Category: Public Figures

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…

Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan is a Pakistani politician and activist known for his long association with Jamaat-e-Islami (JIP), vocal interventions in the Senate of Pakistan and human rights and Palestine solidarity activism. He represented Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Senate from March 2018 to March 2024 and chaired important standing committees…

Chinua Achebe (Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe) remains one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Best known for his groundbreaking novel Things Fall Apart (1958), Achebe reshaped how the world understood African literature and colonial history — writing stories that gave Africa its own voice in world letters. His…

Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka — better known as Wole Soyinka — is one of Africa’s most celebrated writers and political thinkers. A playwright, poet, essayist and memoirist, Soyinka’s work spans drama, prose, poetry and fierce political commentary. He brought global attention to African theatre and literature while never shying from…

Vivencio “Vince” Bringas Dizon is a notable Filipino economist, public official, and government administrator whose career has spanned academia, private sector leadership, and high-profile government roles. Known for leading the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), coordinating parts of the Philippines’ COVID-19 response, and later holding cabinet-level positions, Dizon’s work…