November 13, 2006 | Vol. 168, No. 21

60 Years Of Heroes

They've battled tyrants and conquered their own fears, scaled mountains and reached peaks of perfection. TIME looks back on 60 years of outstanding individuals, and celebrates their contribution to making the world a better place

Images of the Essence

Nelson Mandela

Age has not weakened his urge for justice any more than prison could contain his profound influence

Charles de Gaulle

Twice he took center stage at decisive moments in French history and twice he saved the Republic

Andrei Sakharov

Scientist and dissident, he built the bomb and worked for peace

Mikhail Gorbachev

The former Soviet leader opened a dialogue with the West and helped to end the deadlock of the cold war

Jean Monnet

The architect of European unity, his vision still serves as a blueprint for integration today

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

His powerful account of life in the Soviet Gulag gave a voice to victims of oppression

Giovanni Falcone & Paolo Borsellino

Assassinated by crime lords in 1992, these Sicilian prosecutors dedicated their lives to cracking the might of the Mafia

Imre Nagy

An idealist, his beliefs brought about revolution — and his death

Petra Kelly

She stirred up German politics and helped make green issues go mainstream

Yitzhak Rabin

He inspired admiration — and hatred — with his determination to achieve security and a lasting peace in the Middle East

Helmut Kohl

George H.W. Bush on how the German Chancellor unified his own country and helped to reshape the Continent of Europe

Shirin Ebadi

The Iranian lawyer has faced death threats and persecution, but her campaign against injustice continues

Václav Havel

By word and deed, he led a revolution

Lech Walesa

He fought for workers' rights and won a much larger battle

Linus Torvalds

By giving away his software, the Finnish programmer earned a place in history

Margaret Thatcher

Her political philosophy provided a model for postcommunist countries

King Juan Carlos

Groomed to take over from a dictator, he used his power to transform Spain into a democracy

Simone de Beauvoir

For better and for worse, she set the agenda for the feminist movement

The Beatles

The Beatles changed musical history forever. The wellspring of their creativity was their hometown of Liverpool

Rem Koolhaas

The Dutch architect and urban visionary spotted a wealth of potential in our congested cities

Galina Ulanova

As prima ballerina she danced into legend — and took Russian ballet to new audiences

Paul Bocuse

Grounded in traditional regional cooking, this great innovator has shaken up French cuisine

Pablo Picasso

Painter, sculptor and celebrity, genius and innovator — he even had trouble keeping up with himself

Enzo Ferrari

Tough on himself and others, the carmaker pushed for perfection

Francis Bacon

Iconoclastic British painter's emotionally charged images of afflicted humanity revealed the beast within

Barbara Hulanicki & Mary Quant

It was the British designer Mary Quant who first married fun and fashion and lit the fuse of the insurrection that Hulanicki brought to the high street

Maria Callas

The glamorous star is a role model for every female opera singer

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Armed with a camera and a mean streak, the rebel filmmaker shook up German cinema with stories that were as tragic as his own life

Naguib Mahfouz

The soul of his own nation, the father of the Arabic novel entranced readers worldwide

J.K. Rowling

She has conjured up a fantasy that is loved by kids of all ages

John Lydon

As the frontman of definitive British punk band the Sex Pistols, he inspired a new generation — and terrified an old one

Henry Moore

Reclining figures, abstract forms, bronzes and stone — whatever the shape or the medium, his sculptures pull in the crowds

Sophia Loren

An eternal beauty, she has graced cinema screens for more than half a century

Fela Kuti

His revolutionary sound track lifted the spirits of his oppressed compatriots

Coco Chanel

The ultimate arbiter of chic, she released women from the tyranny of fashion by combining style with comfort

Samuel Beckett

He made theater audiences queue to watch nothing happening — twice

Nadine Gordimer

During her lifelong fight against injustice, the South African author has shown the true power of words

François Truffaut

A key influence in modern cinema, his passionate filmmaking still seduces

Chinua Achebe

With his modern take on traditional culture, the African novelist recast the image of his continent

Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench, Glenda Jackson & Helen Mirren

They light up the stage and smolder on the screen — these four ladies are England's acting royalty

Freddie Laker

A British entrepreneur, he took on the airline giants and made flying affordable

Ole & Godtfred Kirk Christiansen

The Danish inventors of the Lego brick built a toymaking empire, and made every child an architect of their own imagination

Hasso Plattner

The software pioneer created a platform for business — and for Germany