Born on January 31

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) was an Austrian composer of the early Romantic period, who wrote more than 600 lieder, symphonies, and chamber music. Despite his short life, he left behind a body of work of exceptional richness, distinguished by its melodic gift and emotional depth.

Anna Pavlova (1881-1931) was a Russian ballerina considered one of the greatest classical dancers in history. Trained at the Imperial Ballet School in Saint Petersburg, she conquered stages around the world and helped bring the art of classical ballet to an international audience.

Freya Stark was a British explorer and writer who travelled through the most remote regions of the Middle East in the twentieth century. The first Western woman to reach certain valleys of Arabia and Iran, she published numerous travel narratives combining scholarship and adventure. Her work helped introduce the Arab world to European readers.

French writer and journalist (1920-2016), a major figure of feminism in France. Author of *Ainsi soit-elle* (1975), she campaigned throughout her life for women's rights and gender equality.

Japanese writer born in 1935, a major figure in post-war Japanese literature. His work, deeply shaped by the birth of his disabled son and by the memory of Hiroshima, earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1994.

Philip Glass is an American composer born in 1937, a major figure of minimalist music. He made his name with operas and film scores built on repetitive, hypnotic structures.

Dutch computer scientist born in 1956, Guido van Rossum is the creator of the Python programming language, which he began developing in 1989. Python is today one of the most widely used languages in the world, particularly in programming education and artificial intelligence.

Preity Zinta is an Indian actress born on January 31, 1975, in Shimla. She rose to fame with the film Dil Se (1998) and became one of Bollywood's most popular actresses throughout the 2000s. She is also known for her humanitarian work and international career.