Born on May 1

Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504) unified Spain by marrying Ferdinand II of Aragon, forming the Catholic Monarchs. She financed Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492, opening the era of conquest in the Americas. Her reign was marked by the establishment of the Spanish Inquisition and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain.

Martha Jane Cannary (c. 1852-1903), known as Calamity Jane, was a scout, stagecoach driver, and iconic figure of the American conquest of the West. A legend in her own lifetime, she performed in Wild West shows and was associated with the gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok.

Spanish histologist and neuroscientist

French actress born in 1917 and died in 2017, Danielle Darrieux is one of the greatest stars of French cinema. Her exceptional eight-decade career saw her work under the direction of the finest filmmakers.

Evelyn Boyd Granville was an American mathematician, one of the first African American women to earn a doctorate in mathematics in the United States (Yale, 1949). She contributed to the American space programs by developing trajectory analyses for the Vanguard, Mercury, and Apollo missions.

Shirley Horn (1934-2005) was an American jazz pianist and singer. Famous for her intimate phrasing and very slow tempos, she accompanied herself on the piano and achieved late but dazzling recognition in the 1990s.

An American sociologist and feminist, Patricia Hill Collins is one of the leading theorists of Black feminist thought. She developed the concept of intersectionality as applied to the relationships between race, gender, and social class.

French playwright, novelist, and actress born in 1959, Yasmina Reza made her mark with *Art* (1994), a philosophical comedy about friendship and the value of art. Her plays, translated into more than 35 languages, sharply examine the cracks in human relationships and social hypocrisies.

Wes Anderson is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer born in 1969 in Texas. Recognizable by his highly codified visual style — symmetry, pastel palettes, and meticulous framing — he is the author of bittersweet comedies that have become cult classics.