Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the 16th President of the United States. He led the country through the Civil War and abolished slavery in the United States in 1863 with the Emancipation Proclamation.

German-born physicist who became Swiss and later American (1879–1955), Albert Einstein revolutionized physics by developing the theories of special and general relativity. He is the author of the famous equation E=mc² and received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his work on the photoelectric effect.

A pioneering American aviator of the 20th century, Amelia Earhart made history in aviation by becoming the first woman to cross the Atlantic by plane in 1928. She disappeared in 1937 during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe along the equator, becoming a legendary figure in the history of aerial exploration.

African-American jazz singer

An American writer of the 19th century, Edgar Allan Poe is the undisputed master of the gothic tale and horror literature. His psychological short stories and dark poems deeply influenced world literature and laid the foundations of the modern detective genre.

American businesswoman (1906–2004)

President of the United States from 1933 to 1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt led the country through the Great Depression and World War II. He implemented the New Deal, a sweeping program of social and economic reforms, and played a decisive role in the Allied victory.

abolitionist orator and writer, leader of the African-American community in the 19th century

German-born American philosopher (1906–1975), Hannah Arendt is one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. A refugee in the United States after fleeing Nazism, she developed a critical analysis of totalitarianism, political violence, and the human condition in the modern world.

Austrian-born American actress, producer, and scientist

American dancer (1877-1927)

British and American biologists who discovered the structure of DNA in 1953. Their work revolutionized the understanding of heredity and laid the foundations of modern molecular biology.

President of the United States from 1961 to 1963, John F. Kennedy embodies the political modernity of the 20th century. His term was marked by critical moments of the Cold War, notably the Cuban Missile Crisis, and by his commitment to civil rights before his assassination in Dallas.

Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist (1903–1957), pioneer of modern computing and game theory. He is the founding architect of the programmable digital computer and contributed to the development of nuclear energy.

French singer, dancer, and revue performer of American origin

American chef and television host

African-American physicist, mathematician, and space engineer

Franco-American sculptor

First self-made female millionaire in the USA, born to formerly enslaved parents

American physician and astronaut

French writer (1903–1987), Marguerite Yourcenar is the author of Memoirs of Hadrian, a masterpiece of 20th-century literature. The first woman elected to the Académie française in 1980, she left a lasting mark on literature through her reflections on history and humanity.

La Divina, the most celebrated opera soprano of the 20th century

African-American Baptist pastor (1929–1968) and major leader of the civil rights movement in the United States. He championed nonviolence and racial equality, becoming one of the most influential figures of the 20th century before his assassination.

American astronaut (1930-2012), Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Commander of the Apollo 11 mission, he marked a major turning point in space exploration and the Cold War.

French artist, painter, and sculptor

Serbian-American inventor and engineer (1856-1943), Nikola Tesla is one of the central figures of the electrical revolution. His work on alternating current and his technological innovations transformed modern electricity and energy transmission.

American jazz singer, pianist, composer, and civil rights activist for Black people

Rosa Parks est une militante afro-américaine du mouvement des droits civiques, née en 1913 en Alabama. Elle devient célèbre en 1955 en refusant de céder son siège à un passager blanc dans un bus à Montgomery, acte de désobéissance civile qui déclenche le boycott des bus et accélère la fin de la ségrégation raciale aux États-Unis.

afro-Américaine militante abolitionniste et du droit des femmes

Écrivaine afro-américaine majeure du XXe siècle, Toni Morrison est l'auteure de romans fondamentaux explorant l'expérience des Afro-Américains, notamment l'esclavage et ses traumatismes. Elle a reçu le prix Nobel de littérature en 1993, première femme noire à recevoir cet honneur.