Jonathan Swift 1667 – 1745 Irish cleric, satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer, and poet. Perhaps best known for one of his famous works, Gulliver’s Travels.

Steven Wiltshire Born 1974 A popular artist known for accurate and detailed drawings of skylines after just one viewing – such as the 10m drawing of the Tokyo skyline shown here. He has a gallery in London, England.

Ludwig van Beethoven 1770 – 1827 German composer - commonly regarded as one of the greatest in the history of music. Two of his most famous compositions: Moonlight Sonata or Ninth Symphony.

Dr. Temple Grandin Born 1947 An associate professor at Colorado State University. Famous for her work for ethical treatment of animals and design of humane livestock facilities.

“If we didn't have a little of the autism trait we wouldn't even have this building here today with all the electricity in it, your video camera, powerpoint shows... None of this stuff would even exist.” -Temple Grandin

Emmanuel Kant German philosopher regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of modern Europe and the starting point for many 20 th century philosophers. Best introduction to his thinking is found in his book Critique of Pure Reason.

Vernon Smith Born 1927 Professor of economics and research scholar Nobel Prize winner for inventing the field of experimental economics, which uses laboratory methods to test economic theories.

Marie Curie 1867 – 1934 A Polish-French chemist and physicist and pioneer in the field of radioactivity. Twice-honored Nobel laureate and the only woman to have ever received a Nobel Prize in two different sciences.

“I call myself the incredible invisible woman. It is not a trick I do myself. It is a trick that is played on me by other people.” -Sandra Radisch

Matt Savage Born 1992 An accomplished jazz musician and composer, he has released several albums both as a solo performer and with his band. By the age of 15, he has performed internationally with many popular artists.

Lewis Carroll 1832 – 1898 An English author, mathematician, logician, clergyman, and photographer. Most famous writings are classified as the genre of literary nonsense: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, and Jabberwocky.

"It seems for success in science or the arts, a dash of autism is essential" Hans Asperger

Gary Numan Born 1958 Singer, composer, musician, and electropop pioneer. Often on the UK charts since the 1970’s; latest album released January Cars made the US charts.

Andy Warhol Born 1928 –1987 American artist, commercial illustrator, painter, avant-garde film maker, record producer, and author. Known for his contribution to the pop art movement and celebrity portraits.

Thomas Jefferson 1743 – 1826 Third President of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence. One of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of Republicanism.

Moe Norman 1929 – 2004 Canadian golfer devised what is known as "The Norman Swing.” He was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in Incidentally, he never took a golfing lesson.

Gregor Mendel 1822 – 1884 A priest and scientist in Austria whose studies at the monastery went largely unrecognized until Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance were re-discovered and earned him the title Father of Modern Genetics.

Satoshi Tajiri Born 1965 Japanese creator of Pocket Monsters, known as Pokémon, a video game that became an international craze. Initially a project of Tajiri’s company Game Freaks and released by Nintendo.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1859 – 1930 A Scottish author and prolific writer of everything from science fiction, and historical novels to plays and poetry. Best known for his stories about detective Sherlock Holmes, considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction.