It’s easy to walk into a Bookmans store and see an attractive individual on our magazine shelves, movie racks, book covers or even behind our trade counter/register and that’s just a quick physical judgment. What about the historical hotties who weren’t only visually pleasing but also prominent figures in their fields? Pioneers that broke ground for the rest of us? These significant individuals make us swoon not only for their great looks but also for their great minds and capabilities.

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When we think of electricity, more often than not Thomas Edison is the first to mind. We frown upon this, but we won’t go into who was a better inventor *cough-Tesla!-cough*. Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) was not only a babe of physical proportions but my oh my Tesla had the hottest brains. Vastly rare and unique Tesla had an eidetic memory, meaning he could vividly recall images with profound accuracy. This meant while Edison was twiddling with wires and scratching his bum trying to figure out how to make things work, Tesla could literally visualize his inventions in his head and manifest them without a whole lot of sketching or twiddling ahead of time. Tesla was a futurist whose inventions surpassed his years. Known to be charismatic, charming and among a circle of very highly regarded people, Tesla is one historical hottie we wouldn’t mind inviting for dinner.

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Josephine Baker (1906-1975) aka the “Black Pearl” was a dancer, singer and actress in the 50’s and 60’s. We’re officially deeming her the original “twerker” but she did much more than just use her body to woe a room full of people. Baker was the first African American woman to star in a major motion picture as well as being a prominent figure in both the Civil Rights Movement and the French Resistance. During her activist work she began adopting children of multiple ethnicities and backgrounds and referred to her family as the “Rainbow Tribe.” While she was married to four different men during her life it’s also rumored her and Frida Kahlo had an ongoing relationship. *Swoon. With her own, and unfortunately not publicized, day deemed by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Ralph Bunche we need to all recognize this phenomenal woman every May 20th from now on!

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In a time when the world of medicine wasn’t anywhere near as safe as it is today, Michael Dillon (1915-1962) did the unthinkable and underwent a gender transformation. Believed to be the first transgendered man in history, this babe stands on the forefront for all trans individuals. Dillon had been experimenting with testosterone for several years before an employer finally demanded the other employees refer to him as “him” for the sake of customer’s confusion. It wasn’t until he was in the hospital after falling and injuring his head that Dillon was sought out by a doctor named Harold Gillies (one of only a few plastic surgeons during the time) who performed a double mastectomy and wrote him a new birth certificate with the correct gender. After 13 different surgeries himself, Dillon went on to be a medical student who later became a naval doctor! He also wrote the book, Self: A Study in Endocrinology and Ethic. Dillon will forever be remembered as the brave, strong and intelligent individual that he was.

History doesn’t stop and neither does the list of reasons for why we wanted to add each of these people to our list. Check our history and biography/memoir sections at each of our six locations for more information on these and other amazing historical figures. Are you looking to kill an hour, a day or maybe even a week with great non-fiction reading? Stop by or give us a call and we’ll recommend nothing but great works by great people. Who knew history could be so fun to read about.