The Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834), although a member of the French aristocracy, fought for liberty and equality for all people. He fought in the American Revolution and in France, and advocated for a constitutional monarchy and human rights. The Marquis also had one of the longest names in history: Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. He earned the nickname “Hero of Two Worlds” because of his significant involvement in both the American and

The Little Rock Nine, a group of nine African American students, began desegregating Arkansas’s Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Despite the danger and daily harassment requiring military guards, the students excelled in life. Melba Pattillo Beals experienced severe harassment and threats at school. She wrote about her struggles in her memoir, “Warriors Don’t Cry.” Once suspended for accidentally spilling chili on white students while being harassed, Minnijean Brown-T

Against the odds, paleontologist Mary Anning (1799-1847) became a pioneering fossil collector, dealer, and self-taught paleontologist. She persevered despite encountering significant barriers as a woman in science. She learned to hunt for fossils along the Jurassic Coast from her father. This poor and uneducated girl became recognized as one of the ten most notable women scientists in history. In 1811, at twelve, she and her brother discovered the skull of an ichthyosaur, a m

James McCune Smith (1813–1865) shattered 19th-century racial barriers as a physician, abolitionist, educator, and intellectual.

Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855), a child prodigy, discovered astounding theories in mathematics, physics, astronomy, and engineering. After over 200 years, they continue to shape modern science and technology, affecting our day-to-day lives. 

Angelica Kauffman (1741–1807) was a Swiss child prodigy in both singing and painting. Both parents played a significant role in Angelica’s early development.

Against many harsh odds, Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745–1797) became an African writer. He used his experience as a former enslaved person to teach and encourage the British abolition movement. 

re you the talented older sister of a younger, talented brother who is less talented because you’re female? You are not alone in history. Maria Anna Mozart, like her younger brother Wolfgang, showed a brilliant talent for the harpsichord, fortepiano, and composition. However, she couldn’t be the odds against her father and brother because she was a girl.