Who is Who

[gracemini]

Forster, Edward Morgan (1879-1970): Novelist, shortly writer and essayist. Author of a passage to India.

Forsyth, Fredrick (b.1939): British journalist and author of best-sellers like day of the Jackal, The Odessa file and The Dogs of War.

Fancis of Assisi, St. (1181/2-1226): Founder of the Franciscan order.

Frank, Anne (1929-c): Jewish girl who fled Germany with family to escape Nazi persecution, and author of The Diary of a Young Girl.

Franklin, Benjamin (1706-’90: American statesman, and scientist. Invented the lighting conductor.

Frederick II (the great) (1712-’86): King of Prussia for 46 years. Able ruler and great scholar.

Freud. Sigmund (1856-1939): Austrian psychiatrist and founder of psychoanalysis. The interpretation of dreams.

Frost, Robert (1874-1963): American poet well-known for his poem stopping by woods on a Snowy Evening.

Fry, Elizabeth (1780-1845): English prison reformer, philanthropist.

Gaddafi, Muammar al (b.1942): Libyan leader and military dictator; took power in a coup in 1969 and became president in 1977

[gracemini]

Gagarin, Yuri (1943-68: Soviet cosmonaut, the first man to orbit the earth in spacecraft Vostok l in 1961.

Gainsborough, Thomas (1727-88):British portrait and landscape painter. Viscount Kilmorey, Blue Boy, The Watering Place.

Gaitonde, V.S. (b.1924): India’s celebrated abstract painter.

Albraith, John Kenneth ( 1908- 2006): American economist, diplomat and writer. Ambassador to India, 1961-3. The Affluent Society.

Galileo Gallilei (1564-1642): Italian scientist and astronomer who laid the foundations of modern science. The first man to see the satellites of Jupiter.

Gallup, George Horrace (1901-‘84): Renowned American statistician who studies public opinion through questions put to a representative group-‘ Gallup poll’

Galsworthy, John (1867-1933): English novelist and dramatist. The Forsyte Saga. Nobel prize, 1932.

Gama, Vasco da (1460-1524): Portuguese navigator, discoverer of the sea route from western Europe to India.

Gamow, George (1904-68): Russian-born US nuclear physicist. With Ralph Alpher and Hans Bethe, he developed the Bog Bang theory. Gamow-Teller theory of beta decay is known after his and Edward Teller.

Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) (1869-1948): Father of the Indian nation, and one of the greatest personalities of the 20th century. From 1893 to 1914 he lived in South Africa opposing discrimination against Indians. Un 1915, returned to India, dominated the Congress party. Without weapons or armies, he led India to independence. Lived an austere life, devoted to truth, non-violence and worked for Hindu Muslim experiments with truth.

[gracemini]

Gandhi, Rajiv (1944-’91): Grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru; a commercial pilot turned politician; Indian prime minister from 1984 to 1989. Assassinated. Bharat Ratna, 1991.

Gandhi, Sonia (b.1946): Italian by birth, naturalised in India. Wife of former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi, widowed on his assassination. Meteoric rise from primary membership to presidentship of congress party in just two years. Elected to Lok Sabha in 1999, 2004 and 2006. The party’s surprise victory in 2004 made her Leader of Congress – led united progressive alliance, but Ms Gandhi declined to become PM.

Ganesan, Sivaji (1927-2001): Legendary actor; over 3000 Tamil films in five decades. Dada Saheb Phalke award, 1996.

Garbo, Greta (1905-’90): Swedish film actress of poetical quality. Ninotchka.

Gargi, Balwant (1916-2003): Punjabi writer who wrote popular plays. Sahitya Akademi award for Rang Manch; Nangi was autobiographical.

Garibaldi, Giuseppe ( 1807-’82): Italian general and patriot, who, with Mazzini and Cavour, created a united Italy.

Gates, Bill (b.1956): World’s richest private individual until 2007. Co-founder of Microsoft Corp.; he revolutionized the computer industry. Philanthropist who has made record donations. In 2006 announced decision focus on charity work.

Gaugin, (Eugene Henri) Paul (1848-1903): French painter. Sought the simplicity primitive life in Tahiti. The Yellow Christ.

Gaulle, Charles de (1890-1970): French general and statesman; first president of the fifth republic, 1958-69.

