Born on October 12
2 figures in our catalog were born on October 12, from the earliest to the most recent.
Helena Modrzejewska
1840 — 1909
Polish actress regarded as one of the greatest tragediennes of her time. After emigrating to the United States in 1876, she pursued a brilliant career under the name Helena Modjeska, particularly in Shakespearean roles. She inspired Susan Sontag's novel 'In America'.
Edith Stein
1891 — 1942
Edith Stein, a German philosopher and student of Husserl, converted from Judaism to Catholicism and became a Carmelite nun under the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Arrested by the Nazis because of her Jewish origins, she died at Auschwitz in 1942. Beatified and then canonized by John Paul II, she is co-patroness of Europe.
Only figures whose birth day is known for certain appear here. Dates are given as the sources record them.