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Hector Berlioz was born on December 11, 1803, into the family of Dr. Louis Berlioz and Marie-Antoinette-Josephine. Hector was the first of six children, three of whom died. He took music lessons at home from a visiting teacher and played flute and guitar. By age 16 he wrote a song for voice and guitar that was later reused for his "Symphonie Fantastique."

In 1821 Berlioz went to Paris to study medicine. His impressions of the Paris Opera performance of "Iphigenie en Tauride" by Christoph Willibald Gluck turned him on music forever. He spent more days at the Paris Conservatory than at the medical school. In 1823 he started writing articles on music for "Le Corsaire". He abandoned medicine for music and successfully performed his "Messe Solennelle" in 1825. After being "cursed" by his mother for abandoning medicine, his allowance from his father was reduced, and was forced to take such jobs as a choir singer to support himself. In 1828 he heard the 3rd and 5th Symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven and with that impression he read "Faust" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. With such inspiration he started composing "La Damnation de Faust."

Berlios fell in love with Irish actress Harriet Smithson and became so inspired that he finished the "Symphonie Fantastique." He premiered the work and met Franz Liszt at the premiere. They became good friends and Liszt transcribed the "Symphonie Fantastique" for piano. In 1830, after being rejected by Harriett Smithson, Berlioz became engaged to pianist Camille Moke. He went to Rome as the Prix de Rome Laureate and met Felix Mendelssohn and the Russian Mikhail Glinka. All three became friends for many years. At that time Berlioz received a letter from his fiancée that she had decided to marry M. Camille Pleyel, a wealthy piano maker in Paris. He decided to return to Paris and kill his fiancée, Mr. Playel and himself, but the long trip cooled him down. He stopped in Nice and composed "Le Roi Lear," inspired by William Shakespeare's play "King Lear".

Back in Paris he became friends with Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Niccolò Paganini, Frédéric Chopin and George Sand. He met writer Ernest Legouve and they became lifelong friends. In 1833 he finally married Harriet Smithson, with Liszt himself as one of his witnesses. Their son was born in 1834. Later he had a mistress, singer Marie Recio, whom he married after the death of Hariet Smithson in 1852.

Berlioz was an influential music critic. He wrote about Giacomo Meyerbeer, Mikhail Glinka, Paganini, Liszt and other musicians. From 1834-38 he completed the opera "Benvenuto Cellini". In 1938 his "Harold en Italie" was performed at the Paris Conservatoire. His friend Paganini was so impressed by that performance that he gave Berlioz 20,000 francs.

In the 1840s Berlioz toured in Europe and strengthened his friendship with Mendelssohn-Bartholdy', Richard Wagner, Giacomo Meyerbeer and Robert Schumann. After extensive concertizing in Belgium and Germany, Berlioz returned to Paris. There his friend Mikhail Glinka, who lived in Paris for over a year, came up with the idea of concerts in Russia. Berlioz's joke "If the Emperor of Russia wants me, then I am up for sale" was taken seriously. Having Mikhail Glinka as a convert, Berlioz was invited to Russia twice, and each tour brought him financial gain beyond his expectation. His deep debts in Paris were all covered many times over after his first concert tour of Russia in 1847. Back in Paris he was having difficulties in funding performances of his massive works and lived on his witty critical publications. His second tour of Russia in 1867 was so much more attractive that Berlioz turned down an offer of $100,000 from American Steinway to perform in New York. In St. Petersburg Berlioz took special pleasure in performing with the first-rate orchestra of the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

His second Russian concert tour was a successful finale to his career and life. Berlioz never performed again. He died on March 8, 1869, and was laid to rest at the Cimetiere de Montmartre with his two wives.

Prosper Mérimée (28 September 1803 - 23 September 1870)was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and an important figure in the history of architectural preservation. He is best known for his novella Carmen, which became the basis of Bizet's opera Carmen. He learned Russian, a language for which he had great affection, and translated the work of several important Russian writers, including Pushkin and Gogol, into French. From 1830 until 1860 he was the inspector of French historical monuments, and was responsible for the protection of many historic sites, including the medieval citadel of Carcassonne and the restoration of the façade of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. Along with the writer George Sand, he discovered the series of tapestries called The Lady and the Unicorn, and arranged for their preservation. He was instrumental in the creation of Musée national du Moyen Âge in Paris, where the tapestries now are displayed. The official database of French monuments, the Base Mérimée, bears his name.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 - April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society, and his ideology was disseminated through dozens of published essays and more than 1,500 public lectures across the United States.

