Famous People Who Died In 1951

MLB player Joseph Jefferson Jackson, or Shoeless Joe, was associated with the Philadelphia Athletics, the Cleveland Naps/Indians, and the Chicago White Sox. He was dragged into the Black Sox Scandal, through which the 1919 Chicago White Sox team members conspired to fix the World Series, leading him to be banned.

William Randolph Hearst was an American newspaper publisher, businessman, and politician. He is credited with developing America's largest newspaper chain, Hearst Communications. Today, Hearst Communications has grown into a multinational business information and mass media conglomerate. William Randolph Hearst’s life and work inspired the creation of Charles Foster Kane, the main character in the 1941 drama film, Citizen Kane.

Austrian-British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein is remembered for his works related to logic, the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of mathematics, and the philosophy of language. He taught at the University of Cambridge for many years. He published only one book during his lifetime. Most of his manuscripts were collected later and published posthumously.

Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian-German automotive engineer. He is credited with founding one of the most popular car companies in the world, Porsche AG. He is also credited with creating the Lohner-Porsche mixed hybrid, the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle. During World War II, Porsche was a prominent contributor to the German war effort.

Fanny Brice was an American singer, comedienne, and actress. She is credited with creating one of the most popular radio comedy series of her generation, The Baby Snooks Show. Fanny Brice was posthumously honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the radio and film industries. Her life inspired the 1964 musical, Funny Girl. 

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was a Finnish statesman and military leader who served as the leader of the White Guard during the Finnish Civil War of 1918. He also played a key role during World War II where he served as the Chief of Defense of Finland's defense forces. Thanks to his achievements, Mannerheim is regarded as Finland's greatest statesman.

Nobel Prize-winning French author Andre Gide is remembered for exhibiting the conflict between sexuality and the puritanical standards of society through his works. Much of his work was autobiographical and used the confessional format. A homosexual himself, he defended homosexuality through works such as Corydon.

Abdullah I of Jordan reigned as the King of Jordan from 25 May 1946 until his assassination on 20 July 1951. Prior to his service as the king of Jordan, Abdullah I of Jordan served as the Emir of Transjordan from 11 April 1921 to 25 May 1946.

Sadegh Hedayat was an Iranian translator and writer best remembered for his book The Blind Owl, which inspired the 1987 French film La Chouette aveugle. Hedayat was one of the earliest writers from Iran to make literary modernism an important aspect of his work and career. Sadegh Hedayat's life and career have inspired several documentary films like From No. 37.

German physicist Arnold Sommerfeld initially taught math and theoretical physics and later came to be known for his groundbreaking work on atomic and quantum physics and wave mechanics. He also laid down the magnetic quantum number. Many of the doctoral and post-doctoral students he supervised later won the Nobel Prize.

Canadian author and social reformer Nellie McClung had struck gold with her first novel, Sowing Seeds in Danny, a bestseller. She also spoke widely about woman suffrage and was part of the Alberta legislature. She was part of The Famous Five, a group of women who launched the Persons Case.

Mary White Ovington was an American journalist and suffragist. She is best remembered as one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Throughout her life, Mary White Ovington remained active in the fight for women's suffrage in the United States of America. She also wrote several articles and books including an autobiography. 

The person behind the development of the Vaganova method, Agrippina Vaganova was a significant name in the Russian ballet scene. She also penned Fundamentals of the Classical Dance, which is the most-followed text on ballet. At Mariinsky Ballet, she was known as the queen of variations.

One of the most prominent figures of Lebanon’s independence movement, Riad al-Sulh became the country’s first prime minister after its independence. He was assassinated by Syrian Nationalist Party members, while visiting King Abdullah of Jordan. He is regarded as one of the founding fathers of Lebanon.

Not only was Harald Bohr the younger brother of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr, but he was also a renowned mathematician in his own right. He is remembered for his research on periodic functions. Interestingly, he was also part of the silver-winning Danish football team at the 1908 London Olympics.

Born into an affluent family, Hermann Broch sold his family’s textile factory to focus on studying physics, math, and philosophy. Mostly known for his literary works such as The Sleepwalkers, he had ventured into writing only after 40. He was imprisoned by the Nazis and later fled to the U.S.

Born in Denmark, Jens Jensen witnessed his family farm being burned by the Prussians during the Second War of Schleswig.  He then moved to Chicago, where he initially worked a laborer and then as a foreman, before designing gardens. He designs include the Humboldt Park and the Columbus Park.

Mohammad-Taqi Bahar was a renowned Iranian scholar, poet, historian, journalist, politician, and Professor of Literature. Counted among the most influential cultural icons of modern Iran, Bahar had a strong impact on the progression of modern Persian poetry and literature through his literary magazine Majaleh-ye Dāneshkadeh. Bahar is also known as the father of another great historian and mythologist Mehrdad Bahar. 

Otto Fritz Meyerhof was a German physician and biochemist. He studied medicine in Strasbourg and Heidelberg and later became a professor at the University of Kiel. He jointly won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine with Archibald Vivian Hill in 1922. He became one of the directors of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research in 1929.