Died On October 20th

Discover the most famous people who died on October 20. The list includes people like Muammar Gaddafi, Herbert Hoover, Burt Lancaster, Eugene V. Debs, Paul Dirac. Famous personalities featured on this list, include political leaders, composers, actors and diplomats and from other domains of life. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, Japan & Libya and many more countries.
Vote for Your Favourite Died On October 20th

Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

 1 
Burt Lancaster
(One of the Greatest Male Stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema)
Burt Lancaster
14
Birthdate: November 2, 1913
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: 1994
Burt Lancaster, one of the most prominent actors of Hollywood’s Golden Age, began as an acrobat and also fought in World War II. He is remembered for his Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning performance in Elmer Gantry, and other films such as The Rainmaker, Birdman of Alcatraz, and Atlantic City.
 2 
Herbert Hoover
(31st President of the United States (1929 – 1933))
Herbert Hoover
44
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: August 10, 1874
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: West Branch, Iowa, United States
Died: 1964

The 31st president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, was sworn into the office in 1929, the year the Great Depression struck the American economy. Earlier, Hoover was a successful mining engineer and had earned a reputation of a humanitarian who fed numerous Europeans during and after WWI. His policies during the depression, though, could not provide relief to people.

 3 
Ronnie Van Zant
(Singer, Singer-songwriter, Musician, Composer, Guitarist)
Ronnie Van Zant
14
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: January 15, 1948
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Jacksonville
Died: 1977
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 4 
Anne Sullivan
(Educator)
Anne Sullivan
20
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: April 14, 1866
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Agawam, Massachusetts, United States
Died: 1936
 5 
Jack Elam
(Actor)
Jack Elam
7
Birthdate: November 13, 1920
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Miami, Arizona, United States
Died: 2003
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 6 
James Randi
(Canadian-American Stage Magician Who Extensively Challenged Paranormal and Pseudoscientific Claims)
James Randi
14
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: August 7, 1928
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
Died: 2020

World renowned stage magician James Randi, better known by his stage name, The Amazing Randi, had been drawn to magic while recovering from a bicycle accident. He later dropped out of high school to become a road magician. He is also fond of debunking theories of paranormal activity.

 7 
Joel McCrea
(Actor)
Joel McCrea
2
Birthdate: November 5, 1905
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: South Pasadena, California, USA
Died: 1990
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 8 
Eugene V. Debs
(Union Leader)
Eugene V. Debs
10
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: November 5, 1855
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Terre Haute
Died: 1926
Eugene V. Debs, one of the founders of the Industrial Workers of the World, was a renowned socialist and a five-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party. He is remembered for founding the American Railway Union. He was convicted of sedition, but his sentence was later commuted.
 9 
Jane Wyatt
(She starred in a number of Hollywood films, such as Frank Capra's Lost Horizon)
Jane Wyatt
4
Birthdate: August 12, 1910
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Campgaw, New Jersey, United States
Died: 2006
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
 10 
Oscar de la Renta
(Fashion Designer)
Oscar de la Renta
13
Listed In: Fashion
Birthdate: July 22, 1932
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Died: 2014
 11 
Steve Gaines
(Musician)
Steve Gaines
13
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: September 14, 1949
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Miami, Oklahoma, USA
Died: 1977
 12 
Paul Dirac
(One of the Most Significant Physicists of the 20th Century and Nobel Laureate)
Paul Dirac
7
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: August 8, 1902
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bristol, England
Died: 1984

English theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Paul Dirac OM FRS, counted among leading physicists of the 20th century, made fundamental contributions in the early development of quantum electrodynamics and quantum mechanics. He derived the Dirac equation while the modern theory of antimatter began with one of his papers. His book The Principles of Quantum Mechanics remains an influential monograph on the subject.

 13 
Cassie Gaines
17
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: January 9, 1948
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Miami, Oklahoma, United States
Died: 1977
 14 
Richard Francis Burton
5
Birthdate: March 19, 1821
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Torquay
Died: 1890

Richard Francis Burton was a British explorer, soldier, and scholar. He is best remembered for his explorations in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Along with John Hanning Speke, Burton was the first European to witness the Great Lakes of Africa. A prolific writer, Burton wrote several scholarly articles about numerous subjects like sexual practices, falconry, human behavior, travel, and ethnography.

