136) Abba Kovner Founder of the Ha-Nokmim Resistance Movement Born: 14 March 1918, Either Russia or Belarus (Sources Vary) Died: 25 September 1987, HaMerkaz, Israel He was also a Poet and Writer. Ha-Nokmim functioned in the forests outside of Vilna in modern-day Lithuania during the Shoah. Ha-Nokmim means The Avengers. The Avengers destroyed over 180…
135) Sergeant First-Class Edward Allen Carter Jr Medal of Honor Recipient who before that became fluent in English, Hindi, Mandarin, and German (his family moved a lot) Born: 26 May 1916, Los Angeles, California, United States of America Died: 20 January 1963, Los Angeles, California, United States of America He joined the Chinese Nationalist Army…
134) Jean-François Champollion Most Known For His Significant Contributions in Translating Egyptian Hieroglyphs Born: 23 December 1790, Figeac, France Died: 4 March 1832 AD, Paris, France Part of the reason why Champollion was able to translate Hieroglyphs (via the Rosetta Stone) was because of his amazing linguistic capabilities. It is said he mastered a dozen…
133) Major Scott “Scotty” Smiley He is the first blind active duty servicemen to serve in US History Born: Pasco, Washington State, United States of America Scott was blinded by a Suicide Car Bomber in Iraq in 2005, which also left half of his body temporarily paralyzed. Before Iraq, he graduated from both West Point…
132) Hans Scholl Founding Member of the White Rose Resistance Movement Born: 22 September 1918, Germany Died: 22 February 1943 AD, Munich, Germany His sister Sophie was another member of the movement. Their father was very anti-Nazi and was upset when his five children all joined The Hitler Youth Movement (for the boys) and the…
131) Tsutomu Yamaguchi He Survived the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Born: 16 March 1916, Japan Died: 4 January 2010, Nagasaki, Japan And surprisingly, he wasn’t the only one. It’s believed around 260,000 people survived the blasts, and a small number, including Tsutomu, survived both. At the time of the attack on Hiroshima, Tsutomu…
130: Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley The Real Molly Pitcher Born: 13 October 1754 Died: 22 January 1832, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States of America Her parents were German Immigrants and her birthplace is debated (either Philadelphia or New Jersey). Mary’s first husband was a barber who signed up to serve in the 4th Pennsylvania Artillery of…
129: Laura Bush Former First Lady of the United States During Her Husband George W Bush’s Administration Born: 4 November 1946, Midland, Texas, United States of America Her advocacy focuses while in office and now after are literacy, education, and women’s rights. In 2001 she was the first First Lady to deliver the President’s weekly…
128: Sirimavo Bandaranaike Ceylon’s First Female Prime Minister Born: 17 April 1916, Ceylon (Present-day Sri Lanka) Died: 10 October 2000, Colombo, Sri Lanka In 1960 her party won the general election and she became the first modern female Prime Minister of Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka). She was also the first modern female prime minister in…
127: Alexandra Kollontai Soviet Political Icon Born: 31 March 1872, St. Petersburg, Russia Died: 9 March 1952, Moscow, Soviet Union (Present-day Moscow, Russia) Her mother and nanny refused to educate her but a neighbor who was a literary historian stepped in and gave her private lessons suggesting she become a writer. Alexandra married and had…