physicistBorn: 6/28/1906Birthplace: Katowice (then Germany, now Poland) An accomplished physicist, Goeppert-Mayer made numerous contributions to the field of physics and was the first woman to win…
actor, directorBorn: 6/22/1944Birthplace: Bad Aussee, Austria A successful international star, he first gained acclaim for his performance as an ambitious young actor in Mephisto (1981). He has…
(Encyclopedia) Williams, Roger, c.1603–1683, clergyman, advocate of religious freedom, founder of Rhode Island, b. London. A protégé of Sir Edward Coke, he graduated from Pembroke College, Cambridge…
(Encyclopedia) Mitchell, Maria, 1818–89, American astronomer and educator, b. Nantucket, Mass. Mitchell taught school in Nantucket, and later became a librarian. On Oct. 1, 1847, Mitchell discovered…
(Encyclopedia) Maria I, 1734–1816, queen of Portugal (1777–1816), daughter of Joseph I. She was married (1760) to her uncle, who assumed joint rule with her as Peter III. Neither of them was much…
railroad executiveBorn: 10/22/1821Birthplace: Harwinton, Conn. Like his future partner, Mark Hopkins, Huntington moved his mercantile business west to capitalize on the needs of miners hoping to…
banker, political figureBorn: 5/16/1824Birthplace: Shoreham, Vt. Having built a small fortune working in a country store in Hanover, New Hampshire, he went on to become a merchant in Boston. He…
entrepreneur, philanthropistBorn: 1897Birthplace: Chicago, Ill. An industrialist who is largely credited with having turned Aspen, Colorado into a cultural mecca and winter playground for the…
