Born on This Day: December 13

German poet whose lyricism, irony, and political writing influenced European literature.

German inventor and industrialist whose electrical technologies helped build modern communications and power industries.

American first lady whose life provides a complex record of the Civil War presidency and nineteenth-century womanhood.

Canadian artist and writer whose work portrayed Indigenous villages and Pacific Northwest landscapes, though through a colonial lens.

American poet and artist whose experimental works influenced literary and visual culture.

American boxer whose longevity and record-setting career influenced modern sport.

American actor whose work in television, film, and musical comedy has influenced generations of performers.

Canadian actor whose stage and screen career became a model of classical and modern performance.