People who changed the world

 People Who Changed

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)
Christopher Columbus was of Italian origin and one of the most famous
explorer among other explorers of his time. In 1492, he set sail in the
Santa Maria believing that he could reach Asia by sailing West across
the Atlantic Ocean. Instead of Asia, he landed on the islands West
Indies. This discovery led the European exploration and settlement of
the Americas.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
William Shakespeare was one of the greatest playwright in the English language. He began his career as an actor and wrote at least 154 love poems and 37 plays, including King Lear, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, etc. He also introduced more than 1,700 new words to the English language.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
Charles Darwin established the theory of evolution in his famous book 'The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, which published in 1859. Through this theory Darwin challenged the Bit accounts of creation and explained that human being descended for an ape like ancestor.

Karl Marx (1818-1883)
Karl Marx was a social philosopher of German origin, who criticized the capitalist economy and predicted a future in which everyone was equal.
His ideas on economic history and sociology changed the world. His theories are explained in the Communist Manifesto' and 'Das Kapital'.
His ideas eventually led to the Russian Revolution and Communism.

James Watson (1928-) and Francis Crick (1916-2004)

American biologist James Watson and English scientist Francis discovered the molecular structure of DNA, using theories already by Maurice Wilkins. Their theory explained how DNA carries here information. Their discoveries have revolutionized the understand genetics and the study of genetic diseases

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

Gandhi began his career as a lawyer. Later he became a great political and spiritual leader. He led the peaceful Civil Disobedience movement against the British rule and negotiated with the British government until India was granted independence in 1947. His simple lifestyle and belief in religious tolerance made him a symbol of decency and peace in the world. He become the first icon of people's struggle against oppression.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Einstein was of German origin and one of the greatest of all physicists.

His most famous work, The General Theory of Relativity, was proven in 1919. In 1921, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. He was a firm believer in pacifism, but his scientific theories helped his adopted country, the US, to develop the atomic bomb. Before he died, he urged the Nations of the world to give up their nuclear weapons because of its great threat to the world.

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

Adolf Hitler was of Austrian origin who became the great dictator in the world. He was Germany's leader from 1933 to 1945, during which time he led the world into the most devastating war. Hitler's hatred of Jewish people and his desire for a blue-eyed, blond-haired master race led to the murder of six million people during World War II.

Nelson Mandela (1918)

Nelson Mandela bom in South Africa in 1918. He fought against apartheid a policy that kept black and white South Africans apart and denied black citizens the right to vote. For his aggressive opposition to South Africa's racist government, he was imprisoned in 1964 and was held for 26 years. After his release in 1990, Mandela was elected as the President of the African National Congress. In 1993, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end apartheid.

Martin Luther King, Jr.(1929-1968)

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister who campaigned against the segregation of blacks in the southern states of America. Influenced by Gandhian philosophy, he believed in peaceful protest. In 1964, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Martin Luther was assassinated in 1968.