examples:
pirámide
a massive monument with a square base and four triangular sides; begun by Cheops around 2700 BC as royal tombs in ancient Egypt
sol
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
Mickey mouse
a fictional mouse created in animated film strips by Walt Disney
Pato Donald
a fictional duck created in animated film strips by Walt Disney
pentágono
a government building with five sides that serves as the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense
casa blanca
the government building that serves as the residence and office of the President of the United States
acuario
a zodiacal constellation in the southern hemisphere; between Capricornus and Pisces
aries
a small zodiacal constellation in the northern hemisphere; between Pisces and Taurus
montaña rusa
a group of seven bright stars in the constellation Ursa Major
cáncer
a small zodiacal constellation in the northern hemisphere; between Leo and Gemini
capricornio
a faint zodiacal constellation in the southern hemisphere; between Sagittarius and Aquarius
centauro
a conspicuous constellation in the southern hemisphere near the Southern Cross
géminis
a zodiacal constellation in the northern hemisphere between Taurus and Cancer on the ecliptic
júpiter
the largest planet and the 5th from the sun; has many satellites and is one of the brightest objects in the night sky
leo
a zodiacal constellation in northern hemisphere between Cancer and Virgo
marte
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
mercurio
the smallest planet and the nearest to the sun
neptuno
a giant planet with a ring of ice particles; the 8th planet from the sun is the most remote of the gas giants
piscis
a large faint zodiacal constellation; between Aquarius and Aries
plutón
a small planet and the farthest known planet from the sun; it has the most elliptical orbit of all the planets
estrella polar
the brightest star in Ursa Minor; at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper; the northern axis of the earth points toward it
sagitario
a large zodiacal constellation in the southern hemisphere; between Scorpius and Capricornus
saturno
a giant planet that is surrounded by three planar concentric rings of ice particles; the 6th planet from the sun
escorpión
a large zodiacal constellation between Libra and Sagittarius
tauro
a zodiacal constellation in the northern hemisphere near Orion; between Aries and Gemini
urano
a giant planet with a ring of ice particles; the 7th planet from the sun has a blue-green color and many satellites
venus
the second nearest planet to the sun; it is peculiar in that its rotation is slow and retrograde (in the opposite sense of the Earth and all other planets except Uranus); it is visible from Earth as an early `morning star' or an `evening star'
Lázaro
the person who Jesus raised from the dead after four days in the tomb; this miracle caused the enemies of Jesus to begin the plan to put him to death
Leonardo da Vinci
Italian painter and sculptor and engineer and scientist and architect; the most versatile genius of the Italian Renaissance (1452-1519)
arca
(Judaism) sacred chest where the ancient Hebrews kept the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments
grial
(legend) chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper
mesa redonda
(legend) the circular table for King Arthur and his knights
Adán
(Old Testament) in Judeo-Christian mythology; the first man and the husband of Eve and the progenitor of the human race
Eva
(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
George Boole
English mathematician; creator of Boolean algebra (1815-1864)
Cleopatra
beautiful and charismatic queen of Egypt; mistress of Julius Caesar and later of Mark Antony; killed herself to avoid capture by Octavian (69-30 BC)
Cristóbal Colón
Italian navigator who discovered the New World in the service of Spain while looking for a route to China (1451-1506)
John Dalton
English chemist and physicist who formulated atomic theory and the law of partial pressures; gave the first description of red-green color blindness (1766-1844)
Rene Descartes
French philosopher and mathematician; developed dualistic theory of mind and matter; introduced the use of coordinates to locate a point in two or three dimensions (1596-1650)
Thomas Edison
United States inventor; inventions included the phonograph and incandescent electric light and the microphone and the Kinetoscope (1847-1931)
Albert Einstein
physicist born in Germany who formulated the special theory of relativity and the general theory of relativity; Einstein also proposed that light consists of discrete quantized bundles of energy (later called photons) (1879-1955)
Michael Faraday
the English physicist and chemist who discovered electromagnetic induction (1791-1867)
Pierre de Fermat
French mathematician who founded number theory; contributed (with Pascal) to the theory of probability (1601-1665)
Mahatma Gandhi
