People
Historical Figures and Influential People in History
Explore rulers, generals, thinkers, scientists and reformers who shaped world history. Search for a specific person, or browse by era, region, country and A–Z.
Historical Figures from Europe
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11 results
Gaius Marius
-157–-86Classical WorldItaly
He saved Rome from invasion, won seven consulships — more than anyone before him — and in doing so proved that the republic's rules meant nothing when a general had a loyal army.
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Galileo Galilei
1564–1642Early Modern EraItaly
He pointed a telescope at the sky, saw things that couldn't be explained by the accepted model of the universe, and spent the rest of his life in trouble for saying so.
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George Canning
1770–1827Industrial AgeUnited Kingdom
He climbed from financial insecurity to the highest office in Britain, but his brief time as prime minister ended almost as soon as it began.
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George Grenville
1712–1770Early Modern EraUnited Kingdom
He tried to tighten Britain’s grip on its American colonies through taxation, and in doing so, helped spark resistance that would eventually lead to revolution.
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George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
1784–1860Industrial AgeUnited Kingdom
He preferred quiet diplomacy to loud politics, yet found himself leading Britain into the Crimean War, a conflict that tested his cautious instincts and ended his premiership.
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George Stephenson
1781–1848Industrial AgeUnited Kingdom
He grew up illiterate on the Northumberland coalfields and redesigned the way humans moved across the surface of the earth.
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George VI
1895–1952Industrial AgeUnited Kingdom
He never wanted to be king, had a stammer that made public speaking an ordeal, and became the defining symbol of his country's refusal to give in during its darkest years.
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Georges Clemenceau
1841–1929Industrial AgeFrance
He had been waiting his entire career for France to get its revenge on Germany — and when it finally came, he made sure the peace was as harsh as the victory.
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Gil Eanes
1390–1460Medieval PeriodPortugal
For years, European sailors had turned back at the same cape, convinced that beyond it lay boiling seas and monsters — until he sailed past it and found nothing but ocean.
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Gordon Brown
1951–?Modern HistoryUnited Kingdom
He spent a decade controlling Britain’s economy as chancellor before inheriting the premiership mid-crisis, where global financial turmoil defined and ultimately limited his time in power.
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Gustav Stresemann
1878–1929Industrial AgeGermany
Gustav Stresemann was a German statesman who stabilised the Weimar Republic and reshaped its foreign relations through pragmatic diplomacy after the First World War.
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