Leading Figures in History

Discover the people who shaped our world — from rulers and scientists to artists and activists.

39103 persons found

William Regal

b. 1968

English professional wrestler (born 1968)

William Reid (mining engineer)

b. 1906

William Renshaw

British tennis player

William Ridenour

b. 1958

American politician (born 1958)

William Robert Grove

b. 1811

Welsh judge and physical scientist (1811–1896)

William Roberts (painter)

b. 1895

British painter (1895–1980)

William Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes

b. 1894

British motor manufacturer

William Rosenberg

b. 1916

American businessman (1916-2002)

William Roth

b. 1921

American politician (1921–2003)

William Rowan Hamilton

b. 1805

Irish mathematician and physicist (1805–1865)

William Russell (English actor)

English actor (1924–2024)

William S. Bowdern

American Catholic exorcist (1897–1983)

William S. Burroughs

American writer and visual artist (1914–1997)

William S. Clark

b. 1826

American chemist, botanist and college president (1826–1886)

William S. Harney

United States Army general (1800–1889)

William S. Sessions

b. 1930

American judge (1930–2020)

William Salmon

b. 1644

17th and 18th-century English empiric doctor

William Saroyan

American writer (1908–1981)

William Scamp

b. 1801

English architect and engineer

William Schallert

American actor (1922-2016)

William Schuman

b. 1910

American composer and arts administrator (1910-1992)

William Scranton

b. 1917

Governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967

William Sealy Gosset

b. 1876

British statistician (1876–1937)

William Seawell

United States Air Force general