Voltaire   France : Creator of Candide Born : 1694        Died: 1778 The two persons who kindled the love for liberty amongst the French masses were Rousseau and Voltaire. These two paved the way for French revolution by their fiery writings. Voltaire was a man of clear perceptions. He called the flatterers in the French court ‘donkeys’ and courageously opposed the corrupt life of priests, disorder in French society and...

Niccolo Machiavelli Italy : Child of his age Born : 1469        Died : 1527   Machiavelli has the same place in Italian history as Chanakya has in ancient Indian history. He is called the ‘child of his age’. Exponent of cunning statesmanship, Machiavelli gave a new word to English language — Machiavellian — which means cunning, crafty and perfidious. He advised the state to adopt any means to keep itself...

Nietzsche   Germany : Whose philosophy gave birth to fascism Born : 1844        Died : 1900  The birth of fascism can be attributed to the thoughts and philosophy” A of Friedrich Nietzsche. He was born in the German principality of Saxony in the year 1844. He was son of a priest and was educated at Bonn and Leipzig universities. He later on started teaching at Basle University in Switzerland when...

Victor Hugo   France : The exponent of freedom and liberty Born : 1802      Died : 1885 Victor Hugo was the literary giant of the nineteenth century. Even now, intellectuals study his writings and find it topical. He was an immortal writer as also a good painter. He was the writer who was a firm believer in freedom of thought and through his poems and novels he gave a new turn...

Bruce Lee   America : Master of martial arts Born : 1940 Died : 1973 The sudden demise of Bruce Lee on July 20, 1973 created a sensation throughout the world. It was nearly unbelievable that such a healthy and fit person expired so suddenly. At the time of his death, he was sitting with his girlfriend Betty Ting Pei and planning his new film. The Government of Hong Kong appointed...

Marlon Brando   Britain : The highest paid superstar Born : 1924 Marlon Brando is considered an extremely talented actor whose natural acting won him many laurels. He won the prestigious Oscar Award twice for his powerful acting in On the Waterfront (1954) and The Godfather (1972). He has acted with all-time greats of Hollywood like Charlie Chaplin, Jane Fonda, Richard Burton, Sophia Loren, John Houston, Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra....

Alfred Hitchcock   England : Master of suspense Born : 1899      Died : 1980 Alfred Hitchcock, the very name conjures up suspense and horror in the minds of movie-goers all over the world. The spectators sat on the edge of their seats as the plot of his films unfolded, shocked and thrilled them at every turn of the story. This Master of Suspense was born in England in 1899....