No close family anniversaries. Born in Paris, France, on this date in 1694: François-Marie Arouet, who wrote under 178 separate pen-names, mostly the one we know today: Voltaire. Among the ideas that made him famous, and arguably fueled democratic movements in France and elsewhere, were freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state. For these ideas, Voltaire often found himself in trouble with the authorities, even in prison.
