1. Dr. Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba, Laguna to Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso Realonda.
2. He studied at Ateneo Municipal de Manila where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1877. He then studied medicine, philosophy, and literature at the University of Santo Tomas and the University of Madrid.
3. Rizal was a prolific writer and authored novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo which criticized the abuses of the Spanish colonial government. He was executed by firing squad on December 30, 1896 at the age of 35 in Manila.