Famous People Who Died In 1917

Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1917. This list includes people like Mata Hari, Buffalo Bill, Edgar Degas, Dadabhai Naoroji, Auguste Rodin and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include soldiers, aviators, artists and journalists who died in 1917. This list includes people from United Kingdom, United States, France & Germany and many more countries.
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 1 
Buffalo Bill
(American Showman, Bison Hunter and One of the Most Famous Figures of the American Old West,)
Buffalo Bill
11
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: February 26, 1846
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Scott County, Iowa, United States
Died: January 10
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a legendary showman and bison hunter who had also been a Union soldier. He began working as a freight carrier at 11 and later performed in Wild West-themed shows. He later formed Buffalo Bill's Wild West and toured across the U.S. and Europe.
 2 
Scott Joplin
(American Composer and Pianist Known as the ‘King of Ragtime’)
Scott Joplin
11
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: November 24, 1868
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Texarkana, Texas, United States
Died: April 1
Composer and pianist Scott Joplin, or the King of Ragtime, had written more than 100 original ragtime pieces. His most iconic piece was the Maple Leaf Rag. He had also written two operas, including Treemonisha. He was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize. The film The Sting featured his compositions.
 3 
Edgar Degas
(French Impressionist Artist Best Known for His Pastel Drawings and Oil Paintings)
Edgar Degas
10
Birthdate: July 19, 1834
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: September 27

French Impressionist artist Edgar Degas is best remembered for his oil paintings and pastel drawings and for his signature use of dancers and bathing women as themes in his works such as Fin d'Arabesque and Woman in a Tub. He had also experimented with bronze sculptures and called himself a realist.

 4 
Auguste Rodin
(French Sculptor Best Regarded as the Founder of 'Modern Sculpture')
Auguste Rodin
3
Birthdate: November 13, 1840
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: November 17
Initially aspiring to be a monk, Auguste Rodin found his true calling when he visited Italy and was awestruck by Michelangelo’s creations. His iconic sculptures such as The Thinker and The Age of Bronze are astoundingly life-like. He breathed magic into nudes and ballerinas made of stone and bronze.
 5 
Emile Durkheim
(French Sociologist Who Established the 'Academic Discipline of Sociology')
Emile Durkheim
6
Birthdate: April 15, 1858
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Épinal, France
Died: November 15

Emile Durkheim was a French sociologist. He is credited with establishing the discipline of sociology for academic purposes and is widely regarded as the chief architect of modern social science. During his lifetime, Emile Durkheim published several works on topics like morality, religion, and education. He also played a major role in the development of sociology and anthropology as disciplines.

 6 
Liliʻuokalani
(Queen of the Hawaiian Islands (1891-93))
Liliʻuokalani
7
Birthdate: September 2, 1838
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Died: November 11
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 7 
Tom Thomson
(Artist)
Tom Thomson
14
Birthdate: August 5, 1877
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Claremont, Pickering, Canada
Died: July 8

Tom Thomson was a Canadian artist best remembered for producing some of Canada's most iconic works, namely The West Wind and The Jack Pine. Thomson's work has had a profound influence on Canadian art and he is often regarded as an unofficial member of the famous Group of Seven as he died shortly before the establishment of the iconic group.

 8 
George Dewey
(Military Leader)
George Dewey
2
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: December 26, 1837
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Montpelier, Vermont, United States
Died: January 16
 9 
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
(Mayor of Aldeburgh)
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
2
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: June 9, 1836
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Whitechapel
Died: December 17

The first female doctor and surgeon of Britain, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was initially denied admission to medical schools because of her gender and had thus started studying privately. Soon after joining the Marylebone Dispensary as an attendant, she contributed to the formation of the New Hospital for Women.

