Born on December 19

Serbian mathematician and physicist (1875–1948), the first woman admitted to the physics program at the Zurich Polytechnic. First wife of Albert Einstein, she collaborated on his *annus mirabilis* papers of 1905, though her exact contribution remains debated.

Yvette Cauchois (1908-1999) was a French physicist and chemist, a pioneer of X-ray spectroscopy. She designed the curved-crystal spectrograph that bears her name and was one of the first women to head a major scientific laboratory in France.

Born Édith Giovanna Gassion in 1915 in Paris, Édith Piaf became one of the most celebrated French singers of the 20th century. Nicknamed 'La Môme Piaf' (The Little Sparrow), she is the defining figure of French chanson réaliste and achieved worldwide fame.

Pratibha Patil is an Indian politician born in 1934 who became the first female President of India from 2007 to 2012. Trained as a lawyer, she was active within the Indian National Congress party and held numerous government positions before reaching the country's highest office.

Alyssa Milano is an American actress who rose to fame on television in the 1980s and 1990s. In October 2017, she revived the #MeToo hashtag on social media, helping to turn it into a global movement against sexual violence.