Died On December 29th

Bohemian-Austrian poet and author Rainer Maria Rilke is best remembered for his numerous poetry collections and his only novel, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge. His works contain metaphors, contradictions, and elements drawn from Greek mythology. Though most of his works were in German, he had also written in French.

Andrei Tarkovsky was a Soviet and Russian writer, theatre director, filmmaker, and film theorist. Renowned for making movies that explored metaphysical and spiritual themes, Tarkovsky is often regarded as one of the most influential and greatest directors in the history of world cinema. The recipient of many prestigious awards, Andrei Tarkovsky's work continues to influence several filmmakers around the world.

Italian-born French fashion designer Pierre Cardin revolutionized unisex fashion with his geometric designs. His wine merchant father wanted him to study architecture, but Cardin deviated to fashion instead, starting his career as a men’s tailor. He introduced the Space Age look and also licensed his name out to other products.

Jacques-Louis David was a French painter. Widely regarded as the greatest painter of the Neoclassical era, David's works had a strong influence in France in the early-19th century. His works are often linked to the birth of Romanticism. Many of his pupils, such as Antoine-Jean Gros and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, went on to become successful and popular painters.

Harold Macmillan, also known as “Supermac” because of his witty personality, served as the British prime minister from 1957 to 1963. He was injured and rendered partially immobile while serving in World War I. He was known for supporting the nuclear test ban and for association with the Suez Crisis.

Johns Hopkins Hospital co-founder William Osler was also an avid historian. He redefined medical education with his emphasis on clinical experience and his book The Principles and Practice of Medicine. Born to a missionary father in Canada, he was to follow in his father’s footsteps but decided to study medicine instead.

German engineer and auto designer Wilhelm Maybach once earned the nickname The King of Designers. He collaborated with Gottlieb Daimler and formed Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, eventually designing the first Mercedes automobiles. He and his son later started an aircraft engine company. In 1996, he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.

Joseph Cornell was an American filmmaker and visual artist. He is best remembered as a pioneer and exponent of assemblage. Joseph Cornell is also known for his experimental films like Rose Hobart which were inspired by Surrealism.

Wojciech Kilar was a Polish composer whose film scores earned him several prestigious honors, including the Louis Delluc Prize for his work in the 1980 traditionally-animated film The King and the Mockingbird. He achieved international fame for his work in Bram Stoker's Dracula. He also received the César Award for his work in the 2002 war drama film The Pianist.

Born in Switzerland, Félix Vallotton later moved to Paris to study art and grew to be one of the prominent members of the Les Nabis. Renowned for his woodcuts, he mostly focused on nudes and interiors. Politically conscious, he often infused political themes in his art, such as The Demonstration.

The son of a British Army officer, comedian and musician Neil Innes had begun training in the piano and the guitar since childhood. Part of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band, he wrote the hit single I’m the Urban Spaceman. He is also remembered for his collaboration with the Monty Python team.

British soldier Bob Astles is best remembered as an associate of Ugandan presidents Milton Obote and Idi Amin. He also led Uganda’s anti-smuggling unit, for which he was given the title of Major by Amin, while Obote made him the head of the TV section of Uganda’s Information Ministry.

One of the pioneers of American modern dance, Doris Humphrey had begun her career with the Denishawn dance school. The daughter of a pianist mother, she later launched her own dance school with her mother as the manager. She also excelled in American vaudeville and promoted the dance movement theory.

German mathematician Leopold Kronecker is best remembered for his pioneering work on the theory of equations and algebra. Interestingly, he wasn’t too keen on academic research initially and focused on his land business, while simultaneously pursuing math as a hobby. He could only focus on math after retiring at 30.

Julius Axelrod was an American biochemist best remembered for winning the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Ulf von Euler and Bernard Katz. He is also remembered for making important contributions to the understanding of the functions of the pineal gland. Julius Axelrod was also the recipient of several other awards, including the Gairdner Foundation International Award.

Known as The English Hippocrates for authoring the medicine textbook Observationes Medicae, physician Thomas Sydenham is also remembered for his pathbreaking research on gout and scarlet fever. He also discovered St. Vitus’ dance, or Sydenham’s chore; believed in nosological classification of ailments; and popularized the use of quinine for treating malaria.

Remembered as Croatia’s most influential author, Miroslav Krleža wrote everything from poems and plays to short stories and novels. He fought in World War I, while his works got banned for a while for his leftist political views. His iconic works, such as Ballads of Petrica Kerempuh, spoke of Croatian peasant life.

Born to a Russian Jewish tailor, French designer Ted Lapidus is credited with popularizing military-style fashion and blue jeans as part of mainstream fashion design. He was known for his signature Saharienne and the uniform look. Celebrities such as John Lennon and Brigitte Bardot wore his creations.

Anderson Ruffin Abbott was the first Canadian-born Black doctor. He had been a surgeon for the Union Army and was also in charge of treating President Abraham Lincoln in his final moments. He had also headed the Provident Hospital, which was the first American training hospital for Black nurses.

Born to a Lutheran minister, Maria Margaretha Kirch was educated at par with boys of her age, which wasn’t the norm back then. She later became the first woman astronomer to discover a comet. The German astronomer also received accolades such as the Gold Medal of the Royal Academy of Sciences.

Known for her signature style of art that resembles burned negatives or infrared images, Hungarian artist Gyorgy Kepes has also taught visual art at MIT. His book on design education, Language of Vision, was once a staple textbook for art colleges. He had also turned to filmmaking for a while.