Have you ever wondered who made the top one hundred important people in the twentieth century? What made them famous? How did they do it? You'll learn about ten luminaries that are listed in Time Magazine's "Most Important People of the Century". The Time 100 list comprises one hundred important people from such categories as: leaders & revolutionaries, artists & entertainers, builders & titans, scientists & thinkers, and heroes & icons. Those mentioned here are in chronological order, based on the year they became famous.

• Dr. Albert Einstein: German. In 1905 he was well known for his contributions to quantum physics and the theory of relativity. With just a pen and paper, he peeked farther behind Nature's curtain than anyone had since Newton - then spent the rest of his years living it down. Now, when we think of genius, we see his face.
• Henry Ford: American. In 1908 he was praised for the first mass-produced automobile, the Model T. He produced an affordable car, paid high wages and helped create a middle class. Not bad for an autocrat.
• Sir Winston Churchill: English. In 1944 he exalted in the success of the D-day invasion. The master statesman stood alone against fascism and renewed the world's faith in the superiority of democracy. Without a doubt one of the world's most important people.
• Estée Lauder: American. In 1948 she began her billion-dollar cosmetics empire. She transformed beauty into big business by cultivating classy sales methods and giving away samples.
• Mother Teresa of Calcutta: Albanian. In 1952 she was founder of the Missionaries of Charity in India. In fighting for the dignity of the destitute in a foreign land, she gave the world a moral example that bridged divides of culture, class and religion.
• Lucille Ball: American. In 1952 the first lady of comedy brought us laughter as well as emotional truth. No wonder everybody loved Lucy.
• Muhammad Ali aka Cassius Clay, Jr.: American. In 1960 he was celebrated for winning a gold medal at the Rome Olympics, and in 1967 as the greatest boxing heavyweight champion of all time. Floating, stinging, punching, prophesying, he transformed his sport and became the world's most adored athlete.
• Rachel Carson: American. In 1962 she was an acclaimed zoologist and marine biologist. Before there was an environmental movement, there was one brave woman and her very brave book. Silent Spring, serialized in the New Yorker, gored corporate oxen all over the country.
• The Beatles: English. In 1964 they were renowned for the film "A Hard Day's Night" and in 1967 the "Sgt. Pepper" era. Irrepressible and irresistible, they were - and remain - the world's most astonishing rock-'n'-roll band.
• Margaret Thatcher: English. In 1979 she was known as the "Iron Lady" or simply "Maggie". She was British Prime Minister for eleven years. Champion of free minds and markets, she helped topple the welfare state and make the world safer for capitalism.

Naturally your choice of which celebrities were more important than others will no doubt be different but as you can see, this gives you a brief summary of some of the best. Now at least you won't be stumped when you're asked if you've heard of these important people.