Josephine Baker

 Baker is the first Black woman honored at the Pantheon, according to the Elysee Palace. She is also only the sixth woman, which includes scientist Marie Curie and politician Simone Veil.

Baker -- a dancer, singer and wartime spy -- is a household name in France. Her scantily-clad dancehall routines -- often playing on colonial tropes -- are synonymous with the wild reverie of the 1920s.

Although less well-known in her American homeland, she was proud of her humble roots in Saint Louis and later in life became a fierce advocate for civil rights, speaking at the 1963 March on Washington.