Born on February 18

Italian physicist (1745–1827), Alessandro Volta invented the electric battery in 1800, the first source of direct current in history. His work on electricity revolutionized experimental physics and paved the way for electrochemistry.

A 19th-century Bengali Hindu mystic and saint, a priest of the goddess Kali at the Dakshineswar temple near Calcutta. His spiritual quest led him to experience several religious paths (Hinduism, Islam, Christianity) and to teach the fundamental unity of all religions. He was the spiritual master of Vivekananda.

Paul Klee was a Swiss-German painter and a major figure of modern art. Close to the Bauhaus and Der Blaue Reiter, he developed a unique pictorial language blending abstraction, color, and poetry. His body of work, comprising nearly 10,000 pieces, had a lasting influence on 20th-century art.

A towering figure of 20th-century African American literature, Toni Morrison wrote landmark novels exploring the Black American experience, particularly slavery and its lasting trauma. She received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, becoming the first Black woman to be awarded that honor.

Yoko Ono is a Japanese artist born in 1933 in Tokyo, a major figure in conceptual art and the Fluxus movement. A peace activist, she is also known for her artistic and political commitment alongside John Lennon. Her work explores audience participation, peace, and memory.

Audre Lorde (1934-1992) was an American poet, essayist, and activist, a leading figure in Black feminism and the civil rights struggle. She theorized intersectionality before the term existed, championing the rights of Black women, LGBT people, and the oppressed.