Arts and Music

• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (born 1844, died 1908)

  Russian composer.

  • Composed Flight of the Bumblebee (see list of Romantic Composers)

Leadership

• Nikolai Ilyich Lenin (born 1870, died 1924)

  Russian communist leader. Original name: Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov.

  • Led the Bolshevik Revolution; first premier of the Soviet Union, 1918-24 (see list of Miscellaneous Political Leaders)

Science and Philosophy

• Nikolai G. Basov

  Russian physicist known for his work in the field of quantum electronics.

  • 1964 Nobel Prize winner in Physics, with Aleksander Prochorov and Charles Townes (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics)
• Nikolai M. Budarin (born 1953)

  Russian cosmonaut.

  • Cosmonaut on Atlantis (1995) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
• Nikolai N. Rukavishnikov

  Soviet cosmonaut.

  • Cosmonaut on Soyuz 10 (1971), Soyuz 16 (1974), Soyuz 33 (1979) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
• Nikolai N. Semenov

  Russian scientist known for his research into the mechanism of chemical reactions.

  • 1956 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, with Cyril Hinshelwood (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry)

Sports

• Nikolai Andrianov

  Soviet athlete.

  • 1976 Olympic gymnastics gold medal winner for Individual All Around (see list of Gold Medalists in the Individual All-around)
  • 1972 Olympic gymnastics gold medal winner for Floor Exercise; 1976 gold medal winner for Rings, Horse Vault, and Floor Exercise; 1980 gold medal winner for Horse Vault (see list of Gold Medalists in Individual Gymnastics Events)
• Nikolai Avilov

  Soviet athlete.

  • 1972 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for the Decathlon (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Decathlon/Heptathlon/Pentathlon)
• Nikolai Bazhukov

  Soviet athlete.

  • 1976 Olympic Nordic skiing gold medal winner for 15km Pursuit (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Cross-country Skiing)
• Nikolai Guiliaev

  Soviet athlete.

  • 1988 Olympic speed skating gold medal winner for 1000m (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Speed Skating)
• Nikolai Kolesnikov

  Soviet athlete.

  • 1976 Olympic weightlifting gold medal winner for 60kg (see list of Olympic gold medalists in weightlifting)
• Nikolai Kruglov

  Soviet athlete.

  • 1974 Olympic Nordic skiing gold medal winner for 20km Biathlon (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Cross-country Skiing)
• Nikolai Zimyatov

  Soviet athlete.

  • 1980 Olympic Nordic skiing gold medal winner for 30km and 50km Cross-country; 1984 gold medal winner for 30km Cross-country (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Cross-country Skiing)

The Literary World

• Nikolai Gogol (born 1809, died 1852)

  Russian novelist and short-story writer.

  • Wrote Dead Souls (see list of Prose Writers of the Victorian Era)