a German university student and member of a liberal Burschenschaft (student association). He was executed in 1820 for the murder of the conservative dramatist August von Kotzebue the previous year in Mannheim. As a result of his execution, Sand became a martyr in the eyes of many German nationalists seeking the creation of a united German national state. In ...

a German university student and member of a liberal Burschenschaft (student association). He was executed in 1820 for the murder of the conservative dramatist August von Kotzebue the previous year in Mannheim. As a result of his execution, Sand became a martyr in the eyes of many German nationalists seeking the creation of a united German national state. In 1815, Sand volunteered under Major von Falkenhausen, participating in the Battle of Waterloo in June and in Paris by July. He returned from the war disillusioned with its results and fell into a deep depression.

an executioner in Hof from 1573 to April 1578, and from 1 May 1578 till the end of 1617 executioner of Nuremberg. He left a diary in which he detailed the 361 executions he performed during his 45 year career. Throughout his career as an executioner, Franz Schmidt also had a side job as a healer. According to Joel Harrington who authored an account of his li...

an executioner in Hof from 1573 to April 1578, and from 1 May 1578 till the end of 1617 executioner of Nuremberg. He left a diary in which he detailed the 361 executions he performed during his 45 year career. Throughout his career as an executioner, Franz Schmidt also had a side job as a healer. According to Joel Harrington who authored an account of his life, Schmidt's own estimate of patients seeking medical advice amounted to some 15,000 consultations.

a Norwegian jurist and economic reformer. He was a professor of jurisprudence and economics in the 1830s and 1840s and was an extremely influential publicist for economic liberalism. He is widely credited in helping bring about Norway's change to a capitalist economy. Schweigaard's writings include: "Reflections on the Present State of Jurisprudence in Germa...

a Norwegian jurist and economic reformer. He was a professor of jurisprudence and economics in the 1830s and 1840s and was an extremely influential publicist for economic liberalism. He is widely credited in helping bring about Norway's change to a capitalist economy. Schweigaard's writings include: "Reflections on the Present State of Jurisprudence in Germany", published in Juridisk Tidsskrift (Legal Journal) in 1834 and "Om den tyske filosofi" ("On German Philosophy"), published in the French periodical La France Littéraire in 1835.

a notorious English thief and prison escapee of early 18th-century London. Born into a poor family, he was apprenticed as a carpenter but took to theft and burglary in 1723, with little more than a year of his training to complete. He was arrested and imprisoned five times in 1724 but escaped four times from prison, making him a notorious public figure, and ...

a notorious English thief and prison escapee of early 18th-century London. Born into a poor family, he was apprenticed as a carpenter but took to theft and burglary in 1723, with little more than a year of his training to complete. He was arrested and imprisoned five times in 1724 but escaped four times from prison, making him a notorious public figure, and wildly popular with the poorer classes. Ultimately, he was caught, convicted, and hanged at Tyburn, ending his brief criminal career after less than two years. The inability of the notorious "Thief-Taker General" Jonathan Wild to control Sheppard, and injuries suffered by Wild at the hands of Sheppard's colleague, Joseph "Blueskin" Blake, led to Wild's downfall.

an early American lawyer and statesman, as well as a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the first mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and was also a representative and senator in the new republic. He is the only person to have signed all four great state papers of ...

an early American lawyer and statesman, as well as a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the first mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and was also a representative and senator in the new republic. He is the only person to have signed all four great state papers of the United States: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.

a Persian-Indian polymath—a scholar, Islamic jurist, finance minister, mechanical engineer, inventor, mathematician, astronomer, physician, philosopher and artist—who worked for Akbar, ruler of the Mughal Empire. Among the inventions credited to him was an early anti-infantry volley gun with multiple gun barrels similar to a hand cannon's. Another cannon...

a Persian-Indian polymath—a scholar, Islamic jurist, finance minister, mechanical engineer, inventor, mathematician, astronomer, physician, philosopher and artist—who worked for Akbar, ruler of the Mughal Empire. Among the inventions credited to him was an early anti-infantry volley gun with multiple gun barrels similar to a hand cannon's. Another cannon-related machine he created could clean sixteen gun barrels simultaneously, and was operated by a cow. He also developed a seventeen-barrelled cannon fired with a matchlock. Not all of his creations were intended for warfare, however: he designed a carriage praised by Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak for its comfort. It could also be used to grind corn when not transporting passengers.

an Old West outlaw and brother to outlaw George Skinner. They were involved in the 1856 theft of $80,000 of gold bullion along with Big Dolph Newton, Bill Carter, Rattlesnake Dick, Romera (or Romero) Carter, and an unidentified Mexican. The theft was unsuccessful when Cyrus and Dick missed the rendezvous having been captured with stolen mules. George buried ...