 10 
Dadabhai Naoroji
(Indian Political Leader Who was the Second Person of Asian Descent to be a British MP)
Dadabhai Naoroji
9
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: September 4, 1825
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Died: June 30

Dadabhai Naoroji was an Indian scholar and political leader. Dubbed the Grand Old Man of India, Naoroji is remembered for co-founding the Indian National Congress where he served as the president on three occasions. He also played an important role in India's fight for freedom, popularizing the Indian wealth drain theory through his book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India.

 11 
Ferdinand von Zeppelin
(A Pioneer in Development of Rigid Airship and Founder of Aircraft Manufacturing Company ‘Luftschiffbau Zeppelin’)
Ferdinand von Zeppelin
1
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: July 8, 1838
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Died: March 8

German general and inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin is best-remembered for inventing the Zeppelin rigid airships and pioneering development of rigid airships during early 20th century. Zeppelin eventually founded the German aircraft manufacturing company called Luftschiffbau Zeppelin that played an instrumental role in the design and manufacture of rigid airships and emerged as the leading manufacturer of large lighter-than-air vehicles.

 12 
L. L. Zamenhof
(Linguist, Ophthalmologist, Inventor, Poet, Translator, Esperantist, Physician, Writer, Bible translator)
L. L. Zamenhof
2
Birthdate: December 15, 1859
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Białystok
Died: April 14

L. L. Zamenhof was an ophthalmologist best remembered for creating the most widely spoken international auxiliary language, Esperanto. He came up with the constructed language after being consumed by the idea of a warless world. L. L. Zamenhof received several honors for creating Esperanto, including the Légion d'honneur. He also received 12 nominations for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.

 13 
Bob Fitzsimmons
(British Professional Boxer Who was the Sport’s First Three-Division World Champion)
Bob Fitzsimmons
1
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: May 26, 1863
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Helston, England
Died: October 22

British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons initially spent a lot of time in his family’s blacksmith’s forge in New Zealand, thus later earning the nickname The Fighting Blacksmith. He later scripted history as the first boxer to win world titles in three categories, the middleweight, the light-heavyweight, and the heavyweight divisions.

 14 
Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia
(Aristocrat)
Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia
3
Birthdate: July 25, 1860
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Marmorpalais, Potsdam, Germany
Died: March 14
 15 
Diamond Jim Brady
(Businessman)
Diamond Jim Brady
2
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: August 12, 1856
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New York City, United States
Died: April 13
 16 
Albert Ball
(Aviator, Military personnel)
Albert Ball
4
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: August 14, 1896
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Nottingham
Died: May 7
 17 
Ecaterina Teodoroiu
(Soldier)
Ecaterina Teodoroiu
2
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 14, 1894
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Târgu Jiu, Romania
Died: September 3
 18 
Franz Brentano
(German Philosopher, Priest, and Professor Who Founded Intentionalism)
Franz Brentano
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 16, 1838
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Marienberg, Germany
Died: March 17

Widely regarded as the founder of Intentionalism, or act psychology, German philosopher Franz Brentano was also a Roman Catholic priest. He also taught philosophy at the University of Würzburg and the University of Vienna and penned the iconic works Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint and Inquiry into Sense Psychology.

 19 
Edward Thomas
(Poet)
Edward Thomas
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: March 3, 1878
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Lambeth, Surrey, England
Died: April 9

Educated at Oxford, poet Edward Thomas spent a considerable time working rather reluctantly as a journalist and penning nature studies and critiques of 19th-century authors. An encounter with Robert Frost inspired him to write poems. He was killed in action in Arras, France, during World War I.

