Born on October 30

John Adams (1735-1826) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and statesman, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Vice President under George Washington, he became the second President of the United States (1797-1801). A key figure of the American Revolution, he contributed to the drafting of the Constitution.

Paul Valéry (1871-1945) was a French poet, essayist and philosopher, a major figure of late Symbolist poetry. The author of the celebrated poem *The Graveyard by the Sea*, he was elected to the Académie française in 1925 and embodied the ideal of the intellectual meditating on creation and knowledge.

Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was an American poet and critic, a major figure of English-language literary modernism. A driving force behind Imagism, he influenced an entire generation of writers and left behind a monumental, unfinished work, the Cantos.

Spanish poet and playwright born in 1910 in Orihuela into a modest family of goatherds. A committed supporter of the Republican side during the civil war, he died of tuberculosis in 1942 in Franco's prisons. He embodies the popular, militant poetry of his generation.

Jacques Faizant (1918-2006) was a French press cartoonist and political caricaturist. Long featured on the front page of *Le Figaro*, he is famous for his chatty little old ladies and his depictions of Marianne symbolizing the Republic.

French filmmaker (1932–1995), a major figure of art-house cinema. Close to the French New Wave without formally belonging to it, he directed bold works such as *Lacombe Lucien* (1974) and *Au Revoir les Enfants* (1987), exploring the memory of the German Occupation.

American epigrapher and archaeologist (1942–1998), pioneer in the decipherment of Maya writing. Her work revolutionized our understanding of Maya history, cosmology, and dynasties.

Argentine footballer considered one of the greatest players in history. An exceptional playmaker, he led Argentina to victory at the 1986 World Cup. He became a worldwide popular icon, and his career was marked by both genius and excess.