What is that one common link that ties Sigmund Freud, Joseph Haydn, Mozart, Gottfried von Einem, Werner Berg, and Arnold Schwarzenegger together? It is their roots. That is right! Best known for its legendary festivals, modern architecture, unique exhibitions, and delightful landscapes, Austria is equally lauded for being home to exceptionally gifted men who have made their country extremely proud with their extraordinary accomplishments. From producing scores of legendary musicians, mathematicians and mavericks to multitude of painters, philosophers and playwrights, Austria has stamped its greatness across the world map, all thanks to its highly-abled sons. It is because of them that Austria is revered as one of the greatest talent-churning nations in the world. So whether you are looking for a dose of philosophy or wanting to soak up some lilting melodies, Austria has everything covered for you. Trail down the timeline, life stories, and interesting trivia and facts of some such famous Austrian men and explore their biographies here.

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Birthdate: July 30, 1947

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Thal, Austria

Former professional bodybuilder, actor, and politician, Arnold Schwarzenegger, needs no introduction! One of the most popular figures in the entertainment industry in the 20th century, he is a much-admired Hollywood star. Rising to international fame despite hailing from a humble background, he is an epitome the quintessential American dream that many youngsters hold close to their hearts.

Birthdate: January 27, 1756

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Salzburg, Austria

Died: December 5, 1791

A child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is regarded as one of the greatest classical composers ever. A prolific composer, he had a profound influence on Western music. Many of his works are considered pinnacles of choral, symphonic, operatic, chamber, and concertante music. Before his death, at the age of 35, he had composed over 600 works.

Birthdate: May 6, 1856

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Příbor, Czechia

Died: September 23, 1939

Regarded as the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud was a neurologist. Despite suffering criticism, psychoanalysis remains influential in the fields of psychology and psychiatry; such is the influence Freud has on humanities. Scholars believe that Freud is one of the most influential personalities of the 20th century and that his impact is comparable to that of Marxism and Darwinism.

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 4 

Christoph Waltz

(Best Known for His Academy Award Winning Roles in the Films: ‘Inglourious Basterds’ and 'Django Unchained')

Birthdate: October 4, 1956

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Christoph Waltz is best known for his Academy Award-winning performances as Colonel Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds and Dr. King Schultz in Django Unchained, both by Quentin Tarantino. Waltz had begun as a stage and TV actor in Germany. Some of his other notable projects are Spectre and Big Eyes.

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 5 

Niki Lauda

(Three-Time Formula One World Drivers' Champion)

Birthdate: February 22, 1949

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: May 20, 2019

Austrian Formula One driver and aviation entrepreneur Niki Lauda was a three-time F1 World Drivers' Champion. Considered to be one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, he was once involved in a near-fatal accident. He founded and ran three airlines as an aviation entrepreneur and also served as the team manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team.

 6 

Franz Kafka

(Novelist and Short-Story Writer, Widely Regarded as One of the Major Figures of 20th-Century Literature)

Birthdate: July 3, 1883

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Prague, Czech Republic

Died: June 3, 1924

Considered one of the major authors of the 20th century, Franz Kafka was a Bohemian short-story writer and novelist. Franz Kafka is credited for being one of the earliest German-speaking authors to explore themes like absurdity, existential anxiety, and alienation. The term Kafkaesque is now widely used in the English language to explain those situations experienced by his characters.

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 7 

Dominic Thiem

(One of the Best Austrian Tennis Players in History)

Birthdate: September 3, 1993

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Wiener Neustadt, Austria

The second-highest ranked Austrian tennis player of all time, Dominic Thiem became the first Austrian to win the singles title at a US Open when he came back from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev in the 2020 US Open final. At the 2019 BNP Paribas Open, he defeated Roger Federerto win his first Masters 1000 title.

 8 

Gustav Klimt

(Austrian Symbolist Painter and One of the Most Prominent Members of the ‘Vienna Secession’ Movement)

Birthdate: July 14, 1862

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Baumgarten, Vienna, Austria

Died: February 6, 1918

Austrian symbolist painter, Gustav Klimt, was one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. His primary subject was the female body, and he produced numerous paintings, murals, sketches, and other art objects. He was known for his deliberate painting style. He successfully avoided personal scandal despite having an active sex life.

