John James Audubon (1785-1851)

Adventurer, painter, entrepreneur, naturalist, and explorer, this Haitian-born early American made it his life’s mission to hunt every species of North American bird. Voyaging along the American frontier, in the face of extreme hardship, his maniacal desire to succeed gave birth to The Birds of America, a monumental volume documenting more than 1000 species, 25 of which he discovered.