Who is Who

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Abdullah, Sheikh (1906-’82); Indian political and founder of National Conference . Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir.

Abu Bakr (573-634): Muslim leader, first caliph, chosen successor to Mohammed.

Abul Fazal (1551-1602): Persian scholar and writer, patronized by Akbar.

Achebe, Chinua (b.1930): Nigerian novelist, Arrow of God.

Acheson, Dean (Gooderham) (1893-1971): American lawyer and statesman, secretary of state. Promoted Marshall plan and helped to established NATO.

Acton, John (1834-192): British historian who authored the adage “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

Adams, Gerry (b.1949): President of Irish republican army’s political wing Sinn-Fein.

Adiseshaiah, Malcom (1910-’94): Indian educational and economist who was the Vice-chancellor of Madras University and deputy D-G of UNESCO. Padma Bhushan.

Adler, Alfred (1870-1937): Viennese psychologist who introduced inferiority complex.

Adulyadej, Bhumibol (b.1927): King of Thailand since 1946 world’s longest ruling monarch.

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Advani, Lal Kishinchand (b.1927): Leader of opposition, Lok Sabha. India’s deputy prime minister from 2002 to 2004. Minister for information, Mar.’77-July’79. Home minister, 1998-2002. Bharatiya Janata party president until 1998, and again in 2005.

Aeschylus (524-456 B.C.): Greek dramatic poet, founder of reek tragic drama.

Aesop (6th cent.B.C): Semi-historical, semi-legendary fabulist, originally a slave.

Aga Khan IV (b.1936): Spiritual head of 20 million Shia Ismaili Muslims in the world.

Agassi, Andre (b.1970): American tennis star. Wimbledon (92), US open (94, 99), Australian open (95, 2000, 2001, 2003), French open (99).

Ahmed, Fakruddin Ali ( 1905-‘7): Freedom fighter. Union minister from 1966. Fifth president if Indian republic (1974-77).

Aiken, Howard H. (1900-’73): U.S forerunner if digital computer.

Akbar, Jalal-ud-din Mohammed (1542-1605): Mughal emperor of India, (1556-1605) known as Akbar the great. He extended the imperial power over learning, showed a receptive interest in Hinduism and Christianity.

Akilan (or Akilandam, P.V.) (1922-’88): Noted Tamil author. Gyanpith ward.

Alberuni (c.970-1039): Atronomer, mathematician, philosopher and author. Joined Mahmud of Ghazni’s court, accompanying him on raids in India. Studied Indian civilization and languages and wrote about India. Alberuni’s India.

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Alexander The Great (356-323 B.C): Greek conqueror, educated by Aristotle; king of Macedonia; conquered south west Asia and Egypt; founded Alexandria; penetrated India; died at Babylon.

Alfred The Great (849-899): King of Wessex who became a national figure of Britain.

Ali, Aruna Asaf (1909-96): Indian freedom fighter; Mayor of Delhi, 1958. A devoted socialist, radical in her views. Bharat Ratna, ’97.

Ali, Muhammed (Originally Cassius Marcellus Clay) (b.1942): American pugilist famous for his unorthodox style and colorful personality. First boxer to win the heavy-weight title three times.

Ali, Salim (1896-1987): Indian ornithologist, known as “The Birdman of India”. Fall of a Sparrow.

Allende, Salvador (1909-73): Chilean statesman: elected president (1970), becoming th first Marxist head if government is S.America.

Ambani, Dhirubhai (Dhirajlal Hirachand). Reliance Industries that he set up is India;s largest private sector company. Sons Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani now head the Reliance companies.

Ambedkar, Bhimrao Ramj (Dr.) (1891-1956): Indian jurist, social worker, Politician, writer, euccationist. Emancipator of the’ untouchable’ and crusader for social justice. Drafted the Indian constitution . Minister in Nehru’s cabinet. Bharat Rantna in 1990.

Amin, Idi (1925-2003): President of Uganda (1971-79). One of modern Africa’s harshest dictators. Overthrown.

Ampere, Andre Marie (1775-1836): French physicist after whom the unit of electric current is named.

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Amrit Kaur, Rajkumari (1887-1964): Indian freedom fighter. Health Minister in the Nehru Cabinet.

Amritraj, Vijay (b.1953): India’s captain to Davis Cup form 1982. Only player to win hall of fame tennis thrice. Actor in Hollywood moves and TV serials.

Amte, Murlidhar Devidas (Baba Amte) (b.1914-2008): Indian social activist, best known for his work among leprosy patients.
Awards: Magsaysay, templeton, padma vibhushan.

