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Eero Saarinen
(1910-1961)
Architect who gained fame for his imaginative, varied designs.
Born in Finland. His works ranged from rectangular steel and glass (General Motors
Technical Center near Detroit) to flowing masses of reinforced concrete (TWA Terminal at
Kennedy Airport in New York City). He and his father, Eliel, himself a distinguished
architect, settled in the U.S. in 1923. Saarinen gained recognition in 1948 when his
design of the Gateway Arch for St. Louis won first prize in a national competition. Among
his other works are the MIT Auditorium, Dulles International Airport, and the CBS Building
in New York City.
Albert B.
Sabin
(1906-1993)
Physician and medical researcher who
developed the first oral live-virus polio vaccine. He spent nearly 25 years studying
poliomyelitis. Born in Bialystok, Russia (now Poland). Sabin came to the U.S. in 1921.
Became a citizen in 1930. He did research at the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research
in New York City, among other places. Sabin also discovered B virus and developed vaccines
against the viruses that cause dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis.
Augustus
Saint-Gaudens
(1848-1907)
Considered the greatest American
sculptor of the 19th century. Saint-Gaudens combined idealism with a realistic portrayal
of his subjects. One of his most famous works is his statue of Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln
Park, Chicago. Born in Dublin, Ireland, and brought to the U.S. as an infant. He began
working at 13 when he took a job for a cameo cutter. Among his major public monuments are
"Admiral Farragut" in Madison Square Garden, New York City; and the
"Puritan" in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Edward Sapir
(1884-1939)
Anthropologist and linguist. He made pioneering studies on
North American Indians languages and on the relationship between culture and personality.
Born in Germany and brought to the United States as a boy. Sapir taught at Columbia and
Yale universities. His books include "Time Perspective in the Aboriginal American
Culture," and "Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech."
Arnold Schoenberg
(1874-1951)
Composer and music teacher who greatly influenced 20th
century avant-garde music. He moved beyond the traditional tonal system that dominated
Western music for 300 years and developed atonality (a tonal system not based on a key)
and the 12-tone technique (a method of composing with the 12 tones of the chromatic
scale). In traditional tonality, 7 of the 12 tones within an octave are chosen to form a
key and diatonic scale. Schoenberg replaced this by using all 12 tones equally, none being
related to a central note.Born in Vienna, Austria. He studied violin as a child but had
little formal instruction in music theory and composition. After Schoenberg came to the
U.S. in 1933, he changed the spelling of his name from Schonberg to Schoenberg. He became
a U.S. citizen in 1941. He taught at UCLA. Among his major compositions are "Pierrot
Lunaire," "Serenade," and "Ode to Napoleon."
Carl Schurz
(1829-1906)
Reformer, public official, and journalist. He is regarded
as one of the great American statesmen of foreign birth. During an age when corruption was
commonplace, Schurz was an influential champion of social and political reform. Born in
Liblar, Germany. While at the University of Bonn, he took part in the unsuccessful
Revolution of 1848 and was forced to flee Germany. He came to the U.S. in 1852, settling
in Watertown, Wisconsin. Schurz soon became active as an opponent of slavery and joined
the newly organized Republican Party. In 1860, he campaigned extensively for Abraham
Lincoln, who appointed him minister to Spain. After two years as minister, Schurz resigned
his post to become a brigadier general in the Union Army. He commanded German-American
troops at Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. After the war, Schurz became
a journalist. In 1868 he was elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri. There he led the
anti-Grant Republicans and helped organize the Liberal Republican party. As Secretary of
the Interior under President Hayes, Schurz initiated reforms in the treatment of Indians.
Most of his later years were spent lecturing and writing for the New York Evening Post and
Harper’s Weekly.
Anna Howard Shaw
(1847-1919)
Reformer, physician, and preacher. As president of the
National Woman Suffrage Association (1904-1915), she did much toward obtaining the vote
for women. Born in England and brought to the U.S. when she was four. In 1886 she received
her degree of doctor of medicine from Boston University. Shaw was the first woman ordained
in the Protestant Methodist Church (1880). During World War I she was chair of the
women’s division of the Council of National Defense, and in 1919 she was awarded the
Distinguished Service Medal.
Siamese Twins (1811-1874)
This term - referring to twins joined together at birth --
was derived from Eng and Chang (Bunker), who were born in Thailand (formerly Siam). They
were joined at the chest by a band of flesh four inches long and eight inches in
circumference. Surgeons feared to cut the band because of the heavy veins running back and
forth between the twins’ livers. The Siamese Twins, as they became known, were
brought to the U.S. by Robert Hunter in 1829 when the boys were 18. They grew to be about
5 feet 2 inches in height. Since they faced in the same direction, they could walk, run,
swim. They were exhibited throughout the United States and later in Europe. The twins were
married in 1843 to sisters, Sarah and Adelaide Yates. The four of them did everything
together. Chang had ten children, and Eng had nine children. The original Siamese Twins
died within three hours of each other.
