Born on October 18

A prince of the House of Savoy who entered the service of the Habsburgs, Eugene of Savoy became one of the greatest military commanders of his time. As generalissimo of the imperial armies, he distinguished himself against the Ottomans and during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Ann Putnam Jr. was one of the principal accusers during the Salem witch trials of 1692, when she was only twelve years old. Her testimony contributed to the conviction of several people. In 1706, she made a public apology, acknowledging that she had been deceived by the devil.

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos was an eighteenth-century French writer and artillery officer. He is the author of the famous epistolary novel *Les Liaisons dangereuses* (1782), a cruel portrayal of the libertine intrigues of the aristocracy.

Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811) was a German writer, the author of plays, tales, and short stories. A singular figure between Classicism and Romanticism, he is famous for his tragedies and his tautly plotted short stories, before taking his own life at the age of 34.

French philosopher (1859–1941) who revolutionized modern thought by opposing intuition to rational intelligence and developing a philosophy of duration. His major works, 'Laughter' and 'The Creative Mind', explore creativity and the evolution of consciousness. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1927 for the body of his philosophical work.

American jazz singer (1919-2006), a major figure of swing and later bebop vocals. She rose to fame as the vocalist of the big bands of Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton, distinguishing herself through her rhythmic, percussive phrasing and her mastery of scat singing.

Isabelle Autissier (born in 1956) is a French sailor, the first woman to complete a solo round-the-world offshore race under sail. Trained as a fisheries engineer, she also became a writer and an advocate for ocean conservation.

Czechoslovak then American tennis player, considered one of the greatest players in history. She dominated the women's circuit in the 1970s and 1980s, winning a record number of singles and doubles titles.