The heroes of this book are brilliant individuals who have had a huge impact on the destinies of the world and humanity. Many achievements of civilization became possible only thanks to their creative insight, unique scientific foresight, willpower, hard work and obsession. And no matter how many centuries separate us from Aristotle and Newton, Einstein and Mendeleev, Gutenberg and Michelangelo, Shakespeare and Magellan, Marx and Edison, their names - like many other giants of thought and inspiration - will forever remain in the memory of mankind. The book talks about the creative and personal fate of fifty great people of the past and present, who left a significant contribution in the fields of philosophy and politics, science and technology, literature and art.