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 9 

Erwin Schrödinger

(Austrian Physicist Who Made Important Contributions to the Development of Quantum Mechanics)

Birthdate: August 12, 1887

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Erdberg, Vienna, Austria

Died: January 4, 1961

Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, is best known for the "Schrödinger's cat" experiment, or the Schrodinger equation. His book What Is Life? explored genetics through physics. The Nobel Prize winner also wrote on a variety of topics, such as color theory and thermodynamics, and tried to create a unified field theory.

 10 

Franz Peter Schubert

(Austrian Composer and One of the Greatest Piano Virtuosos of the Late Classical and Early Romantic Era)

Birthdate: January 31, 1797

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Himmelpfortgrund, Vienna, Austria

Died: November 19, 1828

Austrian composer Franz Peter Schubert was one of the most prominent figures of the Viennese Classical and Romantic periods. He initially performed at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. His compositions include over 600 vocal works and several symphonies, operas, and piano sonatas. One of his most-talked-about works is theUnfinished Symphony.

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Birthdate: April 26, 1889

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: April 29, 1951

Austrian-British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein is remembered for his works related to logic, the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of mathematics, and the philosophy of language. He taught at the University of Cambridge for many years. He published only one book during his lifetime. Most of his manuscripts were collected later and published posthumously.

 12 

Joseph Haydn

(Composer of the Classical Period Known As 'Father of the Symphony' & 'Father of the String Quartet')

Birthdate: March 31, 1732

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Rohrau, Austria

Died: May 31, 1809

Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer who played a key role in the progression of chamber music during the Classical period. He is often referred to as the Father of the String Quartet and Father of the Symphony for his contributions to musical form. Joseph Haydn is also credited with mentoring and tutoring Mozart and Beethoven, respectively.

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 13 

Adolf Hitler

(Nazi Dictator and Chancellor of Germany (1933-1945))

Birthdate: April 20, 1889

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Braunau am Inn, Austria

Died: April 30, 1945

One of the most powerful leaders of the 20th century, Adolf Hitler was a German dicator whose policies started the WWII that resulted in the death of millions of people. He had a visceral hatred for Jews and during his regime nearly six million Jews were killed in Holocaust.

 14 

Gustav Mahler

(One of the Most Frequently Performed and Recorded of All Composers)

Birthdate: July 7, 1860

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Czeh Republic

Died: May 18, 1911

Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer and conductor Gustav Mahler symbolized the transition of 19th-century Austro-German music to early-20th-century modernism. His music was banned during the Nazi era but was rediscovered later. Famous for his Eighth Symphony, he had also been the director of the Hofoper (Vienna Court Opera).

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 15 

Kurt Gödel

(Mathematician, Philosopher and One of the Most Significant Logicians in History)

Birthdate: April 28, 1906

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Brno, Czech Republic

Died: January 14, 1978

Hailed as one of the greatest logicians since Aristotle, Kurt Gödel was Austrian-born American mathematician, logician, and philosopher, who earned international stardom for his incompleteness theorem. Also credited with developing a technique called Gödel numbering, he later started working on Mathematical Platonism, a philosophical theory that failed to attract wide acceptance.

Birthdate: December 18, 1863

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Graz, Austria

Died: June 28, 1914

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig, was the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. He was also the inspector general of the Austro-Hungarian army. His assassination by Young Bosnia member Gavrilo Princip triggered Austria’s conflict with Serbia, leading to World War I.

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Birthdate: August 18, 1830

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: November 21, 1916

Franz Joseph I of Austria reigned as the Emperor of Austria from 1848 until his death in 1916. He also served as the King of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia and monarch of other states of Austria-Hungary. During his reign, Austria-Hungary decided to wage war against the Kingdom of Serbia, which eventually resulted in the First World War.

 18 

Friedrich von Hayek

(Austrian–British Economist, Philosopher and Winner of the 1974 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences)

Birthdate: May 8, 1899

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: March 23, 1992

A winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Friedrich von Hayek, was an advocate of classical liberalism. The Austrian-British economist, who was also a political philosopher, co-founded the Mont Pelerin Society. He worked at the London School of Economics, the University of Chicago and the University of Freiburg and authored the popular book, The Road to Serfdom.