Edward George Bulwer-Lytton was born on 25 May 1803 in London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Last Days of Pompeii (1959), In the Name of Love (1925) and The Last Days of Pompeii (1913). He was married to Rosina Doyle Wheeler. He died on 18 January 1873 in Torquay, Devon, England, UK.

Adolphe Charles Adam was born on July 24, 1803 in Paris, France. His father was Jean Louis Adam, the acclaimed concert pianist and professor of piano at the Paris Conservatory. Adolph Adam enrolled in the Paris Conservatory against his father's will in 1817. There he studied piano, and from 1821 also studied composition under Francois Boieldieu.

Adam is credited for developing a genre of the 'opera-comique', a French opera with extended recitative, a spoken dialog, not necessarily comic. The development of such a genre was welcomed by many professional actors, who did not possess opera-quality voices. Among his important operas are "Pierre et Catherine" (1829), "Danilowa" (1830), "Le Chalet" (1834), "Le Brasseur de preston" (1838), "Regine, ou Les Deux Nuits" (1839), "Le Rose de Peronne" (1841), "Lambert Simnel" (1843). "Richard en Palestine" (1844), "Cagliastro" (1844), "Le Toreador, ou L'Accord parfait" (1849), "La Paupee de Nuremberg" (1852), "Le Roi des Halles" (1853), 'La Muleter de Tolede" (1854), and "Falstaff" (1856), among many of his other operas.

Adolphe Adam is best known for his classic ballets "Faust" (1832), "Giselle" (1840), and "Le Corsaire" (1848). The most popular of his ballets "Giselle" was written on the plot by 'Theophile Gautier' and the libretto by Saint-Georges. During the turbulent times in the 19th century France this exquisite ballet had less publicity than it deserved and completely passed out of the European repertory. "Giselle" was revived by Sergei Diaghilev in 1910. It became the hit of the season thanks to the lavishly opulent production with the stage design by Alexandre Benois and choreography by Mikhail Fokin for "Seasons Russes" in Paris. Since it's revival by Sergei Diaghilev Giselle was performed by Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina' , Galina Ulanova, Alicia Markova, Margot Fonteyn and Natalia Makarova. The role of Gizelle is one of the most sought-after roles in ballet.

Adam was elected the Member of Institute. After the death of his father, Adam was made the professor of composition ar the Paris Conservatory in 1848. He was the most important force behind the attempt of establishing a National Theatre in Paris. His effort was motivated by his idea of a venue for young composers and actors, where they could show their works to the public. During the turbulent times after the revolution of 1848 he funded the National Theatre himself. After a few seasons of financial struggles the National Theatre was closed leaving Adam in serious debt. Adam died on May 3, 1856 in Paris.

His Christmas song "Cantique de Noel" (O, Holy Night), composed in 1850, became one of the most performed and recorded piece of music.

Fyodor Tyutchev was born on 5 December 1803 in Ovstug, Oryol Governorate, Russian Empire [now Bryansk Oblast, Russia]. He was a writer, known for Stalker (1979) and Mamochka (2015). He was married to Eleonore Peterson and Ernestine von Dörnberg. He died on 27 July 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire.

Nils Peter Möller was born on 5 April 1803 in Helsingborg, Sweden. Nils Peter is known for Smeder på luffen (1949), Med folket för fosterlandet (1938) and Mot nya tider (1939). Nils Peter died on 7 October 1860 in Lund, Sweden.

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald was born on 26 December 1803 in Jõepere, Lääne-Virumaa, Governorate of Estonia, Russian Empire [now Estonia]. He was a writer, known for Morons! (1974) and Põhjakonn (1959). He was married to Marie Elisabeth Saedleriga. He died on 25 August 1882 in Dorpat, Russian Empire [now Tartu, Estonia].

George Henry Borrow was born on 5 July 1803 in East Dereham, Norfolk, England, UK. George Henry is known for The Life Line (1919) and Romany Rye (1981). George Henry was previously married to Mary Clarke.

Franz von Kobell was born on 19 July 1803 in Munich, Bavaria, Holy Roman Empire [now Germany]. He was a writer, known for Das Tor zum Paradies (1949) and Der Brandner Kaspar und das ewig' Leben (1975). He was married to Karoline. He died on 11 November 1882 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

Douglas Jerrold was born on 3 January 1803 in London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Battling British (1914), Black-Eyed Susan (1908) and Black-Eyed Susan (1913). He was married to Mary Swann. He died on 8 June 1857 in London, England, UK.

George J. Webb was born on 24 June 1803 in Rushmore Lodge nearby Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, UK. George J. died on 7 October 1887 in Orange, New Jersey, USA.