Leading Figures in History

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

21510 persons found

Mswati III

b. 1968

King of Eswatini and custodian of Swazi tradition since 1986

Mu'awiya I

Founder of the Umayyad Caliphate

Muath al-Kasasbeh

b. 1988

Jordanian pilot murdered by ISIL in 2015

Muazzez İlmiye Çığ

b. 1914

Turkish librarian, writer, and supercentenarian (1914–2024)

Muddy Waters

American blues musician (1913–1983)

Muffy Calder

b. 1958

Computer Scientist

Muhammad

Founder of Islam (c. 570–632)

Muhammad Ali

American boxer and activist (1942–2016)

Muhammad Azam Shah

b. 1653

Mughal emperor in 1707

Muhammad Iqbal

Islamic philosopher and poet (1877–1938)

Muhammad Yunus

b. 1940

Bangladeshi economist and statesman (born 1940)

Muhammed Faris

b. 1951

Syrian military aviator and cosmonaut (1951–2024)

Muhammed Hamdi Yazır

Turkish philosopher and theologian (1878-1942)

Muhsin Ertuğrul

Turkish actor and director

Muiris Ó Súilleabháin

Irish author (1904–1950)

Mukesh Ambani

b. 1957

Indian businessman (born 1957)

Mulgrew Miller

American jazz pianist (1955–2013)

Mumia Abu-Jamal

b. 1954

American incarcerated activist (born 1954)

Mumtaz Mahal

b. 1593

Empress of the Mughal Empire from 1628 to 1631

Munir Ahmad Khan

Pakistani nuclear engineer (1926–1999)

Murad I

Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1362 to 1389

Murad Mirza (son of Akbar)

Mughal prince (1570–1599)