AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France -- On the cold night of Jan. 31, 1954, a woman froze to death on the streets of Paris, clutching in her hands the eviction notice dated one day before. It was a forgettable tragedy, one in a million of the small tragedies that pass daily. But the next day, a 41-year-old priest barged into the studios of Radio Luxembourg to issue a plea that such tragedies should not be forgotten, that we can and must do more. "Friends, help!" he cried across the airwaves, and in that moment, the legend of Abbé Pierre began. His career built affordable housing, raised the poor out of poverty, and brought change to a frozen French government.