Who Are Some Famous Arubans?

Aruba is a gorgeous Dutch island country, cozily nestled just north of the South American Nation of Venezuela, in the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Although it's less than a hundred square miles in area, Aruba is the home of some very famous people. Some of these famous Arubans are honored in the Museo di Deporte - Sports Museum - found amongst the many museums on the island. -

Born April 10, 1960, Evelyn Farrell was 24 years, 117 days old when she participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She was the first Aruban woman to compete in the women's 100 meter athletic event. Although she ran well in the first heat with an 11.94 second effort - she did not advance to the finals.

Sidney Ponson began his American Major League Baseball career in 1998, playing for the Baltimore Orioles. Born November 2, 1976, Sidney was a pitcher who had a 95 mile-per-hour fastball. Playing for over ten years in the league, he was just recently listed as "retired" on June 18, 2010.

Sidney signed a 22.5 million dollar contract - over three years - to continue playing for Baltimore in 2004. He had managed a 14 wins and 6 losses record for the 2003 season. Throughout his MLB career, Sidney Ponson played for a total of seven different teams, including the Orioles, Cardinals, Yankees, Twins, Rangers and Royals.

The Orde van Oranje-Nassau - A Knight's Cross, civil and military honor - was awarded to Sidney Ponson and two other Arubans who also played for the Orioles. Eugene Kingsale and Calvin Maduro also received this high-honor. This "Order of Orange-Nassau" is a Dutch award - which was created in 1892 by the Queen of the Netherlands. For the Dutch, it is the equivalent of the Order of the British Empire.

Gene Kingsale, born Eugene Humphrey Kingsale, was born on August 20, 1976 in Solito, Aruba. Gene's Major League Baseball career spanned nearly seven years, from 1996 until 2003. His career batting average of . 251 shows his impressive contribution as an outfielder playing for the Orioles, Mariners, Padres and finally the Detroit Tigers.

Gene didn't only play American Major League Baseball. His repertoire shows him lending his speed and skills to The Netherlands for the 2004 Athens Olympics. He was also a member of the Netherlands national Olympic team at the - most recent - 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Born September 5, 1974, in Santa Cruz, Aruba, Calvin Maduro also pitched in the American Major League. Starting with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1996 and finishing with the Baltimore Orioles in June of 2002, Maduro managed 140 strikeouts in his five year MLB career. Calvin helped the Netherlands to finish in sixth place at the Athens Summer Olympics of 2004. Calvin currently coaches pitching with the Orioles Minor League Affiliate - Aberdeen IronBirds - who play out-of Aberdeen, Maryland in the New York-Penn League.

For a country with a tiny population of just over 100,000; this beautiful island paradise has managed to produce some rather. Whether you've been to an Olympic Games event in Athens or Beijing, or watched some baseball on television, it's likely you have come across each of these stars. Their fame is well represented - if you ever get to Aruba - at the island's sport's museum, which boasts upwards of 2000 memorable items and pictures.

Funny that Aruba seems to make great baseball players. Is the sport super popular there because of American influence. Is baseball more popular than soccer in the region?

It's good to hear that Aruba is blessed with talented baseball players. If I'm not wrong, Radhames Alviro Dykhoff also comes from Aruba. He was a good pitcher during his time.

I would never have guessed that baseball would be popular in Aruba. Because of its Dutch influence, it seems more logical that they would be producing great soccer players.

Dave Benton is a famous person from Aruba. He is a pop artist and has worked with some really famous people like Billy Ocean and Tom Jones.

He is really good. His pop music is a bit different than the pop we in the US are used to but it has a special sort of charm to it. You can really get a sense of his Aruban roots.