Born in 1162, Genghis Khan became a prolific conqueror, controlling more than twice as much geography as any other person in history, until his death from injuries sustained during battle.

Florence Nightingale opted to attend nursing school, a rare choice in the Victorian-era, but would soon prove vital in the Crimean War where she implemented nursing best practices such as sanitation, saving thousands from filth diseases and death.

Cleopatra the 7th was known for her exotic beauty and powers of seduction during her three-decade reign over Egypt, despite repeated attempts to overthrow her rule.

Thurgood Marshall was born in Baltimore in 1908, rejected by the University of Maryland School of law due to his race, the basis for a discrimination lawsuit he would eventually win, and went on to become a Supreme Court Justice.

Herbert Hoover became a multi-millionaire from his mining operations before dedicating his time to public service during WWI and his eventual ascension to the presidency in 1928. His election was poorly timed as the stock market crash and great depression soon followed.

The house of Medici was a powerhouse family of generational wealth in Europe, including bankers, popes, queens, and kings.

Jesse James was raised in a slave-owning, Confederate-sympathizing family and is believed to have channeled his post-Civil War anger into robbing trains, stagecoaches, and banks. He was later assassinated by a new recruit to his gang after a large reward was offered for James’ capture.