Joel Asaph Allen was born on July 19, 1838, in Springfield, Massachusetts.

He was an American zoologist, mammalogist, and ornithologist. He began studying and collecting specimens of natural history early in life. However, he had to sell his large collection to attend the Wilbraham & Monson Academy in 1861. The next year, he transferred to Harvard University, where he studied under Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology and became a staff member in 1871. Allen participated in the 1865-1866 Thayer Expedition to Brazil where he collected bird and mammal skins, geological specimens, fishes, reptiles, and other vertebrates. He also took part in several U.S. expeditions, collecting, surveying, and making scientific observations. At The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), Allen increasingly focused on acquiring, researching, and writing, as well as editorial work. He cataloged thousands of specimens of birds and mammals in the museum's collections and provided editorial supervision for the Bulletin of the AMNH and the Memoirs of the AMNH. He was the first president of the American Ornithologists' Union for seven years from its formation in 1883 and was editor of the journal The Auk for 27 years. In 1871, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1885, he was appointed as the first curator of birds and mammals at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, later becoming the first head of the museum's Department of Ornithology. He was also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Philosophical Society.

In 1874, he married Mary Manning Cleveland (1846–1879) and, in 1886, he remarried Susan A. Taft (1843–). He died on August 29, 1921, in Cornwall, New York.

The Allan Shipping Line was established in 1819 by Captain Alexander Allan (1780-1854) of Saltcoats, Ayrshire. The company was involved in trade and transportation between Scotland and Montreal, which became the signature route for the Allan Line.

By the 1830s, the company had offices in Glasgow, Liverpool, and Montreal. All five of Captain Allan's sons were actively engaged in the business, with his second son, Sir Hugh Allan (1810-1882), leading the second generation. In 1854, Hugh launched the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company as part of the Allan Line. Two years later, he took control of the Royal Mail contract between Britain and North America, ousting Samuel Cunard. By the 1880s, the Allan Line had become the world's largest privately owned shipping concern. In 1891, the company acquired the State Line (founded in 1872) and was often referred to as the Allan & State Line. In 1897, Andrew Allan (1822-1901) consolidated the various branches of the Allan shipping empire under one company, Allan Line Steamship Company Ltd., of Glasgow. By then, the company had established offices in Boston and London.

In 1917, the company was purchased by Canadian Pacific Steamships under Sir Montagu Allan (1860-1951), representing the third generation of the Allan family. By the following year, the Allan name had disappeared from commercial shipping.

Edward Hamilton Aitken was born on August 16, 1851, in Satara, India, the son of the Rev. James Aitken (1815-), a missionary of the Free Church of Scotland.

He was a civil servant and writer, known for his humorist writings on natural history in India and as a founding member of the Bombay Natural History Society. He was well known to Anglo-Indians by the pen-name of Eha. He received his education from his father in India and graduated from Bombay University with a B.A. and M.A., winning the Homejee Cursetjee prize with a poem in 1880. From 1870 to 1876, he taught Latin at the Deccan College in Pune. He was also proficient in Greek and was known to be able to read the Greek Testament without the aid of a dictionary. Although he grew up in India, he only visited England for the first time later in life, finding the weather of Edinburgh severe. In 1876, he joined the Customs and Salt Department of the Government of Bombay and served in Kharaghoda (referred to as Dustypore in The Tribes on my Frontier), Uran, Uttara Kannada and Goa Frontier, Ratnagiri, and Bombay itself. In 1903, he was appointed Chief Collector of Customs and Salt Revenue at Karachi, and in 1905, he was made Superintendent in charge of the District Gazetteer of Sind. He retired from the service in August 1906 and moved to Edinburgh. He explored the jungles on the hills near Vihar around Bombay and wrote "The Naturalist on the Prowl" (1894). He also published the books "The Common Birds of Bombay" (1900) and "A Naturalist on the Prowl or in the Jungle" (1923).

In 1883, he married Isabella Mary Blake (1858-1924). He died on April 11, 1909, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Frederick Anthony Atkins was born on February 24, 1864, in England.

He was an English journalist and editor of The Young Man, The Young Woman, and The Home Messenger.

He died on February 4, 1929, in London, England.

Frederick George Aflalo was born in July 1870, in London, England.

He was a British zoologist, editor, and prolific author of books on nature, fishing, and sports. Some of his notable works include "Sea-fishing on the English coast" (1891), "Sport in Europe" (1901), "British salt water fish" (1904), "A Walk through the zoological gardens" (1900), "Sunset Playgrounds: fishing days and Others in California and Canada" (1909), "A fisherman's summer in Canada" (1911), "Birds in the calendar" (1914), "A book of the wilderness and jungle" (1912), and others.

In 1895, he married Eva Seth (1871–1928). He died on December 9, 1918, in Switzerland.

Frank Dawson Adams was born on September 17, 1859, in Montreal, Quebec.

He was a well-known geologist, educator, and author who had a long association with McGill University. After graduating from Montreal High School, he completed his B.Sc. in 1878 and M.A. in 1884 at McGill University, and later earned a PhD at Heidelberg University. He began lecturing at McGill in 1889 and held several prominent positions there, including Logan Professor of Geology, Dean of Applied Science, Director of the Redpath Museum, Acting Principal, Vice-Principal, and Dean of Graduate Studies. He was also employed as a chemist and petrographer for the Geological Survey of Canada from 1913 to 1914, was Deputy Director of Khaki University in Britain, and actively participated in several national and international geological organizations, including the Geological Society of Canada. Adams retired from McGill in 1924 and traveled widely while continuing his geological research and study. A recognized leader in his field, he was awarded the Flavelle Medal in 1937 and held honorary degrees from the University of Toronto, Queen’s, Mount Allison, Bishop’s, and Tufts. His articles were printed in American and Canadian journals, and he authored the well-regarded book "The Birth and Development of the Geological Sciences" in 1938.

He died on December 26, 1942, in Montreal, Quebec.