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Angela Merkel is a German politician best known as the first female chancellor of Germany and one of the architects of the European Union. Trained as a physicist, Merkel entered politics after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. Rising to the position of chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union party, Merkel became Germany's first female chancellor following the 2005 national elections. Merkel is a prominent figure within the European Union and has helped turn Germany into one of the world's leading nations.

The separation from his mother at an early age appears to have left a permanent scar on young Isaac Newton that followed him through the rest of his life. He never married or had any children and had but a few close friends. He would work frantically for days on end, seemingly without food or rest, resting only when the creative spirit left him. However, the work of this ponderous man would have a profound effect on the world as we know it today.

Margaret Thatcher was a British stateswoman and the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. From 1975 to 1990, she was the Leader of the Conservative Party. She was elected Prime Minister three times and served for 11 years, longer than any other British prime minister of the 20th century. Her political views, based on loose economics and individual self-realization, along with her policies, were referred to as Thatcherism, which for decades remained an influential political concept in the United Kingdom.

Edwin Hubble was a man ahead of his time. For him only astronomy really mattered. He took advantage of the opportunity given to him to use the most advanced telescope of his time to determine the truth behind the most distant clouds of light visible to Earth-based observers. His major discoveries changed our knowledge of our place in the universe forever. His determination that the universe is expanding served as the foundation for the big bang theory.

Louisa Catherine Adams, the wife of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, was a talented and lovely lady by all accounts. She grew up in England and France and lived much of her life abroad with her diplomatic husband, in the major capital cities of London, Berlin, and St. Petersburg. She was a gifted writer of prose and poetry, a translator of classic literature, and a discerning critic of the society and the political realm.

For a man who would be known the world over for his genius, Albert Einstein had a rather unimpressive childhood. It would not be until his mid-20s that his insight into nature and its connection with mathematics became apparent. Working as a Swiss patent clerk, he would squirrel away his research papers in his desk and work on them when no one was looking. During his “miracle year” of 1905, Einstein would produce four papers that would revolutionize theoretical physics.

Dr. Robert Goddard was the first scientist who not only realized the potential for rockets for space flight but also contributed directly in making them a reality. His rare talent in both creative science and practical engineering placed Goddard well above the European rocket pioneers. The dedicated research and experimentation into the development of rockets by the modest man went largely unrecognized in the Untied States until the dawn of the space age.

Thomas Jefferson is known by most as the third president of the United States, but his legacy extends much further than that. Born to a wealthy plantation owner, Thomas was the third of nine children. When he was just 14, his father died, leaving him half his land, slaves, and wealth. These circumstances allowed Thomas to attend college at the age of 16, and later on, to study under one of the top lawyers of the time. His political history is one of great triumph and struggle.

Nikola Tesla, a Serbian American, was a major contributor to the start of the electric age, which transformed daily life at the turn of the 20th century. His inventions, patents, and theoretical work formed the basis of the modern AC electricity system. Meanwhile, his inventive genius led to the development of the radio, the television, and the modern world as we know it. Tesla was one of America's first celebrity scientists, much like his competitor Thomas Edison.

At first glance, John Forbes Nash Jr. seemed to have it all: a PhD from Princeton, a beautiful wife, and a fantastic job teaching mathematics at MIT. He had no idea that at the age of 31, his entire life would fall apart, and it would take decades of hospitalization before his brilliant self would reemerge from the hell of schizophrenia - not unlike a butterfly trapped too long in a cocoon.

Born of humble beginnings, Ronald Reagan came into the world as the son of working class parents in Illinois. During his youth, he wasn't a particularly gifted student, but he did graduate from college. A Hollywood actor and union leader turned politician, he served as the 33rd governor of California during the tumultuous period from 1967 to 1975. Though his hard work, determination, and a bit of good luck, Ronald Reagan became the 40th president of the United States, in office between 1981 and 1989.

The descendent of Viking raiders, William the Conqueror, or William the Bastard as he was also known, took the throne of England in 1066. William showed himself to be an outstanding soldier and an extremely effective ruler, combining great fortitude with an unwavering insistence on his own authority. He was a formidable personality, whose political imagination and ruthlessness were the driving forces of the Norman Conquest of England.

Beginning with a skirmish involving inexperienced British officer George Washington, the Iroquois chief, and the ill-fated French emissary in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, a chain of events culminated in what would effectively become the First World War. The French and Indian War, as it is known in North America, was part of a larger conflict called the Seven Years' War, which involved nations on three continents.

The new nation, the United States of America, doubled overnight in size with the purchase of a vast tract of land west of the Mississippi River. The sitting president, Thomas Jefferson, negotiated a deal for the land with French ruler Napoleon. Now that America had all this new unexplored territory, Jefferson knew it was time to explore this new land and firmly place America's claim on this expansive wilderness. In 1803, Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery and named Meriwether Lewis as the leader.

Both Jesse Owens and Adolf Hitler grew up in poverty, and both men struggled to find their footing later in life. Owens represented the United States in the 1936 Olympics, after which he found it difficult to sustain a well-paying job. Adolf Hitler moved to Vienna as a teenager, following his parents' death, but he never found the financial success he so desperately craved as an artist. He spent most of his time in the city a penniless, unemployed young man. The similarities between the two men end there.

There are many theories as to why the United States and then much of the world entered into a long period of price deflation, high unemployment, and an overall significant economic downturn, which we now call the Great Depression. People always wonder why this horrendous event occurred and there is no simple answer to this question. It was a perfect storm of events that came together and brought about an inevitable plummet in the lives of millions.

Alexander Hamilton, born in the British West Indies, was an outsider from the very beginning. His illegitimate birth drove him to prove his worthiness to others throughout his life. His quest for honor was one of the defining characteristics that colored his decisions. Hamilton was a small man with a large ambition, and this would drive him to greatness and create some powerful enemies in his wake.

John Adams was in some form of service to America for most of his adult life - serving as a representative to the Continental Congress, envoy to European nations, vice president and, finally, ending his political career as the second president of the United States. At only five-foot-seven, nearly bald, a little overweight, occasionally cranky, and without most of his teeth, John Adams was not an Adonis, but through his intellect, force of will, and dogged determination, he would become one of the founding fathers of America.

The history of United States coinage is a story that parallels the rise of America. Starting from a humble beginning in a basement in Philadelphia in the first few years of the country, it grew to a large highly sophisticated system that produces millions of coins per year. Due to a lack of silver, the first silver coins produced by the Mint came from silverware contributed by George and Martha Washington.

Chances are, you are familiar with the name Walter Reed only because you have heard of the major army medical center named after him. Maybe you have heard of his name in general references related to yellow fever. Either way, there is so much more to this humble, hard-working man than most know. He wore many hats; husband, father, military officer, scientist, and doctor are just a few. His scientific achievements are benefiting humanity today.