Who is Who

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Cleopatra (69-30 B.C): Egyptian queen. Became joint ruler, with brother Ptolemy XII, at age of 17; was wife of Julius Caesar and later mistress of Mark Antony. Committed suicide.

Clinton, William Jefferson (b.1946): Dynamic democrat leader who became 42nd U.S. president (Jan.’93(. Re-elected Nov. ’96. Autobiography my life a best seller.

Clijsters, Kim (b.1983): Belgian world No.2 tennis star. Retired in 2007.

Cockerell, Christopher (1910-1999): English inventor of the hovercraft.

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor (1772-1834): English poem critic and philosopher,

Colette (1873-1954): French novelist whose early works were published under her first husband’s pseudonym, Willy.

Collins, Lt. Col. Eileen (.1956): The first female to take over the controls of a NASA spaceship.

Collin, Wilkie (1824-’89): British novelist, who collaborated with Charles Dickens. The woman in white, the moonstone.

Columbus, Christopher (c.1451-1506): Italian explorer known as the discoverer of the Americas. In 1492 discovered the Bahamas, Cuba, and other West Indian Islands.

Comenius, John Amos (1592-1670): Czech religious leader and educational reformer who wrote The Visible World in Pictures.

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Comte, Auguste (1798-1857): French philosopher. Founder of Positivism.

Confucius of K’ung Fu-Tse (c.551-478 B.C): Chinese philosopher, founder of the system of cosmology, politics, and ethics known as Confucianism.

Connery, Sean (b.1930): Scottish actor who won acclaim as screen’s secret agent James Bond.

Conard, Joseph (1857-1924): British novelist and short story writer born in Poland. Was a ship’s officer before. Heart of darkness, Nostromo, The secret Agent.

Constantine I (285-337): Roman emperor who founded the Christian empire known as Constantine the Great. Rebuilt Byzantium as his capital and renamed it Constantinople.

Cook, Captain James (1728-’79): English navigator. Discovered the Sandwich Is. (Hawaiian).

Cook, Thomas (1908-’82): British Baptist priest turned tour operator, established Thomas Cook. Father pf modern tourism.

Copernicus, Nicolas (1473-1543): Polish astronomer; considered founder of modern astronomy. Put forward the novel theory that the planets, including the Earth, revolve round the sun.

Cornwallis, Lord (1738-1805): Governor general of India, 1786. Laid the foundation of the Indian Civil Service.

Correa, Charles (b.1930): India’s eminent architect, educated at Michigan and MIT.

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Cushing, Harvey (1869-1939): American surgeon whose pioneering techniques for brain surgery improved neuro-surgery tremendously. Cushing’s syndrome, named after him.

Daimler, Gottlieb (1834-1900): German engineer, inventor. He improved internal combustion engine, furthering car industry.

Dalai Lama (b.1935): (Tenzing Gyatso) Spiritual leader of Tibet. Fled to India after Tibetan uprising, and established Govt-in0exile at Dharamasala in Himachal Pradesh, India (1959). Nobel peace prize (1989).

Dam, Henrik (1895-1976): Danish biochemist who discovered vitamin K. Nobel Prize.

Damien, Father Joseph (1840-’89): Originally Joseph de Veuster. Belgian Catholic missionary. Worked until his death from leprosy in leper colony on Molokai, Hawaii.

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321): Italian poet. The Divine Comedy.

Dange, Shripat Amrit (1899-1994): Leader of communist party of India, parliamentarian.

Darius I (548-486 B.C): Persian king and founder of Persepolis.

Darwin, Charles Robert (1809-’82): English naturalist who argued that the evolution of present-day morphology had been built up by he gradual and opportunistic mechanism of natural selection. On the Origin of Species.

Daudet, Alphonse (1840-1897): French short-story writer and novelist whose first novel was written at age 14. Monday Tales, The Nabob.

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Davis, Bette (1908-’89): Originally Ruth Elizabeth Davis. American film actress.

Davis, Dwight F. (1879-1945: American who donated the tennis trophy, Davis Cup. He played for the US team in the opening contest.

Davy, Sir Humphry (1778-1829): British chemist and inventor of the Davy miner’s safety lamp.

De Mille, Cecil (1881-1959): American film producer-director. Grand old man of Hollywood. The Ten Commandments.

De Quincey, Thomas (1785-1859): English essayist and critic.