political and spiritual leader during India's struggle with Great Britain for home rule; an advocate of passive resistance (1869-1948)
Carl Friedrich Gauss
German mathematician who developed the theory of numbers and who applied mathematics to electricity and magnetism and astronomy and geodesy (1777-1855)
Hans Geiger
German physicist who developed the Geiger counter (1882-1945)
Ernest Hemingway
an American writer of fiction who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1954 (1899-1961)
Heinrich Rudolph Hertz
German physicist who was the first to produce electromagnetic waves artificially (1857-1894)
Adolf Hitler
German Nazi dictator during World War II (1889-1945)
Thomas Henry Huxley
English biologist and a leading exponent of Darwin's theory of evolution (1825-1895)
Henry James
writer who was born in the United States but lived in England (1843-1916)
William James
United States pragmatic philosopher and psychologist (1842-1910)
Franz Kafka
Czech novelist who wrote in German about a nightmarish world of isolated and troubled individuals (1883-1924)
Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey
English paleontologist whose account of fossil discoveries in Tanzania changed theories of human evolution (1903-1972)
Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey
English paleontologist (the wife of Louis Leakey) who discovered the Zinjanthropus skull that was 1,750,000 years old (1913-1996)
Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey
English paleontologist (son of Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey) who continued the work of his parents; he was appointed director of a wildlife preserve in Kenya but resigned under political pressure (born in 1944)
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
German philosopher and mathematician who thought of the universe as consisting of independent monads and who devised a system of the calculus independent of Newton (1646-1716)
Fernando de Magallanes
Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain; he commanded an expedition that was the first to circumnavigate the world (1480-1521)
la Virgen María
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
Miguel Ángel
Florentine sculptor and painter and architect; one of the outstanding figures of the Renaissance (1475-1564)
Mahoma
the Arab prophet who, according to Islam, was the last messenger of Allah (570-632)
Moises
(Old Testament) the Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites from Egypt across the Red sea on a journey known as the Exodus; Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai
Isaac Newton
English mathematician and physicist; remembered for developing the calculus and for his law of gravitation and his three laws of motion (1642-1727)
Blaise Pascal
French mathematician and philosopher and Jansenist; invented an adding machine; contributed (with Fermat) to the theory of probability (1623-1662)
Louis Pasteur
French chemist and biologist whose discovery that fermentation is caused by microorganisms resulted in the process of pasteurization (1822-1895)
Piaget
Swiss psychologist remembered for his studies of cognitive development in children (1896-1980)
Pitágoras
Greek philosopher and mathematician who proved the Pythagorean theorem; considered to be the first true mathematician (circa 580-500 BC)
Quine
United States philosopher and logician who championed an empirical view of knowledge that depended on language (1908-2001)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
French philosopher and writer born in Switzerland; believed that the natural goodness of man was warped by society; ideas influenced the French Revolution (1712-1778)
Russell
English philosopher and mathematician who collaborated with Whitehead (1872-1970)
George Bernard Shaw
British playwright (born in Ireland); founder of the Fabian Society (1856-1950)
Zaratustra
Persian prophet who founded Zoroastrianism (circa 628-551 BC)
Utopía
a book written by Sir Thomas More (1516) describing the perfect society on an imaginary island
Siddharta
founder of Buddhism; worshipped as a god (c 563-483 BC)
Chuang-tzu
4th-century Chinese philosopher on whose teachings Lao-tse based Taoism
Mesías
the awaited king of the Jews; the promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people
Santa Claus
the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas
Bella durmiente
fairy story: princess under an evil spell who could be awakened only by a prince's kiss
Alejandro Magno
king of Macedon; conqueror of Greece and Egypt and Persia; founder of Alexandria (356-323 BC)
San Andrés
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland
Aristóteles
one of the greatest of the ancient Athenian philosophers; pupil of Plato; teacher of Alexander the Great (384-322 BC)
Atila
king of the Huns; the most successful barbarian invader of the Roman Empire (406-453)
Francis Bacon
