Born on October 9

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was a major Italian composer of the Romantic era, creator of world-famous operas such as Rigoletto, La Traviata, and Aida. His musical work accompanied the unification of Italy and remains at the heart of the European operatic repertoire.

Emil Fischer (1852-1919) was a German chemist regarded as one of the founders of modern organic chemistry. His work on sugars, purines, and proteins earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1902.

French army officer of Alsatian and Jewish origin (1859–1935). He was wrongly accused of espionage in 1894, triggering the Dreyfus Affair, one of the greatest political crises of the Third Republic. His innocence was officially recognized in 1906, marking a turning point in the fight against antisemitism in France.

Swiss painter and architect (1874–1946), Charles L'Eplattenier was the founding master of the School of Art in La Chaux-de-Fonds. He is best known for being the teacher of the young Le Corbusier, whom he introduced to Art Nouveau and the decorative arts.

Senegalese poet, writer, and statesman (1906–2001), Senghor was the first president of independent Senegal. A leading theorist of the Négritude movement, he championed a humanist vision of African culture and left a lasting mark on twentieth-century Francophone literature.