Amundsen, Roald (1872-1928): Nor wegian explorer, first to reach South Pole (1911).

Anand, Dev (b.1922): Evergreen Indian film star, with the longest period as hero. Romancing with life (autobiography)

Anand, Dr. Mulk Raj (1905-2004): Indian author, novelist, critic who wrote in English. Padma Bhushan: untouchable, coolie.

Anand, Visvanathan (b.1969): Grandmaster. World No.1 in speed chess. Youngest Asian to win international master’s title. World champion 2000-2002 (FIDE), 2007-present (undisputed). No.1 on the July 2008 FIDE rating list.

Anderson, Hans Christian (1805-75): Danish fairy-tale writer, novelist, playwright and poet.

Anderson, Marian (1897-1993):American contralto, who pioneered acceptance of black singers in concert and opera worlds.

Andrews, Charles Freer: (1871-1940): Englishman who adopted Indian ads his home, and worked with Gandhi. Known as ‘Deenabandhu’.

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Angstrom, Anders Jonas (1814-74): Swedish physicist who founded the science of spectroscopy. The angstrom unit of measurement is named after him.

Annadurai, C.N (1909-’69): Most popular Chief Minister (1967) of Tmil Nadu, and eminent writer in Tamil. Formed Dravida Munnetra kazhakam.

Annan, Kofi (b.1938)Ghanaian-born UN secretary general, 1997-2007. Nobel prize, 2001.

Anne, Queen (1665-1714): Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. (1702-1714).

Ansari, Mohammad Hamid (b.1937): Vice president of India since August, 2007. Sholar-diplomat-writer. Formerly Chaiman of National commission for minorities, ambassador, V-C of AMU. Padma Shri (1984).

Antonioni, Michelangelo (b.1912-2007): Italian avant-garde motion – picture director and screenwriter, whose film are known for their haunting images of human isolation. Oscar, 1995. L’Avventura Blow up.

Antonius Marcus (Mark Antony) (c.83.30 B.C): Roman politician and general; triumvir. Fell in live with Cleopatra; committed suicide.

Antony, St. (c.251-356): Father of Christian monasticism and founder of religious community life.

Ao, Talimeren Dr. (1916-’98): First captain of independent India’s Olympic football team.

Aquinas, Thomas St. (c.1225-’74): Italian theologian and scholastic philosopher.

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Arafat, Yasser (1929-2004): Mohammed Abdel-Raouf Araft al-Oudwa al-Husseini) Palestinian president until death. Leader of PLO from 1968; shared Nobel peace prize, ’94.

Archer, Thomas (1668-1743): British architect. Practitioner of Baroque style.

Archimedes (287-212 B.C): Greek mathematician and engineer. Known for Archimedes principle. Invented Archimedean screw.

Aristotle (384-322 B.C): Greek teacher and philosopher, pupil of Plato, tutor to the young prince Alexander of Macedon.

Armstrong, Louis ‘Satchmo’ (1900-71): American jazz trumpeter, and singer, a popular entertainer of 2oth century

Armstrong, Neil (b.1930): American astronaut, the first the moon, (Apollo XI mission) 21 July 1969.

Arnold, Mathew (1822-’88): English poet and critic. The scholar gypsy.


Arundale, George Sydney (1878-1945): An Englishman who adopted Indian as his home. Advocate of national education and the Swadeshi movement. Married Rukmani Devi.

Aryabhatta (476-520): Indian mathematician astronomer. India’s first satellite was named after him.

Ashapurna Devi (1909-’95): Bengali writer. First woman Jnanpith award winner. Prathama Pratishruti, Subarnolata, Bokul Katha.

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Ashcroft, Peggy (1907-1991): One of the greatest actresses of British stage. Remembered for her role in the film A passage to India (Oscar) and the TV series The Jewel in the Crown.

Asimov, Isaac (1920-92): Us biochemist and writer of non-fiction. Born in Russia. Foundation Trilogy, The edge of tomorrow, inside the atom, the stars in their courses.

Asoka (3rd C.B.C): Emperor of India. After victory in the battle of Kalinga (261 B.C), he renounced war and embraced Buddhism.

Asturias, Miguel Angel (1899-1974): Gautemalan writer and diplomat. Men of Maize, novel. Nobel prize, 1967.

Ataturk, Kemal (Mustafa Kemal Ataturk) (1881-193: Builder of modern turkey, fine soldier, president of Turkish republic.

Attenborough, Sir Richard (b.1923): British actor-director whose Gandhi (1983) won 8 Oscars.

Attila The Hun (406-53): Barbarian leader who helped to bring about the fall of the Roman empire.