English statesman and philosopher; precursor of British empiricism; advocated inductive reasoning (1561-1626)
Honore Balzac
French novelist; he portrays the complexity of 19th century French society (1799-1850)
George Berkeley
Irish philosopher and Anglican bishop who opposed the materialism of Thomas Hobbes (1685-1753)
Bismarck
German statesman under whose leadership Germany was united (1815-1898)
Julio César
conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC)
John Calvin
Swiss theologian (born in France) whose tenets (predestination and the irresistibility of grace and justification by faith) defined Presbyterianism (1509-1564)
Carlos I El Grande
king of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor; conqueror of the Lombards and Saxons (742-814)
K'ung Fu-Tzu
Chinese philosopher whose ideas and sayings were collected after his death and became the basis of a philosophical doctrine known a Confucianism (circa 551-478 BC)
Oliver Cromwell
English general and statesman who led the parliamentary army in the English Civil War (1599-1658)
Dante Alighieri
an Italian poet famous for writing the Divine Comedy that describes a journey through Hell and purgatory and paradise guided by Virgil and his idealized Beatrice (1265-1321)
Charles Robert Darwin
English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)
Demóstenes
Athenian statesman and orator (circa 385-322 BC)
John Dewey
United States pragmatic philosopher who advocated progressive education (1859-1952)
John Donne
English clergyman and metaphysical poet celebrated as a preacher (1572-1631)
Epicuro
Greek philosopher who believed that the world is a random combination of atoms and that pleasure is the highest good (341-270 BC)
Desiderius Erasmus
Dutch humanist and theologian who was the leading Renaissance scholar of northern Europe; although his criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church led to the Reformation, he opposed violence and condemned Martin Luther (1466-1536)
Euclides
Greek geometer (3rd century BC)
Paul Gauguin
French Post-impressionist painter who worked in the South Pacific (1848-1903)
Gregorio XIII
(Roman Catholic Church) an Italian pope distinguished for his spiritual and temporal leadership; a saint and Doctor of the Church (540?-604)
Gregorio XIII
the Italian pope who fought to establish the supremacy of the pope over the Roman Catholic Church and the supremacy of the church over the state (1020-1085)
Gregorio XIII
the pope who sponsored the introduction of the modern calendar (1572-1585)
Homero
ancient Greek epic poet who is believed to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey (circa 850 BC)
Víctor Hugo
French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885)
San Jaime
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of John; author of the Epistle of James in the New Testament
San Juan
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally said to be the author of the 4th Gospel and three epistles and the book of Revelation
Judas Iscariote
(New Testament) the Apostle who betrayed Jesus to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver
Immanuel Kant
influential German idealist philosopher (1724-1804)
John Maynard Keynes
English economist who advocated the use of government monetary and fiscal policy to maintain full employment without inflation (1883-1946)
Martin Luther King
United States charismatic civil rights leader and Baptist minister who campaigned against the segregation of Blacks (1929-1968)
Lao-Tse
Chinese philosopher regarded as the founder of Taoism (6th century BC)
Abraham Lincoln
16th President of the United States; saved the Union during the American Civil War and emancipated the slaves; was assassinated by Booth (1809-1865)
Carolus Linnaeus
Swedish botanist who proposed the modern system of biological nomenclature (1707-1778)
John Locke
English empiricist philosopher who believed that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience (1632-1704)
Martin Luther
German theologian who led the Reformation; believed that salvation is granted on the basis of faith rather than deeds (1483-1546)
Maquiavelo
a statesman of Florence who advocated a strong central government (1469-1527)
Malcolm X
militant civil rights leader (1925-1965)
Thomas Robert Malthus
an English economist who argued that increases in population would outgrow increases in the means of subsistence (1766-1834)
María Magdalena
sinful woman Jesus healed of evil spirits; she became a follower of Jesus
San Mateo
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
Gregor Johann Mendel
Augustinian monk and botanist whose experiments in breeding garden peas led to his eventual recognition as founder of the science of genetics (1822-1884)
Moliere
French author of sophisticated comedies (1622-1673)
Robert Oppenheimer
United States physicist who directed the project at Los Alamos that developed the first atomic bomb (1904-1967)
Panini
