This Polish-French chemist and physicist Marie Skłodowska-Curie (1867-1934) changed the world of science. Her revolutionary works in the field of radioactivity and radioactive isotopes helped to develop modern x-rays and new methods of cancer treatment. She was the first female double Nobel Prize winner and gave name to the EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions.
One of the ‘founding fathers of the European Union’, the former French prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Robert Schuman (1886-1963) is mostly known for his famous declaration dated 9 May 1950. He proposed the political and economic integration of Western Europe which resulted in the creation of the European Economic Community, and later the European Union. To commemorate the Schuman Declaration, we celebrate Europe Day every year on 9 May.
The first person to brew an espresso in space, Samantha Cristoforetti (born 1977) is an Italian astronaut and military pilot who has spent almost 200 days on the International Space Station in 2014 and 2015. Until recently, it was the longest single mission for women in space. She believes the mix of ‘great education, hard work and luck’ helped her to fulfil her ‘dream of flying into space’. She took part in Erasmus+ three times, studying in Germany, France and Italy.
The British mathematician Ada Lovelace (1815-52) is recognised as the first computer programmer. Her magnum opus is an academic paper on a computer dubbed the ‘Analytical Engine’, which was never built. But her work as a visionary, from conceptualising a flying machine at age 12, to writing the first algorithm to be carried out by a machine, is still recognised today.
Post-war Italy’s Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi (1881-1954) was a founding father of the EU: ‘Europe will exist, and none of the happiness of each nation will be lost’. Born in the Italian minority in South Tyrol, he studied in Vienna and campaigned actively for European unity. Imprisoned by the fascists, he later founded the Italian People’s Part.
As prime minister of Lisbon, António Guterres (born 1949) reportedly visited slums near Lisbon to teach children maths. The engineering lecturer joined the Socialists after the dictatorship ended in 1974, and was later UN Commissioner for Refugees and president of the EU Council. Currently serving as UN Secretary-General, Guterres is keen on promoting social responsibility.
Despite the Byzantines in the east, the Pope in the south and warlords everywhere, it was the ambition of Charlemagne, or Charles the Great (742-814), to unite much of Western Europe. The ‘founder of Europe’ and Emperor of the West, this legendary Frankish king used military tactics to expand Europe as we know it. He realigned modern Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, the Netherlands, northern Italy and Spain.
With his splayed walk, bowler hat and madcap moustache, Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) was one of the most memorable entertainers of the 20th 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.
They smashed windows and went on hunger strikes, all in the tireless campaign to bring the right to vote to women in Britain. Leader of the Suffragettes Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928), incarcerated multiple times, died a month before her dream was realised. Her encouragement of women in the war effort went a long way in convincing the government of their cause.
The founder of modern nursing, Britain’s Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) rebelled against the expected role of a woman of her status in Victorian Britain, training in Germany and visiting hospitals in Paris and Rome. The support of her humanitarian efforts in the Crimean War enabled ‘the Lady with the Lamp’ to push for healthcare reform in Europe.
