Born on October 27

American statesman, 26th President of the United States (1901-1909). A leading figure of progressivism, he championed the regulation of the great industrial trusts and was a pioneer of nature conservation in the United States.

American painter and a major figure of Abstract Expressionism. A pioneer of the movement in New York, she developed a powerful body of work that was long overshadowed by that of her husband Jackson Pollock, before finally being fully recognized.

Roy Lichtenstein was an American painter, a leading figure of pop art alongside Andy Warhol. He is famous for his canvases inspired by comic strips, reproducing Ben-Day dots and speech bubbles on a large scale.

A French doctor and biologist, Alain Bombard crossed the Atlantic in 1952 aboard an inflatable dinghy without provisions or water, to prove that a castaway could survive at sea. Having become a popular hero, he also served as a Member of the European Parliament and Secretary of State for the Environment.

American poet and novelist (1932–1963), a major figure in confessional poetry. Author of The Bell Jar and the collection Ariel, she explores with striking intensity the themes of female identity, psychological suffering, and literary creation.