Franz Sigel (1824-1902)
Army officer. Born in Germany and came to the U.S. to
escape arrest as a revolutionist. At the outbreak of the Civil War he organized an
infantry regiment for the Union Army. He won distinction in the Missouri campaign of 1861,
and was credited with the Union victory at Pea Ridge. He later fought in the second battle
of Bull Run and in the Shenandoah campaigns. Sigel retired as a major general.
Igor Ivan Sikorsky
(1885-1972)
Aviation engineer. Born in Kiev, Russia. In 1913 he built
and flew the first multi-engine airplane. Came to the U.S. in 1919. Became a citizen in
1928. Sikorsky organized a plane-manufacturing company that later merged with United
Aircraft Corporation. He designed the first 40-passenger transoceanic Clipper plane.
Several types of helicopters used in World War II and the Korean War were developed by
him.
 James Smithson
(1765-1829)
A scientist who was the founder of the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, D.C. He never set foot in the United States, but he is buried here -- a
posthumous immigrant.
He was born in France, the son of Hugh Smithson, the first duke
of Northumberland. He was brought to England as a boy and graduated from Oxford University
in 1776, where he made a brilliant record in chemistry and mineralogy. In 1787 he was made
a fellow of the royal Society. Zinc carbonate was named smitsonite in honor of his work in
the chemistry of calamines. He inherited his fortune upon his mother's death in 1800.
He was buried in Genoa, Italy, until 1904, when his body was
removed to Washington, D.C. Smithson left his fortune to his nephew with the provision
that if the nephew died without children the money (a bequest of $500,000) would be given
to the United States to establish an institution for the advancement of learning. That
institution was created by Congress in 1846 as an "establishment for the increase and
diffusion of knowledge." Over the years, funds have been contributed both by
individuals and the government. The Smithsonian buildings are on The Mall in Washington,
D.C. The Institution conducts scientific research and explorations in many fields, has
museum and art gallery exhibits, and publishes numerous papers and reports of its
activities. Although the general public associates the museums with the Smithsonian
Institution, not many are aware that the National Zoological Park and the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts are part of the Smithsonian Institution.
Karsten Solheim
(1911-2000)
The immigrant son of a shoemaker helped to
revolutionize the game of golf with a golf club that became an international
best-seller. He called the club PING for the sound it made when it connected
with the ball. The Karsten Manufacturing Co. made a fortune selling those
clubs for an immigrant born in Bergen, Norway on September 15, 1911.
George Soros (1930 - )
Entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. He is chairman
of the Soros Fund Management, a private investment management firm that serves as
principal investment advisor to the Quantum Group of Funds. Born in Budapest, Hungary.
Soros emigrated to England, where he graduated from the London School of Economics, and in
1956 to the United States, where he began to accumulate a large fortune through the
investment fund he founded and managed. Quantum Fund N.V., the oldest and largest fund
within the Quantum Group, is generally recognized as having the best performance record of
any investment fund in the world in its 28-year history.
Soros funds a network of foundations that operate in 31 countries
throughout Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and Central Asia, as well
as South Africa, Haiti, Guatemala, and the United States. These foundations are dedicated
to building and maintaining the infrastructure and institutions of an open society. Soros
also has founded other major institutions, such as the Central European University and the
International Science Foundation. In 1996, the foundations in the network spent about $362
million.
He is the author of several books, including "The Alchemy of
Finance," and "Soros on Soros: Staying Ahead of the Curve."
Sammy Sosa (1968-
)
Born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic -- a country
with a passion for baseball. Sosa sold oranges and shined shoes as a boy, when not playing
baseball in dirt lots with a ball made out of rolled socks. He signed a pro-baseball
contract when he was 16. He now plays for the Chicago Cubs. In 1998 he set several
records. He's the only player in the Cubs' 122-year history to have hit 30 homers and
stolen 30 bases. (Sosa has done it twice.) He broke the record for most home runs in a
month (20). He also shattered Roger Maris' 61-home run mark for a single season. Sosa hit
66 dingers. And as fate would have it, Mark McGwire hit 70 that same year.
Tens of thousands greeted him when he visited the Dominican
Republic after the baseball season ended. Many of the signs along the street said,
"Bienvenido a tu pais, Sammy." The President of the Dominican Republic named
Sosa "Roving Ambassador to the Glory of Sport" and awarded him the nation's
highest honor, The Grand Cross of the Order of Duarte. A national holiday was declared.
Henry Stanley
(1841-1904)
Newspaper correspondent and explorer of Africa. The New York
Herald sent Stanley to find Dr. David Livingston, the British missionary explorer of
Africa. The difficult but successful search for Dr. Livingston made Stanley famous.
Stanley’s four expeditions to Africa during 1871-1890 helped fill in many of the gaps
in African geography.
