Leading Figures in History

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

62243 persons found

William of Kilkenny

Bishop of Ely and Chancellor of England (died 1256)

William of the White Hands

French cardinal (1135–1202)

William of Tyre

12th-century clergyman, writer, and Archbishop of Tyre

William of Villehardouin

Prince of Achaea from 1246 to 1278

William of Wykeham

14th-century Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England

William of York

Archbishop of York (1141–1147, 1153–1154)

William Oldys

b. 1696

English antiquarian and bibliographer (1696–1761)

William Orchard (water polo)

b. 1929

Australian water polo player (1929-2014)

William Orpen

Irish artist (1878–1931)

William Osler

b. 1849

Canadian physician and co-founder of Johns Hopkins Hospital (1849–1919)

William Oughtred

English mathematician (1574–1660)

William Owusu (footballer, born 1989)

b. 1989

Ghanaian footballer

William P. Clark Jr.

American judge and public servant (1931–2013)

William P. Fessenden

b. 1806

American politician (1806–1869)

William P. Foster

b. 1919

American bandmaster, composer, and author (1919–2010)

William P. Frye

American politician from Maine (1830–1911)

William P. Murphy

American recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

William P. Rogers

b. 1913

American politician (1913–2001)

William P. Sanders

b. 1833

Union Army officer (1833–1863)

William P. Sprague

b. 1827

American politician

William Paget, 1st Baron Paget

English statesman (1506–1563)

William Paine Lord

b. 1838

9th Governor of Oregon

William Paley

English Christian philosopher (1743–1805)

William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle

English peer, discoverer of the Gunpowder Plot (1575–1622)