George Douglas Howard Cole (1889-1959) was an English historian, economist, and guild socialist. His teaching, writing, and commitment to political activism affected three generations of Englishmen. The son of a builder in West London, G. ...

The American psychologist and educator Granville Stanley Hall (1844-1924) pioneered in developing psychology in the United States. His wide-ranging and prolific writings reveal a central theme best characterized as genetic psychology or ev...

The German instrument maker Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit (1686-1736) made the first reliable thermometers. The temperature scale he originated is named after him. Born in Danzig on May 14, 1686, Gabriel Fahrenheit was the son of a well-to-do ...

Gabriel García Moreno (1821-1875) was an Ecuadorian political leader whose dynamic leadership brought stability and improvement to his country. Though mostly governing as a dictator, he broke the power of the military and raised the...

French philosopher Gabriel Marcel (1889-1973) described man's place in the world in terms of such fundamental human experiences as relationships, love, fidelity, hope, and faith. His brand of existentialism was said to be largely unknown i...

Gabriel Prosser (ca. 1775-1800) was the African American slave leader of an unsuccessful revolt in Richmond, Va., during the summer of 1800. Gabriel Prosser, the slave of Thomas H. Prosser, was about 25 years old when he came to the attent...

The Italian poet and patriot Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863-1938) was one of the last major representatives of fin-de-siècle decadence in European literature. Gabriele D'Annunzio was born on March 12, 1863, at Pescara of well-to-do paren...

The Italian historian and journalist Gaetano Salvemini (1873-1957) introduced economic and social analysis into Italian historiography. He spent his later years combating the Fascist dictatorship. Gaetano Salvemini was born in Molfetta on ...

Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers (born 1943) was the youngest player ever to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sayers earned the nickname of "Gallopin' Gale" for his exceptional ability to elude defensive attackers. The ...

The Italian scientist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) is renowned for his epoch-making contributions to astronomy, physics, and scientific philosophy. Galileo was born in Pisa on Feb. 15, 1564, the first child of Vincenzio Galilei, a merchant ...

The Ecuadorian statesman Galo Plaza Lasso (1906-1987) was his country's most modern-minded president, and he distinguished himself in the service of international organizations. Galo Plaza Lasso was born on February 17, 1906, in New York, ...

An American antislavery editor and a founder of the Republican party, Gamaliel Bailey (1807-1859) helped make the antislavery movement a major force in national politics in the mid-19th century. Gamaliel Bailey was born on Dec. 3, 1807, in...

The Chinese emperor Han Kao-tsu (ca. 247-195 BC) was the founder of the Former Han dynasty, the first major Chinese dynasty for which there are reliable and fairly full historical records. Kao-tsu is the posthumous title given to Liu Chi, ...

One of the most popular British generals of the nineteenth century, Garnet Wolseley (1833-1913) is little known today outside of military and academic circles. Recognized in his own time for resourcefulness, bravery, and strong organizatio...

A pioneer inventor, Garrett A. Morgan (1877-1963) was responsible for the creation of such life-saving inventions as the gas mask and traffic lights. In a long and productive career that spanned over forty years, Garret A. Morgan worked di...

Garrison Keillor (born 1942), host of public radio's popular A Prairie Home Companion and author of the best-selling Lake Wobegon Days, has made a career of telling stories about the fictional Minnesota town of Lake Wobegon and the lives o...

Gary Cooper (1901-1961) possessed a distinctive screen image that mirrored much that was worthy in the American character. By box office figures, Cooper was the most popular male film star of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Although he had gr...

The Spanish priest and statesman Pedro de la Gasca (ca. 1496-1567) reestablished royal authority in Peru in the 1540s after the rebellious conquistador Gonzalo Pizarro overthrew the Spanish crown's representatives. Trained in theology and ...

The Spanish explorer and colonial governor Gaspar de Portolá (ca. 1723-ca. 1784) headed the Spanish expedition that established the first missions in Alta California. Gaspar de Portolá was born at Balaguer in the province of ...

Gaston Lachaise (1882-1935), a French-born American sculptor, is best known for his robust and sensual nudes, whose elegance of gesture and suavity of finish give them sophistication and élan. Gaston Lachaise was born in Paris on Ma...

The Buddha (563-480 B.C.) was an Indian philosopher, religious teacher, and the historical founder of Buddhism. He is regarded variously as a human spiritual teacher or an omniscient, active deity. India during the 6th century B.C. was a l...

It would have been incomprehensible, at the turn of the nineteenth century, to believe that the actions of one man could set in motion a series of events that would reverberate through history for the next nine decades. Yet when Gavrilo Pr...

Jabir ibn Hayyan (active latter 8th century), called Geber by Europeans, was reputedly the father of Moslem alchemy and chemistry. It seems clear that there was a real person called Jabir ibn Hayyan about whom we know little except that he...

Lalibela (reigned ca. 1181-ca. 1221) was an Ethiopian king and saint to whom are attributed the famous monolithic churches of northern Ethiopia. The life of Lalibela is clouded in myth. Almost no documents survive from his life, and we mus...

Geertgen tot Sint Jans (ca. 1460-1490) is one of the most beloved Netherlandish primitive painters, noted for his charming naiveté and the purity and simplicity of his style. The principal source of knowledge concerning Geertgen tot...