Born on This Day: May 8

English historian whose History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire became a landmark of historical scholarship and prose.

Swiss humanitarian whose response to battlefield suffering led to the Red Cross and the Geneva Conventions.

American president whose decisions shaped the end of World War II, postwar reconstruction, and the early Cold War.

Austrian-British economist whose work on markets, knowledge, and liberty influenced economics and political thought.

Italian filmmaker whose neorealist works transformed postwar cinema and influenced directors worldwide.

American designer whose film titles, posters, and corporate identities transformed modern graphic design.

British broadcaster and natural historian whose documentaries have transformed public understanding of wildlife and conservation.

American singer and keyboardist whose recordings and television work became part of twentieth-century popular music culture.