Mohammad Reza Pahlavi   Iran: Last ruler of Iran Born: 1919          Died : 1980 This last monarch of Iran had a passion for sophistication and wanted his country to be democratically governed. He ascended the throne of Iran in 1941. Thereafter, he took steps to eradicate age-old traditions and bring his country on par with western nations. He abolished the feudal jagirdari system. In his policies, he was pm-American and he...

Metternich   Austria : A pillar of European politics Born : 1773                 Died : 1859 Metternich was a very astute diplomat. He had such a control over European political affairs that the period following Napoleon and before the emergence of Bismarck in Prussia is called the ‘ Age of Metternich’. He was the towering personality during this period who was at the helm of European politics. Metternich was born in...

Cleopatra   Egypt : Beaux Yeux Born : 69 B.C.     Died : 30 B.C. ‘Beaux Yeux’ in French means a pretty woman and Cleopatra has been for ages regarded as a goddess of beauty. Actually, ‘Cleopatra’ was a title with which queens and princesses were addressed in ancient Egypt. Amongst them the familiar woman exceedingly beautiful is Cleopatra VII. She was the eldest born of Ptolmey XI and as such was...

Douglas McArthur   America : Fearless commander Born : 1880         Died : 1964 Douglas McArthur is one of the most honoured and decorated commanders of the American army. It was his strategy that made Japan surrender in 1945. He remained as a fine strategist along with all-time greats as Rommel, Goering, Yamashita and Cheshire. Douglas McArthur was born on January, 1880, at Little Rocks in America in a...

Aesop   Greece : The immortal story-teller Birth : 620 B.C.          Death : 560 B.C. The stories of this master story- teller have been translated into all the languages and are known for their interesting content and educative value. Aesop was supposed to be a slave. He has made fun of human foibles and weaknesses by using animals as the characters of his stories Most of them have a moral...

Bob Geldof   Ireland : Humanist and social worker Born : 1954 Bob Geldof shall ever be remembered for his humanism and desire to help the needy. There is a controversy regarding his date of birth. It is now generally accepted that he was born on October 5, 1954. His father was a vendor of clothes in Ireland. He lost his mother at an early age. Bob did not show much...

John Dryden   England : A great poet Barn : 1631        Died : 1700 John Dryden was one of the greatest English poets. He was one of the prominent writers of seventeenth century and the latter part of that century is called ‘the age of Dryden’. Dryden was born in Northamptonshire on August 9, 1631. He had his early education at Westminster school and then graduated from Cambridge University in...

Dante   Italy : Writer of immortal fame Born : 1265        Died : 1321   This prolific writer, who is considered equal in rank to such literary ‘giants as Goethe, Virgil, Shakespeare, Kalidas and Homers played a key role in the enrichment of Italian language and literature. Dante was born in Florence (Italy) in AD 1265. Dante studied Latin, Greek, science, music, philosophy and grammar. He once fought in a...