Stanley was born John Rowlands, near Denbigh, Wales, and as a
child was sent to a home for the poor. At 16 he sailed as a cabin boy to New Orleans,
where he was adopted by a wealthy merchant who gave him his name. At the beginning of the
American Civil War, Stanley enlisted in the Confederate Army. He was soon taken prisoner,
then released, and later entered the Union Navy. After the war, Stanley turned to
journalism.
For the New York Herald, Stanley set out from Zanzibar in March
1871, with 92 men to find Livingston. On November 10 the two explorers met at Ujiji on
Lake Tanganyika. Stanley later wrote "How I Found Livingston," an immediate
success.
Charles
Proteus Steinmetz
(1865-1923)
Electrical engineer and mathematician. Born in Breslau, Germany.
A cripple all his life. While a student, Steinmetz was forced to leave Germany because of
his socialist activities. Came to the U.S. in 1889. Steinmetz worked for the General
Electric Company, for whom he conducted many important electrical experiments. Through his
investigations of magnetism, he discovered the law of hysteresis, a principle of great
value to manufacturers of motors, generators, and other types of electrical apparatus. He
also introduced a method, still in use, for making alternating current calculations. In
1921, he made artificial lightning in his laboratory.
Henry William
Stiegel (1729-1785)
Iron and glass manufacturer. Born in Germany and in 1750
immigrated to Philadelphia, where he gained fame and wealth as an ironmaster. He founded
Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Stiegel imported skilled glassmakers, and
produced a thin, brilliant glassware that is a collector’s item today. He was known
as "Baron" because of his extravagant manner of living. He became bankrupt
during the American Revolutionary War and died in poverty.
Leopold Stokowski (1882 - )
Orchestra conductor. Born in London, England, of a Polish father
and Irish mother. In 1909 he became conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. From
1912 to 1936, he maintained a brilliant standard as conductor of the Philadelphia
Orchestra. He became U.S. citizen in 1915. Stokowski performed in Walt Disney’s
Fantasia and other mother pictures.
Nathan Straus (1848-1931)
Merchant and philanthropist. Born in Rhenish Bavaria, Germany,
the son of Lazaraus and Sara Straus. His family, including his brothers Isidor and Oscar,
came to the U.S. in 1854 and organized L. Straus and Sons in 1866. Nathan joined Isidor in
the purchase of R.H. Macy & Company in 1896. Nathan Straus was prominent in Jewish
affairs and as a Zionist leader. His extensive charities were directed toward improving
health and education. One project made pasteurized milk available to the poor of New York
City. His brother Oscar was U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and U.S. Secretary of Commerce and
Labor under President Theodore Roosevelt.
Igor Stravinsky
(1882-1971)
Composer and conductor. He ranks among the most significant of
20th century composers for developing the resources, forms, and treatment of musical
material. Born near St. Petersburg, Russia. His youthful compositions attracted ballet
producers, who commissioned him to write "The Firebird," "Petrouchka,"
and "The Rite of Spring." These works became landmarks in the concert halls.
Stravinsky left Russia in 1910 and lived for a time in Rome and Switzerland. After World
War I he made his home in Paris and became a French citizen. In 1939, he made the U.S. his
permanent home, become a citizen in 1945. To celebrate his citizenship, he wrote
"Scenes de Ballet." Among his later musical compositions are "Noah and the
Floor" and "Elegy for J.F.K."
Thomas Sully
(1783-1872)
Prolific painter. Born in England and as a child was brought to
South Carolina. In 1809 he became a U.S. citizen. Sully’s work has been described as
lacking imagination and yet his name endures. He was commissioned to paint a portrait of
Queen Victoria. He also pained "Washington Crossing the Delaware."
John Augustus
Sutter
(1803-1880)
A pioneer in California. Gold was discovered on his land. Born in
Kandern, Baden, Germany. He later became a Swiss citizen and served in the Swiss army. He
came to St. Louis in 1834 and eventually made his way to California (which at that time
was part of Mexico). In 1839 Sutter founded Nueva Helvetia, which later became Sacramento.
Known as "General" Sutter, he was made a Mexican citizen in 1841 and ruled his
vast grants of land in California with almost complete independence. When gold was
discovered at Sutter’s Mill on his estate in 1848, squatters settled on his land and
he lost everything. After the Mexican-American War, the California Legislature granted
Sutter a pension. Sutter moved to Lititz, Pennsylvania, in 1871 and unsuccessfully
petitioned Congress for relief.
George Szell
(1897-1970)
Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and of the Cleveland
Orchestra. Born in Budapest, Hungary. He was known for his interpretations of Mozart and
Beethoven and for the tonal balance of his orchestra. His performances were marked by a
precise, subdued style of conducting.. |
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The stainless-steel Gateway
Arch designed by Aeero Saarinen rises 630 feet above the St. Louis riverfront as symbol of
the city's role as the gateway to the West.
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