Louis Braille   France : Inventor of Braille script for the blind Born : 1809     Died : 1852   Louis Braille was born in France in the year 1809. His father made leather goods in a village near Paris. While playing, one day Louis hurt his eye with an implement used for stitching leather. After some time, his second eye also was blinded. He was only five when he became totally...

John D Rockefeller   America : A philanthropic industrialist Born : 1839        Died : 1937 John D. Rockefeller left imprint on the sands of time that can be  emulated both by the poor and the rich. The poor can take heart that hard work would enable them to reach the top, while the rich would learn from his life that the money so earned should be put to use for...

Faiz Ahmad ‘Faiz’   Pakistan : A great Urdu poet Born : 1911 Died : 1984   The great Urdu poet `Faiz’ was born at Sialkot (Pakistan). He had his early education at Lahore. During 1942-47, he was in the information department of the Government of India. He was also a colonel in the Indian army. Married .o a Russian lady, Faiz lived up to the age of 73.   The...

Jean-Paul Sartre   France : Renowned philosopher-author Born : 1905        Died : 1980 Jean-Paul Sartre was a great intellectual who gave this world anew and j volatile philosophy. Sartre rejected all the established norms and was a rebel in thoughts and actions. As time passed, his thoughts became all the more revolutionary. He opposed wearing a tie and the system of marriage. During the Second World War, he worked as...

Joseph Stalin   Russia : The ‘Iron Man’ of Russia Born : 1879                 Died :1953     Stalin was known as the ‘Iron Man’ of the USSR and the epithet fitted him like a glove. His real name was Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili and he was known as a ruthless administrator who brooked, no opposition. Born in Georgia in a shoemaker’s family, Stalin imbibed revolutionary ideas from an early age. He...

Chou En-Lai   China : An astute statesman Born : 1898 Died : 1976 Chou En-Lai was one of the most powerful politicians of the Peoples’ Republic of China. He was a confidant of Mao Tse-Tung and occupied the second most important position for more than 25 years. He played an important role in the establishment of communist rule in China. He was appointed as the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister...

Dr  S. Ramgoolam   Mauritius : Father of Mauritius Born : 1900         Died : 1985     Mauritius is an island in the Indian Ocean. Its area is about 700 sq kilometres. It was under occupation of Great Britain for centuries and has great strategic value. A large percentage of its population is of Indian origin who went there to work as indentured labour. The Indian labour led a pitiable life....