(another pen name, Jonathan Ryder)novelistBorn: 5/25/1927Birthplace: New York City suspense novelist whose fast-paced books about spies and international conspiracies have sold more than 290…
poet, criticBorn: 10/20/1940Birthplace: Long Branch, N.J. Innovative poet who often draws on personal experience and contemporary themes in his work. He served as Poet Laureate of the United States…
poet and translatorBorn: 3/1/1941Birthplace: San Francisco Hass was appointed Poet Laureate of the United States in 1995 and used the post to promote poetry and literacy. During his term (1995–1997…
financierBorn: 1783Birthplace: Lisburn, Ireland Having grown up on a farm in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, he moved to Baltimore and began working in a produce business. He later founded Robert…
(Jan Ludvik Hoch)publisher, media mogulBorn: 6/10/1923Birthplace: Slatinske Dòly, Czech Republic He fled the Nazi invasion of Czecholovakia in 1939 and settled in Britain, though most of his family…
inventorBorn: 4/22/1789Birthplace: Carreghova, Montgomeryshire, Wales A mechanical genius, Roberts is best known for having improved upon or invented several machine tools, including one of the…
business executiveBorn: 1920Birthplace: Washington, D.C. Townsend used his early experiences as a banker at American Express Co (1948–62) to redirect Avis Rent-a-Car. Under his direction as…
actorBorn: 1/3/1930Birthplace: New York, New York Saying of himself, “I'm a character actor in that I play many different roles, and I'm virtually unrecognizable from one role to another, so I…
actor, writerBorn: 5/26/1908Birthplace: Semley, Wiltshire, England Robert Morley, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, first starred on stage, playing the title role of Oscar…
blues singer, guitaristBorn: 5/5/1911Birthplace: Hazelhurst, Mississippi Robert Johnson may well have been the most influential blues musician of all time. Although he only recorded 29 songs,…