The knowledge of our national history helps us to realize what we are like and why we have become like that. This awareness provides invaluable lessons, and requires not to repeat mistakes which we made more than once...

The book “100 Key Ukrainian Personalities” clearly shows that it was not only fight for independence and statehood that has determined the course of the country’s history. Ukraine has presented the world with a lot of talented people — physicists, thinkers, architects, microbiologists, and writers. Many of the readers will discover new names here or learn more about those whom they heard of.

This edition does not in any way pretend to tell you about all the prominent Ukrainians — rulers and poets, warriors and actors, politicians and scientists — those who throughout centuries have been glorifying our country, building its statehood foundations, developing its language, culture and science. This is that intangible which makes us all feel as the citizens of our own country. This book presents the stories about a small number of persons who deserve to be remembered by our people, since each of them has left an indelible mark in the history of Ukraine.