William Penn founded Pennsylvania and played a leading role in the history of New Jersey and Delaware.
Pericles was the leading statesman of Athens and brought it to the height of its political power and artistic achievement. The years from 446 to 429 B.C.E.
Eva Perón was the second wife and political partner of President Juan Perón (1895–1974) of Argentina. An important political figure in her own right, she was known for her campaign for female suffrage (the right to vote), her support of organized labor groups, and her organization of a vast social welfare program that benefited and gained the support of the lower classes.
The Swiss psychologist and educator Jean Piaget is famous for his learning theories based on different stages in the development of children's intelligence.
The Spanish painter, sculptor, and graphic artist Pablo Picasso was one of the most productive and revolutionary artists in the history of Western painting. As the central figure in developing cubism (an artistic style where recognizable objects are fragmented to show all sides of an object at the same time), he established the basis for abstract art (art having little or no pictorial representation).
Best known for The Bell Jar, poet and novelist Sylvia Plath explored the themes of death, self, and nature in works that expressed her uncertain attitude toward the universe.
The Greek philosopher Plato founded the Academy in Athens, one of the great philosophical schools of antiquity Courtesy of the Library of Congress. (ancient times).
Pocahontas was the daughter of a Native American chief in Virginia at the time when the British came to settle in the area. Her marriage to an English settler brought eight years of peace between the Indians and the British.
One of America's major writers, Edgar Allan Poe was far ahead of his time in his vision of a special area of human experience—the "inner world" of dreams and the imagination. He wrote fiction, poetry, and criticism and also worked as a magazine editor.
Actor Sidney Poitier's presence in film during the 1950s and 1960s opened up the possibility for bigger and better roles for African American performers.
Pol Pot was a leader in the Cambodian Communist movement and became premier of the government of Democratic Reproduced by permission of AP/Wide World Photos. Kampuchéa (DK) from 1976 to 1979.
The traveler and writer Marco Polo left Venice for Cathay (now China) in 1271, spent seventeen years in Kublai Khan's (1215–1294) empire, and returned to Venice in 1295. His account of his experiences is one of the most important travel documents ever written.
The Spanish conqueror and explorer Juan Ponce de LeĂłn conquered the island of Puerto Rico and explored the coastline of Florida, which he claimed for the Spanish crown.
The English poet Alexander Pope is regarded as one of the finest poets and satirists (people who use wit or sarcasm to point out and devalue sin or silliness) of the Augustan (mid-seventeenth to mid-eighteenth century English literature) period and one of the major influences on English literature in this time and after.
American composer Cole Porter wrote songs—both words and music—for more than thirty stage and film musicals. His best work set standards of sophistication (appealing to good taste) and wit seldom matched in the popular musical theater.
American writer Katherine Anne Porter, winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 1966, was known for her delicate observations and precise descriptions.
For many years a leading authority on socially correct behavior, Emily Post provided solutions to social problems. With a name that became linked with proper manners in the minds of many, she was a successful author, newspaper columnist, and radio broadcaster.
During Colin Powell's long and impressive military and government career, he has served in some of the country's highest positions, including chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. When President George W.
Dith Pran was born on September 27, 1942, in the town of Siem Reap, Cambodia. At that time, the Japanese army occupied Cambodia, which belonged to French Indochina, but Pran's home was far from the center of power.
Elvis Presley, the "King of Rock 'n' Roll," was the leading American singer for two decades and the most popular singer of the entire early rock 'n' roll era.
German-born American composer André Previn has received acclaim in every musical venue explored during his exceptional career that has spanned more than six decades.
Leontyne Price was a prima donna soprano (the lead female singer in an opera) and considered in most many circles as one of the finest opera singers of the twentieth century.
Edna Annie Proulx was born on August 22, 1935, in Norwich, Connecticut, the first of George Napoleon Proulx and Lois Nelly Gill Proulx's five children. Proulx's father was the vice president of a textile company.
French novelist Marcel Proust was one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. His books abandoned plot and dramatic action in favor of the narrator's descriptions of his experiences in the world.
Ptolemy I (c. 366–283 B.C.E.) was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great (356–323 B.C.E.) and founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, a family of fifteen kings—all of whom were named Ptolemy—who reigned over Egypt for more than three hundred years.
Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian-born editor and publisher, was important in the development of the modern newspaper in the United States.
George Pullman was an American industrial businessman who developed the railroad sleeping car and built a big business with it. He was one of the last industrialists (someone who owns and operates a large-scale business) to operate a company town.
Aleksandr Pushkin is ranked as one of Russia's greatest poets. He not only brought Russian poetry to its highest excellence, but also had a great influence on all Russian literature in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.