Mark Twain was a groundbreaking American author, humorist, and social critic, celebrated for classics like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
Laurence Sterne was an 18th-century Irish-born English writer, known for his satirical novel "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman", which broke new ground in narrative form and humor.
Zebulon Pike was an intrepid American explorer and soldier who discovered a significant mountain range that now bears his name, the Pike's Peak.
Frances Wright was a Scottish-American social reformer, abolitionist, and women's rights advocate who championed radical change in the early 19th century.