- Socrates (469-399 BC): Greek philosopher and teacher who founded the Socratic Method of teaching.
- Aristotle (384-322 BC): Greek philosopher and teacher who was a student of Plato and tutor to Alexander the Great.
- Plato (428-348 BC): Greek philosopher and teacher who founded the Academy in Athens.
- Confucius (551-479 BC): Chinese philosopher and teacher who founded Confucianism.
- Buddha (563-483 BC): Indian spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism.
- Jesus Christ (c. 4 BC-c. AD 30): Jewish religious leader and founder of Christianity.
- Muhammad (c. AD 570-AD 632): Islamic prophet and founder of Islam.
- Galileo Galilei (1564-1642): Italian astronomer and physicist who made important discoveries in astronomy and physics.
- Isaac Newton (1642-1727): English mathematician and physicist who developed the theory of gravity.
- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790): American polymath who was a leading figure in the American Revolution and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826): American Founding Father, President of the United States, and author of the Declaration of Independence.
- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865): American President who led the United States through the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948): Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and civil rights activist who led India to independence from British rule.
- Nelson Mandela (1918-2013): South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and President of South Africa.
- Malala Yousafzai (born 1997): Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.