Misia Sert

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Berta Zuckerkandl

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Anna B. Aemisegger-Giezendanner

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Delphine Seyrig

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Alexandrine Tinné

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Melina Mercouri

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Doris Humphrey

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Katharine Mary Briggs

born November 8, 1898, Hampstead, London, England
died October 15, 1980, St. Margaret’s Bay, England

British folklorist, scholar, and author
50. day of death on 15 October, 2020

“She had a way with a story that put me in mind of the powers of story-tellers in earlier ages and simpler conditions.  She wooed you with a tale.  I can hear in my inner ear that purring tone with a tiny lisp, that went on so softly that you daren’t stir.” This memory of Katharine Briggs, by a friend from her student days at Oxford University, goes to the heart of her life’s work.  Briggs is well known today for an ambitious project that she began in the 1960s, to collect and publish all the native British folk-tales in English she could find.  As an established authority on folk-tales, and on the relations of beliefs in fairies and other supernatural beings with English literature, she was more than up to the task.  From an early age, Katharine Briggs had a passion for telling stories, and a special affinity for the world of the imagination.  Throughout her life – in creative childhood games, in amateur dramatics, in scholarly studies of folk and fairy lore, in many books…read more

Erna Berger

born on October 19, 1900 in Cossebaude near Dresden, the German Empire
died on June 14, 1990 in Essen, West Germany

German singer
35th anniversary of her death on June 14, 2025
125th birthday on October 19, 2025

“She is music, through and through…the best.“ This was how Wilhelm Furtwängler described Erna Berger. She was without a doubt one of the great singers of the last century. She was also one of the wisest: she recognized that her voice was “small” and never sang anything that was beyond her capabilities. She began her training in Dresden in 1923, and just two years later she obtained her first engagement when Fritz Busch brought her to the Dresden State Opera. She had a difficult time at the beginning, not least because she was so petite. But her persistence, unwavering devotion to music and ability to fit into an ensemble soon resulted in great performances. Erna Berger experienced triumphs at the Berlin State Opera, where Furtwängler appointed her in 1934. She sang more than 30 roles there, including the Queen of the Night, Sophie and Zerbinetta. She was also successful in the Italian repertoire, performing as Traviata, Mimi, Madame Butterfly, and especially as…read more

Annie Smith Peck

Born October 19, 1850 in Providence, Rhode Island
died July 16, 1935 in New York

US-American mountaineer
160th birthday on October 19, 2010

Annie Smith Peck was the youngest child in a well-to-do family from Providence, Rhode Island. Her three older brothers never wanted her to play with them, and Annie vowed that one day she would prove her worth to them. To begin with, she was academically brilliant. In 1878 she completed her studies with distinction. In 1884 she went to Europe; she studied German and music for one year in Hanover and was the first female student at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. Back in the USA, she taught at various colleges and gave lectures on archeology. From 1892 on, her primary occupation was that of a public speaker. Annie Peck discovered her love for mountaineering in 1885 while traveling from Germany to Greece. After she had climbed a few mountains of medium height in Europe and Mount Shasta in California (4383 m), she scaled the Matterhorn in 1895. Overnight she became famous, if not to say notorious, particularly because of her unique climbing outfits:…read more

Karin Brandauer

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Sophie von Hannover

Electress Sophia of Hannover

born on October 14, 1630 at The Hague
died on June 8, 1714 in Hannover

Sophia was the twelfth child born to the "Winter King" Frederick V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, who had been put under imperial ban, and his wife Elizabeth of the House of Stuart. In 1658 she married Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg. She regarded marriage policy with as much composure as she did the mistresses and affairs of her husband, and his excursions of pleasure to Italy. In 1660 she gave birth to her first son Georg Ludwig, who later became King of England. She bore five more sons, and her only daughter Sophia Charlotte would later become the Queen of Prussia. In 1680 Ernst August unexpectedly inherited the Dukedom of Brunswick-Luneburg, and at the latest from this point onwards he aspired to the title of prince. Meanwhile, having recognized his great talent, Sophia bound Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz to the Hannoverian court. Leibniz did great service to his country as a diplomat and scientist, and he became an ideal partner in conversation to Sophia.…read more

Margaret Thatcher

born on October 13, 1925, in Grantham, Lincolnshire, Great Britain
died on April 8, 2013, in London, Great Britain

British politician; first woman prime minister in British history (1979-1990)
100th birthday on October 13, 2025

In general, more nonsense was written about the so-called ‘feminine factor’ during my time in office than about almost anything else. I was always asked how it felt to be a woman Prime Minister. I would reply: ‘I don't know. I've never experienced the alternative.’ Margaret Thatcher was the first woman prime minister in British history. She came from a modest background but married entrepreneur Denis Thatcher in 1951, with whom she later had two children. Her father was the mayor of the small town of Grantham, and she thus came into contact with politics at an early age. After studying chemistry and law, she was elected to the House of Commons as a member of the Conservative Party. Her fabulous career began after the Conservatives won the general election in 1970 and she was the only woman to be appointed to the Heath cabinet. Five years later, the newcomer was unexpectedly elected leader of the Conservative Party: she had been the only member of the party with the courage…read more

Anne (Ninon) De Lenclos

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Unica Zürn

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Maria Goretti

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Henny Porten

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Hannelore Schröder

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