Margaret Sanger (September 14, 1879 – September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, sex educator, and nurse. She opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, founded Planned Parenthood, and was instrumental in the development of the first birth control pill. She was an important first-wave feminist and believed that women should be able to decide if and when to have children. Sanger campaigned for the legalization of contraceptives by giving speeches, writing books, and breaking laws – leading to eight arrests. She endorsed both the Malthusianism and eugenics movements, believing that they would generate support for birth control. She established a network of dozens of birth control clinics, which provided services to hundreds of thousands of patients. She discouraged abortion, and her clinics never offered abortion services during her lifetime. Her activism led to the Griswold v. Connecticut decision, which legalized contraception. (Full article...)

Malcolm X (May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human rights activist. To his admirers, he advocated for the rights of African Americans and indicted white America for their actions against black Americans. His detractors accused him of preaching racism and violence. After living in foster homes, Malcolm X was involved in criminal activity in Boston and New York. In 1945, he was sentenced to prison where he became a member of the Nation of Islam. After his parole, he became one of the Nation's leaders, its chief spokesmen, and its public face. Tension between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, head of the Nation of Islam, led to Malcolm X's departure from the organization in March 1964. Afterwards, he became a Sunni Muslim and made a pilgrimage to Mecca. He founded Muslim Mosque, Inc., a religious organization, and the secular, black nationalist Organization of Afro-American Unity. He was assassinated while giving a speech in New York. (Full article...)

Cher in 2019

Cher (born May 20, 1946) is an American singer and actress. Dubbed the "Goddess of Pop", she gained fame in 1965 as part of the folk duo Sonny & Cher, early exponents of 1960s counterculture. She became a TV star in the 1970s, with The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour drawing over 30 million viewers weekly, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 with narrative pop songs including "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" and "Half-Breed". Transitioning to film, she earned two Academy Awards nominations—for Silkwood (1983) and Moonstruck (1987), winning Best Actress for the latter—and received the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actress Award for Mask (1985). Her dance-pop comeback album Believe (1998) introduced the "Cher effect", a stylized use of Auto-Tune to distort vocals. Her 2002–2005 Farewell Tour grossed $250 million, the highest ever by a female artist at the time. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Cher is the only solo artist with Billboard number-one singles in each of seven decades. (Full article...)