Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot was a leading mid-19th Century French painter who was a particular influence on the Impressionists.

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He abandoned his citizenship in an emotional, sweeping open letter addressed to French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault that was published in mid-December in the Sunday paper Le Journal du Dimanche.

CNN: French star Depardieu ditches France for Putin's Russia

"'Hold On' is a song of hope for the generation, " said Jean, who shot to worldwide fame in the mid-1990s as part of the superstar hip-hop group Fugees.

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Christopher Columbus brought a few tobacco leaves and seeds with him back to Europe, but most Europeans didn't get their first taste of tobacco until the mid-16th century, when adventurers and diplomats like France's Jean Nicot -- for whom nicotine is named -- began to popularize its use.

CNN: A brief history of tobacco