Attlee, Clement Richard (1883-1967): Labour prime minister of Britain, 1945-51. his government granted independence to India.

Auden, Wystan Hugh (1907-’73): Poet, b. in England, a naturalized American. Professor of poetry at Oxford.

Augustus, Caius Octavianus (63 B.B.-A.D. 14): First Roman emperor.

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Aurangazeb (1618-1707): Mughal emperor of India; empire reached its fullest extent, but he estranged Hindus and Sikhs.

Aurobindo, Sri (Aurobindo Ghosh) (1872-1950): Indian philosopher, a revolutionary in his early days. Set up an Ashram in Pondichery. Retired in to seclusion in 1926.

Austen, Jane (1775-1817): British novelist. Emma, Pride and Prejudice.

Ayyankali (1863-1941): Leader of Harijans, in Kerla. Mahatma Gandhi called him ‘pulayaraja’. Great organizer.

Ayyar, Alladi Krishnaswami, Sir (1883-1953): Scholar and brilliant lawyer of Tamil Nadu.

Azad, Adul Kalam (1888-195: Indian freedom-fighter, staunch nationalist, first education minister of free India. Bharat Ratna, 1992. India wins freedom.

Azad Chandra Sekhar(1906-’31): Indian revolutionary; involved in non cooperation movement, the assembly bomb incident, Delhi conspiracy, Lahore conspiracy.

Azana, Manuel (1880-1940): PM of Spain from 1931 to ’33 and president from 1936 to ‘ 39. Spanish civil war sent him into exile.

Azharudin, Mohammed (b.1963): Indian cricketer, former captain. Made a world record 0f 9079 runs in one-day internationals in june ’99. Accused of involvement in match-fixing scam.

Azmi, Shabana (b.1954): Indian film actress who won the national award five times. Social activist, former Rajya Sabha member. Ankur, Arth, Khandhar, Paar, God mother.

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Babar, Zahirud-din Mohammed (1453-1530): Founder of the Mughal dynasty which ruled northern Indian for nearly three centuries.

Babbage, Charles (1792-1871): English mathemarician. His primitive –calculating machines’ were precursors of the modern comuper.

Bachchan, Amitabh (b.1942): India’s most popular film star ever. Over 100 movies. M.P. for a short while. Zanjeer, sholay, Diwar, black. National award for best actor, 2005. Son of poet Harivansh Rai Bachan (1907-2003), known for his work Madhushala and autobiography in 4 volumes Kya Bhoolun, Kya Yad Karoon. Amitabh’s son Abhishek, leading film star.


Bacon, Francis (1561-1626): English philosopher and essayist. Novum Organum.

Bacon, Roger (c.1214-92): English philosopher and scientist, called ‘Doctor Mirabilis’. First European to describe the process for making gunpowder.

Baden Powell, Robert (1857-1941): Founder of boy scouts (1908). His sister Agnes founder girl guides (1910).

Bahadur Shah II (1775-1862): The last king of Mughal empire. Took part in the 1857 war of independence in exile.

Bahuguna, Sundarlal (b.1927): environmentalist. Known for the Chipko movement and fight against the building of the Tehri Dam.

Bajaj, Jamnalal (1886-1942): Mahatma Gandhi’s associate, founded Satyagraha Ashram at Wardha; gifted segaon village to Gandhi who named it Sevagram.

Baker, Laurie (1917-2007): British born Indian architect who has pioneered innovative low-cost, environment-friendly housing.

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Bala Saraswati, T. (b.1918): Foremost exponent of the Bharatanatyam style of dance.

Balzac, Honore de (1799-1850): French novelist. La Comedie Humaine.

Banabhatta (7th c.): Indian Sankrit scholar and poet. Kadambari, Harsh Charit.

Bancroft, George (1800-1891): American historian who wrote the 10-volume history of the united states.

Bandaranaike, Solomon (1899-1959): PM of Ceylon from 1956 until assassination. Widow Sirimavo (1916-2000) became world’s first woman PM, 1960. In 1994, daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga became president and Sirimavo PM Sri Lanka.

Bandopadhyay, Padmavathy (b.1944): The first woman air marshal of Indian air force. Received AVSM and VSM.

Bannerjee, Surendranath (1848-1952): One of the first Indian to quality the ICS examination. Held the president ship of Indian national congress twice.

Bannerjee, Womesh Chandra (1844-1906): First president of Indian national congress, migrated to England in 1902.

Bannister, Sir Roger (b.1929): British athlete and doctor who became the first man to run a mile four minutes in 1954.

Barnard, Christian Neethling (1922-2001): South African surgeon who performed the first human heart transplant operation.