Biographies for Kids

Hermann Hesse (July 2, 1877 – August 9, 1962) was a German Swiss Poet, Novelist, & Painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. His best-known works include Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game (also known as Magister Ludi), each of which explores an individual’s search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality. Hermann Hesse was born on 2 …

Hashim Mahomed Amla (born 31 March 1983) is a South African cricketer. Born to a South African Muslim family, Amla’s grandparents are originally from Surat, Gujarat (India), having emigrated to South Africa numerous years earlier. His elder brother, Ahmed, is also a professional cricketer, having made his debut two years earlier, and currently captains the Dolphins. Upon his Test debut, …

Harbhajan Singh (born: 3 July 1980) is an Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan. Harbhajan made his Test and One Day International (ODI) debuts in early 1998. His career was initially beset by investigations into the legality of his bowling action and disciplinary incidents …

Habib Tanvir — Habib Ahmed Khan ‘tanvir’ (1 September 1923 – 8 June 2009) was born on September 1, 1923 in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, to Hafiz Ahmed Khan, who hailed from Peshawar. He passed his matriculation from Laurie Municipal High School, Raipur, and later completed his B.A. from Morris College, Nagpur in 1944. Thereafter he attended Aligarh Muslim University, for a …

Gunter Wilhelm Grass, born in Danzig, Oct. 16, 1927, Germany’s prominent contemporary writer, has been called the conscience of his country’s postwar generation. Drafted into the Labor Service toward the end of World War II, he was wounded and taken prisoner in 1945. After the war he moved (1947) to Dusseldorf where he studied sculpture and painting, supporting himself as …

Graeme Smith became the youngest ever South African cricket captain at the tender age of 22, taking over the captaincy reigns from Shaun Pollock. Today, he has matured into one of the best captains in the world of cricket. Born and raised in Johannesburg to parents Graham and Janet, Graeme was educated at King Edward VII School. He played three …

Govindjee — To re-live the area of discoveries in photosynthesis, a mock seminar was conducted at the University of Allahabad in 1952. Six young boys dressed in various European costumes, dirty gowns, old hats and baggy trousers, with powdered faces and thick moustaches, acted like the scientists who had made significant contributions to the understanding of photosynthesis. The role of …

Gonzalo Higuain — Gonzalo Gerardo “El Pipita” Higuain (born 10 December 1987) is a French-born Argentine footballer who currently plays as a striker for Real Madrid and the Argentine national team. He is the son of former footballer Jorge “El Pipa” Higuain, and the younger brother of footballer Federico Higuain. In a similar case to David Trezeguet, who could have …

Giovanni Van Bronckhorst — “This World Cup is my ultimate dream,” the Oranje captain told FIFA.com in April 2009. Handed the armband when Bert van Marwijk took over the Netherlands reins in the summer of 2008, the evergreen Feyenoord full-back will be bringing an end to a 14-year love affair with the national team in South Africa. Unsurprisingly, he hopes …

George W. Bush — George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States (2001–2009). Before that he was the 46th Governor of Texas, serving from 1995 to 2000. George Walker Bush was born in New Haven, Connecticut at Grace-New Haven Hospital (now Yale – New Haven Hospital), on July 6, 1946, the …