Born Allen Stewart Konigsberg, Woody Allen started as a comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He began to direct and act in films which many critics feel are brilliant and artistic examples of moviemaking craft. Birthplace: Brooklyn.
A versatile composer for the Broadway stage during the Twenties and Thirties, George Gershwin wrote songs to go with lyrics written by his brother Ira. He also wrote the opera "Porgy and Bess." Birthplace: New York City.
John Jay was a prominent politician who encouraged ratification of the United States Constitution. He co-wrote the Federalist Papers with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. Jay was also the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Birthplace: New York City.
Famed author Herman Melville is best known for his classic tale of the great white whale, "Moby Dick." He wrote other novels of symbolism including Typee and Billy Budd. Birthplace: New York City.
John D. Rockefeller created the Standard Oil Company in 1870, and used his wealth mainly for humanitarian purposes. He founded the University of Chicago and the Rockefeller Foundation. Birthplace: Richford.
The thirty-second president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the only president to serve four terms. His time in office was spent battling both the Great Depression and the Second World War. His innovative leadership led to the development of many government-sponsored social programs. Birthplace: Hyde Park.
Theodore or Teddy Roosevelt was the twenty-sixth President of the United States, a former governor of New York and a world traveler. He founded the National Parks System, and successfully promoted anti-monopoly legislation. His aggressive foreign policy brought the Panama Canal under US supervision. He died at Oyster Bay on Long Island. Birthplace: New York City.
Jonas Salk and John Enders are widely regarded as the men who developed a vaccine against the crippling disease of polio. Salk was born in New York but did much of his work at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. Birthplace: New York City.
