France

French physicist and astronomer who invented the Foucault pendulum, measured the speed of light, discovered eddy currents, and named the gyroscope

German-born French composer, cellist, and impresario known for his influential operettas and the opera The Tales of Hoffmann

French statesman who served King Louis XIV and developed Colbertism, a variant of mercantilism that organized the country's politics and markets

King of France from 1498 to 1515, also known as Louis of Orléans, who briefly reigned as King of Naples

Prolific French novelist, memoirist, and journalist of the European Romantic era, known for her more than 70 novels and activism

French chemist, physicist, and Nobel laureate who, with her husband, discovered induced radioactivity and advanced nuclear physics

Italian and naturalized French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer known for significant contributions to analysis, number theory, and mechanics

French physicist, engineer, and military officer known for Coulomb's law, describing electrostatic attraction and repulsion, and for pioneering work in friction and soil mechanics

French sociologist, philosopher, and cultural theorist known for his analyses of media, contemporary culture, and concepts like hyperreality

French actor, theatre director, painter, and sculptor, renowned as Jean Cocteau's muse and a major post-war film star, recognized for his contributions to French cinema

First Valois King of France, reigning from 1328 to 1350, whose rule began with a significant succession dispute

French inventor and photographer who developed heliography and created the world's oldest surviving photograph of a real-world scene