French general and statesman, Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), was the leader of Free France during World War II. From 1944 to 1946, he led the Provisional Government of the French Republic. The founder of the Fifth Republic, de Gaulle was elected President of France in 1958, a position he held until his resignation in 1969.
2. Paris World's Fair in 1889
Answer: Gustave Eiffel
Gustave Eiffel (1882-1923) was a French civil engineer. He designed bridges and railway networks and the Garabit viaduct. He was born in Dijon (no, he did not have any Grey Poupon) and was responsible for a tower built for the 1889 Universal Exposition, i.e., the Eiffel Tower. He also had a hand in the Statue of Liberty.
3. Raised dots
Answer: Louis Braille
French educator and inventor, Louis Braille (1809-1852), created a system of raised dots which allowed the blind and visually impaired to read and write. This system, called simply 'braille', is still in use today. It has changed the lives of millions of disabled people, enabling them to function in society.
4. "The Kiss"
Answer: Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) was a French sculptor. He is considered by many to be the forefather of modern sculpture. Among his amazing creations are "The Kiss"
created in 1889, and the world-famous work of art, i.e., "The Thinker", from 1902. There is a museum dedicated to Rodin, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
5. Reign of Terror
Answer: Maximilien Robespierre
One of the best known figures of the French Revolution was lawyer and politician, Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794). He was a radical Jacobin leader of the Revolutionary government during the Reign of Terror, between 1793 and 1794. On July 28, 1794, Robespierre was put to death by guillotine.
6. "Cogito ergo sum"
Answer: Rene Descartes
Most of us learned about the French philosopher, Rene Descartes (1596-1650), in school. Often called "the father of modern western philosophy", his writings gave us the starting point for existence with "I think, therefore I am." He was also a mathematician who gave the world the system of Cartesian coordinates.
7. Ballet dancers
Answer: Edgar Degas
Have you ever seen pictures of graceful ballet dancers, painted with soft muted colors? If they were in a museum, they might have been painted by French artist Edgar Degas (1834-1917); dancers were depicted in more than half of his works. Regarded as one of the founders of 'impressionism', he called himself a 'realist'.
8. Explorer of Canada
Answer: Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier (1491-1557) was a French navigator who was the first European to explore the St. Lawrence River, which he called "The Country of Canadas", after an Iroquois name. His discoveries in the New World, during the 1530s and 1540s, led to his claiming the Canadian territory for France.
9. Bip the Clown
Answer: Marcel Marceau
There are very few people who can be identified by one word. When you speak the word 'mime', the one person who comes to mind is Marcel Marceau (1923-2007). Marceau was a French actor who initially appeared on stage as 'Bip the Clown'. He became world famous, on stage and screen, for over 60 years, without a word!
10. Mechanical calculator
Answer: Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a renaissance man, during the actual Renaissance!
He was a mathematician, physicist, theologian, inventor and writer. When he was still in his teens, in 1642, he began developing a calculating machine, making him one of the first inventors of the mechanical calculator.
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