 20 
Adolf von Baeyer
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: October 31, 1835
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Berlin
Died: August 20

Adolf von Baeyer was a German chemist who is best known for synthesizing indigo. Interested in science from a young age,  he studied chemistry at the University of Heidelberg, where his mentor was the prominent organic chemist August Kekulé. He went on to have a successful career and received the 1905 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

 21 
Léon Minkus
(Former composer of ballet music, a violin virtuoso and teacher)
Léon Minkus
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: March 23, 1826
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: December 7
 22 
Andrew Taylor Still
0
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: August 6, 1828
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Lee County
Died: December 12
 23 
Teresa Carreno
(Pianist an internationally renowned virtuoso pianist and was often referred to as the)
Teresa Carreno
1
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: December 22, 1853
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Caracas, Venezuela
Died: June 12

Teresa Carreno was a Venezuelan composer, conductor, and pianist. During the course of her illustrious career, which spanned more than 50 years, Carreno achieved international popularity as a virtuoso pianist and was nicknamed the Valkyrie of the Piano. Carreno is also credited with teaching pianists like Edward MacDowell, who went on to become a popular pianist in his own right.

 24 
Emil Adolf von Behring
(German physiologist)
Emil Adolf von Behring
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: March 15, 1854
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Ławice
Died: March 31

Nobel Prize-winning German physiologist Emil Adolf von Behring is remembered as a pioneer of immunology for his research on serum therapy developed an antitoxin to cure diphtheria. One of the 13 children of his parents, he had studied medicine at a military academy due to lack of funds.

 25 
Georges Guynemer
(Iconic French Fighter Pilot of World War I)
Georges Guynemer
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: December 24, 1894
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: September 11

One of the best-known French fighter pilots of World War I, Georges Guynemer reportedly shot 54 enemy planes. Awarded with honors such as the Légion d'honneur and the Médaille militaire, he was a national hero. He went MIA and was later declared dead after he failed to return from a combat mission in 1917.

 26 
Eduard Buchner
(Nobel Laureate in Chemistry)
Eduard Buchner
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: May 20, 1860
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Munich
Died: August 13

Nobel Prize-winning German biochemist Eduard Buchner was the first to demonstrate how the enzymes in yeast cause the fermentation of carbohydrates. He also taught at various universities, such as Berlin and Breslau. He died in the Battle of Mărășești, while serving as a major, during World War I.

 27 
Emil Theodor Kocher
1
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: August 25, 1841
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bern, Switzerland
Died: July 27

Emil Theodor Kocher was a Swiss medical researcher and physician. In 1909, Kocher became the first surgeon and first Swiss citizen to receive a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He earned the prize for his work in the pathology, physiology, and surgery of the thyroid. He was widely regarded as a leader and pioneer in the field of surgery.

 28 
Noel Godfrey Chavasse
(Military physician, Athletics competitor)
Noel Godfrey Chavasse
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: November 9, 1884
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Oxford
Died: August 4
 29 
Albert Pinkham Ryder
(Painter)
Albert Pinkham Ryder
0
Birthdate: March 19, 1847
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States
Died: March 28
 30 
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
(Actor)
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
0
Birthdate: December 17, 1852
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kensington, England
Died: July 2
 31 
Octave Mirbeau
(Novelist)
Octave Mirbeau
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: February 16, 1848
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Trévières, France
Died: February 16
 32 
Henry Croft
(Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Cowichan)
Henry Croft
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: January 15, 1856
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Darling Point, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died: July 28
 33 
Belva Ann Lockwood
(American lawyer)
Belva Ann Lockwood
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 24, 1830
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Royalton, New York
Died: May 19
 34 
John W. Foster
(Politician)
John W. Foster
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 2, 1836
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Petersburg, Indiana, United States
Died: November 15
 35 
Hugo Simberg
(Finnish Symbolist Painter Known for Paintings like ‘The Wounded Angel’ and ‘The Garden of Death’)
Hugo Simberg
0
Birthdate: June 24, 1873
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hamina, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire (now Hamina, Finland)
Died: July 12

Finnish symbolist painter and graphic artist Hugo Gerhard Simberg was most noted for his paintings that were made on macabre and supernatural topics depicting gloomy and otherworldly scenes. Two of his most recognizable paintings include The Wounded Angel that was voted in 2006 by the Ateneum art museum as "national painting" of Finland; and The Garden of Death.  

