Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is an American politician who is the current Vice President of the United States. He was jointly elected with President <a title='Barack Obama' href='/famous/barack-obama.htm'>Barack Obama</a> for the first time in 2008 and then re-elected in 2012 for a second term. Before becoming the Vice President he had represented Delaware as a United States Senator from 1973 until 2009. Born in a middle-class family in Pennsylvania, Biden learned the value of hard word, determination and perseverance from his parents who always encouraged him to stand up for himself and bounce back after failures. As a child he used to stammer but he overcame this problem by memorizing and reciting long passages in front of the mirror. He went on to study law and also developed interest in politics. He joined the Democratic Party and became active in politics alongside managing his legal career. He won the 1972 U.S. Senate election in Delaware when he was just 29 and assumed office the next year. A devastating family tragedy threatened to end his career, but he persevered on bravely. He proved to be a popular senator and set his ambitions higher. He was selected as the running-mate for presidential nominee <a title='Barack Obama' href='/famous/barack-obama.htm'>Barack Obama</a> in 2008 and the Obama-Biden ticket went on to win the election. There are speculations in the media that Biden might bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author, and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. His key exploration was in the areas of theoretical cosmology, focusing on the evolution of the universe as governed by the laws of general relativity. He is known for his work related to the study of black holes. With the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, a theory called ˜Hawking radiation,' he became the first to set forth a cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Hawking suffered from a rare and life-threatening condition of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a condition he suffered all of his adult life. The illness started when he was 21 and pursuing his PhD from Cambridge University. For a major part of his later life, he was almost completely paralyzed and communicated through a speech generating device. Not succumbing to the despair of the disease, Hawking devoted all his life to his work and research. He was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge for around three decades and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. For his contribution to the study of universe and his pioneering work in cosmology, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Bob Ross was a celebrated, creative American painter and an art instructor. He developed an interest, and a taste for art during his early military career when he attended an art class at the Anchorage USO Club, which led him to find his real calling in life. From being a break-time painter during military service to a full-time art instructor on television, Ross's interest and dedication brought him fame and glory. The magnum opus of his career came with his flagship television program ˜The Joy of Painting' that aired for more than a decade from 1983 to 1994 in US, Canada, Latin America and Europe. What gave his show an edge over others was that it was interactive, interesting, creative and entertaining! He adopted and popularized a 16th century painting technique called ˜alla prima' or ˜wet-on-wet' painting, which he was introduced to on television by a German Painter, Bill Alexander. He was an inspiration for not just the pre-internet generation of artists who followed him religiously, but also the post-internet generation of artists who consider him an iconic celebrity painter. Aspiring artists of today, look up to his works and shows on YouTube and other web portals. Though Ross died at an early age, his legacy continues to live through his works.

Nicknamed ˜The Greatest', Muhammad Ali was one of the legends in the sport of professional boxing. At 6 feet 3 inches, he was an imposing figure in the ring, known for his swift footwork, and powerful jab. What distinguish him from his contemporaries are the values that he has been upholding all through his life. An arch believer of religious freedom and racial justice, Ali had converted to Islam and with that even changed his name from the former identity, Cassius Marcellus Clay. One of the most recognized sports figures of the past 100 years, he created ripples in the arena of professional boxing at the tender age of 22, by knocking out the then heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. From then, there was no looking back for this powerful fighter who knocked off each of his opponents to bag the titles. Throughout his career, Ali recorded 56 wins of which 37 came in knockout and 5 losses. The most historic matches were against Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. He became the first and only three-time lineal World Heavyweight Champion. Interestingly, apart from being powerful and dominating, Ali was extremely vocal as well and started the ritual of throwing remarks at his opponent much before the brawl. To know some more interesting facts about his life, scroll further.

Paul McCartney is an English musician and a former member of the legendary music band ˜The Beatles'. A multiple Grammy Award winner, he is also a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Beatles in 1988, and as a solo artist in 1999), and one of the most successful composers and performers of all time. With his unprecedented success as a musician he has achieved a legendary status, and is regarded as one of the icons of 20th century English music. He loved music from a young age and was influenced by his father who was a trumpet player. He began writing songs as a teenager and started playing the guitar. As a young man he met John Lennon in a church festival and Lennon who played with a band invited Paul to join them. Soon other aspiring musicians too joined the group, and thus ˜The Beatles' was born. Over the next few years ˜The Beatles' went on to achieve phenomenal fame and all the group members, including Paul McCartney became internationally famous. He was already an influential figure by the time The Beatles broke up and easily embarked on a successful solo career. Along with all his musical achievements, he is also well-known for his philanthropic activities and social activism

Harrison Ford is one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood who came to prominence for his role in ˜Star Wars' trilogy and ˜Indiana Jones'. Such is his association with creating charismatic leading roles that the movie goer has to try very hard to distinguish him from Indiana Jones. If one very shrewd reviewer were to take a look at this actor's body of work, he would be disappointed to see a really short dramatic range. So, why would directors vie to cast this actor in lead roles in their films? Only the audience know. They pay to see him on screen, and he has made producers and directors very rich. Although he started very late, he fashioned a career by taking every chance and challenging every role that came his way. Popular stats show that he played four of the top six box-office hits of all time. From churning out monster hits after monster hits, his career witnessed a perplexing slump. But the grand old man of super hits has reinvented the smaller roles with his intense energy and reinvigorated his career playing a new set of characters and by carrying sequels on his shoulders.

