Born on November 14

Duke of Normandy, William the Conqueror became King of England after his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. This event marked one of the most significant conquests of the Middle Ages and profoundly transformed English society.

German composer, violinist, and pedagogue (1719-1787), father and first teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Author of a celebrated treatise on the violin, he devoted much of his life to promoting his son's genius across Europe.

Charles Lyell was a 19th-century British geologist and a major figure in modern geology. His work 'Principles of Geology' popularized uniformitarianism, the idea that present-day geological processes explain the formation of the Earth over very long stretches of time. He had a profound influence on Charles Darwin.

Fanny Mendelssohn (1805–1847) was a German composer and virtuoso pianist, sister of Felix Mendelssohn. Despite exceptional talent recognized from childhood, the conventions of the era long prevented her from publishing her works under her own name. She composed more than 460 pieces, including lieder, chamber music, and piano works.

Joseph Guichard (1806–1880) was a French painter, a student of both Ingres and Delacroix. He was Berthe Morisot's teacher and played an important role in passing on academic techniques at the dawn of Impressionism.

French painter (1840–1926), founder of the Impressionist movement. Monet revolutionized art by capturing the effects of light and atmosphere, most notably through his series of water lilies and his famous painting "Impression, Sunrise."

French painter and designer of Ukrainian origin, co-founder with her husband Robert Delaunay of the Orphism movement. She applied colorful abstraction to painting as well as to the applied arts (fashion, textiles, design), erasing the boundary between fine art and decorative art.

Prime Minister of independent India from 1947 to 1964, Nehru was one of the architects of independence alongside Gandhi. Architect of the modern Indian state, he embodied the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War.

American composer (1900–1990) and a defining figure of 20th-century classical music. He sought to forge a distinctly American musical style by weaving together elements of jazz, folk music, and popular traditions.

An American actress of the 1920s and 1930s, Louise Brooks is celebrated for her role in Pandora's Box (1929) by G.W. Pabst. An icon of silent cinema, she is recognized for her bob haircut and her naturalistic acting style that was ahead of its time.