Lee Quan Yew helped Singapore achieved self-government and was elected prime-minister in 1959. He industrialized Singapore, making it a sovereign state, and increased the standard of living. With numerous reforms like emancipating women and establishing free labor he made Singapore one of the most prosperous countries in the Southeast Asia.
The French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) expressed his belief that men are naturally good-willed but are corrupted by social organization in his Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men. In the Social Contract he states that a civil society is based upon a genuine contract, allowing political liberty.
Prussian general and author Carl von Clausewitz's (1780-1871) On War influenced modern military thought and strategy. The book emphasized the need for a serious attitude toward strategic decisions as opposed to listing situational military strategies. He regarded war as a continuation of political compromise as opposed to a means to an end.
Giuseppi Garibaldi (1807-1882) took southern Italy from Austria by creating and commanding a force, uniting Italy and declaring Victor Emmanuel II the king. During the war of independence from Austria, he defended Rome with a small band of “Red Shirts.” His ability to raise an army without government backing showed great leadership.
His contributions to westward expansion in North America made Kit Carson (1809-1868) a folk legend. He was a guide to John C. Fremont's expeditions of the West and a guide to Stephen Kearny during the Mexican War. He was appointed a U.S. official for Indian relations and was made superintendent of Indian affairs for the Colorado territory.
Italian political theorist Nicholas Machiavelli (1469-1527) wrote The Prince, a guide for ruling and governing. His perception that human nature is self-serving influenced his suggestion that good rulers should be ruthless and scheming. The book was respected but condemned for being too cynical, and spawned the term “Machiavellian,” meaning deceitful.
Italian painter Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510), active during the Italian Renaissance, is highly esteemed for his prolific religious images and mythological paintings. He was part of a group of Florentine and Umbrian artists assigned to decorate the Sistine Chapel. His portraits portray the influence of Flemish art by having the figure in front of a landscape.
W.H. Auden (1907-1973) was a writer and poet who wrote about political and moral issues of public concern as well as fantastical, dream-like worlds. He attended Oxford University and moved to the U.S. later in his life. He was an opponent of the evils in capitalism and totalitarianism during the 1930s.
Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782) came from a family of distinguished Swiss mathematicians and devised the Bernoulli principle, which relates pressure, velocity and height for a fluid with a steady flow. The principle explains the lift motion needed to explain the upward motion of an airplane, for as the speed of the fluid increases, the pressure decreases.
Sisyphus was the King of Corinth who was punished in Hades by having to continuously roll a giant boulder up a hill. He cheated death by having Death chained up so that it couldn't reach him. When it did, he asked his wife to not bury his body, and he was permitted to return to earth to punish his wife. His trickery resulted in his punishment in Hades.
U.S. newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst (1863-1901) helped bring about the era of yellow journalism in the late 1800s, creating strategies that increased circulation and greatly influenced U.S. journalism. His journalism created a resentment towards Spain that eventually led to the Spanish-American war.
In the 1930s, Chinese communist leader Chou En Lai (1898-1976) joined Mao Zedong and Zhu De in Jiangxi as a commissar of the Red Army. When the communists prevailed over the nationalist, he became the premier of the People's Republic of China. He arranged the meeting between Nixon and Zedong that led to the recognition of China's government.
Indian spiritual leader Siddhartha Guatama, known as Buddha, meaning “enlightened one,” was the founder of Buddhism. Renouncing his luxurious life as a prince, he sought enlightenment and discovered the Four Noble Truths while meditating. He preached that by following the Eightfold Path one could liberate themselves from the reincarnation cycle and achieve nirvana.
Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, living during 4th century B.C., was the author of the earliest known writing on war and military science, The Art of War. The book's emphasis on close relations between politics and military policy influenced military strategy in the East. It emphasizes unpredictability and the importance of accurate information.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) was a writer who was twice prime minister of Britain and a leader of the conservatives in Parliament. He made a series of speeches against the repeal of the Corn Laws and helped pass the Social Reform Bill of 1867. His stance of strong foreign policy won concessions for Britain.