Aretha Louise Franklin, known as ˜The Queen of Soul', was the first woman ever to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was born in a religious household in Tennessee to Reverend C.L. Franklin. Her mother was a gospel singer. She was interested in music and singing from a very young age and taught herself to play the piano. Her father recognized her talent for singing and started to manage her from the time she was 14, trying to get her a deal with a record company. She was signed for the first time by Columbia Records, the association that lasted for 6 years and she became an instant international craze. Later, she signed the Atlantic records and Arista Records, the label that she stuck with for 20 good years. She was the winner of 18 Grammy Awards and has also received many American Music Awards. She had given to the world acclaimed albums like: ˜I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You', ˜Soul Lady', ˜Young, Gifted & Black', etc. She was one of the best-selling female artists of all time and had been listed twice on the ˜100 Greatest Artists of All Time' and ˜100 Greatest Singers of All Time' lists on the Rolling Stone magazine.

When it comes to avant-garde fashion, very few designers offer absolutely modern and sophisticated style as Calvin Klein. Endowed with a tasteful sense of fashion, Calvin Klein is one of America's top fashion designers who created waves through his minimal yet classic designs. He never infused too many colours in his apparels. In fact, Klein best used neutral tones in his ensembles to give them richness and opulence. His Calvin Klein Empire which started off as a small coat company today proudly offers a wide range of products from apparels to fragrance, underwear to footwear and much more. While Klein's chic designs were a rage, it was his launch of tight-fitting jeans that augmented both the company and his status by leaps and bounds. The denim wear collection had hit bull's eye and became the talk of the town. As if this were any less, the 1980s witnessed a further boom after the launch of men's innerwear. While Klein's products received critical acclaim, his advertisements were severely criticized and created controversy for being outrageously provocative and socially irresponsible. Though the ads were eventually withdrawn, they gave the brand much needed publicity

Jimi Hendrix is considered as one of the greatest electric guitarists that the music world has ever witnessed. He composed music combining different genres of hard rock, jazz and blues into soulful unforgettable renditions. His style of music has been a source of inspiration for many budding musicians. He started his musical career by forming his first band The Jimmy Hendrix Experience where he played the guitar and also sang as the lead vocalist. His first single Hey, Joe took the world by storm. He made headlines after his iconic performance in 1969 in the Woodstock Festival and the Isle of Wight Festival in the 1970s. His second album was Axis: Bold as Love released in 1968 and his final album Electric Ladyland was also released in the same year. It featured the hit All Along the Watchtower. Soon after, the band split in 1969. His style of music was strongly influenced by blues artists like B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King, Elmore James and rhythm and blues guitarists Curtis Mayfield and Steve Cropper. His music was also inspired by the jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. This lead guitarist expired at the age of 27 on 18th September, 1970.

Tough-but-fair New York Family Court Judge whose daytime TV show, Judge Judy, earned her $47 million in 2013.

One of the highest-selling female recording artists of all time, Barbra Streisand, has sold a total of 71.5 million albums in the United States of America alone and 140 million albums worldwide. Regarded as one the most commercially successful entertainers, she won the Academy Award for her debut movie, ˜Funny Girl'. The movie earned her great fame and helped her carve a place in Hollywood. Recipient of eight Grammy Awards, she is the only performer whose albums reached the number one position for five consecutive decades. Popularly nicknamed ˜queen of firsts', she is one of the most versatile entertainers who has donned many hats and has received immense success be it in Broadway, television, direction or even music. She shot to fame with her debut recording album, ˜The Barbra Streisand Album' and through her sheer hard work and talent became a household name in America. Some of her memorable performances were for the films, ˜The Owl and the Pussycat', ˜The Way We Were' and ˜A Star Is Born'. She was identified as the most favourite singer of the twentieth century by the Reuter's News Agency.

Amitabh Bachchan is a famous Indian actor, who started out by starring in Hindi movies, and gradually moved on to act in Malayalam and English movies. With stellar performances in movies like 'Deewar' and 'Zanjeer', he came to be known as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema. He gained so much popularity during his career that famous French director, François Truffaut, named him a "one-man industry". Not only has he acted in serious action movies, but has also essayed a variety of roles, in comedies and dramas. The actor has displayed immense versatility and a glowing example of the same is his portrayal of a spurned lover, in the movie 'Parwana'. Though he did go through struggling times in his career, the talented actor managed to come back with solid performances in more recent times, with several hit films. He shares the honour of having received three 'National Film Awards', with Tamil and Hindi film actor Kamal Hassan, and Malayalam actor Mammootty. The Government of India has conferred upon him awards like the 'Padma Shri', 'Padma Bhushan' and 'Padma Vibhushan', for his exceptional contribution to world cinema. He is best known for his movies like ˜Sholay', ˜Amar Akbar Anthony', ˜Agneepath', 'Kabhie Kabhie', ˜Silsilay', ˜Muqaddar Ka Sikandar', ˜Lawaris', and ˜Satte Pe Satta'. More recently, he has received accolades for films like ˜Black', Baghban', ˜Sarkar', and ˜Paa'