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

Eric Heiden (1958)close

Eric Heiden is a five-time gold medal winning speed skater of the 1980 Winter Olympics was born in Madison, Wisconsin. He was the first person in Olympic history to win five gold medals in individual events in the same Games. After the Olympics, Heiden turned to cycling and competed in the 1986 Tour de France.

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.