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Birthdate: September 13, 1874

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Leopoldstadt, Vienna, Austria

Died: July 13, 1951

Austrian-born composer Arnold Schoenberg was part of the German Expressionist Movement and led the Second Viennese School. Being Jewish, he was banned by the Nazis and later became an American citizen. Known for his twelve-tone technique, he coined the term developing variation and formed motifs without a centralized melodic idea.

Birthdate: July 20, 1822

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Hynčice, Vražné, Czechia

Died: January 6, 1884

A scientist, meteorologist, mathematician, and biologist, Gregor Mendel is considered the founder of the modern science of genetics. He conducted a series of experiments on pea plants between 1856 and 1863, establishing many rules of heredity. Besides his work on pea plants, he also described novel plant species and conducted experiments with hawkweed and honeybees.

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 21 

Toto Wolff

(Austrian Former Racing Driver, Investor and CEO of ‘Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team’)

Birthdate: January 12, 1972

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Former racing driver Toto Wolff is the CEO and 30% stakeholder of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport Formula One Team. He has been part of the Austrian and German Formula Ford championships. He later established the investment firms Marchfifteen and Marchsixteen. He supports underprivileged children through the Mary Bendet Foundation.

 22 

David Alaba

(Austrian Footballer Who Plays as a Midfielder and Defender)

Birthdate: June 24, 1992

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

David Alaba is an Austrian football player who currently plays for the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol and the Austria national football team. Best known for his versatility, Alaba can play as a midfielder and defender. Counted among the greatest defenders of his generation, David Alaba is a two-time Austrian Sports Personality of the Year recipient.  

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 23 

Rainer Maria Rilke

(Austrian Poet and Novelist Known for His Poetry Collections ‘Duino Elegies’ and ‘Sonnets to Orpheus’)

Birthdate: December 4, 1875

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Prague, Czech Republic

Died: December 29, 1926

Bohemian-Austrian poet and author Rainer Maria Rilke is best remembered for his numerous poetry collections and his only novel, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge. His works contain metaphors, contradictions, and elements drawn from Greek mythology. Though most of his works were in German, he had also written in French.

 24 

Egon Schiele

(Austrian Expressionist Painter, Draftsman, and Printmaker)

Birthdate: June 12, 1890

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Tulln, Austria

Died: October 31, 1918

Egon Schiele was an Austrian painter whose work is well-known for its raw sexuality and intensity. An early exponent of Expressionism, Schiele was one of the early-20th century's most prominent figurative painters. His life and career inspired the 1980 biographical film Excess and Punishment, in which Schiele was played by German actor Mathieu Carrière. 

 25 

Peter Lorre

(Best Known for His Role as the Psychotic Child Murderer in the Thriller Film ‘M’)

Birthdate: June 26, 1904

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Ružomberok, Slovakia

Died: March 23, 1964

Hungarian-American actor Peter Lorre went from stage-acting in Vienna to working in films in Germany. He soared to fame with the films M and The Man Who Knew Too Much. He left Germany during the Nazi rule. Fans loved him as Le Chiffre in the TV version of Casino Royale.

Birthdate: December 31, 1908

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Buchach, Ukraine

Died: September 20, 2005

Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal survived four Nazi concentration camps, including the notorious Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp. He later devoted his life to finding out information about Nazi war criminals to bring them to trial. He wrote several books on his experiences, such as The Sunflower and I Chased Eichmann.

 27 

Fritz Lang

(Austrian Filmmaker Who Was a Pioneer of Science-Fiction Movies)

Birthdate: December 5, 1890

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: August 2, 1976

While Austrian filmmaker Fritz Lang initially studied civil engineering, he later trained as a painter, before switching to screenwriting and direction. He was a prominent figure of German Expressionism and mostly worked in Germany and the US. His Woman in the Moon was a pioneering science-fiction movie.

Birthdate: March 26, 1905

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Leopoldstadt, Vienna, Austria

Died: September 2, 1997

Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl founded logotherapy. He also authored several books, most notably his bestselling autobiographical depiction of his ordeal at various Nazi concentration camps, Man's Search for Meaning. He had lost his parents, brother, and wife in the Holocaust. He later won honors such as the Oskar Pfister Award.

