Our county has long produced heroic men from all walks of life, from science to sport and culture to comedy.
We look at some of the most outstanding talent.
1.
David Hockney - The Bradford-born painter is considered one of the world’s finest and most influential of artists, Yorkshire – particularly the Wolds – have inspired some of his most admired works. Photo: GettyImages
2. James Cook
The explorer was born in the North Yorkshire village of Marton. He was a navigator, cartographer and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and to Australia in particular. One of his ships, The Endeavour, is now a restaurant anchored in Whitby Harbour.
3. JB Priestley
The playwright and novelist John Boynton Priestley was born in Manningham, Bradford. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in The Good Companions (1929), which first brought him to wide public notice. Many of his plays are structured around a time slip, and he went on to develop a new theory of time, with different dimensions that link past, present and future. He wrote An Inspector Calls and When We Are Married. Photo: GettyImages
4. George Cayley
Revered as the ‘father of flight’ Cayley made his home in Brompton-by-Sawdon near Scarborough in 1799, he set forth the concept of the modern aeroplane as a fixed-wing flying machine with separate systems for lift, propulsion, and control. Cayley represented the Whig party as Member of Parliament for Scarborough from 1832 to 1835.
5. Leonard (Len) Hutton
The Pudsey-born sportsman was an English cricketer. He played as an opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955 and for England in 79 Test matches between 1937 and 1955. Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack described him as “one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket”. Photo: GettyImages
6. Charles Laughton
The Scarborough-born actor is a screen legend, He won an Oscar for The Private Life of Henry VIII and was nominated for his role as Captain Bligh in Mutiny on the Bounty. Photo: GettyImages