Born on February 11

A French writer and scholar of the 17th–18th century, Fontenelle popularized science for the general public. Known for his Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds and his role as perpetual secretary of the Académie des sciences, he embodies the spirit of the Enlightenment.

French writer (1695-1758), pioneer of the epistolary novel in the 18th century. She is best known for her Letters from a Peruvian Woman, a major work of Enlightenment literature that critiques French society through the discerning gaze of an exotic heroine.

Son of Sacagawea and Toussaint Charbonneau, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau was born in 1805 during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He became a guide, trapper, and scout in the American West, roaming the Great Plains and the Rockies for decades.

American inventor and industrialist (1847–1931), Edison is one of the greatest innovators in history. He filed more than 1,000 patents and created the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, and the electrical distribution system.

German philosopher, student of Heidegger, founder of modern philosophical hermeneutics. His major work, Truth and Method (1960), reshaped the theory of interpretation and understanding.

Kelly Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, and later pursued a solo career and television personality work.