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Famous People Every Teen Should Know
Famous people in history are renowned for their accomplishments, actions, and impact on contemporary society. Throughout the ages, there have been a diverse array of influential figures who have left an indelible mark on the world we know today. Discovering and appreciating the achievements of these historical figures can help your students better understand our shared human experience and gain new perspectives on the past.
From philosophers like Socrates and Plato to powerful political leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, introduce your homeschoolers to some of the most well-known, famous people throughout history.
Learning more about notable figures who have shaped the course of history with their ideas or accomplishments, including:
- Military commanders such as Alexander The Great and Julius Caesar;
- Artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci;
- Inventors like Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell;
- Nobel Prize winners such as Marie Curie and Albert Einstein,
- Along with many other significant figures each day.
Set your middle school and high school students up with a solid background to use in discussion, speech, and essays.
With the Let’s Study Famous Folks monthly calendars of mini-lessons, your student can begin to understand how famous people overcame obstacles – personal or societal – that enabled them to achieve greatness.
Learning about each famous person on the day they were born allows for a unique look at many folks before they may have been considered famous. Students will enjoy:
- reading inspiring biographies,
- watching informative videos,
- completing notebooking pages
To help illustrate the impact an individual had on human civilization, your student will enjoy exploring the contributions made in various fields that helped lay the foundation for advances we all continue to benefit from today.
The Let’s Study Famous Folks calendar of mini-lessons is organized by calendar month and allows your student to approach learning about famous people on the day they were born.
Let’s take a look at a few of the nearly 900 people that can be studied throughout the 12-month calendar bundle.
Famous People: Authors
In the past, many musicians, artists, and authors were often taught at home by their parents or tutors. This was because it was not considered appropriate for children to be in a school environment with other children of different backgrounds and classes. Nowadays, some famous people in history are still homeschooled, but this is not as common as it used to be.
The following is a list of just a few famous authors and their birthdays. Study each of these and more as you progress through the Let’s Study Famous Folks Calendar
- Charles Dickens: 7 February 1812 (London, England)
- J.K. Rowling: 31 July 1965 (Portsmouth, England)
- William Shakespeare: 23 April 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon, England)
- Jane Austen: 16 December 1775 (Chawton, England)
- Mark Twain: 30 November 1835 (Florida, Missouri)
The list of famous authors in the monthly Famous Folks calendar is endless. Some people are more well-known for their creative works, and novels, while others are known for their children’s books.
Some of the most famous authors in history also include Harper Lee, Louisa May Alcott, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. They’ve all written many different types of books which are loved by young and old alike.
Throughout Let’s Study Famous Folks, you get a chance to study many famous authors, musicians, and artists on their birthdays.
Famous People: Artists
Artists are people who are able to create something that is both beautiful and meaningful. They have the ability to make others feel emotions, whether it be happiness or sadness. There are many famous artists some of which include Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh.
Artists are a special type of people that are not just creative, but they have a special talent for expressing themselves uniquely through art. The famous artists that we know today were born in different countries and at different times, but they all had something in common: their love for art.
We can say that many famous artists were born with an artistic gene or some kind of artistic intuition that made them stand out from the rest. And although they might have had some obstacles on their path, they all became successful and achieved what they wanted to achieve in life.
Do you know what famous artists are born on the same day as you? Do you share a birthday with one of these famous artists?
- Leonardo da Vinci: He was born on April 15th, 1452 in Italy. He was an Italian polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, and mathematician.
- Pablo Picasso: Born on October 25th, 1881 in Spain. He was a Spanish painter and sculptor who is best known for co-founding the Cubist movement and for his involvement with Guernica.
- Vincent van Gogh: Born on March 30th, 1853 in the Netherlands. He was a Dutch post-Impressionist painter who is mostly known for his paintings “Starry Night” and “Sunflowers”.
- -Michelangelo Buonarroti: Born on March 6th, 1475 in Italy. He was a Renaissance sculptor and architect who is best known for his work at the Sistine Chapel in Rome, Italy.
