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Ancient Greek physician called the father of medicine. He laid the foundations of Western medicine through rational study.

American inventor and architect. He coined words such as 'synergy' and was among the first to propose using wind, waves, and solar power as alternative energy sources.

Irish-born writer and dramatist. He is known for the novel The Vicar of Wakefield and the play She Stoops to Conquer.

British naval officer and Antarctic explorer who died returning from the South Pole.

Desiderius Erasmus

1466 – 1536 · Netherlands

Dutch humanist and theologian. A leading scholar of the Renaissance, he authored In Praise of Folly and indirectly influenced the Protestant Reformation.

Iranian lawyer and human rights activist. Iran's first female judge, she won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for her work advancing the rights of women and children.

Medieval English poet called the father of English poetry. He wrote The Canterbury Tales in Middle English, laying a foundation for English literature.

American Unitarian preacher who opposed Calvinism and argued for the divine within human nature. His works include Remarks on a National Literature.

American actor. He is world-famous for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series and is renowned for his diverse and eccentric character portrayals.

Ancient Greek bucolic poet. Active in the late 2nd to early 1st century BC, he is known for works such as Lament for Adonis.

Buddha

563 BC – 483 BC · India

Ancient Indian sage born Gautama Siddhartha. He attained enlightenment to free humanity from suffering and founded Buddhism.

English poet and farmer who set farming advice into verse. His A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie remains a record of Tudor rural life.