May 21

Chevalier d'Eon de Beaumont was a French diplomat, spy and soldier born in 1728 who served Louis XV with distinction. He gathered intelligence during the Seven Years’ War and worked within the secret network of the French Ministry of War. As an ambassador to England, d’Eon navigated diplomatic tensions while conducting espionage activities. In later life, d’Eon adopted a female identity, sparking intrigue and debate across Europe. Their public persona blurred gender lines at a time of rigid social norms and fascinated contemporaries. D’Eon’s memoirs and mysterious legacy continue to captivate historians of gender and espionage.

Émile Henry was a French anarchist born in 1872 who became infamous for a series of violent attacks aimed at bourgeois targets. As a member of an anarchist cell, he carried out bombings at the Café Terminus and other locations in 1894. Henry justified his acts as retaliation against capitalist oppression and state violence. He was arrested shortly after the attacks, tried, and executed by guillotine at the age of 22. His radical ideology and actions polarized public opinion and sparked debates about political violence. Henry’s militant approach had a lasting impact on the French anarchist movement and criminal justice reforms.

Born in 1860, Addams studied at Rockford Female Seminary and became a pioneering social worker. In 1889, she co-founded Hull House in Chicago, providing education and support for immigrants. She advocated for women's suffrage, labor rights, and international peace. Addams served as president of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 for her humanitarian efforts. Addams died on May 21, 1935, leaving a legacy of progressive social activism.

Marguerite Bise was one of the first female chefs to earn three Michelin stars, achieving culinary acclaim in the 1950s. She helmed and elevated the family-run Auberge du Père Bise on the shores of Lake Annecy, blending local produce with classical technique. Bise was renowned for dishes like quenelles de brochet and delicate freshwater fish preparations. Her hospitality and warmth made her inn a destination for gourmets across Europe. She trained and inspired a generation of chefs, leaving a lasting impact on French haute cuisine. Marguerite Bise's legacy endures through her recipes and the continued success of her restaurant. She passed away in 1965, celebrated as a trailblazer for women in the culinary world.

Born in 1957 in Camlough, Northern Ireland, Raymond McCreesh became involved with the Provisional IRA in his early twenties. He was arrested in 1976 and convicted of firearms offences, leading to his imprisonment in the Maze Prison. McCreesh joined the 1981 hunger strike to protest the removal of Special Category Status for IRA prisoners. After 61 days without food, he died on May 21, 1981, drawing international attention to the plight of political prisoners. His sacrifice is commemorated by republican communities, and he is remembered as a symbol of the hunger strikers' struggle.

Born in Derry in 1957, Patsy O'Hara became active in Irish republicanism and joined the INLA as a young man. He was arrested in 1976 on arms charges and sentenced to imprisonment in the Maze Prison. O'Hara participated in the 1981 hunger strike to demand political status for republican prisoners. After 61 days of fasting, he died on May 21, 1981, drawing international attention to the hunger strikers' cause. He is remembered by supporters as a committed activist whose death highlighted the political conflict in Northern Ireland.

Born in 1942 as Prince Christian of Denmark, he was a member of the Danish royal family by birth. In 1971, he gave up his place in the line of succession to wed Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen, a non-royal. He adopted the title Count Christian of Rosenborg after his marriage, living a more private life. Despite stepping back from royal duties, he remained active in charitable causes and public events. He passed away in 2013, remembered for blending royal tradition with personal conviction.