Famous for a reason.
Julie Payette
Two space-shuttle missions and service as Canada’s governor general.
Shuttle missions
- Born
- 20 October 1963
- Birthplace
- Montreal
Familiar faces
Keep exploring ↗
ActorJulia Roberts
Starring in Pretty Woman and winning an Oscar for Erin Brockovich.
AthleteRonaldo Nazário
Scoring eight goals as Brazil won the 2002 World Cup.
SingerBeyoncé
Making Crazy in Love, Single Ladies and Lemonade.
PhysicistAlbert Einstein
Developing the theory of relativity.
ArtistLeonardo da Vinci
Painting the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Historical cases and events
Explore history ↗
Scientific milestoneThe discovery and development of penicillin
Turning an observation about mould into a treatment for bacterial infection.
Historical research collectionThe British Empire: Inhumane Rule and Its Legacy
Slavery, dispossession, mass violence and their enduring consequences.
FamineBengal famine
Mass starvation during wartime, shaped by colonial priorities and unequal access to food.
Public-health milestoneLondon's sewer revolution
Turning a sanitation crisis into a major urban sewer-building programme.
MassacreZong massacre
The killing of enslaved Africans followed by a court dispute over their insurance value.
Born today
Bela Lugosi · Ma Long · Saeid Marouf · Mickey Mantle · James Chadwick · John Dewey · Julie Payette · Essam Yousef
A world of people.
All categories ↗Film & TV
Acting · Directing · Television
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Heads of government · Diplomacy · Political thought
Literature
Novelists · Poets · Playwrights
Science
Physics · Chemistry · Biology
Technology
Computing · Invention · Engineering
Business
Founders · Investing · Economics
A world of historical cases and events.
All historical cases ↗Scientific breakthroughs and discoveries ↗
Discoveries that changed our understanding of the world.
Famines ↗
Food crises, policy and their human consequences.
Massacres and genocides ↗
Mass violence, accountability and remembrance.
Forced labour and extraction ↗
Slavery, coerced labour and resource exploitation.
Forced removal and assimilation ↗
Displacement, dispossession and cultural suppression.
Abolition, liberation and human rights ↗
Movements for freedom, equality and justice.
Colonialism and empire ↗
Conquest, colonial rule and decolonisation.
Public health and medical advances ↗
Milestones in prevention, treatment and care.
Democratic and constitutional milestones ↗
Rights, representation and institutions.
Education and literacy ↗
Expanding access to knowledge and learning.
Cultural exchange and artistic movements ↗
Ideas, expression and encounters across cultures.
Environmental protection and conservation ↗
Protecting species, landscapes and shared resources.
Humanitarian action and reconstruction ↗
Relief, recovery and rebuilding.
Technology and infrastructure ↗
Inventions and systems that changed everyday life.
Resistance, solidarity and peacebuilding ↗
Collective action, reconciliation and lasting peace.
Disasters and catastrophes ↗
Natural hazards and technological disasters: their causes, human toll and aftermath.
American terrorism ↗
An editorial collection examining US state violence against civilians, with responsibility and investigative findings documented in each account.