Famous for a reason.
Shakuntala Devi
Performing extraordinary calculations mentally before live audiences.
Large multiplication · The World of Homosexuals
- Born
- 4 November 1929
- Birthplace
- Bengaluru, India
- Died
- 21 April 2013
Familiar faces
Keep exploring ↗
ActorAishwarya Rai Bachchan
Starring in Indian cinema after winning Miss World in 1994.
AthleteRonaldinho
Bringing dazzling skill to Brazil and Barcelona, with a World Cup and a Ballon d’Or.
SingerFreddie Mercury
Fronting Queen and writing Bohemian Rhapsody.
ScientistMarie Curie
Discovering polonium and radium.
PainterFrida Kahlo
Painting self-portraits about identity, pain and Mexican life.
Historical cases and events
Explore history ↗
Scientific milestoneThe discovery and development of penicillin
Turning an observation about mould into a treatment for bacterial infection.
Historical research collectionThe British Empire: Inhumane Rule and Its Legacy
Slavery, dispossession, mass violence and their enduring consequences.
FamineBengal famine
Mass starvation during wartime, shaped by colonial priorities and unequal access to food.
Public-health milestoneLondon's sewer revolution
Turning a sanitation crisis into a major urban sewer-building programme.
MassacreZong massacre
The killing of enslaved Africans followed by a court dispute over their insurance value.
Born today
Janaki Ammal · Simon Dixon · Luís Figo · Shakuntala Devi · Sun Yingsha · Patricia Bath · Ritwik Ghatak · Wang Shu · Jamnalal Bajaj · David Julius · Charles K. Kao · Tabu
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A world of historical cases and events.
All historical cases ↗Scientific breakthroughs and discoveries ↗
Discoveries that changed our understanding of the world.
Famines ↗
Food crises, policy and their human consequences.
Massacres and genocides ↗
Mass violence, accountability and remembrance.
Forced labour and extraction ↗
Slavery, coerced labour and resource exploitation.
Forced removal and assimilation ↗
Displacement, dispossession and cultural suppression.
Abolition, liberation and human rights ↗
Movements for freedom, equality and justice.
Colonialism and empire ↗
Conquest, colonial rule and decolonisation.
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Rights, representation and institutions.
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Expanding access to knowledge and learning.
Cultural exchange and artistic movements ↗
Ideas, expression and encounters across cultures.
Environmental protection and conservation ↗
Protecting species, landscapes and shared resources.
Humanitarian action and reconstruction ↗
Relief, recovery and rebuilding.
Technology and infrastructure ↗
Inventions and systems that changed everyday life.
Resistance, solidarity and peacebuilding ↗
Collective action, reconciliation and lasting peace.
Disasters and catastrophes ↗
Natural hazards and technological disasters: their causes, human toll and aftermath.
American terrorism ↗
An editorial collection examining US state violence against civilians, with responsibility and investigative findings documented in each account.