Alexandra David-Néel

Alexandra David-Néel was a Belgian–French explorer, spiritualist, Buddhist, anarchist, opera singer, and writer. She is most known for her 1924 visit to Lhasa, Tibet, when it was forbidden to foreigners. David-Néel wrote over 30 books about Eastern religion, philosophy, and her travels, including Magic and Mystery in Tibet, which was published in 1929. Her teachings influenced the beat writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, the popularisers of Eastern philosophy Alan Watts and Ram Dass, and the esotericist Benjamin Creme.

24 October 1868

Born on the same birth day (24 October): A.K. Golam Jilani • Alfred Vargas • Charles Craig Cannon • Christoph Daum • George Crumb • George Tsontakis • Glen Glenn (singer) • Ieng Sary • Jaylen Brown • Kaela Kimura • Marjorie Joyner

Born in the same month (October 1868): António Cabreira • Bertha Knight Landes • Dan Burke (baseball) • Ernest Swinton • Ernst Didring • John Weir Troy • Mariano Trías • Oskar Kallas • William Gillies (Australian politician)