Once a kidnapped slave baby, George Washington Carver (1864?-1943) found freedom in learning everything he could about the world around him. Overcoming poverty and racism, George became a brilliant scientist and a gifted professor who dedicated his expertise to helping Black farmers escape the devastating grip of poverty. George's scientific creativity knew no limits. His ingenious experimentation with peanuts and other plants helped rescue the failing Southern economy.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) had never set his sights on becoming president; after all, he'd grown up in a log cabin on the frontier and had hardly any formal schooling. But as the question of slavery threatened to destroy the United States, this self-taught lawyer with a sharp mind and passion for justice found himself at the center of the greatest debate the nation had ever faced.

Growing up in Massachusetts, longing to be a farmer like his father, John Adams (1735-1826) never imagined the vital role he would one day play in the transformation of the colonies into an independent American nation. As the injustices of British rule stirred up the colonists to revolution and independence, this rising young lawyer became and influential member of the Continental Congress and a passionate advocate for freedom.

Determined to make a difference and with an insatiable curiosity, love of adventure, and hunger for justice, Theodore Roosevelt exemplified a life directed by principle and not by circumstance. Overcoming severe asthma and a weak heart set young Teddy on a life course against the odds.

Growing up in Greene County, Tennessee, Davy Crockett was educated through the toil of hard labor. Working as a farm hand and wagon driver, he learned about the people and the land of the West - and he was captivated. The untamed wilderness, the sound of wild animals, and the roar of the river would be his destiny. One of America's best-known folk heroes, Crockett (1786-1836) served as a frontiersman, a scout, a soldier, and a politician in the US Congress. He died defending the Alamo, a steadfast citizen and heroic leader to the very end.

In search of open spaces and land to call his own, Daniel Boone (1734-1820) fearlessly led a band of brave settlers into the bountiful Kentucky wilderness. Daniel's expert hunting ability, incredible outdoor survival skills, and courage under fire helped his companions stay alive in a dangerous and unknown land despite threatening encounters with soldiers, Indians, and even other settlers. From the childish pranks of his youth to his daring feats as a pioneer, Daniel Boone's lifelong quest for adventure made him a spirited leader.

Meriwether Lewis had been commissioned by President Jefferson to lead a daring expedition so remarkable it would become one of the most famous explorations in history. He chose William Clark as his co-captain. Their mission: to find a land route to the Pacific Ocean while learning as much as possible about the thousands of miles of unexplored territory they struggled through.

Alan Shepard's boyhood fascination with flight led him from constructing model airplanes in his grandfather's basement to attaining national hero status in the race to space. Rooted in hard work and education, this pioneer's dreams of flight came true as he became not only the first American launched into space but, later, one of the privileged few to walk on the moon. When he wasn't soaring above the clouds, astronaut Alan Shepard used his expertise to benefit others, raising money to fuel the dreams of science students and guiding NASA missions.

Billy boarded the train to Minneapolis. He had come to Los Angeles months before as a small-time preacher. Now he was leaving as one of the most recognized Christians in the country. It was not what Billy had sought; he'd just been open for God to use. Billy wondered if this would be the peak of his fame or if something bigger was about to happen. The oldest son of dairy farmers from Charlotte, North Carolina, young Billy Graham attended evangelical revival meetings that inspired him for the rest of his life.

As adventurers from around the world raced to reach the South Pole and achieve other polar firsts in the early 1900s, outsider Ernest Shackleton and his motley expeditions would outshine even the British navy, becoming icons of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Known for prizing loyalty, leadership, and skill without regard for rank or social class - and for bringing men back alive - Shackleton completed three death-defying Antarctic journeys.

On a dangerous mission for the British army, young Major Washington (1732-1799) had no idea that one day he would lead an army of fellow colonials in a bitter battle for independence against Great Britain herself, the most powerful empire in the world. In each new crisis, the young United States sought out George Washington. As commander in chief of the Continental army, chairman of the Constitutional Convention, and first president, this indispensable American served the struggling nation when its survival and form hanged in the balance.

William wondered how anyone was supposed to battle slavery. After all, King George III and the Church of England both had large amounts of money invested in trade with the West Indies. And a large number of bishops sat in the House of Lords. William shook his head. This was a much bigger fight than he felt capable of taking on. For 200 years British slave ships plied the Middle Passage, taking African men, women, and children to their doom.

As America's first foreign missionary, Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) spent 38 years working in Burma, then one of the most hostile countries on Earth. Judson was ignored, mocked, beaten, and tortured, yet he never lost sight of his goal to translate the Bible into the Burmese language. Today, over 150 years after his death, his translation remains the only translation of the Bible in Burmese.

William burst into the house. "I have found my destiny!" he shouted. "I have found a place where there is so much human misery in such a small space that there is a lifetime's worth of work there for me!" Horrified by the poverty and suffering most people took for granted in industrial England, William Booth dedicated his life to bringing the Gospel to the outcasts of society who would never enter a church and weren't welcome there.

Born into a loving family, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) pursued a life as a pastor, teacher, theologian - and spy. He spoke out about the trouble in Germany when Adolph Hitler came to power, urging the Christian church to rescue disparaged people groups and resist Hitler’s evil empire. Accused of being a troublemaker, Dietrich continued on fearlessly in the midst of wickedness. His work as a spy in the German resistance and participation in a plot to assassinate Hitler led to imprisonment and eventual execution.