David Rolfe Graeber was an American anthropologist and anarchist social and political activist.

Alexander Hamilton was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, an instrumental promoter of the U.S. Constitution, and founder of the nation's financial system. He co-wrote the 85 Federalist Papers essays (under the pseudonym "Publius") with James Madison and John Jay between October 1787 and May 1788, and published early political writings including *A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress* and *The Farmer Refuted*.

John Jay (1745–1829) was a co-author of *The Federalist Papers* alongside Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, contributing five of the collection's eighty-five essays written under the pseudonym "Publius" to promote ratification of the U.S. Constitution. A proponent of strong, centralized government, he worked to ratify the Constitution in New York in 1788 and was recognized for his courage, zeal, and abilities as a writer.

Carl Edward Sagan (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, and science communicator born in Brooklyn, New York. Initially an assistant professor at Harvard, he later moved to Cornell, where he held the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy position. He authored works including *The Demon-Haunted World* (1995), aiming to explain the scientific method to general audiences.