Leading Figures in History

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

24408 persons found

John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh

British physicist (1842–1919)

John William Vessey Jr.

b. 1922

Career officer in the United States Army (1922–2016)

John Williams (actor)

English actor (1903–1983)

John Williams (guitarist)

b. 1941

Australian guitarist (born 1941)

John Williams (motorcyclist)

b. 1946

British motorcycle racer

John Willison

Church of Scotland minister (1680–1750)

John Wilson (Scottish writer)

b. 1785

Scottish advocate, literary critic, and author (1785–1854)

John Winthrop (educator)

American mathematician, physicist and astronomer (1714–1779)

John Wittlebury

Member of the Parliament of England

John Woo

b. 1946

Hong Kong filmmaker (born 1947)

John Wood, the Elder

English architect (1704–1754)

John Wooden

American basketball coach (1910–2010)

John Woodruff (runner)

b. 1915

American middle-distance runner

John Wright (cricketer, born 1954)

b. 1954

New Zealand cricketer

John Wyndham

b. 1903

English science fiction writer (1903–1969)

John Yonge

English ecclesiastic and diplomat (c. 1465–1516)

John Yoo

b. 1967

American legal scholar (born 1967)

John Young (British musician)

b. 1956

British rock musician

John Zachary Young

English zoologist and neurophysiologist

John, Count of Angoulême

b. 1399

French nobleman

John, Duke of Berry

Member of French nobility (1340–1416)

John, Elector of Saxony

b. 1468

Elector of Saxony from 1525 to 1532

John, Prince of Asturias

b. 1478

Only son of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile (1478–1497)

Johnathan Thurston

b. 1983

Australian rugby league footballer (born 1983)