The Most Famous
SOCIAL ACTIVISTS from Belgium
This page contains a list of the greatest Belgian Social Activists. The pantheon dataset contains 840 Social Activists, 4 of which were born in Belgium. This makes Belgium the birth place of the 40th most number of Social Activists behind Morocco, and Saudi Arabia.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Belgian Social Activists of all time. This list of famous Belgian Social Activists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Dominique Pire (1910 - 1969)
With an HPI of 65.49, Dominique Pire is the most famous Belgian Social Activist. His biography has been translated into 52 different languages on wikipedia.
Dominique Pire, O.P. (born Georges Charles Clement Ghislain Pire; 10 February 1910 – 30 January 1969) was a Belgian Dominican friar whose work helping refugees in post-World War II Europe saw him receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1958. Pire delivered his Nobel lecture, entitled Brotherly Love: Foundation of Peace, in December 1958.
2. Marie Popelin (1846 - 1913)
With an HPI of 51.34, Marie Popelin is the 2nd most famous Belgian Social Activist. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Marie Popelin (16 December 1846 – 5 June 1913) was a Belgian jurist and early feminist political campaigner. Popelin worked with Isabelle Gatti de Gamond in the development of women's education and, in 1888, became the first Belgian woman to receive a doctorate in law. After her accession to the bar was refused, Popelin went on to have an active career as the leader of the Belgian League for Women's Rights. She died in 1913 without ever gaining admission to the bar.
3. Gabrielle Petit (1893 - 1916)
With an HPI of 49.17, Gabrielle Petit is the 3rd most famous Belgian Social Activist. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Gabrielle Alina Eugenia Maria Petit (20 February 1893 – 1 April 1916) was a Belgian spy who worked for the British Secret Service in German-occupied Belgium during World War I. She was executed in 1916, and was widely celebrated as a Belgian national heroine after the war's end.
4. Henry Spira (1927 - 1998)
With an HPI of 45.95, Henry Spira is the 4th most famous Belgian Social Activist. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Henry Spira (19 June 1927 – 12 September 1998) was an American activist for socialism and animal rights, who is regarded by some as one of the most effective animal advocates of the 20th century. Working with Animal Rights International, a group he founded in 1974, Spira is particularly remembered for his successful campaign in 1976 against animal testing at the American Museum of Natural History, where cats were being experimented on for sex research, and for his full-page advertisement in 1980 in The New York Times that featured a rabbit with sticking plaster over the eyes, and the caption, "How many rabbits does Revlon blind for beauty's sake?"
5. Anuna De Wever (b. 2001)
With an HPI of 27.42, Anuna De Wever is the 5th most famous Belgian Social Activist. Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.
Anuna De Wever Van Der Heyden (born 16 June 2001) is a Belgian climate activist and was one of the leading figures in the School strike for climate movement in Belgium.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Belgian social activists born between 1846 and 2001. Of these 5, 1 (20.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Belgian social activists include Anuna De Wever. The most famous deceased Belgian social activists include Dominique Pire, Marie Popelin, and Gabrielle Petit. As of April 2024, 1 new Belgian social activists have been added to Pantheon including Gabrielle Petit.
Living Belgian Social Activists
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Dominique Pire
1910 - 1969
HPI: 65.49
Marie Popelin
1846 - 1913
HPI: 51.34
Gabrielle Petit
1893 - 1916
HPI: 49.17
Henry Spira
1927 - 1998
HPI: 45.95
Newly Added Belgian Social Activists (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Social Activists were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 4 most globally memorable Social Activists since 1700.
