Born on December 26

Princess Palatine (1618–1680), daughter of King Frederick V of Bohemia. A self-taught philosopher, she engaged in a celebrated correspondence with Descartes, challenging his mind-body dualism. She ended her life as abbess of the Lutheran convent of Herford.

French general of the Grande Armée, Pierre Cambronne commanded a battalion of the Old Guard at Waterloo in 1815. He passed into legend for the “mot de Cambronne” and the phrase “The Guard dies but does not surrender.”

Scottish mathematician and scientist (1780–1872), a pioneer of science in the 19th century. She popularised the works of Laplace and contributed to celestial mechanics. Together with Caroline Herschel, she was one of the first women to be elected an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society.

British mathematician (1791–1871), Charles Babbage is the pioneer of modern computing. He designed the Analytical Engine, the first programmable machine in history, and the Difference Engine, both conceptual ancestors of the computer.

Guyanese colonial administrator (1884–1944), Félix Éboué was the first governor to rally French Equatorial Africa to Free France in 1940. Appointed Governor-General of the FEA by de Gaulle, he died in Cairo in 1944 and was interred in the Panthéon in 1949.

Chinese statesman (1893-1976) and founder of the People's Republic of China. Leader of the Chinese Communist Party, he established a communist regime and launched the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. A major figure of the 20th century, his political legacy remains complex and controversial.