Born on June 29

French divisional general of the Napoleonic Wars. He took part in the major campaigns of the Empire and died at Burgos in Spain during the Peninsular War.

French statesman (1886-1963), Robert Schuman is one of the principal founding fathers of the European Union. As Foreign Minister, he proposed in 1950 the plan to create the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), laying the foundations for European integration.

French writer and aviator (1900–1944), Antoine de Saint-Exupéry left a lasting mark on 20th-century literature through his poetic and philosophical works. Author of the celebrated The Little Prince, he also explored themes of commitment, friendship, and self-transcendence through his tales of aerial adventure.

A French Resistance fighter, she organized the escape of her husband Raymond Aubrac from a Lyon prison on October 21, 1943. A committed history teacher, she became after the war a symbol of the Resistance and spent her entire life working to keep its memory alive.

A Sri Lankan politician, she was the first woman president of Sri Lanka (1994-2005). The daughter of two Prime Ministers, she sought to end the civil war between the state and the Tamil Tigers.