James Longstreet (January 8, 1821 – January 2, 1904) was one of the Confederacy’s most important and controversial generals — Robert E. Lee’s principal subordinate, often called the army’s “Old War Horse.” He fought in nearly every major Eastern Theater campaign, played a role in the Western Theater, was seriously…

Mario José Molina (March 19, 1943 – October 7, 2020) was a Mexican-born physical chemist whose pioneering work on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) revealed how human-made chemicals could destroy Earth’s protective ozone layer. His discoveries led to major international action, including the Montreal Protocol, and earned him the 1995 Nobel Prize in…

Terry Fox is one of Canada’s most beloved and enduring heroes. In 1980, after losing a leg to bone cancer, the 21-year-old set out on a cross-Canada run he called the Marathon of Hope to raise money and awareness for cancer research. His courage, humility, and single-minded determination captured the…

Bob Dylan is one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in modern music: a poet, a provocateur, a shape-shifting performer who remade American songwriting across folk, rock and beyond. Born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota, Dylan grew up in Hibbing and transformed himself into…

Bryan Stevenson is one of the most influential public-interest lawyers and social-justice advocates of our time. Best known as the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and the author of the bestselling memoir Just Mercy, Stevenson has spent decades fighting racial bias, wrongful convictions, excessive punishment,…

Lois Lowry is one of the most influential and widely read authors of children’s and young-adult literature in modern American letters. Best known for The Giver and Number the Stars, Lowry’s work spans picture books, lighthearted series fiction, historical novels, and haunting dystopian tales that have changed how generations of…

Amelia Earhart is one of the most iconic figures in 20th-century aviation. A record-setting pilot, bestselling author, and outspoken advocate for women’s independence, Earhart pushed technical and social boundaries. Her daring achievements—culminating in her solo transatlantic flight in 1932—made her a global celebrity. Yet it’s her disappearance in 1937, while…