Imprisoned, tortured, and forced into exile, he fought to clear his name. Instead, it would be misunderstood forever. Born into a modest family in fifteenth-century Florence, Niccolò Machiavelli navigated his way through the violence and political uncertainty of Renaissance Italy. Recognized for his keen mind and understanding of human nature […]
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Marcus Cicero
A boy, weak of body, became a pillar of strength. As the first century approached, a sickly boy was born while the Roman Republic was nearing its ultimate demise. The boy’s life and the country both hung in the balance. But the strong and determined young man grew to […]
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He fought for himself. He fought for his country. He fought for acceptance. As the son of an Italian count, Cavalry Colonel Louis Palma di Cesnola had more military experience than most of the leading officers in the Civil War. Objecting to his general’s orders, di Cesnola led his men into […]
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The country faced a Constitutional crisis during the Watergate conspiracy. He stood firm to set the record straight. As the chief judge of the federal court in Washington D.C. in 1972, John J. Sirica took on the trial of burglars arrested while planting electronic bugs in the Democratic headquarters in […]
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For the love of country. For the love of freedom. For the love of a woman. He fought. Giuseppe Garibaldi yearned for a world of equality, liberty, and freedom for all nations, races, and genders. America had long claimed her independence from England, yet his beloved Italian peninsula was in […]
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His loyalty lasted a lifetime… Surgeon, merchant, vintner, and writer Filippo Mazzei influenced American business, politics, and philosophy. Befriending Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, Mazzei was a strong liaison for others in Europe. Mazzei was Jefferson’s inspiration for the most famous line in the Declaration of Independence: “All men are created equal.” Clearly, […]
ContinueCosimo de’ Medici
Born into privilege at the end of the 1300s in an age of turmoil, Cosimo de’ Medici, heir to the Medici banking fortune, grew up surrounded by poverty, corruption, and war. Reserved and soft-spoken yet charismatic and determined, Cosimo vowed to use his wealth for the greater good, manipulating his […]
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