Phidias, approximately 500 B.C.-approximately 430 B.C. (Library of Congress Name Authority)—

Athenian painter, sculptor, and architect, frequently considered the key founder of the Classical Greek sculptural design. His most notable works include his artistic design of the Parthenon, his statue of Athena on the Athenian Acropolis, and his Statue of Zeus at Olympia, which is considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Peter I, Emperor of Russia, 1672-1725 (Library of Congress Name Authority)—

Also known as Peter the Great, Peter I ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire 1682 until his death in 1725, jointly ruling before 1696 with his elder half-brother. Through a number of successful wars, he expanded the Tsardom into a much larger empire that became a major European power. He led a cultural revolution that replaced some of the traditionalist and medieval social and political systems with ones that were modern, scientific, westernized and based on the Enlightenment.