De Sica, Vittorio (1901-’74): Italian film director and actor. Shoeshine, bicycle thieves.

Defoe, Daniel (1660-1731): English political writer; also author of Robinson Crusoe.

Demosthenes (384-322 B.C): Greek orator who roused the Athenians to resist the growing power of Philip of Macedon

Deodhar D.B (1892-1993): The grand old man of Indian cricket, after whom deodhar is named.

Desai, Bhulabahi (1877-1946): Indian national leader who defended Bardoli peasants before Broomifield committee. Founded Swadeshi Sabha to boycott foreign goods.

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Desai, Lord Meghnad (b.1940): Professor of Economics at London school of Economics. British peer.

Desai, Morarji Ranchodji (1896-1995): Indian politician who was prime minister from Mar. ’77 to July ’79. Staunch Gandhian. Chief minister of Bombay (1952-’56). Union minister, 1956-63. Deputy P.M & finance minister, 1967-69. Bharat Ratna.

Descartes, Rene (1596-1650): French mathematician, pioneer of modern philosophy.

Deshpande, Purushottam Lakshman (1919-2000): Veteran Marathi writer and performer known as Pu La.

Deve Gowda, Hardanahalli Dodde gowda (b.1933): Janata Dal leader. India’s PM June,’ 96 to Apr. ’96. Formerly CM of Karnataka.

Dewey, Melvil (1852-1931): American library pioneer, originator of Dewey decimal system of book, originator of Dewey decimal systems of book classification.

Dhawan, Satish (1920-2002): Scientist, director of IIS, B’lore, chairman of ISRO. Padma Vibhushan 1981.

Dhyam Chand (1906-’79): Hockey wizard. Olympic golf in Amsterdam 1928, Los Angeles 1932, Berlin 1936. Padmabhushan.

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-’97): Born Diana Spencer, married prince Charles of Britain (1981), separated (1992), divorced (1996). Mother of prince William and prince Henry. Killed in a car crash.

Dickens, Charles (1812-’70): Popular English novelist of the 19th century. David Copperfield, Pickwick papers, Oliver Twist.

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Dickinson, Emily (183-’86): American poet, Published almost nothing in her lifetime.

Diesel, Rudolf (1858-1913): German engineer, inventor of an internal combustion engine which he patented in 1983.

Dietrich, Marlene (1901-’93): Actress and singer, native Berlin who flourished in the USA. Blue angel.

Dior, Christian (1905-’57): French fashion designer.

Disney, Walter Elias (‘Walt’) (1901-’66): American film cartoonist famous for animated cartoons. Creator of characters Mickey Mouse (192 and Donald Duck (1936).

Disraeli, Benjamin (1804-’81): British statesman and novelist. Prime minister, 1868 and 1874-’80.

Dix, Otto (1891-1969): German painter and engraver. Jailed in 1939 for an alleged plot to kill Hitler. Post-war themes included religion.

Donahue, Phil (b.1936: The man who virtually invented the single topic TV talk.

Donatello (1386-1466): Florentine Sculptor, a pioneer of the Renaissance style, born Donato di Betto Bardi. Famous for the marble sculptures of St. Mark and St. George.

Donne, John (1572-1631): One of the great Metaphysical poets. He was chaplain to king James of England, and later Dean of St Paul’s.

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Dostoevsky, Feodor Mukhailovich (1821-’81): Russian novelist. Sent to hard labour in Siberia for revolutionary activity. Crime and punishment, The Idiot, The Possessed.

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan (1859-1930): British writer of detective stories. Creator of detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.

Drake, Sir Francis (c.1540-;96: English seaman; in 1577-’80 he sailed round the world in the ‘Golden Hind”.

Drucker, Peter F. (1909-2005): Management expert and author of international fame.

Dryden, John (1631-1700): Poet laureate and dramatist. The Indian emperor, heroic stanzas, all for love.

Du Pont, Eleuth-Ere Irenee (17772-1834): American chemicals manufacturer, b.France.

Dulles, John Foster (1888-1959): US secretary of stare 1953-9, opposed negotiation with Russia.

Dumas, Alexandre (1802-’70): French romantic novelist. The Three Musketers.

Dunant, Jean Henri (1828-1910): Swiss philanthropist. Promoted the establishment of the international Red Cross (1863). Shares the first Nobel Prize(1901)

Duncan Isadora (1877-1927): American expressive dancer who united free movement with serious music; one of the founders of modern dance.