Born on September 23

A woman of the French bourgeoisie whom Gustave Flaubert met at Trouville in 1836, when he was fifteen years old. This encounter left a lasting mark on the writer: she inspired the character of Madame Arnoux in Sentimental Education.

Emily Warren Roebling was an American pioneer of civil engineering. When her husband, chief engineer Washington Roebling, was struck by caisson disease, she took over the technical supervision of the Brooklyn Bridge construction until its completion in 1883.

Alfred Boucher (1850-1934) was a French sculptor born in Nogent-sur-Seine, a student of Paul Dubois and Auguste Dumont. He is particularly known for encouraging young artists, including Camille Claudel, and for founding La Ruche, an artists' colony in Paris.

Suzanne Valadon was a French painter and engraver, a former model for the great artists of Montmartre who became a leading self-taught artist. She was one of the first women admitted to the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and the mother of the painter Maurice Utrillo.

Asima Chatterjee (1917-2006) was a pioneering Indian chemist who specialized in the chemistry of natural products and medicinal plants. She was the first woman to receive a Doctor of Science degree from an Indian university.

Ray Charles was an American singer, pianist, and composer, blind since childhood. A pioneer of soul, he blended gospel, blues, jazz, and rhythm and blues, becoming one of the major figures of 20th-century popular music.