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Carole Lombard was part of hits such as No Man of Her Own, To Be or Not to Be, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, before dying in a plane crash at 33. She had redefined the screwball comedy genre. She was married to Hollywood legends William Powell and Clark Gable.
Russell Johnson was an American actor best remembered for his portrayal of Professor Roy Hinkley in the popular sitcom, Gilligan's Island. Prior to his acting career, Russell Johnson enlisted in the US Army Air Forces and played an important role during World War II. He was honored with the Purple Heart, Air Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.
Joan Plowright is a retired actress who won several prestigious awards, such as a Tony Award and two Golden Globe Awards, during her career which spanned more than 70 years. During the 2004 New Year Honours, Plowright was appointed a Dame Commander for her contribution to the entertainment industry. The Plowright Theatre is named after Joan Plowright in her honor.
Christopher Tolkien was a French and English academic editor. The son of legendary author J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher edited much of his father's work, which was published after his father's demise. Christopher Tolkien is also credited with drawing the original maps in, The Lord of the Rings, one of his father's highly acclaimed novels.
Andrew Wyeth was a visual artist and one of the best-known American artists of the mid-20th century. Primarily a realist painter, Wyeth worked predominantly in a regionalist style. Andrew Wyeth was the recipient of several prestigious awards, such as the National Medal of Arts and the Congressional Gold Medal.
Eugene Cernan was an American naval aviator, astronaut, aeronautical engineer, electrical engineer, and fighter pilot. As of 2022, Cernan remains the last man to walk on the Moon, which he did in 1972 as part of the Apollo 17 mission. In 2007, Eugene Cernan was made an inductee of the International Air & Space Hall of Fame.
Best known as Reuben Kincaid from the musical sitcom The Partridge Family, Canadian-born American actor Dave Madden later also gained fame as Earl Hicks in Alice. Once part of the US Air Force, he had also served in Libya, where he once performed a magic show for Idris, the Libyan ruler.
The only son of comedian Bill Cosby, Ennis Cosby made headlines when he was shot dead at 27, in an attempted robbery on a deserted Southern California road. He was dyslexic and discussed his disability with the children he taught as a student-teacher at the Alfred E. Smith Elementary School.
Iconic Bengali author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay is best known for his works such as Devdas, Srikanta, and Parineeta, many of which have been made into films. Born into a poverty-stricken family, he found solace in literature and began writing in his teens. He was a prominent figure of the Bengali Renaissance.
Birju Maharaj was an Indian dancer and singer. An exponent of the popular classical dance form Kathak, he was one of the most celebrated Kathak dancers ever. He won many prestigious awards like the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar, and India's second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan.
Mahadev Govind Ranade was an Indian social reformer, scholar, author, and judge. Ranade is credited with co-founding the Indian National Congress as well as founding several organizations like the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, Widow Marriage Association, and Vaktruttvottejak Sabha. He also contributed as an editor of a nationalist publication named Induprakash.
Renowned educator of the 1800s, Charlotte Mason introduced a new way of teaching children, which included the use of books which engage the reader, or what she called “living books,” maintaining a nature journal, and using music and art as resources. She helped develop homeschooling techniques that are in use to this day.
Eighteenth-century historian and author Edward Gibbon is best remembered for his 6-volume historical work The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a narrative that charted events from the 2nd century to the Fall of Constantinople. He had also been an MP, representing Lymington and Liskeard.
Though born to a silk trader, Arnold Böcklin ditched his family business and deviated toward art instead. Initially part of the Düsseldorf school of painting, the Symbolist painter later found inspiration in Rome and infused mythological elements in his art. Isle of the Dead and Pan in the Bulrushes remain his best-known works.
Herbert W. Armstrong was an American evangelist who pioneered TV and radio evangelism. Armstrong is credited with founding the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), which currently has 30,000 members and 550 churches across 70 countries. Although Herbert W. Armstrong's teachings have remained popular over the years, they have also been criticized by the greater Christian community and former followers.
Icelandic born athlete and actor Peter Ronson is known for taking part in the 110 metres hurdles event at the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome. He is also remembered for essaying the role of Hans Bjelke and contributing as a technical adviser in the blockbuster hit 1959 American science fiction adventure film Journey to the Center of the Earth.
