Dizzy Gillespie

Easily recognized by his puffed-out cheeks and unusual angular trumpet, Dizzie Gillespie was one of the key figures in the birth of "bebop" jazz. ... more

Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak wrote and drew Where the Wild Things Are, a children's book first published in 1963. He grew up in Brooklyn, the child of Polish immigrants, and worked as an illustrator of ... more

Tom Vilsack

Thomas Vilsack is the former Iowa governor who is Barack Obama's nominee to become the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack was born in Pittsburgh and abandoned at a ... more

Hilda Solis

Congressional Representative Hilda Solis of California is President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of the Department of Labor. If confirmed by the Senate, ... more

Ken Salazar

Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado is President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of the Department of the Interior. ... more

Jimmy Stewart

James (Jimmy) Stewart started in the movies in the 1930s, making his mark in studio-driven light comedies as a wide-eyed innocent. He earned an Oscar nomination for his defining role in ... more

Irving Berlin

Tunes like "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Puttin' On The Ritz," "God Bless America" and "White Christmas" made Irving ... more

Kelly Preston

Kelly Preston is a television and film actor whose body of work is often overshadowed by her famous marriage to actor John ... more

Lena Horne

A pioneer among African-American performers, Lena Horne had the talent and beauty to crack the race barrier in Hollywood in the 1940s. A smooth singer of bluesy ballads, Horne appeared onstage in ... more

Claiborne Pell

Claiborne Pell, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island from 1961 to 1997, was best known for sponsoring laws that created federal grants for college students ... more

James L. Jones

James L. Jones is the Vietnam veteran and former Marine general who has been appointed National Security Advisor by president-elect ... more

Andrew Wyeth

Andrew Newell Wyeth's 1948 painting Christina's World is one of the most recognized American paintings of the 20th century. Wyeth, the youngest son of noted illustrator N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), ... more

The Grinch

The Grinch is the Christmas-hating main character of a 1957 Dr. Seuss cartoon book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. A popular animated version of the story first ... more

Patsy Cline

Patsy Cline's husky, plaintive voice, and hit singles like "Crazy," made her one of the early stars of modern country music. She worked her way up ... more

The Sundance Kid

One of the most famous outlaws of the American west, The Sundance Kid was a member of Butch Cassidy's gang of thieves ... more

Checkers

Checkers was one of the most famous dogs in political history, a cocker spaniel who belonged to Republican vice-presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon in 1952. ... more

Bob Keeshan

Bob Keeshan was the creator and star of the long-running children's morning show Captain Kangaroo. Gentle and reassuring, with a bright red jacket and crown of silver hair, Captain Kangaroo ... more

Richard Feynman

Richard Feynman's whimsical 1985 memoir, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, cemented his reputation as a cheerful eccentric who liked to play bongos, chase women, and solve advanced problems ... more

Steven Chu

Steven Chu is the Nobel-winning scientist who has been nominated to be the next Secretary of Energy. His nomination by president-elect ... more

Eric Holder

Eric Holder is the veteran lawyer nominated by president-elect Barack Obama to become Attorney General in 2009. Holder is a ... more