioneers of the Indian freedom movement. Started
two newspapers, the `Kesari’ in Marathi and the `Maratha’ in
English. He declared `Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have
it’. Wrote a commentary on the Gita, the `Gita Rahasya’.
Tansen Great exponent of Indian classical music. He was one of the
`Nau Rattans’ in the court of Akbar.
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian writer,philosopher,social reformer and religious
teacher. His chief novels are `War and Peace’, `Anna
Karenina’, `Resurrection’, etc.
Marshal Tito (1892-1980) Yugoslav leader. Called the Neutral Nations Conference at
Belgrade in 1961. A firm believer in non-alignment.
 Vasco da Gama A portuguese Sailor, who in 1498, rounded the Cape of Good
hope and succeeded in reaching the port of Calicut in south
India.
George Washington (1732-99) Commander-in-Chief of the American army during the
American War of Independence (1775-83). First President of
the Republic of USA elected in 1789; re-elected in 1793.
Murlidhar Devidas Amte Popularly known as Baba Amte, an IndianLawyer who has
made the lives of thousands of lepers and other social
outcastes productive and respectable. Was awarded the 1985
Magsaysay award for public service. `Anandwan’ is the first of
the settlements established by him for lepers and other
physically handicapped people.
Martin Luther King (1929-68) U.S. negro civil rights leader. It was due to his efforts that the
U.S. Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964.Won the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1964.
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