 15 
Anthony Quayle
1
Birthdate: September 7, 1913
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Ainsdale, England
Died: 1989
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 16 
Merle Travis
(Musician)
Merle Travis
2
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: November 29, 1917
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Rosewood, Kentucky, U.S.
Died: 1983
 17 
Muammar Gaddafi
(Prime Minister of Libya (1970-72))
Muammar Gaddafi
84
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: June 7, 1942
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Qasr Abu Hadi, Libya
Died: 2011
A revolutionary, politician and political theorist, Muammar Gaddafi seized power in Libya from King Idris in a bloodless coup in 1969 and became its authoritarian dictator for more than 40 years. He initially gained popularity and support; however, later, his increased dominance, support for international terrorism, and human rights violation turned people against him. He was eventually overthrown.
 18 
Naim Frasheri
(Historian)
Naim Frasheri
2
Birthdate: May 25, 1846
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Fraşer, Yanya Eyalet, Ottoman Empire (now Frashër, Albania)
Died: 1900
 19 
Noel Harrison
(English Actor, Singer and Was a Member of the British Olympic Skiing Team in the 1950s)
Noel Harrison
3
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: January 29, 1934
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kensington, London, England
Died: 2013
 20 
Sergei Bondarchuk
(Soviet Actor, Film Director and One of the Leading Personalities of Russian Cinema from the 1950s to 1970s)
Sergei Bondarchuk
2
Birthdate: September 25, 1920
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Belozerka, Ukraine
Died: 1994

Sergei Bondarchuk was a Soviet and Russian actor, screenwriter, and film director. One of the leading personalities of Russian cinema during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Bondarchuk is best remembered for his period dramas, including War and Peace and Waterloo. Sergei Bondarchuk's work earned him numerous international accolades, including the Golden Globe Award.

 21 
Lilli Carati
(Former Actress whose greatest success came with Avere vent'anni ("To Be Twenty") by Fernando Di Leo in 1978)
Lilli Carati
1
Birthdate: September 23, 1956
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Varese, Italy
Died: 2014
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
 22 
Bob Guccione
(Founder the Popular Adult Magazine 'Penthouse')
Bob Guccione
8
Birthdate: December 17, 1930
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York City, United States
Died: 2010

Porn tycoon Bob Guccione was the founder of the iconic Penthouse adult magazine. While he initially managed a laundromat chain and then drew cartoons for various publications, he later soared to fame with Penthouse and even photographed his models. A string of bad investments, including a failed casino, brought about his downfall.

 23 
Henry L. Stimson
(Politician)
Henry L. Stimson
0
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: September 21, 1867
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York City, New York (state) New York, U.S.
Died: 1950
 24 
Don James
(American college football coach)
Don James
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: December 31, 1932
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Massillon, Ohio
Died: 2013
 25 
Gary Plauche
(Murderer)
Gary Plauche
10
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: November 10, 1945
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
Died: 2014
 26 
Harlow Shapley
(American Scientist and Political Activist)
Harlow Shapley
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: November 2, 1885
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Nashville, Missouri, United States
Died: 1972

American scientist Harlow Shapley is best-remembered for ascertaining correct position of Sun within Milky Way Galaxy and for heading the Harvard College Observatory. He determined the size and shape of the Milky Way Galaxy and the Sun’s position within it using the Cepheid variable stars and wrote the Liquid Water Belt that provided scientific acceptance to Hubertus Strughold’s ecosphere theory.

 27 
Paul Raven
(bassist, guitarist)
Paul Raven
1
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: January 16, 1961
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Wolverhampton
Died: 2007
 28 
Jack Reddish
(American Alpine Ski Racer)
Jack Reddish
1
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: December 2, 1926
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Died: 1992
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 29 
Luis A. Ferre
(Engineer)
Luis A. Ferre
0
Listed In: Engineers
Birthdate: February 17, 1904
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Died: 2003
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
3
Birthdate: October 1, 1685
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: The Hofburg, Vienna, Austria
Died: 1740

Much before his daughter Maria Theresa’s birth, Emperor Charles VI’s Pragmatic Sanction enabled his future daughter to succeed him, due to the lack of male heirs. Though he was always busy fighting, he apparently did it all to bring about peace. He had also unsuccessfully attempted to conquer Spain.

 31 
Arthur Henderson
(Politician)
Arthur Henderson
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: September 13, 1863
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Glasgow
Died: 1935
 32 
Korczak Ziolkowski
(Designer)
Korczak Ziolkowski
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: September 6, 1908
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: 1982
 33 
Budd Johnson
(Clarinetist, Saxophonist)
Budd Johnson
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: December 14, 1910
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, United States
Died: 1984
 34 
Andrey Kolmogorov
(Russian Mathematician Who Contributed to ‘Probability Theory’, ‘Probability Space’, ‘Topology’, ‘Intuitionistic Logic’ and ‘Turbulence Studies’)
Andrey Kolmogorov
3
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: April 25, 1903
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Tambov, Russia
Died: 1987

Russian mathematician Andrey Kolmogorov lost his mother at birth and was raised by his aunts. His talent in mathematics was discovered when he joined the Moscow State University to study history and math, while simultaneously studying metallurgy elsewhere. His greatest contribution to mathematics was in the field of probability theory.

