Famous People Who Died Today

Dr. Seuss was an American children's author, illustrator, and political cartoonist. He is credited with writing some of the most famous children's books ever, including The Cat in the Hat. His works were translated into over 20 languages and sold more than 600 million copies by the time of his death. Many of his creations were adapted into animated cartoons.

Apart from being the official jeweler of the Russian imperial court, Peter Carl Fabergé also created some of the most innovative jewelry designs, such as the iconic Fabergé eggs. He had also launched workshops in London, Moscow, and Kiev. Later, hounded by the revolutionary government, he fled to Switzerland.

Along with her sisters Lalitha and Ragini, Padmini was part of the Travancore sisters of the 1940s’ South Indian film industry. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, she later won a Filmfare award for the Hindi movie Kajal and a Filmfare nomination for Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai.

Deborah Cavendish, the duchess of Devonshire, was the youngest of the popular Mitford sisters. An aristocrat and a socialite, she was one of the rare people who had met both Adolf Hitler and John Kennedy. She played a key role in commercializing Chatsworth Estate and also wrote books on it.

Al-Hādī reigned as the fourth Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 24 July 785 until his death on 14 September 786. A physically strong ruler, Al-Hādī was renowned for his bravery and generosity. However, he was cruel and continued his father's persecutions and unfair policies. His short reign was marked by internal conflicts and power struggles with his mother.

Known to fans as the Pasha of Music, Turkish singer, songwriter, and composer Zeki Müren was a legendary figure of Turkish classical music. He also acted in several films, such as the blockbuster Beklenen Şarkı. His track Manolyam was the first song to win Turkey’s prestigious Golden Record Award.

Barry Bishop was an American scientist, mountaineer, scholar, and photographer. In 1963, Bishop became one of the first Americans to summit Mount Everest along with Tom Hornbein, Willi Unsoeld, Lute Jerstad, and Jim Whittaker. Bishop is best remembered for his association with the National Geographic Society, where he spent most of his career working as a photographer, scientist, and writer.

Niels Ryberg Finsen was a Danish-Faroese scientist and physician. Finsen's method to treat diseases, such as lupus vulgaris, using concentrated light radiation, earned him the 1903 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology. Copenhagen University Hospital houses the famous Finsen Laboratory, which is named in his honor.

Ester Boserup was a Danish economist best remembered for her work at the United Nations and other international organizations. She worked towards establishing equal rights for women in all spheres of life. In 1989, Ester Boserup was inducted into the US National Academy of Sciences.

Raja Ramanna was an Indian nuclear physicist, remembered for his role in the development of India’s nuclear weapons program. Beginning his career under Homi Bhabha, he eventually served as the director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, overseeing India’s first nuclear weapons test in 1974.  Meanwhile he also served as the secretary for defense research and later headed Atomic Energy Commission.

Known for co-developing the concept of a sustainable form of agriculture called the permaculture, Bill Mollison was one of the most influential ecological pioneers, authors, and teachers. Also the founder of The Permaculture Institute (Tasmania) and co-publisher of a book called Permaculture One, he is credited with training thousands of people the art of growing food without harming the nature.  

Born in Austria, to a merchant father who loved collecting paintings, Wolfgang Paalen had been exposed to arts since childhood. He later trained in painting and archaeology and joined the Surrealist movement. His signature fumage technique involved creating art with the smoke and soot from candles. He later settled in Mexico.

Bruno Pontecorvo was an Italian and Soviet nuclear physicist. He was an early assistant to the physicist Enrico Fermi. He studied physics at the University of Rome La Sapienza under Fermi and participated in Fermi's experiment showing the properties of slow neutrons. This experiment eventually led the way to the discovery of nuclear fission.  

Manne Siegbahn was a Swedish physicist best remembered for winning the 1924 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discoveries in the field of X-ray spectroscopy. Over the course of his illustrious career, Manne Siegbahn was also honored with several other prestigious awards such as the Hughes Medal, Rumford Medal, and Dennis Gabor Medal and Prize.