And in that scenario, about 757 million around the globe are illiterate- both in developed and developing spheres of the world. By terming them under the poorly educated tag, it means that not only can they not read a book, they aren’t equipped with much knowledge to even read the labels on a medication prescription. Undeniably, education is important; and like the popular belief, the higher the education received, the more successful path you will lead. But for those who have never been to schools or even received minimal education, it is said and believed that those are the folks who are headed toward a torturous career lane. But looking at the Hollywood side of the illiteracy, mere ability to read is that last thing that makes an actor. Emotions and the desire to drive their actions to make their on-screen job look very much real is all that it needs to build a reputation and earn success. Creativity and artistic skills are what comes to play and no one really looks into the kind of advanced education pursued by the actors. Legends like John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix are some of the greatest songwriters of all time- neither of them could read music. Entrepreneur Henry Ford never went to school and actor Mark Wahlberg graduated high school at the age of 42; there are still so many names that have created a niche for themselves in this industry sans education. Keep reading and have your mind blown by some of the famous personalities who come under the illiteracy bandwidth!
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Birthdate: February 12, 1809
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Larue County, Kentucky, United States
Died: April 15, 1865
A self-educated lawyer, Abraham Lincoln rose from modest background to become one of the greatest presidents of America. The 16th president of the country, who is also known as Honest Abe and the Great Emancipator, played a crucial role in establishing a truly democratic government, abolished slavery, modernised economy and led the country during the American Civil War.
Birthdate: October 31, 1451
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Genoa, Italy
Died: May 20, 1506
An Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, wanted to discover a direct water route from Europe to Asia. In his four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain, however, what he ended up discovering was not Asia, but America. Though he was not the first one to land in America, his historical journey began what eventually turned into Spanish colonization of America.
Birthdate: December 22, 1887
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Erode
Died: April 26, 1920
A self-taught genius Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan is known for his contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory and continued fractions. Born into a humble family, the celebrated mathematician struggled with poverty but still managed to publish first of his papers in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society. Later, his collaboration with English mathematician G. H. Hardy proved very productive.
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: October 4, 1957
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Queens, New York, United States
Russell Simmons is a controversial American businessman who co-founded the hip-hop music label, 'Def Jam Recordings', and established the clothing line 'Phat Fashions'. He is noted for Harriet Tubman Sex Tape which generated a lot of heat in 2013. Simmons who calls himself a Christian yogi is accused of sexual assaults on several women. He has adopted veganism and advocates non-violence.
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: July 12, 1854
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Waterville
Died: March 14, 1932
George Eastman revolutionized the world of photography with his Eastman Kodak Company and the roll film, which also came to be used in movies. Initially a banker, he later devoted himself to his camera company. A dedicated philanthropist, too, he contributed financially to music, dentistry, and medicine.
Birthdate: May 22, 1984
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Gainesville, Florida, United States
Dustin Moskovitz is an Internet entrepreneur. He is credited with co-founding the popular social networking service, Facebook. In 2008, he co-founded a web and mobile application called Asana after quitting Facebook. One of the youngest self-made billionaires of all time, Dustin Moskovitz is also renowned for his philanthropic activities; he co-founded a philanthropic organization called Good Ventures in 2011.
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Vidal Sassoon(Businessperson, Autobiographer)
Birthdate: January 17, 1928
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: London
Died: May 9, 2012
8
David Geffen(American Business Magnate)
Birthdate: February 21, 1943
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Borough Park, New York, United States
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: January 5, 1913
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Osceola
Died: February 12, 2003
10
Shawn Fanning(Computer scientist, Programmer)
Birthdate: November 22, 1980
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Brockton
Computer programmer and entrepreneur Shawn Fanning revolutionized the world of information technology by developing a program that let users share MP3 copies of music from their personal computers with others on the internet. His invention led to the formation of Napster and got him featured on the cover of Time.
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Henry J. Kaiser(Engineer, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist)
Birthdate: May 9, 1882
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Sprout Brook
Died: August 24, 1967
Birthdate: June 23, 1911
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: West Horsley, Surrey, England
Died: July 21, 1999
David Ogilvy dropped out of Oxford in spite of earning a scholarship, and took up odd jobs, working as an apprentice chef and a salesman, before plunging into advertising. Co-founder of Ogilvy & Mather, he later introduced the concept of branding and earned the tag of The Father of Advertising.
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: May 4, 1902
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Chicago
Died: September 3, 2002
14
Julian Eltinge(Actor)
Birthdate: May 14, 1881
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Newtonville, Newton, Massachusetts, United States
Died: March 7, 1941
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
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Daniel Drew(Businessman)
Birthdate: July 29, 1797
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Carmel Hamlet, New York, United States
Died: September 18, 1879
16
Mark Brandon Read(Criminal)
Birthdate: November 17, 1954
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died: October 9, 2013
A convicted criminal and author, Mark Brandon Read began his criminal career by robbing drug dealers at a very early age, eventually graduating to kidnapping and torturing of other criminals for money, as well as armed robbery. Being incarcerated for long periods, he later turned to writing, publishing fifteen books between 1991 and 2011
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Phil May(British caricaturist)
Birthdate: April 22, 1864
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Wortley, England
Died: August 5, 1903
18
Shen Congwen(One of the Greatest Modern Chinese Writers)
Birthdate: December 28, 1902
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Fenghuang, China
Died: May 10, 1988
Shen Congwen was a Chinese writer who is often compared to Lu Xun and is counted among the greatest modern Chinese writers. He was twice nominated for the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature and was slated to win the award in 1988, but died before he could receive the prize.
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