The Institute for Advanced Study's free biographical page on John von Neumann, who joined its School of Mathematics at 30 — covering his work on quantum theory, game theory, the stored-program computer architecture nearly every machine still uses, and his wartime work.
Why I recommend it: Good background for anyone meeting "von Neumann architecture" for the first time. It is written by the institution that employed him, so it reads as tribute — his role in nuclear weapons work and his later strategic writing get far less space than the mathematics.
Free archive of long interviews with scientists, writers, athletes, business founders and public figures about how their careers actually unfolded.
From the site: The Academy of Achievement brings young leaders face-to-face with the extraordinary visionaries and pioneers who have helped shape our world.
Why I recommend it: Read these when you need evidence that careers are not straight lines. The interviews are long and unedited enough to be useful rather than inspirational filler.
Open wiki of biographies and company profiles, edited by contributors.
Why I recommend it: Many entries here are written by or for their subject, so read them as self-description. Check claims elsewhere before repeating them.
Open project documenting notable people and the data behind who gets recorded as notable.
Why I recommend it: Interesting for what it reveals about whose lives get written down. Coverage is patchy, so treat gaps as gaps in the record rather than in reality.
