Leading Figures in History

Discover the people who shaped our world — from rulers and scientists to artists and activists.

39103 persons found

Volfgangs Dārziņš

Latvian composer, pianist and music critic

Volin

b. 1882

Russian anarchist and historian of anarchism (1882–1945)

Volkan Arslan

b. 1978

Turkish footballer and coach

Volker Beck (athlete)

b. 1956

East German sprinter and hurdler

Volkmar Groß

German footballer (1948–2014)

Volkold

Bishop of Meissen

Volmari Iso-Hollo

Athletics competitor

Volney Howard

American lawyer, statesman, and jurist (1809–1889)

Volodymyr Holubnychy

b. 1936

Ukrainian racewalker (1936–2021)

Volodymyr Sabodan

Ukrainian bishop and Primate (1935–2014)

Volodymyr Vynnychenko

b. 1880

Prime Minister of Ukraine in 1917 and 1918

Voltaire

French writer and philosopher (1694–1778)

Von Wafer

b. 1985

American basketball player (born 1985)

Vonda N. McIntyre

b. 1948

American science fiction writer (1948–2019)

Vonda Shepard

b. 1963

American singer (born 1963)

Vontae Davis

b. 1988

American football player (1988–2024)

Vsevolod II of Kiev

Grand Prince of Kiev from 1139 to 1146

Vsevolod Nestayko

Ukrainian children's writer (1930–2014)

Vũ Văn Mẫu

Last Prime Minister of South Vietnam in 1975

Vujadin Boškov

Yugoslavian footballer and manager (1931–2014)

Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa

b. 1921

South African traditional healer (1921–2020)

Vyacheslav Artyomov

b. 1940

Russian and Soviet composer (born 1940)

Vyacheslav Ivanov (poet)

Russian poet and playwright (1866–1949)

W. Arthur Lewis

Saint Lucian economist and Nobel laureate (1915–1991)