February 12

Born to modest beginnings in New York, Cooper built a successful glue and ironworks business during the Industrial Revolution. In 1859 he founded The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, offering free education to all qualified students. Cooper patented the first US-made locomotive and innovated in manufacturing, amassing a fortune used for philanthropy. A political activist, he ran for President in 1876 as the first Greenback Party candidate, advocating monetary reform. His vision of accessible education influenced American higher learning and social mobility in the 19th century. Cooper's charity-funded institution remains a prestigious center for architecture, engineering, and art in New York City.

Louis Renault was born in 1877 in Paris and co-founded the Renault automobile company with his brothers in 1899. He was an innovative engineer, developing the direct-drive transmission that revolutionized car design. Under his leadership, Renault grew into one of France's leading automakers, producing cars, trucks, and military vehicles. Renault vehicles were instrumental during World War I, supplying ambulances and armored cars to the French army. He was awarded the Legion of Honour for his industrial and patriotic contributions. After controversies during World War II, he died in 1944, and Renault was nationalized, cementing his industrial legacy.