Can You Name These Famous Historical Figures?

Genghis Khan was the founder and leader of one of the largest empires in history, the Mongol Empire. Conquering vast territories across Asia and the Middle East, Genghis Khan was known for his military prowess and strategic tactics. Unifying the tribes of Mongolia, Genghis Khan was able to plunder from the Pacific coast of China to the Adriatic Sea.

Called “Satchmo” or “Satchel Mouth” by friends because of his large mouth, trumpeter Louis Armstrong was an American jazz legend. Beginning his career in New Orleans in the 1920s, Louis Armstrong became a music icon by the 1950s, collaborating with other jazz greats such as Ella Fitzgerald. He was known for his unique singing voice and is credited with popularizing scat singing.

American comedian Bob Hope rose to fame in the 1930s, and became a regular entertainer for U.S. troops during World War II. Hope did 57 USO tours between 1941 and 1991, after which the U.S. Congress named him an honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. He was also a major Hollywood celebrity, hosting the Academy Awards 19 times.

Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist born in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1913. Her refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on December 1, 1955, led to her arrest and ignited the Montgomery bus boycott. Her brave act of defiance became a catalyst for civil rights and is still remembered today.

After dropping out of Reed College and taking a spiritual journey to India in 1974, Steve Jobs contacted Steve Wozniak and they began the creation of what would become the Apple I computer. They co-founded Apple in 1976, and released their first major success, the Apple II, in 1977. Wozniak left Apple in 1983, while Jobs remained CEO until his death in 2011.

Mahatma Gandhi was an Indian-born human rights leader famous for his philosophy on nonviolent civil disobedience. Through organized peaceful protests and hunger strikes, Gandhi helped lead India out of British rule by 1947. Gandhi’s philosophy is often expressed with the quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, in the 1820s. In 1849, Tubman escaped and became an abolitionist and civil rights advocate. She heroically and repeatedly risked her life to return to the South to free other enslaved people with the help of the Underground Railroad.

Born in China’s Hunan province, Mao Zedong formed the Chinese Communist Party in 1929. After years of guerrilla warfare against the ruling Nationalist government, Mao Zedong seized control of China in 1949 and remained chairman of the People’s Republic of China until his death in 1976.

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1948, Al Gore served as the U.S. Vice President from 1993 to 2001 under Bill Clinton. In 2006, he released the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” which focused on the urgent need to address climate change. Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007.

Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British history, serving the Commonwealth for more than 70 years. She ascended to the throne on February 6, 1952, after the death of her father, King George VI. Known for her poise and grace, she was often seen in public with her beloved corgis.

Legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix rose to fame in the 1960s and was one of the most influential musicians of his era. Hendrix played at several iconic music festivals, including the famed Woodstock Music Festival in 1969, where he performed a now-iconic psychedelic rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and a leader of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s. King dedicated his life to fighting for racial equality and justice through nonviolent means, including sit-ins and peaceful protests.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong was the commander of Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module and famously declared, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

As 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln led the country through the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, freeing enslaved people in parts of the U.S. He served until his assassination at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, and is considered one of America’s greatest Presidents.

German-born physicist Albert Einstein is regarded as one of the most brilliant minds in human history; his scientific breakthroughs were so influential that his name is now synonymous with genius. Einstein is best known for his groundbreaking theories on relativity, as well as his famous equation E = mc².