Victor Hugo, (1802-02-26 - 1885-05-22 )

Victor Hugo was a French novelist, poet and visual artist, and an influential representative of Romanticism. He was brought up mainly by his mother, who moved to Paris in 1803. At the age of 20, he published his first poetry and received a royal pension from Louis XVIII. In 1827, he created his neverstaged verse drama 'Cromwell'. Hugo remains famous all over the world as an author of mature fiction, such as 'Les Misrables' and 'Notre Dame de Paris'. The visible effect of the latter was the Notre Dame Cathedral being restored, as the novel much increased its popularity. Both books have been turned into films on several occasions. When Napoleon III came to power in 1851, the author openly spoke against him, and in result lived in exile in Brussels, Jersey and on the Channel Island of Guernsey. He returned to Paris in 1870, where he was treated like a national hero, which he remains to this day.

Louis Braille, (1809-01-04 - 1852-01-06)

Louis Braille contributed greatly to generations of blind people, as he was the one who invented their alphabet for reading and writing, which has been adapted into almost every language. Born in a small town of Coupvray not far from Paris, he was accidentally blinded at the age of four. As a ten-year-old boy, he luckily received a scholarship to attend the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris, the first school of its kind in the world. In 1821, influenced by the night-writing code used by soldiers, he began working on his raised-dots system, which he finished at the age of just fifteen. This six-dot solution enabled the recognition of a meaning simply by the touch of a single fingertip. Later, Braille adjusted it to include mathematics and musical texts. He remained at the Institute as a respected teacher, and died at the age of 43. His body now lies in the Pantheon.

Edith Piaf (1915-12-19 - 1963-11-11 )

Born Giovanna Gassion, Piaf was a French singer gifted with an extraordinary voice that once heard could not be forgotten. After first singing engagement in a night club in 1935, she instantly became a worldwide success and ultimately the most highly paid star of her time. Her fantasy of performing at ABC, Paris's most reputable music hall, became a reality, and she also sang her lungs out in New York, Washington D.C., Mexico and Cuba. The majority of the memorable songs she performed were composed under her supervision, but 'La Vie en Rose' she wrote on her own. Her first song was recorded in 1936, her last, 'L'homme de Berlin', in 1963. Piaf is buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery, yet her songs still tear at your heart with emotion.

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-08-15 - 1821-05-05)

Napoleon I is a household name, associated with the French Revolution and his ambitions to conquer Europe. Born in Corsica, he first came to Paris to study at l'cole Militaire. In 1796, he married Jospehine de Beauharnais. He was put in charge of the French army, and his successes in defeating the Italians and Austrians, and later the Prussians, were spectacular. He seized power as the First Consul, and in 1804 he was crowned the French Emperor at a ceremony held in the Notre Dame Cathedral. His influence grew as his ambition to invade Russia was fulfilled in 1812, but his army suffered badly due to a severe winter. In the wake of these events, he abdicated two years later, only to return to power in 1815. That same year, however, he was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo. He was exiled to the island of Saint Helena, and died there in 1821.

Louis Blriot (1872-07-01 - 1936-0802 )

Louis Blriot (1872-07-01 - 1936-08-02 )

Blriot was a French engineer and aviator who became famous for making the first aeroplane flight across the English Channel. Born in Cambrai, he came to the capital to study at the cole Centrale Paris. He spent all of his savings to build monoplanes. Between 1903 and 1906, along with his companion Gabriel Vosit, he developed several aircraft designs under the brand of the BlriotVoisin Company. He also continued to improve his piloting skills. On July 25, 1909, Blriot flew from Les Baraques to Dover in England. He made it in a heavier-than-air plane and it took him 37 minutes. This historical achievement won him 1,000 pounds offered by the 'Daily Mail' newspaper. Later, during World War I, Blriot got involved in aircraft manufacture. He is said to have survived over 50 plane crashes. Famous and rich, he lived quietly with his family until the end of his days.

Charles de Gaulle (1890-11-22 - 1970-11-09 )

Gnral de Gaulle, the famous military leader and French statesman, was born in Lille, but he received his education in Paris. He started his military career at the renowned Saint-Cyr, where he graduated in 1912. Significantly enough, when World War II broke out, he escaped to Britain to lead the Free French Movement. In 1944, the general returned to Paris, his army liberated the city from German occupation, and he became head of the provisional government. In 1958, he was asked to become the prime minister. Between 1959 and 1969, he was the president of the Fifth Republic. De Gaulle dealt with the French economic crisis and granted independence to Algeria. In his quest for complete independence, he developed French nuclear weaponry and opposed Britain to enter the European Economic Community. He died within a year of his retirement, unexpectedly and just two weeks before his 80th birthday

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is one of the most familiar landmarks in Paris, France. It lies at the heart of Place de l'Etoile, a magnificent square at the centre of the city. Twelve avenues converge upon this square, which had led to its being nicknamed the Star Square. One of these avenues is the fabulous Champslyses itself. In 1970 the square was renamed to Place Charles de Gaulle to honor the president of France, but it is commonly referred to by its original name. The Arc forms the centre of the historical axis, which starts at the Louvre Palace and runs by many landmarks and monuments along a grand itinerary leading out of Paris.

Eiffel Tower

When one thinks of France, the Eiffel Tower immediately comes to mind. This iron tower is located on the bank of the Seine, and it is a prime tourist spot with over five million visitors each year. The tower, designed by engineer Gustave Eiffel, is 300 m high. It was completed in 1889, and it was the tallest building in the world at the time. It remained so for over four decades, until the 319-metre high Chrystler Building was erected in 1930. Today it is still among the tallest buildings in France, second only to the Allouis longwave transmitter.

Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame de Paris (IPA: [nt dam d pai]; French for Our Lady of Paris), also known as Notre Dame Cathedral,[2] is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the le de la Cit in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the CatholicArchdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra (official chair) of the Archbishop of Paris, currently Andr Vingt-Trois. The cathedral treasury houses a reliquary with the purported Crown of Thorns.

The Muse du Louvre

The Muse du Louvre contains more than 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments with more than 60,600 square metres (652,000 sq ft) dedicated to the permanent collection.[31] The Louvre exhibits sculptures, objets d'art, paintings, drawings, and archaeological finds.[19] It is the world's most visited museum, averaging 15,000 visitors per day, 65 percent of whom are foreign tourists.[30][32] In popular culture, the Louvre was a point of interest in the book The Da Vinci Code and the 2006 film based on the book. The museum earned $2.5 million by allowing filming in its galleries