People

Biographies  

Biographical Dictionary       http://www.s9.com/

More than 25,000 notable men and women from ancient times to the present. May be searched by name, birth or death year, positions held and other keywords.

Biography       http://www.biography.com/  

Official site of A&E's Biography television series, includes the searchable text of 15,000 entries from The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia.

Biography Meta-site      http://amillionlives.com/  

One of the largest guides to biography sites

The Nobel Prizes      http://www.nobel.se/  

This is the official web site of the Nobel Foundation. There is a database of prizes and laureates that can be searched by prize category, or by name, nationality, keyword, or birth or death year

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Celebrities 

Hollywood Auditions        http://www.hollywoodauditions.com/Biographies/celebrities.htm

Bios on a wide range of celebrities, arranged by occupation.

Starfinder       http://movies.go.com/archive/celebrities

Brief bio with filmography for movie stars

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Politicians/World Leaders  

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to Present      http://bioguide.congress.gov/  

Biographical information for all individuals who have served in the United States Congress and the Continental Congress. Biographies are also included for persons who have served as delegates to Congress from the territories of the United States. Using the drop-down lists, you can create useful lists, for example, a list of all U.S. Presidents who served in the Congress.

 

Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments       http://www.odci.gov/  

From the CIA, contains listings by country. 

 

The Political Graveyard     http://www.potifos.com/  

Amazing directory of over 12,000 former United States Presidents and Congressmen, giving the location of their final resting place. Numerous entry points, including alphabetical, by state and office, by birth or death date, and many others.   

 

Presidents of the United States (POTUS)       http://www.ipl.org/  

A biographical directory of all the presidents. Links to presidential Internet sites include biographies, speeches, writings and where possible, audio and video clips. Election results, odd facts and presidential term highlights have been added. 

First ladies, cabinet members, and additional important members of presidential life are also covered.

 

Lists of US Presidents        http://www.fujisan.demon.co.uk/USPresidents/preslist.htm  

Extensive list of lists about the Presidents, including marital status, height, left-handedness, cabinet members and much more.   

 

Rulers        http://www.geocities.com/bcahoon.geo/  

This site contains lists of heads of state and heads of government going back to 1900 of all currently existing countries and territories. Therefore for Soviet Union, see Russia.

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Religious  

Popes Through the Ages: The Complete List of Popes      http://www.knight.org/  

Provides a biography of all 265 Popes of the Roman Catholic Church from 32 AD to the present. Includes a detailed entry for Pope John Paul II with links to online speeches and writings.

 

The Saints Index       http://saints.catholic.org/stsindex.html  

An exhaustive list of Saints that contains all known information pertaining to each Saint. There is also information about this months Saints, general FAQ about Saints, Patron Saints and a Feastday List. This site also provides a Saints Search feature that will help you locate a specific Saint quickly and effectively by name or other search criteria.

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Scientists 

The National Inventors Hall of Fame http://www.invent.org/

From the National Inventors Hall of Fame, this site provides biographical sketches of the great inventors of America. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Eli Whitney, among others.

The Nobel Prizes       http://www.nobel.se/  

This is the official web site of the Nobel Foundation. There is a database of prizes and laureates that can be searched by prize category, or by name, nationality, keyword, or birth or death year.

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Locating People  

White pages       http://www.infospace.com/home/white-pages   

Find people in selected countries by searching InfoSpace.

Public Records Database       http://www.pac-info.com/ 

Directory of public records databases. Over 1500 databases are linked to for the states (and District of Columbia) of the U.S. Depending on the state, there are licensing records, court records, unclaimed property, sex offender registries, etc., as well as some county-level databases. There is also a mixed bag of nationwide searches (such as the Social Security Death Index and Martindale-Hubbell directory of attorneys), and there are a few Canadian databases.

Vital Records       http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/alphabet.htm 

Find where to write or call for vital records in the U.S. by checking this guide from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

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Names  

Baby Names        http://babynames.com/  

More than 4,200 names with short meanings, roots, and nationality. Also has lists of names from Shakespeare and soap operas and a baby names book list (with reviews and recommendations.) 

 

Etymology of Names       http://www.pacificcoast.net/

Etymological dictionary of first names - along with lists of most used first names as of 1986, languages referred to, common elements in first names, resources used, and links to other etymology sites. 

 

Nom de Guerre - Pseudonyms and Aliases      http://www.walshnet.com/  

A comprehensive alphabetical list of names including authors, actors, athletes, musicians, and the like, as well as some of the more unusual and unique. The only problem with this site is that all of the names are on one page. There are related links at the bottom of the page.

 

Onomastikon (Dictionary of Names)       http://www.fairacre.demon.co.uk/ 

Organized by time period and geographic region. Each entry lists the names (male, female, surnames, etc.), some historical background, often extensive discussion of naming systems. Some of the special lists of names include: the Pitcairn Island Mutineers, names used by J.R.R. Tolkien, Surnames Derived from Medieval Trades, Roman Military Ranks, the Aztec Tehalpohualli (Count Of Days), Rulers (with dates), and Saints Name Days.

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