Famous People Who Died Today

Bob Barker is a retired TV game show host. Barker is credited with making CBS's The Price Is Right the longest-running daytime game show in the history of North American television, hosting the show from 1972 to 2007. Also an animal rights activist, Barker has supported groups like the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the United Activists for Animal Rights.

Seventeenth-century Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, also known as the Father of Microbiology, is remembered as a pioneer of microscopy. His contribution to microbiology included the discovery of spermatozoa, bacteria, and muscle fibers. Though he had not authored any book, his letters to the Royal Society were later published.

William James was an American psychologist and philosopher. Widely regarded as the father of American psychology and one of the most influential American philosophers, James was the first educator in the United States to offer a course in psychology. He is also credited with co-founding a psychological school of thought called functional psychology and establishing a philosophical school called pragmatism.

Ted Knight was an American actor known for portraying comedic roles in TV series like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Too Close for Comfort. For his contributions to the TV industry, Knight was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 1985. After his death, his hometown of Terryville dedicated a bridge in his memory.

French-American actor Charles Boyer appeared in more than 80 films in a career that spanned over half a century. He pursued a theatrical career as a young man and eventually moved into films. He achieved extreme popularity with his roles in romantic movies like The Garden of Allah and Love Affair in the 1930s. He received four Academy Award nominations.

Second only to Walt Disney in terms of influence, American animator and director Tex Avery is remembered for playing an important role in the development of  popular characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Droopy, Screwy Squirrel  etc. Well-known for his technical innovation and directorial style, his characters are equally loved by adults for their inherent sarcasm.  

Apart from being the first to discover nucleic acid, Swiss biochemist Friedrich Miescher also isolated protamine, a protein associated with nucleic acid. Born to a scientifically rich family, he initially wished to become a doctor, but rendered partially deaf due to typhoid, he later chose physiological chemistry.

Mechanical and aeronautical engineer Gerald Carr is best remembered for commanding the Skylab 4 mission, which proved that it was possible for humans to live in space for a long period of time. He and his crew also studied Comet Kohoutek. He later formed a company that assisted in space station designing.

Hertha Ayrton was a British engineer,  physicist, mathematician, and inventor. She is remembered for her work on electric arcs and ripple marks in sand and water, for which she was awarded the Hughes Medal by the Royal Society. As a woman in the 19th century, she had to face innumerable struggles in her career. She was also a passionate suffragist. 

Roger Nash Baldwin was a pacifist who played a major role in the development of the human rights movement in USA. He was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union and also founded the International League for the Rights of Man. He was a conscientious objector during World War I. He received the Medal of Freedom in 1981.  

Franz Werfel worked in a shipping house and fought in World War I before making his mark as an Expressionist poet. His fame rests on the iconic novels The Song of Bernadette and The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, with the former being turned into a four-time Academy Award-winning film.

Mika Waltari was a Finnish writer best remembered for his novel, The Egyptian. A prolific writer, Waltari also wrote poetry, crime novels, short stories, plays, essays, film scripts, travel stories, and rhymed texts for Asmo Alho's comic strips. A recipient of five State Literature awards, Mika Waltari was honored with the prestigious Pro Finlandia Medal in 1952.

Thomas Bradwardine was an English scholar, cleric, physicist, mathematician, and courtier. He also served as the Archbishop of Canterbury for a brief period of time. His theories on the insolubilia and work on kinematics had a significant influence on French philosopher Jean Buridan's works. His works, such as De Causa Dei, had an influence on the works of John Wycliffe.

Georg Wittig was a German chemist best remembered for winning the 1979 Nobel Prize in Chemistry alongside Herbert C. Brown. Wittig is also remembered for his association with the University of Tübingen, where he served as the chief of the organic chemistry department. Georg Wittig was also the recipient of the prestigious Otto Hahn Prize for Chemistry and Physics.

Osachi Hamaguchi, called the Lion Prime Minister due to his dignified appearance, had been the Japanese prime minister during the beginning of the Great Depression. To deal with inflation, he had maintained the yen at the gold standard, but that proved disastrous. He died of wounds sustained at an assassination attempt.

Born into a samurai family, Sesshū Tōyō grew up to be a master painter of the Muromachi period. He excelled in monochrome ink and wash painting, also known as sumi-e. His works depicted Buddhist scenes and nature. Long Scroll of Landscapes remains one of his best-known paintings.