Charles Allen Thorndike Rice was born on June 18, 1851, in Boston, Massachusetts, the only son of Henry Gardner Rice (1820–1869), from a Boston publishing family, and Elizabeth Frances Thorndike (1823-1866), from a New York publishing family.

He was a publisher, editor, and author. He was raised in a wealthy family with his early education provided by a tutor as well as the local Episcopal school. His parents divorced in 1859, and following a bitter child custody dispute, he lived in Canada, Germany, and England. After the death of his parents, he inherited both of their estates. He graduated from Oxford University (B.A., 1874; M.A., 1878). In 1876, he bought the North American Review and became its publisher and editor-in-chief. The magazine provided an outlet for his interest in writing, as he was a frequent contributor. In 1879, he sponsored the Charnay Expedition, which explored the Mayan ruins in Central America. Upon the return of the expedition, Rice wrote his first book, "Ruined Cities of Central America" (1880). The same year he was awarded the Chevalier de Légion d'honneur by French President Jules Grévy. In 1889, he was appointed as Minister to Russia by President Benjamin Harrison, but he died from tonsillitis in a hotel room in New York City on May 16, 1889, before assuming his post.

Rice Studio was a Montreal photography studio created by Amos (1850-1912) and Moses Rice (1839-1925) in approximately 1894. The brothers, born in Nova Scotia, had opened a studio in Washington, D.C. in 1865, and created two other studios in North Sydney and New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Amos moved to Montreal to start the studio there, and lived there until his death in 1912. Amos's son, James Rice (1883-1958), took over management of the studio. His achievements include being the official photographer of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team until the 1940s. James Rice died in 1958, and the studio closed around the same time.

Joseph Ribkoff was born in 1936, in Montreal, Quebec.

He is a successful Canadian businessman and internationally renowned designer. He left school when he was 15 years old and he worked his way up to the head of a garment manufacturer’s shipping department before going out on his own in 1957. Through creativity, hard work, and dedication, he developed a brand for women with a youthful state of mind. Manufactured in Canada, the Joseph Ribkoff label is renowned and thrives in over 60 countries around the world.