Military Commanders
Strategists who decided history on the field.
records written
Modern era
Douglas MacArthur
January 26, 1880 – April 5, 1964
United States Army general in WWI, WWII and Korea (1880–1964)
Early Modern era
Duke of Marlborough
May 26, 1650 – June 16, 1722
English soldier and statesman (1650-1722)
Modern era
Bernard Montgomery
November 17, 1887 – March 24, 1976
British Army officer (1887–1976)
Modern era
Edward VIII
June 23, 1894 – May 28, 1972
King of the United Kingdom in 1936
Modern era
Prince Philip
June 10, 1921 – April 9, 2021
Consort of Elizabeth II from 1952 to 2021 (1921-2021)
Contemporary era
Prince Harry
b. September 15, 1984
Younger son of Charles III of the United Kingdom and Diana, Princess of Wales
Modern era
Erwin Rommel
November 15, 1891 – October 14, 1944
German field marshal (1891-1944)
Modern era
Claus von Stauffenberg
November 15, 1907 – July 21, 1944
German aristocrat, army officer and resistance fighter (1907-1944)
Modern era
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
October 31, 1930 – April 28, 2021
American astronaut (1930–2021)
Early Modern era
Bernardo O'Higgins
August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842
Chilean independence leader (1778–1842)
Modern era
Juan Peron
October 8, 1895 – July 1, 1974
President of Argentina (1946–55, 1973–74)
Contemporary era
Hugo Chavez
July 28, 1954 – March 5, 2013
Venezuelan politician, 56th president of Venezuela (1954–2013)
Modern era
Ibn Saud
January 15, 1876 – November 9, 1953
King of Saudi Arabia from 1932 to 1953
Modern era
Omar Mukhtar
August 20, 1858 – September 16, 1931
Leader of the Senussi resistance against the Italian fascist occupation (1858–1931)
Modern era
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
October 15, 1931 – July 27, 2015
Indian scientist, president and statesman (1931–2015)
Modern era
Albert A. Michelson
December 19, 1852 – May 9, 1931
American physicist (1852–1931)
Modern era
Mary Jackson
April 9, 1921 – February 11, 2005
American mathematician and aerospace engineer
Modern era
Wilfred Owen
March 18, 1893 – November 4, 1918
English poet and soldier (1893-1918)
Early Modern era
Luis de Camoes
1524 – June 10, 1580
16th-century Portuguese poet
Modern era
Modest Mussorgsky
March 9, 1839 – March 16, 1881
Russian composer (1839–1881)
Medieval era
Henry the Navigator
March 4, 1394 – November 13, 1460
Portuguese prince and governor (1394–1460)
Early Modern era
Hernando de Soto
c. 1500 – May 21, 1542
Spanish explorer and conquistador
Early Modern era
Francisco de Coronado
1510 – September 22, 1554
Spanish explorer of the American southwest
Modern era
Alexei Leonov
May 30, 1934 – October 11, 2019
Soviet pilot and cosmonaut, first human to conduct a spacewalk (1934-2019)
Modern era
Guion Bluford
b. November 22, 1942
American astronaut (born 1942)
Contemporary era
Kalpana Chawla
March 17, 1962 – February 1, 2003
American astronaut
Contemporary era
Rakesh Sharma
b. January 13, 1949
First Indian astronaut
Modern era
Witold Pilecki
May 13, 1901 – May 25, 1948
Polish underground resistance soldier, World War II concentration camp resistance leader (1901-1948)
Modern era
Hans Scholl
September 22, 1918 – February 22, 1943
German pacifist, executed by Nazi Germany (1918–1943)
Modern era
Desmond Doss
February 7, 1919 – March 23, 2006
American solder, pacifist, and combat medic; recipient of the Purple Heart medal, recipient of the Medal of Honor (1919–2007) Un gran hombre en la vida militar.
Modern era
Stanislav Petrov
September 7, 1939 – May 19, 2017
Officer of the Soviet Air Defence Forces, noted for not executing a nuclear strike during a nuclear false alarm incident (1939-2017)
Modern era
Andres Bonifacio
November 30, 1863 – May 10, 1897
Filipino nationalist and revolutionary hero (1863–1897)
Modern era
Johnny Carson
October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005
American talk show host and comedian (1925–2005)
Modern era
Jimmy Stewart
May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997
American actor and military officer (1908–1997)
Modern era
John Philip Sousa
November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932
American conductor and composer (1854–1932)