Haile Selassie

Profession: Ethiopian Emperor

Why Famous: Defining figure in Ethiopian history, Selassie served as Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor from 1930 to 1974.

He led his people in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War and condemned Italy's use of chemical weapons at the League of Nations. His belief in multilateralism and collective security led to Ethiopia becoming a charter member of the United Nations.

After a two year famine in north-eastern Ethiopia that is estimated to have killed 200,000 people he was deposed in a military coup in 1974 and died in internment under suspicious circumstances a year later.

Among the Rastafari movement, Haile Selassie is revered as the returned messiah of the Bible, God incarnate.

Born: July 23, 1892
Birthplace: Ejersa Goro, Ethiopian Empire

Generation: Lost Generation
Star Sign: Leo

Died: August 27, 1975 (aged 83)
Cause of Death: Suspected assassination by strangulation