Formed in Stockholm in 1972, ABBA have sold millions of disco records worldwide. The synth-heavy four-piece won Eurovision in 1974 with their song Waterloo. Named after the two singer/composer couples - Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid - the pop maximalists dominated the charts in the 1970s and 80s, and provided the inspiration for the Mamma Mia! musical and subsequent film.

Visceral, extravagant and transcendent, seven of architect Antoni Gaudí i Cornet’s (1852-1926) works are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Raised in Barcelona, work on the Catalan Modernist’s imposing Sagrada Família cathedral is still unfinished. Be they asymmetrical facades or mosaic-encrusted parks, his work is both personal and eclectic.

Paul David Hewson (born 1960), better known as Bono, is the frontman of one of Europe’s most famous bands, U2, and a committed social activist and entrepreneur. His ‘ONE’ campaign actively advocates debt relief to eradicate poverty in Africa, as well as aiming to raise awareness of HIV. He also runs EDUN – a fair trade clothing company. For his civic engagement he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize twice, and in 2005 was named one of the Time ‘Persons of the Year’.

With his splayed walk, bowler hat and madcap moustache, Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) was one of the most memorable entertainers of the 20^th century. Born in poverty in London, he performed eccentric characters such as the drunken tramp or the great dictator with pathos and comedy. As Hollywood’s silent cinema moved into ‘talkies’, he continued work as a writer, composer and director.

Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia (1965-2017) was a Maltese investigative journalist who was assassinated for her work uncovering corruption. She garnered international attention when she published links to offshore tax evasion in her tiny island nation. A prominent columnist and editor in the Maltese media, she set up her blog Running Commentary in 2008.

Born in Crete (Candia) under Venetian rule, the Greek artist El Greco (1541-1614) – real name Domenikos Theotokopoulos – was an iconographer trained in the Byzantine tradition. He lived in Venice, Rome, and Toledo, where he set up a studio and produced devotional paintings. The Old Master’s modern work was infused with sorrow and spirituality.

Influenced by Bach and Mozart, the 19th century Romantic composer Fryderyk Chopin (1810-49) was a virtuoso pianist - emotive, delicate and technically complex in his reinvention of traditional folk music in the mazurkas, and in his piano miniatures in the Nocturnes. His music reflected his patriotism for occupied Poland, particularly in his famous ‘Revolutionary Étude’.

The name ‘George Orwell’ (1903-50) has become synonymous with politically oppressive or dystopian events, largely as a result of his novels 1984 and Animal Farm. Writing under a pseudonym, Eric Arthur Blair also wrote memoirs of his travels around Europe. Born in British India, he lived in Paris, fought in the Spanish civil war, and was pro-’European unity’.

From soprano singer to organist and composer, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) created masterpieces in every Baroque genre. Augmenting established German musical styles, he declared his 200 cantatas ‘for the glory of God alone’. His music influenced modern genres, and is infused by tragedy in his life; as an orphan, or in his violin solo after losing his wife.

Often described as the greatest mind the world has produced, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was an Italian Renaissance painter, scientist and inventor. His achievements laid the ground for the development of innovations seen by his contemporaries as impossible, such as mechanical engines, cranes, parachutes, helicopters, and bicycles.

German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) created some of the world’s best musical masterpieces such as Moonlight Sonata or Für Elise. Despite the loss of his hearing, he wrote music that evoked the spirit of humanism: admiration for life, human strength and the power of solidarity. His 9th Symphony accompanied by Friedrich Schiller’s lyrical verse, Ode to Joy, was chosen as the European anthem.

Maria Callas (1923-77), one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20^th century, is still classical music’s best-selling soprano. Her vocal abilities revived opera works long dropped from repertoires. Her temperament, dramatic versatility and devotion to art contributed to her image as “La Divina”.