Learn About The 50 States
Matt Groening (1954)close
Born in Portland, Oregon, Matt was the son of a cartoonist who encouraged his son to draw from an early age. After graduating from college in 1977, he moved to Los Angeles with hopes to become a writer. Not finding much success, he began to send messages to his friends back home in the form of a comic book he called "Life in Hell." This comic strip is still active and appears in newspapers around the world. His success with this project led television producer James L. Brooks to hire Groening to develop an original animated comedy series, and The Simpsons debuted on Fox Television in 1990. The show is the longest running prime time animated show in history.
Click on any of the names below to find out more...
Looking for a famous American?
This page presents short biographies of more than 200 famous Americans drawn from our unit, "The 50 States." These personalities are arranged by theme.
Just click a theme at the top of the page to view a selection list for that theme.
African Americans:
Artists:
Business Leaders:
National "Characters":
| Phineas Taylor "P.T." Barnum | Clyde Barrow | John Wilkes Booth |
| Butch Cassidy | William "Buffalo Bill" Cody | Davy Crockett |
| Jesse James | Evel Knievel | Harland David "Colonel" Sanders |
| Jefferson R. "Soapy" Smith |
Cultural Figures:
Inventors:
Pioneers and "Firsts":
Politicians & Activists:
Scientists:
Sports Figures:
Accomplished Women:
Writers & Poets: