Lady Godiva was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry, in England, in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants. The name "Peeping Tom" for a voyeur originates from later versions of this legend in which a man named Tom had watched her ride and was struck blind or dead.
Silvio Berlusconi is a maverick politician and media mogul.
Bobby Fischer's achievements are legendary. At 13, he won a brilliancy that became known as the Game of the Century. Starting at age 14, he played in eight United States Championships, winning each by at least a point. At 15, he became both the youngest Grandmaster and the youngest Candidate for the World Championship up until that time. He won the 1963-64 US championship 11-0, the only perfect score in the history of the tournament.
Gerald and Sara Murphywere wealthy, expatriate Americans who moved to the French Riviera in the early 20th century and who, with their generous hospitality and flair for parties, created a vibrant social circle, particularly in the 1920s, that included a great number of artists and writers of the Lost Generation.
Rabindranath Tagore was an Indian Bengali polymath. Had he been born in the West he would now be as revered as Shakespeare and Goethe, according to Ravi Shankar.
Gary Gilmore was an American criminal, and murderer, who gained international notoriety for demanding that his own death sentence be fulfilled following two murders he committed in Utah.
Han van Meegeren was a Dutch painter and portraitist, and is considered to be one of the most ingenious art forgers of the 20th century.
Hardy Rodenstock is a former publisher and manager of pop and Schlager music in Germany and is a prominent wine collector, connoisseur and trader, with a special interest in old and rare wines. He became famous for an uncanny ability to track down old and very rare wines, and for arranging extravagant wine tastings featuring these wines.
Hans Sloane was a physician and collector, notable for bequeathing his collection to the British nation which became the foundation of the British Museum. He also invented drinking chocolate and gave his name to Sloane Square in London.
Grace Coddington was the creative director of US Vogue for 28 years.