Born on July 28

An Italian poet and humanist of the 14th century, Petrarch is considered the father of humanism. Deeply passionate about ancient Latin authors, he rediscovered and copied numerous forgotten manuscripts. His poetic work, particularly the Canzoniere dedicated to Laura, profoundly influenced European literature.

Robert Hooke was a 17th-century English polymath and scientist, a pioneer of microscopy. His work *Micrographia* (1665) revealed the microscopic world, and he introduced the term “cell.” He also formulated the law of elasticity that bears his name.

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was a French artist and a major figure of 20th-century art. The inventor of the readymade, he overturned the very definition of the work of art and profoundly influenced conceptual and contemporary art.