Died On March 16th

The son of popular actor and singer Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra Jr. followed in the footsteps of his father to become a singer-songwriter and conductor. He was kidnapped at age 19 and released two days later. The kidnapping was rumored to be a publicity stunt to promote his singing career, which he established around the same time.

Ibn Khaldun was an Arab scholar, philosopher, social scientist, and historian. He is often credited with founding the modern disciplines of sociology, historiography, economics, and demography. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of the medieval period.

Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, mother of Queen Victoria of the U.K., was a German princess who became the Duchess of Kent and Strathearn by virtue of her marriage to Prince Edward. She was initially married to Charles, Prince of Leiningen. The Royal Chapel of All Saints was dedicated to her.

Constantin Brâncuși was a Romanian sculptor, painter, and photographer. A pioneer of modernism, he is considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century. The son of poor parents, he worked hard to fund his training at the Bucharest School of Fine Arts and became a skilled sculptor. He left behind 1200 photographs and 215 sculptures at his death. 

Arthur Godfrey was an American entertainer and television and radio broadcaster. In the early and mid-1950s, Godfrey was seen on television and heard on the radio up to six days a week. His career inspired two films, namely The Great Man and A Face in the Crowd. Arthur Godfrey was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1987.

Though seriously hindered by leprosy, Baldwin IV, who came to power at the age of 13, was successful in defending his Jerusalem kingdom during his nearly 11-year rule. His reign was marked by his confrontations with Saladin, the ruler of Egypt and Syria. Also known as The Leper King, Baldwin slowed Saladin’s military campaigns. He was succeeded by his nephew.

Aubrey Beardsley was an English illustrator and author, whose works emphasized the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. A leading figure in the aesthetic movement, he was deeply influenced by black ink drawings. He attended classes at the Westminster School of Art before beginning his career as an artist. He was considered an eccentric person.  

The first American racing driver to exceed 400 mph, Mickey Thompson was also an important auto racing builder and promoter, known for forming sanctioning bodies like SCORE International and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group. A hot rodder from the very beginning, he won many track and dragster championships, later establishing Mickey Thompson Equipment Co. to manufacture high performance equipment for racers.

Selma Lagerlöf was a Swedish teacher and author. In 1909, Lagerlöf became the first woman to receive the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature. In 1914, she became the first woman to be elected as a member by the Swedish Academy. In 1991, Selma Lagerlöf was depicted on a Swedish banknote, becoming the first woman to enjoy this honor, albiet posthumously.

Son of a brandy merchant, French economist Jean Monnet is known as The Father of Europe. He was one of the first to propose a common European market, leading six countries, including France, to form the European Coal and Steel Community, which eventually led to the modern-day European Union.

Thomas E. Dewey was an American politician, prosecutor, and lawyer. A member of the Republican Party, Dewey held the office of the governor of New York between 1943 and 1954. In 1952, Dewey played a major role in helping Dwight D. Eisenhower win the presidential election. After retiring from politics, Dewey served as a corporate lawyer from 1955 to 1971.

Born to a British civil servant in British India, William Beveridge was educated at Oxford. While he initially excelled in math and classics, he later studied law. A leading economist, he created the Beveridge Report, which formulated the welfare state policies in the U.K. after World War II.

Crushed to death in Gaza by an Israeli armored bulldozer, peace activist Rachel Corrie was also a member of pro-Palestine International Solidarity Movement. Born and raised in USA, she had gone there as part of her college assignment and met her death while trying to stop the demolition of Palestinian houses by Israeli forces, causing international furore.

Popcorn Sutton was an American bootlegger and moonshiner whose autobiographical guide to moonshining production made him a popular figure. He also released a home video showcasing his moonshining activities before he was sentenced to prison for offenses related to illegal firearm possession and moonshining. After his death by suicide, a new company and its whiskey brand were named after him.

Ksenija Pajcin was a Serbian singer, model, and dancer. After starting her career as a dancer, Pajcin went on to establish herself as a successful and popular singer in Serbia. Although she was not critically acclaimed as a singer, Ksenija Pajcin caught the attention of many with her bold on-stage antics and controversial statements.

Chishu Ryu was a Japanese actor who appeared in about 70 television productions and over 160 films in a career spanning 65 years. He was the recipient of many prestigious awards such as the Japan Academy Prize, Kawakita Award, and Kikuchi Kan Prize.

John James Rickard Macleod was a Scottish biochemist and physiologist. Even though his research covered diverse topics in physiology and biochemistry, he is best remembered for his work in carbohydrate metabolism. He played a major role in the discovery and isolation of insulin, for which he shared the 1923 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine with Frederick Banting.  

Gunnar Ekelöf was a Swedish writer and poet who won numerous prizes for his poetry. An important member of the Swedish Academy, Gunnar Ekelöf is perhaps best remembered for his work Diwan on the Prince of Emgion, which earned him the prestigious Nordic Council Literature Prize in 1966.

Gratien Gélinas was a Canadian writer, actor, director, producer, playwright, and administrator. Credited with co-founding modern Canadian theatre and film, Gélinas was made a Knight of the Order of Quebec. Gratien Gélinas is also credited with founding the Comédie-Canadienne. 

Fariborz Raisdana was an Iranian economist, socialist, and activist. He was also a professor and a member of the Iranian Writers' Association. After graduating from The London School of Economics, he embarked on an academic career. He criticized the Iranian subsidy reform plan in an interview with BBC Persian and was arrested because of this. 

Maria von Tasnady was a Hungarian actress and singer. She is perhaps best remembered for her portrayal of Carla Berti in the 1942 Italian war film Bengasi. She also appeared in several German films over the course of her career. After the Second World War, Maria von Tasnady started working for Radio Free Europe.