William Caxton William Caxton (1422-91), the first English printer. Originally a merchant, Caxton learned the art of printing in Cologne in 1470-72. He set up his first printing press …
Friedrich August von Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek, (1899-1992). British economist, born in Austria. After graduating from the University of Vienna in 1921, Hayek carried out economic research …
Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour (1810-61). Italian ‘statesman, born into an old aristocratic family of Piedmont. As a young man he travelled widely in …
Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking, (1942- ). British theoretical physicist. Since graduating from Oxford University in the mid 1960s he has held a variety of posts at Cambridge, including …
Vaclav Havel Vaclav Havel, (1936— ). Czech statesman, playwright, and essayist. Having been prevented from studying drama because of his anti-communist background, Havel began his career as a stagehand. …
Edith Cavell Edith Cavell (1865-1915), British nurse and wartime heroine. During World War I she ran a nursing institute in Brussels that served as a refuge for over 200 …
Warren Hastings Warren Hastings, (1732-1818). First British governor-general of India. Hastings went to India at the age of 17 and quickly rose in importance. In 1772 he became governor …
Catherine the Great Catherine the Great, known as Catherine the Great (1729-96). Empress of Russia. The daughter of a German prince, she married the Russian Grand Duke Peter, later …
