Heroes and icons. Athletes and entertainers. Trailblazers and game-changers. The world lost many brilliant women and men in 2015, but legacies live on.

The Washington Post beautifully and comprehensively encapsulates some of the luminaries the world lost in 2015. Brilliant and beloved, fiery and controversial, these twenty-one lives live on through sheer influence. From legends like B.B. King, whose guitar-playing inspired musicians across all genres, to Julian Bond, whose tireless work on behalf of Civil Rights resonates to this day. From wildly exciting lives, like Elizabeth McIntosh, the spy who helped defeat the Axis, to more contemplative lives, like that of Oliver Sacks, who revolutionized the way we look at the human brain, the recounting of these twenty-one lives showcase the impact a human being can have on the world.