Once upon a planet…
Legends from Around the World
Kind, brave, and curious people from all around the globe.
IndiaMahatma Gandhi
1869 – 1948
A gentle leader who freed a whole country without ever raising his fists.
South AfricaNelson Mandela
1918 – 2013
A brave South African who spent 27 years in prison — then became president.
PakistanMalala Yousafzai
born 1997
A young girl who stood up so all girls could go to school.
Albania / IndiaMother Teresa
1910 – 1997
A tiny nun with a huge heart who cared for the poorest people in the world.
TibetThe Dalai Lama
born 1935
A gentle Tibetan monk who teaches the world about kindness and joy.
South AfricaDesmond Tutu
1931 – 2021
A joyful South African bishop who laughed and led his country to peace.
KenyaWangari Maathai
1940 – 2011
A Kenyan scientist who planted 50 million trees to heal her country.
NetherlandsAnne Frank
1929 – 1945
A young Dutch girl whose diary became one of the most loved books in the world.
VenezuelaSimón Bolívar
1783 – 1830
The brave general who helped free six countries in South America.
GhanaKwame Nkrumah
1909 – 1972
The teacher who led Ghana to become the first free country in west Africa.
MyanmarAung San Suu Kyi
born 1945
A gentle Burmese leader who spoke up for freedom, even when it was hard.
PolandLech Wałęsa
born 1943
A Polish electrician whose big mustache and bigger courage helped change Europe.
CzechiaVáclav Havel
1936 – 2011
A playwright who wrote plays about freedom — then helped make his country free.
ItalyLeonardo da Vinci
1452 – 1519
An Italian painter and inventor who was curious about everything under the sun.
United KingdomAlan Turing
1912 – 1954
A shy British mathematician who cracked secret codes and dreamed up computers.
United KingdomAda Lovelace
1815 – 1852
A Victorian girl who wrote the world's very first computer program.
United KingdomStephen Hawking
1942 – 2018
A British scientist who explored black holes from his wheelchair.
ChinaConfucius
551 – 479 BCE
An ancient Chinese teacher whose kind sayings still guide people today.
JapanHayao Miyazaki
born 1941
A Japanese storyteller whose gentle cartoons feel like magical dreams.
SpainPablo Picasso
1881 – 1973
A Spanish painter who changed how the whole world sees art.
DenmarkHans Christian Andersen
1805 – 1875
The Danish dreamer who wrote the world's most beloved fairy tales.
GermanyLudwig van Beethoven
1770 – 1827
A German composer who wrote thundering music, even after he couldn't hear it.
South AfricaMiriam Makeba
1932 – 2008
The 'Mama Africa' whose songs travelled the world with a message of peace.
MoroccoIbn Battuta
1304 – 1369
A Moroccan traveler who wandered 75,000 miles across the medieval world.
NorwayRoald Amundsen
1872 – 1928
The Norwegian explorer who was the first person ever to reach the South Pole.
BrazilPelé
1940 – 2022
The Brazilian boy who grew up to be called the king of football (soccer).
RomaniaNadia Comăneci
born 1961
The Romanian gymnast who scored the first perfect 10 at the Olympics.
FranceJacques Cousteau
1910 – 1997
A French explorer who filmed the deep sea and taught the world to love the ocean.