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Biography Resources: Websites

Find biographical information in reference, database, and online resources.

General Biographies

Academy of Achievers

"Extraordinary visionaries, and pioneers who helped to shape the world" (as on site).

Biography.com

A division of A&E Network, Biograhy.com is specifically for biographical information on various individuals.

Biographies.net

A huge collection of biographies about famous and not-so-famous individuals: their birthdays and life stories.

Biography - Infoplease

Biographies of 30,000 notable people including presidents, justices, entertainers, and world leaders.

Biography Online

Famous, inspirational, and influential people who have helped to shape and change the world.

Black Past

The site provides information on African American history in the United States and more than one billion people of African ancestry around the world. 

The History Makers

A collection of African American video oral history.

Digital History

Digital History provides high-quality historical resources for teachers and students.

Encyclopedia of World Biography

Detailed biographies of people from around the world, mostly 20th century.

Famous People by Profession

"A huge database of more than 1,00,000 prominent personalities and over 50,000 lists"...as on site.

Forbes Lists of Wealth & Power

Snapshot biographies of the world’s billionaires and most wealthy and powerful people. 

Nobel Prize winners

The Nobel Foundation site includes the Nobel Prize winners by date and category from 1901 to date. 

PBS Peoples and Discoveries

Multimedia biographies on well-known figures.

Political & National Biographies

The Presidents of the United States of America 

(The White House)

US Presidents (University of Virginia, Miller Center)

Biographies of all US presidents with a Life in Brief profile, and more detailed information on their campaigns, Impact, legacy, and other topics.

POTUS: President of the United States (IPL)

Background information, election results, cabinet members, notable events, and points of interest. Biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, and other presidential sites are also included.

Library of Congress Early Presidential Collections

Presidential papers of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and Calvin Coolidge.

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

This online source covers from 1774 - present. You may search by name, party or year. 

American National Biography

Biographies of significant, influential or notorious figures from American history. 

World Leaders (CIA)

The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) database with names of world leaders by country and their dates of service. Only brief information is provided, will need additional biographical source. 

BBC History: Historic Figures

Selected biographies of historic figures.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

"Over 60,000 biographies, 11,000 portraits of significant, influential or notorious British figures" (as per site).  

The Official Website of the British Monarchy

The website contains biographical information on the British Royal family.

Dictionary of Canadian Biography

Information available in both English and French.

Australian Dictionary of Biography

The Australian National University database of biographical information on Australian nationals and indigenous people.

Literary Biographies

Scientists & Inventors

Eric Weisstein's World of Scientific Biography

Famous Scientists

MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive

(University of St Andrews, Scotland)

The Famous People Mathematicians

National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - Biographical Memoirs

Physicist of the African Diaspora

Profiles in Medicine (National Library of Medicine)

The NLM covers the lives and work of innovators in science, medicine, and public health.

Women Biographies

African American women writers of the 19th century

(National Women's History Museum)

Biographies of Women Mathematicians

(Agnes Scott College)

Collective Biographies of Women

(University of Virginia, Scholars' Lab)

Includes women who were included in collective biographies.

Schomburg Center - African American Women Writers of the 19th Century (LibGuide)

New York Public Library Schomburg Center digital collection. Autobiographical writing of 52 historic African American women writers.

Women's International Center WIC

Great women and men whose deeds have benefitted humanity. A list of over 300 honorees of global innovators and humanitarians.

 

UCNJ LibGuides at Union College