Famous First Names

Louis Bleriot

(1872-1936), French inventor and aviator. In 1909 he became the first pilot to successfully fly an aeroplane across the English Channel.

Joan (Dame) Sutherland

(1926 - ), Australian soprano. She became one of the world's leading bel canto operatic sopranos.

Charles Stewart Rolls

(1877-1910), English motor car manufacturer and aviator. In 1906 together with Henry Royce he formed the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing company.

Ernest Henry Shackleton

[Sir], (1874 - 1922), Anglo-Irish explorer. He served in Robert Scott's Antarctic expedition, and later commanded two further expeditions - in 1908-09 and 1914-16.

Alan Alexander Milne

[A A Milne], (1882 - 1956), English writer. He is most famous for his children's books featuring Winnie the Pooh.

Charles Robert Darwin

(1809 - 82), English naturalist. He sailed on HMS Beagle as a naturalist to South America and the Pacific (1831-36) where his studies among the rich animal and plant life of the area formed the basis for his revolutionary theory of evolution by natural selection 'The Origin of Species'.

Thomas Chippendale

(c. 1717-79), a famous English furniture designer.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson

(1856 - 1924), American Democratic statesman. He was the 28th president of the USA - from 1913 to 1921.

Laurence Sterne

(1713 - 68), Irish-born English novelist. He wrote the novels "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy", "Gentleman" and "A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy".

Fred Hoyle

[Sir], (1915 - 2001), English astronomer and writer. He was the main proponent of the theory of the universe which holds that the universe is basically unchanging (as opposed to the big-bang theory).