Famous People Who Died Today

Michael Collins is an American astronaut who became the fourth person to perform a spacewalk. He is also the second person to orbit the Moon alone. Collins is best known for flying the Apollo 11 command module Columbia while Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon. In 1969, Michael Collins was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Francis Bacon was an English philosopher and statesman. He played a major role in the development of the scientific method and was an influential figure through the scientific revolution. He served as attorney general and as lord chancellor of England and was the first recipient of the queen's counsel designation. He has created Baron Verulam in 1618. 

The dictator of Italy from 1925 to 1945, Benito Mussolini founded the Fascist Party in 1919. It opposed class discrimination and supported nationalism. But when in power, Mussolini crushed rival political parties, trade unions, free press and free speech. He was overthrown by his former colleagues in the Fascist government in July 1943 and ultimately shot dead in April 1945.

Josiah Willard Gibbs was an American scientist best remembered for making major theoretical contributions to mathematics, physics, and chemistry. As a mathematician, Gibbs is credited with inventing modern vector calculus. In 1901, he was honored with the prestigious Copley Medal for his contributions. Josiah Willard Gibbs's work had a major influence on physicists like J. D. van der Waals.

Actor and novelist Jill Gascoine is best remembered for her role as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in the series The Gentle Touch and its spin-off, C.A.T.S. Eyes. She wrote three novels and also appeared in films such as King of the Wind. She was also a kidney cancer survivor.

Gianna Beretta Molla was a Roman Catholic pediatrician, canonized as a saint for saving her unborn child’s life at the expense of her own. Although she knew that the removal of only the fibroma would endanger her life, she refused have an abortion, thus upholding the Roman Catholic doctrine that even an unborn child has a fundamental right to life.

Charles Bell was a Scottish surgeon, physiologist, anatomist, and neurologist. He was also an artist and philosophical theologian. He discovered the difference between sensory nerves and motor nerves in the spinal cord. He is also known for describing Bell's palsy. He played a key role in the creation of the Middlesex Hospital Medical School. 

Aurora Quezon was a Filipino political figure best remembered for her role as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. Quezon is also remembered for her humanitarian activities; from 1947 to 1949, she served as the chairperson of the Philippine Red Cross. In the 2018 biographical drama film Quezon's Game, Aurora Quezon was played by Rachel Alejandro.

Chairil Anwar was an Indonesian poet whose work dealt with themes like existentialism, individualism, and death. His works, which have been translated into Dutch, French, and English, are credited with helping the evolution of the Indonesian language. His death anniversary is observed as National Literature Day in Indonesia.

Johannes Peter Müller was a German physiologist, ichthyologist, herpetologist, and comparative anatomist. Known for his discoveries and his capability to synthesize knowledge, Müller made important contributions to the field of physiology. He also mentored physiologists and scientists like Hermann von Helmholtz, Theodor Schwann, Emil du Bois-Reymond, Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, Ernst Haeckel, and Ernst Wilhelm Brücke.

French mathematician Louis Bachelier was said to be the first to chart a mathematical model for what is now called the Brownian motion. After losing his wine merchant father early in life, he took over the reins of his family business, but he gradually became a pioneer in mathematical finance.

Russian ballerina Ekaterina Maximova is best remembered for her partnership with her husband Vladimir Vasiliev, a star ballet dancer himself. She started her career with performances such as that of Masha in The Nutcracker and served as a prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre for 3 decades.

Born to a Polish father and a Russian mother, both of whom loved music, Hungarian-American musician Janos Starker began playing the cello at age 5 and began performing at events by 6. The Franz Liszt Academy alumnus grew up to teach at the Indiana University School of Music.

One of Uruguay’s best-known poets, Idea Vilariño was initially a professor of literature. Starting her journey with poetry as a teenager, she later came to be known as a member of the Generation of ’45 and gained acclaim for poems such as Ya No. She was also a fine essayist, critic, and translator.

Son of Émile Deschanel, a professor exiled due to his opposition to Napoleon III, Paul Deschanel grew up to study law. Before becoming the president of France, he had also been the president of the Chamber of Deputies. A skilled author, too, he was part of the Académie Française.

British politician and socialist Fenner Brockway is remembered for his devotion to causes such as world peace and anticolonialism. Born to British missionaries in Calcutta, he initially worked as a journalist and later led the Independent Labour Party. Imprisoned multiple times for his political activities, he also wrote extensively on social issues.

Legendary Hungarian-American designer Judith Leiber started her career as a trainee at a handbag company and was the first female member of the Hungarian Handbag Guild. She survived the Holocaust and later launched her own label in the US. She is known for her signature crystal purse collections.