Famous Figures
Was St. Nicholas a Real Person?
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Article
The jolly, red-suited Santa Claus who delivers presents on Christmas Eve is a beloved and immediately recognizable figure in much of the world. He is very much a magical, whimsical character, but his origin story has its roots in a real historical person: St. Nicholas of Myra. We know very little of St. Nicholas’ life, but historical evidence does confirm that he was a living, breathing man who lived in the third and fourth centuries CE. While many of the recorded details about St. Nicholas are quite likely embellished — falling more into the realm ...Read More
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Famous FiguresFact21President Nixon’s daughter married President Eisenhower’s grandson.
More than 70 years after they entered the White House together, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s and Richard Nixon’s families remain close — so close, in fact, that Nixon’s daughter is married…
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Famous FiguresFact53Helen Keller met 13 presidents.
The more you learn about Helen Keller’s life, the more remarkable it seems. The first deaf and blind person in the U.S. to earn a college degree, she also co-founded…
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Famous FiguresFact72A Roman emperor renamed every month of the year after himself.
Ancient Roman emperors did a lot of wild things while they were in power. Nero built a spinning dining room with an ivory ceiling. Elagabalus played elaborate pranks on his…
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Famous FiguresFact70Walt Disney was an informant for the FBI.
When he wasn’t building an animation empire that still dominates Hollywood more than half a century after his death, Walt Disney was busy moonlighting as an FBI informant. He was…
