Known as the namesake of Berlin’s premier university, Wilhelm von Humboldt was a statesman, educational reformer, and German liberal philosopher.

Originally referring to renaissance thinkers and scholars emphasizing human possibility and achievement, the word “humanist” has taken on other meanings.

The first presidential candidate of the Libertarian party, John Hospers played an important role in organizing libertarians for political action.

Tonie Nathan was the running mate of 1976 Libertarian presidential candidate John Hospers and the first woman to receive an electoral vote.

Thomas Hodgskin was a British political and economic theorist affiliated most with individualist anarchism, though his writings were vivid and original.

Left libertarians, while supporters of some personal freedoms, are often proponents of a socialist or communal view on natural resources and property.

A staunch defender of property rights and opponent to forced redistribution, Auberon Herbert contributed several major works to classical liberalism.

Herbert Spencer was a major influence on 19th century liberalism. His work on evolutionary theory and social order made him one of the first sociologists.

Robert Heinlein, author of a number of fundamental science fiction pieces and novels, provided an eerily relevant social critique of the overreach of government.

Henry Hazlitt was an economic journalist and popular author whose works explained and elaborated on many libertarian ideas.

An accomplished libertarian writer and the founder of the Institute for Humane Studies, Baldy Harper devoted his life to educating others about libertarianism.

Leonard E. Read was an activist who founded the Foundation for Economic Education, a free-market and anti-socialist nonprofit and educational organization.

Barry Goldwater’s stark commitment to a platform of freedom and limited government helped to realign public opinion in support of economic conservatism.

Robert A. Taft was a prominent US Senator who started and passed legislation restricting government and union control and advocating for international diplomacy.

A popular novelist as well as a political philosopher, William Godwin was one of the first influential writers on the topic of philosophical anarchism.

The Glorious Revolution brought Mary II and William III of Orange to the English throne and soothed the religious and political conflict of the English Civil Wars.

Tax competition occurs when governments adopt more attractive tax policies to attract people to live and do business within their borders.

Julian Simon was an American economist who wrote on the ways in which human innovation and efficiency makes population growth a net benefit for production.