Extraordinary lives start everywhere.
Two-minute illustrated biographies, free in five languages.
A runaway with his father’s cow money. A milk-truck driver’s son. Two brothers without high-school diplomas. Pick a place, and see where a life went in two minutes.
Pacific Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
Canada
Mexico
Brazil
Argentina
Russia
China
Australia
Too Small to Survive. Richer Than Britain.Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore
Rejected at 16. Richer Than the US BudgetJohn D. Rockefeller, Cleveland, Ohio
They Said a Million Years. It Took 69 Days.The Wright Brothers, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
A Truck Driver’s Son Bet on Apple and NvidiaDon Valentine, Menlo Park
Hyundai’s Founder Ran Off With Cow MoneyChung Ju-yung, Seoul
From Leaky Shack to PlayStationAkio Morita, Tokyo
2Explore 2 lives in the eastern United Statesfrom a little book to the first flight
2Explore 2 lives in South Korea and Japanfrom cow money to the Walkman
Too Small to Survive. Richer Than Britain.Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore
Rejected at 16. Richer Than the US BudgetJohn D. Rockefeller, Cleveland, Ohio
They Said a Million Years. It Took 69 Days.The Wright Brothers, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
A Truck Driver’s Son Bet on Apple and NvidiaDon Valentine, Menlo Park
Hyundai’s Founder Ran Off With Cow MoneyChung Ju-yung, Seoul
From Leaky Shack to PlayStationAkio Morita, Tokyo
2Explore 2 lives in the eastern United Statesfrom a little book to the first flight
2Explore 2 lives in South Korea and Japanfrom cow money to the Walkman
Each face sits where its story turns.
6 lives in 4 countries so far. More are coming.
Start with a story.
One cow.Hyundai’s founder ran away with the money his father got for a cow. At 82 he sent 1,001 cattle into North Korea to repay it.
Chung Ju-yungWatch
An umbrella.The company he and Masaru Ibuka started grew up in a Tokyo shack so leaky they sometimes worked under umbrellas. It became Sony.
Akio MoritaWatch
A milk truck.His father drove a milk truck. In October 2026 the world’s three most valuable companies were all his team’s early bets.
Don ValentineWatch
A bicycle shop.Two brothers without high-school diplomas made the first controlled, powered airplane flights.
The Wright BrothersWatch
A little book.At sixteen no one would hire him. He kept every cent in a little book. By 1913 his fortune was bigger than the US government’s spending for the year.
John D. RockefellerWatch
Tears on television.In 1965 he wept on TV when Malaysia’s parliament voted Singapore out. By 2014 it was richer per person than Britain.
Lee Kuan YewWatch