Indian grammarian whose grammatical rules for Sanskrit are the first known example of descriptive linguistics (circa 400 BC)
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov
Russian physiologist who observed conditioned salivary responses in dogs (1849-1936)
San Pedro
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
Pablo Picasso
prolific and influential Spanish artist who lived in France (1881-1973)
Platón
ancient Athenian philosopher; pupil of Socrates; teacher of Aristotle (428-347 BC)
Ptolomeo
Alexandrian astronomer (of the 2nd century) who proposed a geocentric system of astronomy that was undisputed until the late Renaissance
Richelieu
French prelate and statesman; principal minister to Louis XIII (1585-1642)
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Roman statesman and philosopher who was an advisor to Nero; his nine extant tragedies are modeled on Greek tragedies (circa 4 BC - 65 AD)
William Shakespeare
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
Sócrates
ancient Athenian philosopher; teacher of Plato and Xenophon (470-399 BC)
Maurice Utrillo
French painter noted for his paintings of Parisian street scenes (1883-1955)
Vincent Van Gogh
Dutch Post-impressionist painter noted for his use of color (1853-1890)
John Wesley
English clergyman and founder of Methodism (1703-1791)
John Wesley
English clergyman and brother of John Wesley who wrote many hymns (1707-1788)
Wittgenstein
British philosopher born in Austria; a major influence on logic and logical positivism (1889-1951)
Emile Zola
French novelist and critic; defender of Dreyfus (1840-1902)
B-52
United States military aircraft; B- stands for bomber
Big Ben
clock in the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, London
Lázaro
the diseased beggar in Jesus' parable of the rich man and the beggar
Johann Sebastian Bach
German baroque organist and contrapuntist; composed mostly keyboard music; one of the greatest creators of western music (1685-1750)
Ludwig van Beethoven
German composer of instrumental music (especially symphonic and chamber music); continued to compose after he lost his hearing (1770-1827)
Johannes Brahms
German composer who developed the romantic style of both lyrical and classical music (1833-1897)
Giovanni Cimabue
painter of the Florentine school; anticipated the move from Byzantine to naturalistic art (1240-1302)
George Frederick Handel
a prolific British baroque composer (born in Germany) remembered best for his oratorio Messiah (1685-1759)
Joseph Haydn
prolific Austrian composer who influenced the classical form of the symphony (1732-1809)
Hipócrates
medical practitioner who is regarded as the father of medicine; author of the Hippocratic oath (circa 460-377 BC)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
prolific Austrian composer and child prodigy; master of the classical style in all its forms of his time (1756-1791)
Joseph Smith
religious leader who founded the Mormon Church in 1830 (1805-1844)
Stalin
Russian leader who succeeded Lenin as head of the Communist Party and created a totalitarian state by purging all opposition (1879-1953)
Arthur Sullivan
English composer of operettas who collaborated with the librettist William Gilbert (1842-1900)
Victoria
queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901)
Richard Wagner
German composer of operas and inventor of the musical drama in which drama and spectacle and music are fused (1813-1883)
zeppelín
a large rigid dirigible designed to carry passengers or bombs
Esopo
Greek author of fables (circa 620-560 BC)
Daniel Boone
an American pioneer and guide and explorer (1734-1820)
Isabel I
Queen of England from 1558 to 1603; daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn; she succeeded Mary I (who was a Catholic) and restored Protestantism to England; during her reign Mary Queen of Scots was executed and the Spanish Armada was defeated; her reign was marked by prosperity and literary genius (1533-1603)
Isabel II
daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
Ulysses Grant
18th President of the United States; commander of the Union armies in the American Civil War (1822-1885)
Lenin
Russian founder of the Bolsheviks and leader of the Russian Revolution and first head of the USSR (1870-1924)
Theodore Roosevelt
26th President of the United States; hero of the Spanish-American War; Panama Canal was built during his administration
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
32nd President of the United States; elected four times; instituted New Deal to counter the Great Depression and led country during World War II (1882-1945)
George Washington
1st President of the United States; commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1732-1799)
Sigmund Freud
Austrian neurologist who originated psychoanalysis (1856-1939)
Lucy
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
Robert Edward Lee
American general who led the Confederate Armies in the American Civil War (1807-1870)