Born on May 17

Bartholomew Roberts, known as “Black Bart,” was a Welsh pirate considered the most prolific of the Golden Age of Piracy. In barely three years (1719–1722), he captured more than 400 ships across the Atlantic and the Caribbean before being killed in battle by the Royal Navy.

British aristocrat (1792–1860), self-taught mathematician and philanthropist, she married the poet Lord Byron in 1815 before separating from him a year later. She went on to dedicate herself to popular education and social reform, and is the mother of Ada Lovelace, pioneer of computing.

French composer and pianist, a singular figure in music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A pioneer through his bareness and his humor, he influenced Debussy, Ravel, and the 20th-century avant-gardes.

Jean Gabin (1904–1976) is one of the greatest French actors of the 20th century. He rose to fame in the 1930s with films such as La Bête humaine and La Grande Illusion, embodying the myth of the working-class man — tough yet sensitive.

Swedish dramatic soprano (1918–2005), considered the greatest Wagnerian interpreter of the 20th century. Her voice, exceptional in both power and clarity, brought her triumphs at Bayreuth, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the world's most prestigious concert halls.

A pioneering American computer scientist in object-oriented programming, Alan Kay designed the Smalltalk language and envisioned the concept of a portable personal computer (the Dynabook) in the 1970s. His work at the Xerox PARC laboratories transformed modern computing.