Born on April 6

Charlemagne (742-814) was a Frankish king who became the first Emperor of the West. He founded the Carolingian Empire and established an education policy that shaped the Middle Ages. His reign was marked by major territorial conquests and cultural reforms.

A 12th-century Jewish philosopher, theologian, and physician, Maimonides is one of the greatest figures of medieval Jewish thought. Born in Al-Andalus and settled in Egypt, he synthesized Aristotelian philosophy with rabbinical theology in his major work, the Guide for the Perplexed.

French jurist and politician (1746–1814), Grand Judge and Minister of Justice under the First Empire. A loyal servant of Napoleon, he was created Duke of Massa in 1809 and contributed to the organization of the Napoleonic judicial system.

French aristocrat (1756-1808), senator of the First Empire and grand officer of the Legion of Honor. Born into a great noble family, he navigated the transition from the Ancien Régime to the Napoleonic institutions.

Félix Nadar (1820–1910) was a French photographer, caricaturist, and aeronaut. A pioneer of photography, he produced the first photographic portraits of the artists and intellectuals of his time, and took the first aerial photographs from a balloon.

Gustave Moreau was a French painter and a major figure of Symbolism. His work, populated with mythological and biblical figures rendered with ornamental richness and a dreamlike quality, left a deep mark on the late 19th century. As a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts, he notably taught Matisse and Rouault.

Gerry Mulligan (1927-1996) was an American baritone saxophonist, composer, and arranger, a major figure of cool jazz. He made his mark with his pianoless quartet formed with trumpeter Chet Baker and with his participation in the founding sessions of “cool” jazz.