Born on October 24

French explorer and writer (1868-1969), Alexandra David-Néel was the first Western woman to reach Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, in 1924. A passionate Orientalist, she devoted her life to exploring and studying Asian cultures, particularly Tibetan Buddhism.

Luciano Berio (1925-2003) was an Italian composer, a major figure in contemporary music and the postwar avant-garde. A pioneer of electroacoustic music, he is known for his explorations of the human voice and his virtuosic instrumental writing.

A Russian-Tatar composer born in 1931, Sofia Gubaidulina is one of the leading figures of contemporary music. Her deeply spiritual work blends Eastern and Western influences, and was long marginalized in the USSR.

Serbian-American economist specializing in the study of income inequality on a global scale. A former lead economist in the World Bank's research department, he is one of the leading contemporary theorists on the measurement of global inequality.