 35 
Lawrence Klein
(Economist)
Lawrence Klein
2
Birthdate: September 14, 1920
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Died: 2013
 36 
Dariusz Gnatowski
(Actor)
Dariusz Gnatowski
0
Birthdate: May 24, 1961
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Ruda Śląska, Poland
Died: 2020
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 37 
Michael Rostovtzeff
(Russian Archaeologist and Historian)
Michael Rostovtzeff
0
Birthdate: November 10, 1870
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Zhytomyr, Ukraine
Died: 1952

Russian historian Mikhail Ivanovich Rostovtzeff is best-known for producing significant works on ancient Roman and Greek history. He emerged as an influential authority on ancient-history of South Russia and Ukraine while working in Russia. The term caravan city is believed to have been coined by him. Noted books of Rostovtzeff include Dura-Europos and Its Art and Skythien und der Bosporus.

 38 
Jack Lynch
(Politician)
Jack Lynch
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: August 15, 1917
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Shandon, Cork, Ireland
Died: 1999
 39 
Sœur Emmanuelle
(French Nun Known for Her Involvement in Working for the Plight of the Poor in Turkey and Egypt)
Sœur Emmanuelle
1
Listed In: Activists
Birthdate: November 16, 1908
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
Died: 2008

Sister Emmanuelle was a human rights worker and Catholic Religious Sister. She is best remembered for her work that aimed at helping the poor in Egypt and Turkey. Emmanuelle, who was born to a French father and a Belgian mother, was granted Egyptian citizenship in 1991 for her work in Egypt. She was also renowned for her unorthodox religious views.

 40 
Carl Ferdinand Cori
(Czech-American Biochemist and Pharmacologist Who Won the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physiology)
Carl Ferdinand Cori
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: December 5, 1896
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Prague, Czechia
Died: 1984

Czech-American biochemist Carl Ferdinand Cori’s interest in science was not surprising, with him being a zoologist’s son. Along with his wife, Gerty Cori, and Argentine physiologist Bernardo Houssay, Cori won the Nobel Prize for finding out that glycogen is an energy storehouse of the body.

 41 
Shigeru Yoshida
(Former Prime Minister of Japan (1948 - 1954))
Shigeru Yoshida
2
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: September 22, 1878
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
Died: 1967

Shigeru Yoshida had been the prime minister of Japan in the face of Allied occupation after World War II. Born to an entrepreneur and a geisha, he had later been adopted by a friend of his father’s. He is best known for the Yoshida Doctrine, which ushered in economic prosperity.

 42 
Norman Chandler
(Publisher)
Norman Chandler
0
Birthdate: September 14, 1899
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Died: 1973
 43 
Farooq Leghari
(8th President of Pakistan (1993 - 1997))
Farooq Leghari
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: May 29, 1940
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Choti, Pakistan
Died: 2010

Farooq Leghari was a Pakistani politician best remembered for serving as the eighth President of the country from 1993 until his resignation in 1997. Farooq Leghari also served as the Minister for Water and Power from 1988 to 1990.

 44 
Aelia Eudocia
(Empress)
Aelia Eudocia
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 0401 AD
Birthplace: Athens, Greece
Died: 0460
 45 
E. Donnall Thomas
1
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: March 15, 1920
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Mart, Texas, United States
Died: 2012
 46 
José Batlle y Ordóñez
(Former President of Uruguay Who Served for Three-Terms Between 1899 and 1911)
José Batlle y Ordóñez
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: May 21, 1856
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Montevideo, Uruguay
Died: 1929

José Batlle y Ordóñez was a Uruguayan politician best remembered for his service as the President of Uruguay on two occasions. He held the president's office from 1903 to 1907 and again from 1911 to 1915. He was also appointed as the acting president in 1899. Batlle is credited with modernizing the country by introducing extensive welfare state reforms.

 47 
Harry F. Byrd
(Politician, Publisher)
Harry F. Byrd
1
Birthdate: June 10, 1887
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States
Died: 1966
 48 
Werner Krauss
(Actor)
Werner Krauss
0
Birthdate: June 23, 1884
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Sonnefeld Gestungshausen, Germany
Died: 1959
 49 
Gunnar Asplund
(Architect)
Gunnar Asplund
0
Listed In: Architects
Birthdate: September 22, 1885
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Died: 1940
 50 
James Iredell
(Associate Justice)
James Iredell
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 5, 1751
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Lewes, England
Died: 1799