Germany: Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844 Ð 1900) was a Latin and Greek scholar, philosopher, cultural critic, poet and composer, Basel, 1875

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 Ð 25 August 1900) was a German Latin and Greek scholar, philosopher, cultural critic, poet and composer. He wrote several critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy and science. Nietzsche began his career as a classical philologistÑa scholar of Greek and Roman textual criticismÑbefore turning to philosophy. In 1869, at age 24, he became the youngest-ever occupant of the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel. He resigned in 1879 due to health problems that plagued him most of his life. In 1889, at age 44, he suffered a collapse and a complete loss of his mental faculties. He died in 1900 following a stroke. (Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)