Gautama, Siddhartha (Buddha, The Enlightened) (c.563-c. 483 B.C.): Founder of Buddhism. The Indian prince who renounced luxury and became an ascetic.

[gracemini]

Gavaskar, Sunil (b.1949): Indian cricketer who scored 1000 runs in tests in a calendar year thrice; scored 34 centuries in tests (world record).

Geisel, Theodor Seuss (pen name: Dr.Seuss) (1904-’91): Writer of nearly 50 books of rhymes and doodless, including The Cat in the Hat.

Genghis Khan (1161-1227): Mongol conqueror who overran the greater part of Asia and founded the Mongol world empire.

George, Boy (real name: George O’Dowd) (b.1962): The gender bender pop idol of the 1980’s

Getty, jean Paul (1892-1976): American. Founded oil empire.

Ghali, Boutros-Boutros (b.1922): Egyptian politician. The first African UN secretary general 1992-’96.

Ghalib, Mirza Asadullah Khan (1796-186: Renowned Urdu poet. Diwan-e-Ghalib.

Ghosh, Tushar Kanti (1899-1994): Prominent Indian journalist, one of world’s longest-serving editors.

Ghoshal, Sumantra (1949-2004): Management guru who was professor at London. Business school. Founder director of Indian business school, Hyderabad.

Giacometti, Alberto (1901-66): Swiss painter and sculptor.

[gracemini]

Gibbon, Edward (1737-’94): English historian who wrote decline and fall of the Roman empire.

Gibran, Kahlil (1883-1931): Lebanese-born US writer and artist. He has written in Arabic and English. His poetry translated into more than 20 languages and his paintings exhibited across the world.

Gide, Andre (1869-1951): French writer of short novels. The counterfeiters.

Gielgud, Sir John (b.1904-2000): One of the century’s great classical actors and the finest speaker of Shakespearean verse in the history of theatre. Acted even at 90.

Girl, Varahagirl Venkata (1894-1980): Third vice-president and fourth president of India. Veteran trade unionist. Bharat Ratna, ’75.

Gish, Lillian (1896-1993): American silent film actress whose career spanned 8 decades. Sisiter Dorothy Gish (1898-1968), also actress.

Gladstone, William Ewart (1809-’98): British Liberal statesman. Prime minister four time between 1868 and 1894.

Goebbels, Paul Joseph (1897-1945): Nazi propaganda minister; orator.

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (1749-1832): German poet and thinker. Faust.

Gokhale, Gopal Krishma (1866-1915): Indian statesman whom Gandhi regarded as his political guru. Founded servants of India society (1905).

[gracemini]

Goldberg, Whoopie (b.1956): Actress comedienne. The colour purple.

Golding, Sir William (1911-’93): English novelist. First novel The Lord of the file. Booker Prize, Nobel Prize.

Goldsmith, Oliver (1728-’74): Irish poet, dramatist and novelist, The Vicar of Wakefield.

Gombu, Nawang (b. 1936): Mountaineer who climbed Everest twice, Padma Shri, Padma Bushan.

Goodyear, Charles (1800-’60): American inventor who discovered the art of vulcanizing rubber.

Gopalakrishnan, Adoor (b.1941): Outstanding Indian script writer and film director. Four times winner of national award for best director. Phalke award 2004, Padma Vibhushan, Swayamvaram, Mathilu-kal, Kathapurushan, Nizhal Kuthu.

Gorbachev, Mikhail (b.1931): Soviet leader largely responsible for the political transformation in eastern Europe in ’89. Policy of ‘glasnost’ and ‘perestroika’. The Soviet Union broke up and Gorbachev resigned (91). Nobel Prize for peace, ’90.

Gorky, Maxim, (1868-1936): Russian writer. Mother.

Grace, William Gilbert (1848-1915): Cricketer who captained England 13 times. Scores over 54,000 runs including 126 centuries. Over 2800 wickets.

Graf, Steffi (.1969): German tennis legend. The third woman in tennis history to win all four major world tournaments- the Australian open, French open, Wimbledon and the US open – in a single calendar year (19988). She also won the Olympic gold medal that year. Won 22 Grand Slam titles and 107 WTA titles. Retired Aug. 99. Wife of Andre Agassi.

Graham, Billy (b.1918): Most celebrated U.S. Evangelist of the 1960’s and 1970’s.