Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, aka
HPB, 1831-1891. Russian noblewoman who, after fleeing marriage to
Constantinople, ended up in
Cairo where she learned
occult "secrets." Came to New York in 1873 where she rose in prominence among
spiritualist circles and founded the
Theosophical Society after which she and her American sponsor,
Henry S. Olcott, moved to
India.
The day of her death is celebrated by Theosophists around the world as White Lotus Day.