 29 

Felix Baumgartner

(Austrian Skydiver, Daredevil Who Set the Record by Falling From 24 Miles Above the Earth's Surface)

Birthdate: April 20, 1969

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Salzburg, Austria

Felix Baumgartner is an Austrian skydiver, BASE jumper, and daredevil. He is best known for jumping from the stratosphere to the Earth as part of the Red Bull Stratos project. Baumgartner set the world record for gaining an estimated top speed of Mach 1.25, becoming the first person without vehicular power to break the sonic barrier relative to the surface.

Birthdate: September 3, 1875

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: ratislavice nad Nisou, Liberec, Czechia

Died: January 30, 1951

Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian-German automotive engineer. He is credited with founding one of the most popular car companies in the world, Porsche AG. He is also credited with creating the Lohner-Porsche mixed hybrid, the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle. During World War II, Porsche was a prominent contributor to the German war effort.

 31 

Sebastian Kurz

(Former Chancellor of Austria (2017 – 2019, 2020 – 2021))

Birthdate: August 27, 1986

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Sebastian Kurz has been the Austrian chancellor since January 2020. He held the same position from 2017 to 2019, thus also becoming the youngest chancellor of Austria, at 31. He has also chaired the Austrian People's Party since 2017 and been the foreign affairs minister from 2013 to 2017.

 32 

John Banner

(Best Known for His Role as ‘Sergeant Schultz’ in Sitcom the ‘Hogan's Heroes’)

Birthdate: January 28, 1910

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Died: January 28, 1973

Austrian-born actor John Banner is best remembered as Sergeant Schultz from the World War II-themed sitcom Hogan's Heroes. He was known for his popular catchphrase “I see nothing! I hear nothing! I know nothing!" He has also appeared on Broadway and in films such as Once Upon a Honeymoon. 

 33 

Falco

(Austrian Singer and Musician)

Birthdate: February 19, 1957

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: February 6, 1998

The man behind iconic tracks such as Der Kommisar and Rock Me Amadeus, legendary Austrian singer Johann "Hans" Hölzel, better known as Falco, was one of the best-selling singers from his country. Unfortunately, his career was short-lived, as he died in a car accident shortly before his 41st birthday.

Birthdate: August 17, 1887

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Persenbeug-Gottsdorf, Austria

Died: April 1, 1922

Charles I of Austria reigned from 1916 to 1918 as the last emperor of Austria. He was the last king of Croatia, Bohemia, Hungary, and the last monarch from the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Charles is remembered for making unsuccessful attempts to end Austria-Hungary's World War I campaign. He also tried to save the Austro-Hungarian Empire from disintegration but was unsuccessful.

Birthdate: May 20, 1944

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Sankt Marein im Mürztal, Austria

Self-made business magnate and Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz took 10 years to complete his marketing degree. He was also one of the pioneers of content marketing, and rather than depending on paid ad agencies, marketed his brand through numerous media tools, such as the Red Bulletin magazine.

 36 

Boris Kodjoe

(Best Known for His Role in the Film 'Brown Sugar' and TV Series 'Soul Food')

Birthdate: March 8, 1973

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Boris Kodjoe is an Austrian-American former model, actor, and producer. Over the years, he has been part of several popular films and TV series, such as Brown Sugar, Resident Evil: Afterlife, and Station 19. Also known for his good looks, Boris Kodjoe was named in People magazine's list of 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 2002.

 37 

Rudolf Steiner

( Austrian Occultist, Social Reformer and Founder of 'Anthroposophy' Spiritualist Movement)

Birthdate: February 27, 1861

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Hungary ,Austrian

Died: March 30, 1925

Austrian philosopher and architect and Rudolf Steiner gained fame as a literary critic and published works such as The Philosophy of Freedom. His interests included esotericism and clairvoyance. He termed his work spiritual science. He designed the Goetheanum and also laid down concepts such as Waldorf education and biodynamic agriculture.

 38 

Alfred Adler

(Austrian Psychotherapist and Founder of the School of ‘Individual Psychology’)

Birthdate: February 7, 1870

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, Vienna, Austria

Died: May 28, 1937

Alfred Adler was an Austrian psychotherapist and medical doctor. He is credited with founding the school of individual psychology. He was also one of the founders of the psychoanalytic movement along with Sigmund Freud and Freud's colleagues. In 2002, a survey conducted by Review of General Psychology named Adler among the 20th century's most eminent psychologists.

