Many people with adoptive origins have made extraordinary contributions to our culture. The character of adoption may or may not have provided the ability to give so much. What is common to all famous people who were adopted was that some adult or many adults cared for them, inspired them and helped them to become the historical figures that they are today.
1. John Lennon
John was born October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England to Alfred Lennon, a merchant seaman who was not present at his birth, and Julia Stanley, his mother. John’s father returned to Liverpool to care for John and his mother when John was 4 years of age, but John’s mother Julia was involved with another man and pregnant with John’s younger sister. At that time, John was living with his aunt Mimi who eventually adopted him. John maintained regular contact with his birth mother but did not see his father again until he was 24 years old. According to John, his birth mother, adoptive mother and his aunts were “intelligent beautiful women.”