poet, novelist, and nonfiction writerBorn: 1957Birthplace: Kobe, Japan A Japanese-American poet, novelist, and nonfiction writer, Mori was raised in Kobe, Japan, and, inspired by her mother and…
(James Newell Osterberg)rock musicianBorn: 4/21/1947Birthplace: Ypsilanti, Michigan James Newell Osterberg aka Iggy Pop started out as a member of the proto-punk Stooges before embracing a solo…
actressBorn: 11/6/1972Birthplace: Zambia, Africa Mission: Impossible 2 star Thandie Newton originally set her sights on becoming a dancer. The daughter of a Zimbabwean mother (a princess of the…
actressBorn: 3/11/1982Birthplace: Los Angeles, Calif. Birch, who was named after the Norse god of thunder, began exhibiting her thespian talents as a toddler, landing parts in TV commercials for…
Frankish kingBorn: c. 466 The Frankish king Clovis founded the Frankish Empire, which at its height included most of what is now France and central Europe. He was the first leader to unite and rule…
Founder of the American Red CrossBorn: 1821 Clara Barton taught school in her native Massachusetts before moving to Washington, DC, in 1854 to work as a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office. Almost from…
(Encyclopedia) Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr.Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr.vŏnˈəgət [key] 1922–2007, American novelist, b. Indianapolis. After serving in World War II, he worked as a police reporter and wrote short…
(Encyclopedia) Tristram and IsoldeTristram and Isoldetrĭsˈtrəm, ĭsōlˈdə, ĭzōlˈ– [key], medieval romance. The earliest extant version (incomplete) was written (c.1185) by Thomas of Britain in Anglo-…
(Encyclopedia) Baryshnikov, MikhailBaryshnikov, Mikhailmĭˈkhail bərĭˌshnĭkävˈ [key], 1948–, Russian-American dancer and choreographer, b. Riga, Latvia (then in the USSR). He studied in Riga and…