The-News-Leader.com - Historical figures featured in 'Ragtime'

Evelyn Nesbit (Dec. 25, 1884-Jan. 17, 1967) -- Known as one of the prominent beauties of her day. She was a model, stage actress and acted in several small movies. Known as The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, and was the model for George Grey Barnard's sculpture "Innocence," in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Was married to millionaire Harry K. Thaw, who murdered Nesbit's longtime lover Stanford White in the summer of 1906. [Information from American National Biography (2004)]

Stanford White (Nov. 9, 1853-June 5, 1906) -- A famous architect, known for designing the building and interior for the Frederick W. Vanderbilt House in Hyde Park, New York, the Walker Art Gallery in Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Main and the J. Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. Was shot to death by Harold K. Thaw, the husband of his longtime lover Evelyn Nesbit. [Information from Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997)]

Harry Kendall Thaw (Feb. 1, 1871-Feb. 22, 1947) -- The heir to industrialist and millionaire William Thaw. He married model and actress Evelyn Nesbit in 1905. He shot and killed Stanford White in 1906. The jury in his first trial in 1907 could not reach a verdict; the retrial led to a decision of not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. He was committed to the Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for five years. [Information from American National Biographies Online]

Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869-May 14, 1940) -- A radical anarchist and feminist. She was known as a dynamic speaker and advocate for immigrants and women's rights.She was arrested and imprisoned many times, including in 1893 for allegedly inciting to riot during a hunger demonstration, and in 1916 for explaining birth control methods and giving out information. She was arrested again in 1917 for opposing the draft for World War I, and in 1919 was among several hundred immigrants who were deported to the Soviet Union. [Information from American National Biographies Online]

Harry Houdini (March 24, 1874-Oct. 31, 1926) -- Born Ehrich Weiss in Budapest, Hungary. Became known as an escape artist, freeing himself from handcuffs, straitjackets and other objects, often in perilous situations. One of those stunts, in 1926 at New York's Hotel Shelton, he was placed underwater enclosed in an iron casket for an hour and a half. [Information from American National Biographies Online]

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863-April 7, 1947) -- Pioneering auto maker. Ford started working on an internal combustion engine in the early 1890s, and finished his first experimental car in June 1896. Oversaw the production of the Model T, the nation's first mass-produced car, which was first made available in 1908. [Information from American National Biographies Online]

John Pierpont Morgan (April 17, 1837-March 31, 1913) -- Started J.P. Morgan and Co. in 1861 as a private wholesale bank. He was known as a prominent railroad director and financier, including for the Baltimore and Ohio, and was the banker for the entrepreneur for the Great Northern Railroad. Produced the United States Steel Corporation from several mergers. Morgan's estate at his death was valued at $68.3 million, not counting his collection of fine art. [Information from American National Biographies Online]

Booker T. Washington (April 5, 1856-Nov. 14, 1915) -- The son of a white father and a slave on a Virginia plantation. Became the first principal for a new school in Tuskegee, Alabama (The Tuskegee Institute). His efforts at fundraising and working with the community allowed for the purchase of land and the construction of buildings for the school. A famous lecturer, he traveled across the nation advocating education for African Americans. [Information from American National Biographies Online]

Charles S. Whitman (Aug. 28, 1868-March 29, 1947) -- Elected as governor of New York in 1914, where he served for four years. Probably best known as the district attorney during the Rosenthal murder case, when Herman Rosenthal, a gambler, was allegedly gunned down by four men. The four alleged gunmen were electrocuted. [Information from American National Biography (2004)]

Admiral Robert E. Peary (May 6, 1856-Feb. 20, 1920) -- Along with Matthew Henson, made several trips to the Arctic Circle. During his last expedition in 1908, he claimed to be the first person to reach the North Pole; the truth of this statement is the subject of some controversy. He designed the Roosevelt, which would be a forerunner to the modern icebreaker ships. [Information from American National Biographies Online]

Matthew A. Henson (Aug. 8, 1866-March 9, 1955) -- First joined Robert Peary's expeditions in 1887 as a valet on the Nicaragua Ship Canal survey. Was included all of Peary's future arctic expeditions, including two in North Greenland and three north pole expeditions. Credited as the first African-American to reach the North Pole. [Information from American National Biographies Online]