Born on July 14

A Hungarian princess who became Landgravine of Thuringia, Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) devoted her life to the poor and the sick. Widowed at a very young age, she joined the Franciscan Third Order and founded a hospital, becoming a major figure of medieval Christian charity.

Cardinal and chief minister of state of France, he governed the kingdom during Louis XIV's minority under the regency of Anne of Austria. Richelieu's successor, he signed the Treaties of Westphalia and overcame the Fronde to consolidate the monarchy.

Imperial general born in 1776, he lost a leg at the Battle of Wagram (1809). Governor of the Château de Vincennes, he refused to surrender it to the Allies in 1814 and 1815, delivering his famous retort about his leg. He died of cholera in 1832.

Aristide Boucicaut (1810-1877) was a French entrepreneur who founded Le Bon Marché in Paris in 1852, inventing the concept of the modern department store. He revolutionized retail by introducing fixed prices, free entry, and clearance sales.

Florence Bascom (1862-1945) was an American geologist and a pioneer of the Earth sciences. The first woman to earn a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University (1893) and the first woman hired by the US Geological Survey, she was a recognized specialist in mineralogy and petrography.

The Kiss, Vienna Secession, Art Nouveau

British explorer, archaeologist, and diplomat (1868–1926), she traveled extensively across the Middle East and played a decisive role in the creation of modern Iraq after the First World War. Nicknamed “the Queen of the Desert,” she was one of the first women to exert major political influence in the region.

Italian writer (1916–1991), a major figure of twentieth-century literature. Author of *Lessico famigliare* (1963), she explores family memory, identity, and everyday life with spare prose. Committed to fighting fascism, she lived through exile and the Resistance.

Swedish film director, screenwriter, and theater director (1918–2007), considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history. His work explores faith, death, solitude, and human relationships with unparalleled psychological intensity.

Marcel Gotlib (1934-2011) was a French comic book artist and writer, a major figure in humorous comics. Co-founder of satirical magazines, he left his mark on popular culture with his absurd, parodic humor.

Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun of the Tibetan tradition and a disciple of Chögyam Trungpa. A bestselling author, she is one of the leading figures in the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in the West.

Unsuk Chin (born 1961 in Seoul) is a South Korean composer of contemporary classical music. A student of György Ligeti in Hamburg, she has established herself as one of the most original voices in contemporary art music, blending Korean influences with the European avant-garde.