an Old West outlaw and brother to outlaw George Skinner. They were involved in the 1856 theft of $80,000 of gold bullion along with Big Dolph Newton, Bill Carter, Rattlesnake Dick, Romera (or Romero) Carter, and an unidentified Mexican. The theft was unsuccessful when Cyrus and Dick missed the rendezvous having been captured with stolen mules. George buried half the money. The other half was turned over to the law by Carter, but George, having been killed in the capture, never revealed the location of the other $40,000 in gold which presumably remains hidden in the Trinities.

an Old West outlaw and brother to outlaw Cyrus Skinner. They were involved in the 1856 theft of $80,000 of gold bullion along with Big Dolph Newton, Bill Carter, Rattlesnake Dick, Romera (or Romero) Carter, and an unidentified Mexican. The theft was unsuccessful when Cyrus and Dick missed the rendezvous having been captured with stolen mules. George buried h...

an Old West outlaw and brother to outlaw Cyrus Skinner. They were involved in the 1856 theft of $80,000 of gold bullion along with Big Dolph Newton, Bill Carter, Rattlesnake Dick, Romera (or Romero) Carter, and an unidentified Mexican. The theft was unsuccessful when Cyrus and Dick missed the rendezvous having been captured with stolen mules. George buried half the money. The other half was turned over to the law by Carter, but George, having been killed in the capture, never revealed the location of the other $40,000 in gold which presumably remains hidden in the Trinities.

an American lawyer and a signer to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Pennsylvania. He studied law at the office of his brother George and was admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania, initially practicing near Shippensburg, and later near York. He was appointed to the provincial convention in Philadelphia in 1775, to the state c...

an American lawyer and a signer to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Pennsylvania. He studied law at the office of his brother George and was admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania, initially practicing near Shippensburg, and later near York. He was appointed to the provincial convention in Philadelphia in 1775, to the state constitutional convention in 1776, and was elected to the Continental Congress.

an American lawyer, engineer, and inventor who constructed the first U.S. steam locomotive, first steam-powered ferry, and first U.S. commercial ferry service from his estate in Hoboken. He was influential in the creation of U.S. patent law. After his graduation from King's College, he studied law and was admitted to the bar of New York City in 1771. He prac...

an American lawyer, engineer, and inventor who constructed the first U.S. steam locomotive, first steam-powered ferry, and first U.S. commercial ferry service from his estate in Hoboken. He was influential in the creation of U.S. patent law. After his graduation from King's College, he studied law and was admitted to the bar of New York City in 1771. He practiced law in New York and lived across the river. At public auction, he bought from the state of New Jersey a piece of land which had been confiscated from a Tory landowner. The land, described as "William Bayard's farm at Hoebuck" comprised approximately what is now the city of Hoboken.

an American lawyer, jurist, legislator, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Stockton was admitted to the bar in 1754 and soon rose to great distinction. In 1763 he received the degree of sergeant at law, the highest degree of law at that time. In 1768, Stockton had his first taste of government service when he was elevated to a seat in the New J...

an American lawyer, jurist, legislator, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Stockton was admitted to the bar in 1754 and soon rose to great distinction. In 1763 he received the degree of sergeant at law, the highest degree of law at that time. In 1768, Stockton had his first taste of government service when he was elevated to a seat in the New Jersey Provincial Council; he was later (1774) appointed to the provincial New Jersey Supreme Court.

an American planter and lawyer who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a delegate for Maryland. He later worked on the committee that formed the Articles of Confederation in 1777. He acted as President of Congress for a short time in 1784. As the American Revolution neared, Stone joined the Committee of correspondence for Charles County. ...

an American planter and lawyer who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a delegate for Maryland. He later worked on the committee that formed the Articles of Confederation in 1777. He acted as President of Congress for a short time in 1784. As the American Revolution neared, Stone joined the Committee of correspondence for Charles County. From 1774 to 1776, he was a member of Maryland's Annapolis Convention. In 1775, the convention sent Stone as a delegate to the Continental Congress.

an American lawyer and jurist who served on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1811 to 1845. He is most remembered for his opinions in Martin v. Hunter's Lessee and The Amistad case, and especially for his magisterial Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States, first published in 1833. Dominating the field in the 19th century, this work i...

an American lawyer and jurist who served on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1811 to 1845. He is most remembered for his opinions in Martin v. Hunter's Lessee and The Amistad case, and especially for his magisterial Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States, first published in 1833. Dominating the field in the 19th century, this work is a cornerstone of early American jurisprudence. It is the second comprehensive treatise on the provisions of the U.S. Constitution and remains a critical source of historical information about the forming of the American republic and the early struggles to define its law.