Claudio Aquaviva (1543 to 1615)
Greatest Jesuit general?
Claudio Aquaviva was born in Naples, Italy. He became the fifth and possibly greatest, general of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), expanding their world-wide mission role. Aquaviva died in 1615.
John Harvard (1607 to 1638)
Congregational Church
Harvard shows the power of a legacy.
John Harvard was born in London. He became a congregational clergyman, but is best remembered for the donation of 260 books and ?800 (perhaps equal to $130,000 in today's buying power) for a proposed college. Harvard University was the result. Harvard died in 1638, the year the school was begun.
Robert Raikes (1735 to 1811)
Church of England
Rounding up ragamuffins.
Robert Raikes was born at Gloucester, England. A newspaper owner, he was moved to action by the neglected condition of local children and their misbehavior on Sundays. As an experiment, he gathered wilful and wild children together on Sundays to teach them reading and religion, as well as other subjects that might lift them from their desperate poverty. The changes which resulted in a short time led to the adoption of Sunday schools by numerous churches world wide.