Some people think that being an artist is a privilege and not everyone can be one, but this is not true! We can all be artists by following our passions and doing what we love to do every day.
Grab the Let’s Study Famous Folks Calendar that matches the month you were born in to find out which famous people in history were born in the same month.
Famous People: Heroes, Leaders, and ‘Baddies’
Celebrate the birthday of a historical hero, leader, or ‘baddie’ by learning about their life and achievements. In the Let’s Study Famous Folks calendars, your homeschoolers will look at some of the world’s most famous and influential leaders.
One such leader is the late Nelson Mandela, who was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. His birthday is 18 July 1918 and his home country is South Africa. He was born in Mvezo village in Umtata, then part of Transkei (now Eastern Cape).
Mandela studied law at the University of Fort Hare and later attended law school at the University College London before returning to practice law in Johannesburg. He became involved with politics while he was a student, joining the African National Congress Youth League and becoming its first secretary general in 1944.
He became increasingly well-known as an opponent of apartheid, giving speeches with inflammatory political content that led to his arrest on charges of treason by the apartheid
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Let’s Study Africa$29.00
Every year on April 22, people celebrate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. He became a world leader in 1947 when India gained its independence from British rule. Gandhi is known for his nonviolent methods of protest and his commitment to peace and equality for all people.
Mahatma Gandhi was born in 1869, which means he shares a birthday with Abraham Lincoln who was born in 1809. Both presidents were home-schooled as children by their mothers before they became leaders of their respective countries – India and America
There are many historical heroes, leaders, and ‘baddies’ in the world who have shaped our history. Some of them are still alive and some of them have died. But their legacy still lives on.
Famous People: US Presidents
Since we’re talking about presidents….
The presidents of the United States are some of the most famous people in the world. There is a lot of information about their lives and their homes. Did you know which president was born on July 4th?
John Adams isn’t the correct answer. He died on July 4th, in Quincy, Massachusetts. He was the first president to live in what we know as the White House today.
James K. Polk was born on November 2, 1795, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He is remembered for his expansionist policies and his victory over Mexico in 1846-1848.
Some famous presidents went to school at home. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were homeschooled. Other famous presidents went to a public school or private school, like John Adams and James K. Polk Jr.
When you use the Let’s Study Famous Folks monthly calendar you’ll get detailed information about American history and presidents like:
- George Washington was born on February 22nd, 1732 in Virginia. He served as president from 1789 to 1797 during America’s first term as a country after the American Revolution.
- Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th, 1809 in Kentucky and he served as president from 1861 to 1865 during the American civil war era.
- Franklin D Roosevelt was born on January 30th, 1882 in New York and served as president for four terms (1933-1945). He led America through World War II after being elected for his first term (1933-1937) when he took office at age 39.
Famous People: ‘The Baddies’
Of course, there are plenty of ‘baddies’ included in each month’s calendar too. Your students will get to learn about famous baddies like:
- Jessie James
- Genghis Khan
- Benedict Arnold
- Guy Fawkes
- Oliver Cromwell
- Vladimir Lenin
- Joseph Stalin
- And more.
Do you share a birthday with a historical hero, a ‘baddie’, or a world leader?
Famous People: World Leaders
From the early 20th century to the present day, a number of historical figures have had a lasting impact on society. These prominent individuals include heads of state, writers, artists, scientists, activists, and entrepreneurs.
Several famous political leaders have left their mark on history during this period your students should know about are:
- Winston Churchill led the United Kingdom in its fight against Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany during World War II;
- Mahatma Gandhi fought for India’s independence from Britain using peaceful resistance tactics;
- Lech Wałęsa was instrumental in ending communism in Poland through his role as leader of the Solidarity movement.
Famous People: Scientists, Explorers, Inventors
So many famous people have had a major impact on the world of science and research.
