司马迁 (Sīmǎqiān): Sima Qian (c. 145-86 BC), Han dynasty historian, author of Records of the Grand Historian (史记), father of Chinese historiography

Sima Qian defended the disgraced general Li Ling (李陵) and Emperor Wu sentenced him to castration. Rather than suicide, he chose the punishment so he could finish 史记 — writing 人固有一死，或重于泰山，或轻于鸿毛 ('death can be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a goose feather').

culture

史记 covers 2,500 years from the Yellow Emperor to Han Wu Di in 130 chapters and invented the 纪传体 (annals-biographies) format used by every later dynastic history.