Henry Norman Bethune (1890-1939) was born in Gravenhurst, Ontario. Bethune was a medical student at the University of Toronto in 1914 when WWI began and he went to France as a stretcher bearer in1915. Resuming his studies after a shrapnel shell blast wounded his left leg, Bethune graduated with an MB from the University of Toronto in 1916. In 1917, Bethune returned to Europe as a surgeon sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve and later the Royal Navy. In the years after the war, Bethune completed post-graduate studies at West London Hospital and at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Bethune's grandfather (who was also called Norman) was the founder of Toronto's third medical school, the Upper Canada School of Medicine, and was a major influence on Bethune as he started out in medicine.

In 1926, Bethune entered a dark period of his life – diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and estranged from his wife Frances Penney. It was his recovery from TB that inspired his interest in thoracic medicine. After his convalescence at the Trudeau Sanatorium in Saranac Lake, New York, he moved to Montreal and began working as an assistant to Dr. Edward Archibald of the Royal Victoria Hospital – a leading authority on tuberculosis. Over the next few years, Bethune became famous for his treatment of TB patients at both the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur. From 1928-1936, Bethune perfected his skills in thoracic surgery, and also invented and redesigned more than a dozen surgical instruments including rib shears and a pneumothorax device.

Increasingly disillusioned with the general state of medical practice, Bethune advocated for change in the healthcare system. In 1936, he volunteered to help the Loyalists in the Spanish Civil War, where he organized the first mobile blood-transfusion unit. Two years later, Bethune traveled to China where he provided aid to the Chinese communist Red Army by forming the first mobile medical unit. In 1939, while stationed with the Communist Party of China's Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Bethune injured his finger while operating on a soldier and died of blood poisoning.

Strachan Bethune was born on November 6, 1821, in Montreal, Quebec.

He was the son of the Very Reverend John Bethune, Dean of Montreal and Principal of McGill University and the brother-in-law of the future Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John Abbott. He studied law at McGill University and was called to the Bar of Lower Canada in 1843. He joined what was then Montreal's most prestigious law firm, Meredith & Dunkin. In 1849, he was appointed a Judge at Quebec City. After Dunkin left the firm, Bethune was joined by his son, Meredith Blenkarne Bethune forming the firm Bethune & Bethune. In 1864, he was appointed Queen's Counsel. He was twice appointed Bâtonnier of Montreal (1859 and 1862).

In 1845, he married Maria Stewart Phillips. He died on March 8, 1910, in Montreal, Quebec.

Ange Eugène Betti (pseudonym Henri Betti) was a French composer and pianist, known as Maurice Chevalier’s accompanist, was born in Nice. He was the son of a house-painter father, whose family had immigrated from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and a fishmonger mother. He attended the Conservatoire de Paris. He was most active from 1941 to 1987. During 1940 to 1945 he accompanied Chevalier and wrote a total of 40 songs with lyrics by Chevalier. The Bibliothèque National de France holds 291 of his musical works. His best-known songs are “C’est Si Bon” (lyrics by André Hornez), “What Can I Do” (lyrics by Edith Piaf) and “The Windmill Song”” (lyrics by Yves Montand). In 1960 he was named Chevalier of the Ordre de Palmes-Académiques. He published his autobiography in 1993.

Born in Long Beach, California, lyricist John Bettis' interest in music began with classical training in trumpet at the age of eight. At Long Beach State College, his friendship with brother and sister Richard and Karen Carpenter developed into the three starting the “Spectrum” band, and Bettis’ talent for writing lyrics was soon revealed. In 1966, this developed into “The Carpenters” singing duo. Bettis went on to a career that spanned country, rhythm and blues, and pop in radio, film and television; writing for generations of singing stars. The ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) database credits him with 800 works. His biggest hit was “Human Nature” written for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album. Other hits were Madonna’s “Crazy for you,” the Pointer Sisters’ “Slow Hand," and the 1988 Olympics theme song (co-written with Albert Hammond), Dionne Warwick’s “One Moment in Time,” sung by Dionne Warwick. He was nominated for an Oscar for the last. He also received many Emmy and Grammy nominations and won numerous times. In 2011 he was inducted into both the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. His songs have sold 250 million records worldwide.