 36 
Radomir Putnik
(Serbia's First Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff)
Radomir Putnik
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 24, 1847
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kragujevac, Serbia
Died: May 17

Serbian army commander Radomir Putnik was the country’s first Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff. He led the Serbs in the Balkan Wars and World War I. One of his most significant wins was against the Austro-Hungarian army in the battles of Cer and Kolubara in 1914.

 37 
Frances Xavier Cabrini
(Italian-American Catholic Religious Sister and Founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus)
Frances Xavier Cabrini
1
Birthdate: July 15, 1850
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Italy
Died: December 22

Frances Xavier Cabrini was an Italian-American nun who founded a Catholic religious institute called the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The institute played a major role in supporting Italian immigrants to the US. In 1946, Frances Xavier Cabrini became the first American citizen to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.

 38 
William Henry Moody
(Jurist)
William Henry Moody
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: December 23, 1853
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Newbury, Massachusetts, United States
Died: July 2
 39 
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
(Prince)
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 22, 1831
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Augustenborg, Denmark
Died: October 28
 40 
Anton Haus
(Austro-Hungarian Naval Chief Who Later Became the Grand Admiral of the Navy)
Anton Haus
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: June 13, 1851
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Tolmin
Died: February 8

Austro-Hungarian naval chief who led during World War I, Anton Haus later served as the Navy's Grand Admiral. He also penned the iconic academic text Oceanography and Maritime Meteorology when he worked as a teacher at the Naval Academy. He also supported unrestricted submarine warfare, a technique followed by the Germans.

 41 
Matthijs Maris
(Painter)
Matthijs Maris
0
Birthdate: August 17, 1839
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: The Hague, Netherlands
Died: August 22
 42 
Edward Miner Gallaudet
(Educator)
Edward Miner Gallaudet
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: February 5, 1837
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Died: September 26
 43 
Edward Burnett Tylor
(British Anthropologist and the Founder of 'Cultural Anthropology')
Edward Burnett Tylor
0
Birthdate: October 2, 1832
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Camberwell, London, England
Died: January 2

Known for his pioneering work in cultural anthropology, Edward Burnett Tylor penned iconic works such as Primitive Culture, which was partially influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution. Born to affluent Quaker parents, he quit school to focus on his business but was later drawn to anthropology. He popularized the term animism.

 44 
Mendele Moykher Sforim
(Author)
Mendele Moykher Sforim
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: January 2, 1836
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kopyl, Russia
Died: December 8
 45 
Ranavalona III
(Statesperson)
Ranavalona III
0
Birthdate: November 22, 1861
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Merina Kingdom Madagascar
Died: May 23
 46 
Oswald Chambers
(Author, Theologian)
Oswald Chambers
3
Birthdate: July 24, 1874
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Aberdeen
Died: November 15
 47 
Maksim Bahdanovič
(Belarusian Poet, Translator, Journalist and One of the Founders of the Modern Belarusian Literature)
Maksim Bahdanovič
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: December 9, 1891
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Minsk
Died: May 25

Maksim Bahdanovič was a Belarusian poet, translator, journalist, historian of literature, and literary critic. Widely regarded as one of the progenitors of modern Belarusian literature, Bahdanovič was the first poet to bring several new lyrical forms into Belarusian literature. Maksim Bahdanovič is also remembered for translating the works of famous poets like Paul Verlaine, Alexander Pushkin, Heinrich Heine, and Horace.

 48 
Thomas Ashe
(Politician)
Thomas Ashe
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: January 12, 1885
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Lispole, Ireland
Died: September 25
 49 
Fernand Labori
(Attorney)
Fernand Labori
0
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: April 18, 1860
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Reims, France
Died: March 14
 50 
Nikolay Dukhonin
(General)
Nikolay Dukhonin
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: December 13, 1876
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Smolensk Governorate, Russian Empire
Died: December 3