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 Beginning with K
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7 results
Kaiser Wilhelm II
1859–1941Industrial AgeEuropeGermany
He believed himself to be a great statesman, dismissed the chancellor who actually was one, and spent thirty years inadvertently helping cause the worst war Europe had ever seen.
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Karl Marx
1818–1883Industrial AgeEuropeGermany
He spent his life in poverty writing about the workers' revolution, died before it happened, and his ideas were used to justify revolutions he never imagined by leaders he would never have trusted.
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Khufu
-2600–-2566Ancient CivilisationsMiddle EastEgypt
He ordered the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza — one of the most ambitious building projects in human history — and almost nothing else about him is known with any certainty.
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Kim Il-sung
1912–1994Modern HistoryOtherPRK
He created not just a state but a mythology around himself so total that decades after his death, the country still governs in his name.
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King John of England
1166–1216Medieval PeriodEuropeUnited Kingdom
He lost Normandy, lost the battle of Bouvines, and was forced to sign Magna Carta — and the document that defined his failure became the foundation of constitutional rights everywhere.
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King Zheng of Qin
-259–-210Classical WorldEast AsiaChina
He conquered six rival kingdoms in thirteen years, declared himself the First Emperor, and set a template for Chinese imperial rule that lasted two thousand years.
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Kublai Khan
1215–1294Medieval PeriodOtherMongolia
He ruled the largest empire in history, launched two invasions of Japan — both destroyed by storms — and spent his final years heavy, ill, and wondering if the empire was actually governable.
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