Born on January 26

Japanese Buddhist monk of the 13th century, founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan. After a stay in China, he taught the practice of seated meditation (zazen) and wrote the Shōbōgenzō, a major work of Buddhist thought.

Heroine of Colombian independence (c. 1795–1817), nicknamed "La Pola". A seamstress and patriot spy, she recruited soldiers for the independence cause. Captured by the Spanish, she was executed by firing squad in Bogotá on November 14, 1817.

Bessie Coleman (1892–1926) was the first African American woman to earn a pilot's license, obtaining it in France in 1921 because no American school would accept her due to her race and gender. She became a celebrated stunt aviator before dying in a plane crash.

Paul Newman was an American actor and a major figure of Hollywood cinema in the second half of the 20th century. Renowned for his charisma and the exceptional longevity of his career, he was also a racing driver and a committed philanthropist.

African-American civil rights activist, philosopher, and university professor born in 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama. An iconic figure of the Black Power movement and intersectional feminism, she was imprisoned in 1970 before being acquitted. She remains a leading voice against systemic racism and social inequality.

An American immunologist, Kizzmekia Corbett played a central role in developing the mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 at the NIH. Her work ushered in a new era in vaccination.