Albert Einstein – Albert Einstein is one of the most influential scientists in history. His contributions to the field of physics helped shape what we know about the universe today. He is best known for his theory of relativity and his work on quantum mechanics.
Evelyn Linnaeus – Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist who was one of the most influential naturalists in history. He developed a system for classifying plants and animals into groups according to physical characteristics. This system, which is still used today, is known as taxonomy and has been called “Linnaean taxonomy”.
Marie Curie – Marie Curie was a Polish-born French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was also the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the first person to win two Nobel Prizes.
Your students will be inspired by Alber Einstien. He was born on March 14, 1879, and is one of the most famous people in the world. He was a physicist and the author of many books.
Einstein was born in Germany, but he moved to Switzerland when he was 16 years old. There, he started his schooling at the cantonal school in Aarau. He then went on to study at Zurich Polytechnic and eventually got his Ph.D. from the University of Zurich at 26 years old before immigrating to the United States.
Many more famous scientists are included in the Let’s Study Famous Folks Monthly Calendar. Some of them are:
- Sir Isaac Newton, physicist, and mathematician
- Galileo Galilei – astronomer, physicist, and engineer
- Ada Lovelace, mathematician, and writer
- Hans Christian Ørsted, physicist and chemist
- Stephen Hawking
- Benjamin Franklin
- Buzz Aldrin
- Sir Walter Raleigh
the Let’s Study Famous Folks 12-Month Calendar Bundle
Each month is chock full of resources for an avalanche of learning with over 900 different individuals covered in the course of the year. In the arts and sciences, don’t miss learning about people such as:
- Albert Einstein who is known for revolutionizing our understanding of physics;
- Pablo Picasso and his cubism had an enormous influence on modern art;
- Stephen Hawking furthered our knowledge of cosmology;
- Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean;
The world has also seen great social activists like:
- Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Malala Yousafzai who have made tremendous sacrifices for freedom and human rights throughout history.
- Booker T. Washington provided educational opportunities for African Americans in 19th-century America;
- Alice Paul advocated for women’s suffrage in pre-World War I in Europe, and
- Desmond Tutu, a political leader, stood up against apartheid in South Africa.
Lastly, iconic entrepreneurs like Bill Gates have helped shape modern technology with Microsoft Corporation; Steve Jobs influenced paradigms with Apple Inc.; Richard Branson is a leader in business development through companies such as Virgin Group and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has become one of the world’s richest people in the world by advancing e-commerce.
Empower The Future: Learn About Famous People In History
No matter who you are or where you come from, it is important to live your life with passion and empathy. Be inspired by historical events, past pioneers, and leaders; use those examples as motivation for projects, presentations, and more in-depth studies of famous people throughout world history that your students really connect with.
By studying Famous Folks throughout the year, you will find that your students begin to start making small differences in their everyday lives based on who they have been learning about. Often times it will result in a desire to volunteer at local non-profits or simply offer kindness to strangers throughout your day-to-day interactions. Why? Because they saw that this was part of the ‘secret sauce’ that made so many people famous.
Ultimately society will flourish if we focus on connecting lives together and sharing our knowledge with others around the world. Looking at our past and learning from it is an excellent way to help your homeschool student begin this journey and hone their skills for a brighter and better future for everyone. Use the Let’s Study Famous Folks calendar bundle to help make it happen.
Inspire every day of learning with the Let’s Study Famous Folks 12-month calendar bundle.
Daily explore, via video, web pages, and activities, the most famous people in the world. by studying them on the day they were born, your middle schooler & high schooler will quickly understand the historical significance of the most influential people of their time. They will also be able to use notebooking pages to ensure the information ‘sticks’.
Learn the roles of a Roman statesman and the duties of a french king as well as explore the most famous french artists and french revolution heroes. Your students will learn something new every day.
Spoiler alert! Your kids will ‘ed-venture’ daily to a variety of historical time periods. Get ready for some inspiring dinner conversations about famous people in history.
No more cobbling your curriculum together and hoping it works!
(Check out this free lesson instead.)
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