Figures

Jean Nicollet was a French explorer who is known for his travels and discoveries in North America during the 17th century. Born in France in 1598, Nicollet was trained as a notary and worked for the French government before being sent to the New World in search of the fabled…
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Jan Ernst Matzeliger was an inventor and mechanical engineer best known for his invention of the shoe-lasting machine. Born in Suriname in 1852, Matzeliger began working as an apprentice in a machine shop at the age of 19. He soon began experimenting with machines and mechanical processes, and in 1883…
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Jean Batten was a pioneering aviator from New Zealand who set several aviation records during the 1930s. Born on September 15, 1909, in Rotorua, New Zealand, Batten developed an early fascination with aviation and began taking flying lessons while studying in England. She received her pilot’s license in 1930 and…
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Janine Allis is an Australian entrepreneur and businesswoman, best known for founding the juice and smoothie franchise, Boost Juice. She was born on June 1, 1965, in Melbourne, Australia. Allis has become a household name in Australia and has made a significant impact on the country’s food and beverage industry….
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Jane Seymour was the third wife of King Henry VIII of England and queen consort of England from 1536 until her death in 1537. She was born in Wiltshire, England in 1508 or 1509, the daughter of Sir John Seymour, a wealthy landowner, and Margery Wentworth. Seymour became a lady-in-waiting…
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Jane Bolin was an accomplished attorney and judge who made history as the first African American woman to graduate from Yale Law School and the first to serve as a judge in the United States. She was Born on April 11, 1908, in Poughkeepsie, New York. Jane Bolin grew up…
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Jane Addams (1860-1935) was a renowned social reformer, philanthropist, and women’s rights activist who co-founded Hull House in Chicago, one of the first settlement houses in the United States. Hull House was established to provide education, healthcare, and social services to the impoverished immigrant communities of Chicago, and it became…
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James Wilson (1742-1798) was a Scottish-American lawyer, economist, and founding father of the United States. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and later served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, where he played a key role in drafting the U.S. Constitution. Wilson was also…
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James Ruse was an Englishman who arrived in Australia as a convict in 1788. He was one of the first settlers in the country and is widely recognized as Australia’s first successful farmer. Ruse was granted land in Parramatta, where he established a farm and became a pioneer of the…
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James Oglethorpe was an English general and philanthropist who played a significant role in the founding of the colony of Georgia in North America. Born in 1696, Oglethorpe was educated at Oxford University and served in the British Army before becoming a Member of Parliament in 1722. He was a…
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