W. D. SNODGRASS (1926 – 2009)
American Poet
Snodgrass was part of the confessional poetry group of writers in the 1950s and 60s. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1960 for his first book of poems, Heart’s Needle. A lot of his career was spent teaching at universities.
GIOVANNI MARTINELLI (1885 – 1969)
Italian Opera Singer
Martinelli was regarded as one of the most famous tenors of the 20th Century. After Enrico Caruso’s death in 1921, he assumed many of his roles at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
EMMA ALBANI (1847 – 1930)
Canadian Opera Singer
Albani was a major opera singer in her time. She was one of the first Canadian singers to achieve international fame and subsequently travel across North America and Europe. She was made a Dame in 1925.
MARGARET AYER BARNES (1886 – 1967)
American Author
Barnes won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1931 for her novel Years of Grace. She also became known for her play Dishonored Lady, which was published in 1930 and filmed in 1947.
LOUIS DE BROGLIE (1892 – 1987)
French Physicist
De Broglie was one of the major scientists of the 20th Century, especially during the physics revolution of the 1910s and 20s. His most influential ideas were in quantum mechanics and the wave-particle duality of light. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1929.
ARTHUR C. CLARKE (1917 – 2008)
British Author
Clarke was one of the giants of 20th Century Science Fiction. He wrote the screenplay and novel of 2001: A Space Odyssey in collaboration with Stanley Kubrick, as well as the Rendezvous with Rama series. He was also a noted populariser of science.
EDWARD DROZNIAK (1902 – 1966)
Polish Economist and Politician
Drozniak was President of the National Bank of Poland during the 1940s and 1950s. Between 1961 and 1966 he was Poland’s Ambassador to the United States of America.
LOUISE WEISS (1893 – 1983)
French Author, Activist and Politician
Weiss was a part of the European women’s suffrage movement during the 1930s, and later active in the French Resistance during the Second World War. She was elected as a member of the European Parliament in 1979, and the main building of the Parliament is named after her.
JULIAN BOND (1940 – 2015)
American Politician and Activist
Bond was an influential figure in the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s, setting up the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. He was elected to represent the State of Georgia in the House of Representatives and the Senate throughout the 70s and 80s. He was then elected Chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
THOMAS WELLER (1915 – 2008)
American Biologist
Weller was a scientist who specialised in virology. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1954 for his work on the Polio virus, which ultimately led to the development of the first successful vaccine by Jonas Salk.
Historical Cards 