Miriam Amanda Wallace "Ma" Ferguson (June 13, 1875 – June 25, 1961) was the first female Governor of Texas in 1925. She held office until 1927, later winning another term in 1933 and serving until 1935.

Ferguson was born Miriam Amanda Wallace in Bell County, Texas. She studied at Salado College and Baylor Female College. When she was 24, she married James Edward Ferguson, who was then a lawyer.

She got her nickname "Ma" partly from her initials "M. A.", and also because her husband was known as "Pa" Ferguson.

James Ferguson served as Governor of Texas from 1915 to 1917. However, he was impeached, convicted, and removed from office during his second term. As part of his conviction, he was not allowed to hold state office in Texas again.

After her husband's impeachment and conviction, Ma Ferguson ran herself as a Democrat for the office. She told voters that said she would follow the advice of her husband and Texas thus would get "two governors for the price of one." A common campaign slogan was, "Me for Ma, and I Ain't Got a Durned Thing Against Pa." Against the odds, Ma Ferguson was elected governor, becoming the first female chief executive of Texas. Ferguson was elected with the help and support of her campaign manager, Homer T. Brannon of Ft. Worth, Texas.

Miriam (Hebrew: מִרְיָם, Modern Miryam Tiberian Miryām ; Arabic: مريم (Maryam); see Miriam (given name)) was the sister of Moses and Aaron, and the daughter of Amram and Jochebed. She appears first in the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible.

At her mother Jochebed's request, Miriam hid her baby brother Moses by the side of a river to evade the Pharaoh’s order that newborn Hebrew boys be killed. She watched as the Pharaoh’s daughter discovered the infant and decided to adopt him. Miriam then suggested that the princess take on a nurse for the child, and suggested Jochebed; as a result, Moses was raised to be familiar with his background as a Hebrew. (Exodus 2:1-10)

Miriam is called a prophetess, and is traditionally believed to have sung a brief victory song after Pharaoh’s army was drowned in the Red Sea (Exodus 15:20-21).

“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
Horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”

It is considered by many that this poetic couplet is one of the oldest parts of the Biblical account.

Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, and producer. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS. In addition to hosting that program and performing stand-up comedy, Ferguson has written two books: Between the Bridge and the River, a novel, and American on Purpose, a memoir. He became a citizen of the United States in 2008.

Before his career as a late-night television host, Ferguson was best known in the United States for his role as the office boss, Nigel Wick, on The Drew Carey Show from 1996 to 2003. He also wrote and starred in three films, directing one of them.

Ferguson was born in the Stobhill Hospital in the Springburn district of Glasgow, Scotland to Robert and Janet Ferguson, and raised in nearby Cumbernauld, growing up "chubby and bullied". When he was six months old, he and his family moved from their Springburn apartment to a council house in Cumbernauld. They lived there as Glasgow was re-housing many people following damage to the city from World War II. Ferguson attended Muirfield Primary School and Cumbernauld High School. At age sixteen, Ferguson dropped out of Cumbernauld High School and began an apprenticeship to be an electronics technician at a local factory of American company Burroughs Corporation.

Miriam Shor (born July 25, 1971) is an American film, stage, and television actress.

Shor was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has described herself as "half Jewish but not really religious" (her father was Jewish). She speaks fluent Yiddish as well as Italian. Her parents divorced when she was 7, and she alternated between living in Turin, Italy (with her mother), and suburban Detroit (with her father). She later attended the University of Michigan where she received her B.F.A. in drama.^{[citation needed]}

Shor moved to New York City and landed a series of stage roles, most notably Hedwig and the Angry Inch. In 2000 she starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom Then Came You. She subsequently appeared in guest spots on such programs as My Name Is Earl and The West Wing, and accepted supporting roles in the Harold Ramis comedy remake Bedazzled (2000) and the 2001 cinematization of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, reprising her role of Yitzhak.

In 2006, she starred in the ABC television series Big Day and in the movie Shortbus. In 2007, Shor lent a supporting role to Mary Stuart Masterson's directorial debut, the slice-of-life drama The Cake Eaters. The following year, she scored a regular part on the '70s-set prime-time CBS drama series Swingtown as Janet Thompson. The show was later canceled due to a negative reception and low ratings.

Michelle Lynn Monaghan (born March 23, 1976) is an American actress known for her roles in Mission: Impossible III, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Gone Baby Gone, Made of Honor, The Heartbreak Kid, Eagle Eye, and Source Code.

Monaghan was born in Winthrop, Iowa. Her mother, Sharon (née Hammel), ran a day care center in the family's home, and her father, Robert Monaghan, was a factory worker and part time farmer. She has two older brothers, Bob and John, and her family also brought up twelve foster children over a period of twelve years. Monaghan is of Irish and German descent and was raised Catholic. She graduated from East Buchanan High School, Class of 1994, where she was class president and acted in several plays. After graduation, she moved to Chicago to study journalism at Columbia College Chicago. While studying, she began modeling: she worked in the United States, Milan, Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong. With one semester remaining in her journalism degree in 1999 she left for New York to pursue an acting career. Before her TV debut she appeared as a model in several magazines and catalogs.