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People

African American Biographical Database (AABD)
Biographical sketches, including photographs and illustrations, and essays on African Americans from 1790 to 1950. Requires a subscription, available through many libraries.

askART
Online database containing close to 300,000 artists, with information ranging from biographies to auction records. Initially focused on American artists, askART has expanded coverage to include international records. Some information, such as auction prices, available only to subscribers.

Biography.com
The “digital source for true stories about people that matter.” Includes profiles, videos, and features on celebrities and topics such as history and culture, crime and scandals, and more.

CBS Sportsline
An excellent source for biographical information on athletes in every professional sport. A useful (but not always up-to-date) feature allows you to track professional athletes by their alma maters:

Celebrity Net Worth
Maybe more of a diversion than a resource. CNW estimates the net worth of actors, sports figures, supermodel, rappers, and others. Nothing on the site indicates the basis for these estimates.

CEO Today’s Top 50
Compiled by the editorial team at CEO Today Magazine, the Top 50 CEO list is based on a wide range of factors, including net worth, company value, public perception, and innovation. Every person on the list has their own profile.

Infoplease Biographies
Search more than 30,000 biographies of politicians, athletes, artists, business leaders, and other notable people

Legacy
Through partnerships with more than 1,500 newspapers and 3,500 funeral homes across the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Europe, Legacy.com has developed a database of millions of obituaries. Searchable by name, location, and date.

Little Sis
Little Sis profiles the powers that be. An open-source site that approaches relationship mapping through a political lens, “tracking the key relationships of politicians, business leaders, lobbyists, financiers, and their affiliated institutions.” Includes links to all kinds of useful lists.

New York Social Diary
Interesting searchable site documenting the fabulous night life of New York’s social elite

PeopleSpot Biography Links
Includes links to many smaller, specialized biography sites in categories such as athletes, authors, newsmakers, scientists, etc.

Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Contains information on millions of deceased individuals with United States social security numbers whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration. Requires a subscription, available through many libraries, to access records.

Vital Records
The National Center for Health Statistics, an agency of the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), provides information for obtaining birth, marriage, divorce, and death records in each US state and territory.

Wealthy Families in America: History and Genealogy
This database of America’s wealthiest families can be a bit difficult to navigate, but it includes valuable background information and family trees on America’s elite.

ZoomInfo
Provides quick bios, company profiles, and contact information. The results can be repetitive, but ZoomInfo is a great starting point.