Born and died in 1944

American biochemist who invented the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, earning him a Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Italian association football player, screenwriter, and sporting director known for his prolific career as a striker

Lebanese politician and entrepreneur who served two non-consecutive terms as Prime Minister of Lebanon, from 1992–1998 and 2000–2004

Northern Irish statesman, barrister, and university teacher who served as the first First Minister of Northern Ireland and received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the peace process

Japanese association football player and manager who represented the Japan national team

Indian politician and pilot who served as Prime Minister of India, becoming the youngest to hold the office from 1984 to 1989

American attorney and sixth director of the FBI, known for dedicated public service as a lawyer, military officer, jurist, and official

Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as the 11th President of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012, making him the first head of state to die in office

Brazilian association football player and manager who captained the 1970 World Cup-winning team and scored one of the tournament's greatest goals

An influential English guitarist and composer known for his innovative instrumental style and genre-spanning contributions to rock, jazz fusion, and blues rock

British film director and producer known for action and thriller films like Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, and Man on Fire

British singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice, dynamic stage performances, and iconic interpretations of songs like "Feelin' Alright" and "You Are So Beautiful"

French author and Nobel laureate known for his lofty idealism, compassionate portrayals of human beings, and diverse contributions as a writer, teacher, and musicologist

Pioneer of abstraction in Western art, known for his avant-garde painting and art theory

British astrophysicist, mathematician, and philosopher known for the Eddington limit, a fundamental concept in stellar luminosity and accretion

French surgeon and biologist, Nobel laureate for vascular suturing, pioneer of organ transplantation and tissue culture

English physicist and Nobel laureate who discovered characteristic X-rays

German trade unionist and Social Democratic Party leader who served as Chancellor of Germany during the establishment of the Weimar Republic

The last Ottoman caliph and a gifted painter, known for being the only caliph elected by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and head of the Osmanoğlu family until his death in Paris

Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the second president of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944, and the first to head a government of the entire Philippines

French writer, aviator, and poet known for the beloved novella The Little Prince and his adventurous life as a pilot and journalist

Shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the Pahlavi Dynasty, who rose from an army officer to become a prominent politician and monarch

German aristocrat, military officer, and resistance fighter known for his attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler during Operation Valkyrie

French historian, medievalist, and a founding member of the Annales School who also served as a French resistance fighter