Niccolo Machiavelli became a diplomat for 14 years after the temporary fall of the family who ruled Florence- the Medici Family. During this time he earned a reputation for deviousness, happily surprising his associates by appearing more shameless than he really was. After he tried to organize a Florentine militia against the return of the Medici family to power, he was tortured, jailed, and banished from taking an active part in political life. Niccolo's time away from politics gave him the chance to read Roman history and write political treatises, like The Prince. It was about how to rule as a harsh person. The book has been considered as a handbook for politicians on the use of ruthless , self-serving, cunning, and inspired the term "Machiavellian".

William Shakespeare worked as a play writer for the Lord Chamberlain's Men. He also worked as an actor. His plays became very popular in London and Lord Chamberlain's Men soon became one of the most well known acting companies in the city. Some of his early plays include Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Taming Of The Shrew. The Theatre, where these performances were held, was torn down by the land owner, Giles Allen. The group then decided to build a new theater, The Globe Theatre. This is where Shakespeare made his name well known. He wrote Macbeth, Hamlet, and King Lear. William Shakespeare is credited with introducing nearly 3,000 words to the English language.

Johannes was born in Mainz, Germany, and his father was a Goldsmith. He took some existing technology and his own inventions to come up with the printing press in 1450. His idea was to create the moveable type. Gutenberg replaced wooden blocks to press ink on the paper with moveable metal pieces to quickly create pages. His presses could print 1000's of pages per day vs. 40-50 pages with the old method. This allowed more books to be acquired by the middle class and it spread knowledge like never before.

As a young boy, Raphael learned his basic painting skills from his father, who was a poet and painter for the local Duke. After his father died, Raphael focused on making art. Working out of his father's workshop, he was known as one of the most skilled artists in Urbino. When he turned seventeen, Raphael moved to the city of Perugia to work with a famous artist named Pietro Perugino. He continued to improve his painting skill from Pietro, but he always kept his own painting style. By 1508, Raphael's reputation spread to Rome. Pope Julius the Second invited him to decorate some rooms in the Vatican. It was here where Raphael painted his greatest work of art, The School of Athens. His work was well known for their range, variety, dignity, and grace.