musician, poet, activistBorn: Feb. 15, 1946Birthplace: Omaha, Neb. John Trudell, the son of a Santee Sioux father and a Mexican mother, grew up around the Santee reservation near Omaha. He joined…
U.S. Senator (D-North Carolina)Born: June 10, 1953Birthplace: Seneca, S.C. A Democratic senator from North Carolina since 1999, Edwards made an unsuccesesful bid for the 2004 Democratic…
physician, inventor of refrigeration and air-conditioningBorn: Oct. 3, 1802Birthplace: Charleston, South Carolina or Nevis, West Indies John Gorrie attended medical school in New York, graduating…
politicianBorn: 5/16/1929Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan A lawyer and former assistant to Rep. John Dingell, Conyers was first elected to Congress in 1964. He was the first Black to chair the House…
framer of the Constitution, justiceBorn: 1732Birthplace: Williamsburg, Va. Before participating in the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Blair helped draw up Virginia's constitution in 1776. He…
Born: 1908Birthplace: Madison, Wisconsin Transistor—Bardeen, Shockley and Brattain shared the 1956 Nobel Prize for Physics for the invention of the transistor. The transistor replaced the vacuum…
Born: 1804Birthplace: Rutland, Vt. Plow—Deere's plow had a cutting part made of steel and a moldboard made of polished wrought iron which proved more effective than implements then in use for…
Born: 1803Birthplace: Vermland, Sweden Propeller—Ericsson's propeller—still the main form of marine propulsion 150 years later—replaced the inefficient and vulnerable steam-driven oars and…
Born: 1903 Heart-Lung Machine. Gibbon's development of the heart-lung machine made possible the first successful open-heart operation in 1953. Improved versions allow surgeons today to perform…
Born: 1806 Suspension Bridge. The age of the suspension bridge was ushered in by engineer and inventor Roebling. Roebling saw the potential of steel wire as a bridge building component and invented…