Birthdate: November 19, 1909

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: November 11, 2005

Birthdate: December 21, 1918

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Sankt Andrä-Wördern, Austria

Died: June 14, 2007

While he claimed he studied at the University of Vienna during World War II, documents recovered later suggested that Kurt Waldheim was in fact part of the German army in the Balkans. Waldheim later became the president of Austria and the secretary-general of the United Nations.

Birthdate: March 13, 1741

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: February 20, 1790

Joseph II reigned as the Holy Roman Emperor from 1765, and as the sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780, until 1790. Son of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I, and brother of Marie Antoinette, he laid down policies now known as Josephinism. He died without heirs.

 42 

Otto von Habsburg

(Last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary and Former Member of the European Parliament)

Birthdate: November 20, 1912

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Reichenau an der Rax, Austria

Died: July 4, 2011

Otto von Habsburg was the son of Charles I, the last emperor of Austria. A staunch opponent of Nazism, he called for the unification and integration of Europe. He had been a European Parliament member and spearheaded the Pan-European Picnic at the Austrian-Hungarian border during the 1989 revolution.

 43 

Stefan Zweig

(One of the Most Popular and Widely Translated Writers in the World During 1920s & 1930s)

Birthdate: November 28, 1881

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: February 22, 1942

Stefan Zweig was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist, and biographer. He was one of the most widely translated and most popular writers in the world at the height of his career. His best-known work is Sternstunden der Menschheit, in which he wrote about decisive historical events. His later years were very difficult and he died by suicide in 1942.

Birthdate: July 6, 1832

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: June 19, 1867

Austrian archduke Maximilian I ruled as the only emperor of the Second Mexican Empire, from 1864 to 1867. He had also been the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Austrian Navy. However, after the French withdrew their support, he was executed by Mexico’s Republican forces, led by Benito Juárez.

 45 

Johann Strauss II

(Austrian Composer of Light Music)

Birthdate: October 25, 1825

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Neubau, Vienna, Austria

Died: June 3, 1899

Johann Strauss II, also known as The Waltz King, was initially pushed by his composer father Johann Strauss I to become a banker, while he learned the violin secretly and conducted a restaurant band. Best remembered for his iconic composition The Blue Danube, he redefined the 19th-century waltzes and operettas.

Birthdate: December 8, 1930

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: February 1, 2014

Maximilian Schell was an Austrian-born Swiss actor who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Hans Rolfe in the 1961 courtroom drama film, Judgment at Nuremberg. Remembered for his versatility, Schell received the Golden Globe Award for playing Vladimir Lenin in the 1992 TV film, Stalin. A multi-talented personality, Schell was also an accomplished conductor and pianist.

 47 

Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria

(Heir Apparent of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, Who Died by a Suicide Pact With His Mistress)

Birthdate: August 21, 1858

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Laxenburg castles, Austria

Died: January 30, 1889

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria was heir apparent to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The only son of Elisabeth in Bavaria and Emperor Franz Joseph I, Rudolf died at the age of 30 at the Mayerling hunting lodge in an assumed suicide pact with his lover Mary Vetsera. The incident has inspired several works of art, such as cinema.

 48 

Wolfgang Pauli

(One of the Pioneers of Quantum Physics and Winner of 1945 Nobel Prize for Physics)

Birthdate: April 25, 1900

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: December 15, 1958

Nobel Prize-winning Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli is remembered for his contribution to quantum physics and for laying down the Pauli principle. While he was initially married to a cabaret dancer, the marriage ended in a divorce after a year. His written works are considered classics in science.

Birthdate: February 8, 1883

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Třešť, Czechia

Died: January 8, 1950

Business students remember Austrian economist and sociologist Joseph Schumpeter for his contribution to the concepts of entrepreneurship, creative destruction, and business cycles. An academic, who had also taught at Harvard, Schumpeter believed capitalism would someday automatically give way to socialism, a thought he expressed in Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy. 

 50 

Jochen Rindt

(German-Born Austrian Racer Who Became the First Posthumous F-1 Champion)

Birthdate: April 18, 1942

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Mainz, Germany

Died: September 5, 1970

Though born in Germany, racer Jochen Rindt competed for Austria throughout his illustrious career, which saw him score 6 Grand Prix wins. At 28, he was killed in a practice race for the Italian Grand Prix. He later became the only racer to be posthumously named the F-1 World Champion.