The most provocative philosopher of the 19th century, Nietzsche's concepts of the will to power, the Übermensch, and the death of God have shaped — and been misshapen by — modern thought more than almost any other thinker's work. His aphoristic style and willingness to attack conventional morality made him both deeply influential and easily misappropriated.

Montaigne invented the essay as a literary form and filled it with radical honesty about the human condition. His "Essais" — a word he coined — explored everything from cannibalism to thumb-twiddling with equal curiosity and scepticism. He remains the patron saint of intellectual self-examination.

The greatest poet of ancient Rome, Virgil's "Aeneid" provided the Romans with a founding epic to rival Homer's, while his "Georgics" and "Eclogues" set the standard for pastoral verse. Dante chose him as his guide through Hell and Purgatory — the highest compliment any medieval Christian could pay.

One of the most influential figures in American food television, Lagasse's exuberant personality and catchphrase "Bam!" made him a household name. He parlayed his television fame into a restaurant empire and became one of the key figures in the democratisation of American culinary culture in the 1990s.