The Ultimate Biography Resource

All people may be important, but not everyone is famous enough to be the subject of a biography. Those who have their lives set to writing and then see their biographies distributed are normally those who have made history in a significant way, was an elected president perhaps or were just famous. Perhaps they made a great discovery like Thomas Edison did. Maybe their work changed the political and religious landscape like Martin Luther’s did. It could be that they were a tireless crusader for individual or civil rights like Susan B. Anthony, Mahatma Gandhi, or Martin Luther King Jr. all were. Whatever their specific feat, it had to have been noteworthy enough for someone to write a biography about them.

Individual Biographies

There are literally countless individuals who have left their mark on history through their achievements and influence. Here is just a small selection of biographies of important individuals from all walks of life.

• Susan B. Anthony — information about the most commonly recognized fighter for women’s rights in the United States

• Confucius — details the life and thought of the influential Chinese philosopher Confucius

• Thomas Alva Edison — read about the inventor of the light bulb and many other important inventions here

• Albert Einstein — all about the most famous physicist of the twentieth century

• Elizabeth I — the amazing story of England’s most famous queen

• Benjamin Franklin — an extensive biographical page on one of America’s most important founding fathers

• Jerry Garcia - a short biography on his life with the Grateful Dead.

• Joan of Arc — the life of the medieval French woman who led the French army to many victories

• Stan Lee — covers the life of Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, and more

• Mahatma Gandhi — a biography of the Indian leader who resisted the British Empire through nonviolence

• Martin Luther — biography of the great leader of the Protestant Reformation

• Martin Luther King Jr. — extensive information on the great American civil rights leader

• Napoleon — all about the famous emperor of France

• Peter the Great — the life story of the Czar who tried to make Russia more Western

• Elvis Presley - An extensive biography on "The King of Rock n' Roll."

Collective Biographies

Some people achieve fame because they belong to a small club of elite individuals like professional athletes, world leaders, famous composers, and so on. Several sites offer biographical information on figures who fall into these categories and many others.

• Anthropology Biography Web — a directory of short biographies of significant figures in the field of anthropology

• Biographies of Biologists — biographies of several individuals who have contributed to biology

• Biographies of Women Mathematicians — an ever-expanding list of biographies of women mathematicians

• Composer Biographies — read biographies of 50 of history’s greatest composers here

• From Revolution to Reconstruction — all manner of persons from U.S. history have their biographies featured here

• The Presidents — biographies of every U.S. president from the official White House website

• Smithsonian Artists — short biographies of several artists featured at the Smithsonian Museum along with links for further information

• Supreme Court Justices — concise biographies of all the current justices of the U.S. Supreme Court

• Twentieth-Century Athletes — ESPN’s listing of the 20 greatest North American athletes of the twentieth centuries, including their biographies

• World History Biographies — database of biographies of important figures in world history that is alphabetically searchable and also categorized by era