Cathy Freeman was the first Aboriginal to win an individual medal in an Olympic event She won the 400 meter race at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Australia Duomo Corbis
Remarkable People in History TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 LEADERS AND EMPIRE BUILDERS Ashoka The Emperor and the Right Way of Living 6 Julius Caesar Rome’s Remarkable General and Statesman 8 Fidel Castro The Man Who Changed Cuba 10 Charlemagne The Father of Europe 12 Cleopatra Queen of Egypt 14 Elizabeth I A Clever Courageous Queen 16 Empress of China The Dragon Empress 18 Mohammed Ali Jinnah Founder of Pakistan 20 Nelson Mandela A Fighter for Rights 22 Mao Zedong Architect of Modern China 24 Golda Meir Israel’s First Woman Prime Minister 26 Anwar el-Sadat Egypt’s Man of Peace 28 U Thant World Peacemaker 30 HEROES AND DISCOVERERS Anne Frank A Young Girl and Her Diary 32 Simón Bolívar Hero of Many Nations 34 Mahatma Gandhi Salt and Empires 36 Martin Luther King Jr Civil Rights Leader 38 Ferdinand Magellan Around-the-World Voyager 40 Tenzing Norgay On Top of the World 42 Mother Teresa Mother of the Poor and Dying 44 ARTISTS ATHLETES AND SCIENTISTS Elizabeth Blackwell The First Modern Woman Doctor 46 Cathy Freeman Gold Medalist in Track 48 Galileo Galilei The Man Who Discovered Outer Space 50 Jane Goodall The Woman Who Lived with Chimpanzees 52 Helen Keller Woman of Courage 54 Louis Pasteur The Man Who Conquered Disease 56 Pelé Football Star 58 William Shakespeare Plays That Never Grow Old 60 GLOSSARY 62 INDEX 63 Brit a nnic a LEARNING LIBRARY
T he Emperor a n d theRightWayof Liv i n g Some 2,200 years ago the emperor Ashoka ruled India Like many ancient rulers he expanded his empire by conquering new lands But unlike most rulers Ashoka suddenly turned his back on warfare and began to govern according to the nonviolent beliefs of Buddhism EA R C H LIG S H T It is said that Ashoka became a Buddhist when he saw the horrors caused by the wars he’d led After that he decided to serve his subjects and all humanity instead of conquering others He called this conquest by dharma In India dharma means the right way of living and universal truth This included being honest truthful and kind It also meant being merciful generous and thoughtful Ashoka was an Indian a mathematician b emperor c priest The emperor himself would often tour the countryside preaching his belief in dharma to the people Ashoka also appointed dharma ministers to help relieve people’s sufferings These ministers were assigned to look after the special needs of women and people living in religious communities Ashoka passed laws to prevent cruelty to animals and had hospitals built for both people and animals He also started construction projects to make all people’s lives easier Trees were planted on roadsides wells were dug and watering sheds and rest houses were built The only recognition Ashoka wanted was for people to remember that he had ruled according to dharma To preserve his ideas Ashoka had his teachings carved on rocks and pillars columns in public areas These inscriptions are called the Rock Edicts and Pillar Edicts The most famous is the lion pillar found at Sarnath which has become India’s national emblem D I D YO U K N O W Despite his reputation as a kind and g e n e r o u s r u l e r s o m e s t o r i e s d e s c r i b e Ashoka as cruel and ruthless l his A c c o r d i n g t o o n e s t o r y h e h a d a l in order to seize the brothers ki throne led l LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES JULIUS CAESAR CHARLEMAGNE MAHATMA GANDHI Sarnath an archaeological site in northern India is said to be the place where the Buddha first preached to his followers Ashoka built this stupa shrine and others as well as pillars to honor the event Brian A Vikander Corbis 6
