African Americans Pioneers Artists Business Characters Cultural Figures Inventors Politicians Scientists Sports Women Writers

Sally Ride (1951)close

Sally K. Ride, American astrophysicist and astronaut, was born in Encino, California. After earning a PhD in physics from Stanford University, she became a NASA astronaut and helped design the robot arm for the space shuttle. In 1983, Ride became the first American woman in space, and was the youngest American to travel to space at age 32.

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.