Great Figures

What drives human thought? From Plato to Voltaire, Marcus Aurelius to Isaac Newton, Socrates to Descartes, Aristotle to Rousseau – these five-minute snapshots offer powerful insights into the people who shaped our understanding of life. Whether you're commuting, relaxing, or curious to learn something new: These short, vivid biographies offer quick insights, big ideas, and timeless inspiration.

The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space. Soon to be a major motion picture starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner. Before John Glenn...

The uplifting, amazing true story—a New York Times bestseller! This edition of Margot Lee Shetterly’s acclaimed book is perfect for young readers. It's the powerful story of four African-American female mathematicians at NASA who helped achieve some of the greatest moments in our space...

Beloved Olympic skater shares his secrets to happiness on and off the ice. Scott Hamilton has experienced the heights of accomplishment and the depths of disease, from winning the Gold to becoming a cancer and brain tumor survivor. But through his successes, struggles, and setbacks, Hamilton has...

When it comes to ancient history, there are some names that will never be forgotten, and Alexander the Great is, without doubt, a perfect example of this timeless phenomenon. But beyond his rather illustrious title, few people could tell you very much more about Alexander, except, perhaps, that he was rather partial to conquering, had an amazing horse, and died very young.

The Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner’s timeless lectures that became a New York Times bestselling classic regarded as a “profound and priceless as guidance for anyone who aspires to write” (Los Angeles Times). Born in 1909 in Jackson, Mississippi, Eudora Welty shares details...

In a volatile and complex world roiled by a climate crisis, global pandemics, and disruptive technologies like AI, hyper-individualized leadership models no longer make sense. To seize emerging opportunities and achieve sustainable growth, leaders must recognize that a team’s success flows from the intelligence, achievements, and growth of the entire collective. In Safe to Great, Skip Bowman proposes a leadership sea change that puts purpose before profit, and the team before the individual.

Hubert Humphrey was one of the great liberal leaders of postwar American politics, yet because he never made it to the Oval Office, he has been largely overlooked by biographers. Historian Arnold A. Offner has explored vast troves of archival records to recapture Humphrey's life, giving us previously unknown details of the vice president's fractious relationship with Lyndon Johnson, showing how Johnson colluded with Richard Nixon to deny Humphrey the presidency, and describing the most neglected aspect of Humphrey's career.

From the number one best-selling author of Travelers and Explorers That Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World comes an exciting new look at historical figures that overcame unimaginable adversity and the inspirational stories they have left behind for us. This audiobook looks at 10 people throughout history who rose to greatness against all odds. Their stories still inspire us today to stop making excuses and discover how much we can really accomplish when we rise up against life's challenges.

Over time, Richard the Lionheart has become a fascinating figure in Great Britain’s history, and his worldwide travels through lands that are still, to this very day, at the heart of global conflict also bestow upon him an international resonance. This history journal will set out on a journey of discovery to find the man behind the myth and explore, expand, and expose the legend that is Lionheart.