All articles starting with F

Franck Schott

Franck Schott, French backstroke swimmer born 1970 in Saint-Paul, La Réunion; three-time Olympian (1988, 1992, 1996), short-course 50 m backstroke world record holder (24.60, 1994), European champion medalist, later technical adviser in La Réunion.

Franck Vernerey

Franck Vernerey is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder who studies soft and biological matter and received a Presidential Early Career Award.

Franck–Condon principle

The Franck–Condon principle, also called the Franck–Condon approximation, states that electronic transitions in molecules occur so fast the nuclei stay fixed, shaping vibronic spectra intensities.

Franck–Hertz experiment

The Franck–Hertz experiment is a 1914 physics experiment in which James Franck and Gustav Hertz showed electrons lose energy to mercury atoms in discrete 4.9 eV quanta.

Franclens

Franclens is a French commune in the department of Haute-Savoie on the plateau de la Semine, known for underground quarries that supplied Roman Lyon with white building stone.

Sep 19, 2026

Franco & OK Jazz

Franco & OK Jazz, also known as T.P. OK Jazz, was a Congolese rumba orchestra founded in Kinshasa in 1956 by guitarist Franco, dissolved in 1993.

Franco Armani

Franco Armani, born 1986 in Casilda, Argentina, is a World Cup 2022-winning goalkeeper nicknamed "el pulpo", with 13 titles at Atlético Nacional and 10 at River Plate before returning to Colombia in 2026.

Franco Baresi

Franco Baresi (not to be confused with Baggio), AC Milan libero and captain 1977-1997, 719 matches, six Scudetti, three European Cups, 81 Italy caps, 1994 World Cup final captain; pioneer of zonal defending.

Oct 10, 2026

Franco Basaglia

Franco Basaglia (1924–1980) was an Italian psychiatrist who, as director of asylums in Gorizia and Trieste, led the movement that closed Italy's mental hospitals through Law 180 of 1978.

Franco Bertinetti

Franco Bertinetti (1923-1995), Italian épée fencer of US Pro Vercelli, won Olympic team épée gold at Helsinki 1952 and Melbourne 1956 plus five World Championship team titles (1953-1958); son of Marcello and father of Marcello "Cito" Bertinetti.

Franco Cacialli

Franco Cacialli is a physicist known for work on organic semiconductor devices including LEDs and photovoltaics, professor at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano since 2022, previously at University College London.

Sep 20, 2026

Franco Cavalli

Franco Cavalli, born 1942 in Locarno, is a Swiss medical oncologist known for lymphoma research who founded the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland and the International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma.

Franco Colapinto

Franco Colapinto (born 2003, Pilar, Argentina) is an Argentine Formula 1 driver racing for Alpine, car 43. Debuted with Williams at the 2024 Italian GP, first Argentine F1 driver in 23 years, scored 32 career points, and is confirmed at Alpine alongside Gasly through 2027.

Franco Columbu

Franco Columbu (Francesco Maria Columbu), 1941–2019, Italian bodybuilder, two-time Mr. Olympia (1976, 1981), shortest Olympia winner at 5'5", Arnold Schwarzenegger's best friend, powerlifter, chiropractor, and actor.

Oct 20, 2026

Franco de Piccoli

Franco de Piccoli (Francesco De Piccoli, 1937-2026), Italian heavyweight boxer; won gold at Rome 1960 Olympics, first Italian Olympic heavyweight champion, KO'd Daan Bekker in the final.

Sep 19, 2026

Franco De Vita

Franco De Vita is a Venezuelan singer-songwriter, born in Caracas in 1954, known for "Un Buen Perdedor" and "Te Amo" and sales of over 25 million records.

Franco Di Santo

Franco Matías Di Santo, Argentine centre-forward born 1989 in Mendoza; played for Chelsea, Blackburn, Wigan (2013 FA Cup winner), Werder Bremen, Schalke 04, and clubs across the Americas; 3 Argentina caps, 0 goals.

Franco Faggi

Franco Faggi, born in Perledo in 1926, was an Italian rower who stroked the Moto Guzzi coxless four to gold at the 1948 London Olympics.

Franco Gandini

Franco Gandini, Italian track cyclist born 1936 in San Lazzaro di Parma; Olympic gold in the 4,000 m team pursuit at Melbourne 1956 with Faggin, Gasparella, and Domenicali; world pursuit silver 1950 and 1957, bronze 1958; professional 1958-1960.

Franco Giorgetti

Franco Giorgetti was an Italian track cyclist who won Olympic gold in the team pursuit at Antwerp in 1920 and later became a leading six-day racer in America.

Franco Harris

Franco Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame running back (1972-1983, then Seattle Seahawks), caught the Immaculate Reception, won four Super Bowls, was Super Bowl IX MVP, and had No. 32 retired.

Sep 19, 2026

Franco Lamping

Franco Lamping is a Brazilian software engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded the digital insurer 180 Seguros in São Paulo in 2020, after five years as a Nubank engineer.

Franco Lavoratori

Franco Lavoratori (1941–2006), Italian water polo player of Pro Recco; Olympic gold at Rome 1960, fourth at 1964 and 1968, sixth at 1972; 14 Italian titles and the 1965 European Cup.

Sep 20, 2026

Franco Locatelli

Franco Locatelli is an Italian pediatric hematologist at Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Rome who led the phase 3 trials of exa-cel, the first approved CRISPR gene-editing therapy.

Franco M. Muggia

Franco M. Muggia (1936–2021) was an Italian-born American medical oncologist at the National Cancer Institute and NYU, known for the dexrazoxane cardioprotection trial and ovarian cancer therapeutics.

Franco Mandelli

Franco Mandelli (1931–2018) was an Italian physician and haematologist who directed Sapienza University's Institute of Haematology from 1979 to 2003 and founded the GIMEMA cooperative trials group.

Franco Mastantuono

Franco Mastantuono (born 2007, Azul, Argentina) is an Argentine left-footed winger and attacking midfielder; River Plate's youngest goalscorer, sold to Real Madrid in 2025 for a record €63.2m, then loaned to Fiorentina.

Franco Menichelli

Franco Menichelli (1941–2026), Italian artistic gymnast and 1964 Tokyo Olympic floor exercise champion, the only Italian Olympic champion on floor; five Olympic medals, 14 European medals, Hall of Fame 2003.

Franco Modigliani

Franco Modigliani was an Italian-born American economist at MIT who won the 1985 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his analyses of saving and financial markets.