Public Figures & Cultural Luminaries

John Rawls

John Bordley Rawls

United States

1921 – 2002 (81 years old)

American political philosopher whose 1971 masterpiece A Theory of Justice revived normative political philosophy, introducing the 'veil of ignorance' and 'justice as fairness'.

Cambridge (Massachusetts), United States

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Arts & Music

Roberto Matta

Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren

Chile

1911 – 2002 (91 years old)

Chilean painter and architect who pioneered 'psychological morphologies'—cosmic, iridescent Surrealist landscapes that catalyzed the transition from Surrealism to Abstract Expressionism.

Civitavecchia, Italy

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Arts & Music

9

Hussein Bicar

حسين بيكار

Egypt

1913 – 2002 (89 years old)

Master painter, art critic, and musical virtuoso whose lyrical paintings of Nubian peasants, poetic magazine illustrations in Akhbar El Yom, and children's magazine Sindbad shaped Egyptian visual culture.

Cairo, Egypt

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Juan Alberto Schiaffino

Uruguay

1925 – 2002 (77 years old)

Uruguayan inside-forward who scored the equalizing goal in the historic 1950 World Cup 'Maracanazo' final against Brazil, later winning three Scudetti with AC Milan.

Montevideo, Uruguay

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Cinema

André Delvaux

Belgium

1926 – 2002 (76 years old)

The father of modern Belgian cinema who pioneered cinematic 'magic realism' in masterpieces including De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen (The Man Who Had His Hair Cut Short) and Rendezvous at Bray.

Forest (Brussels), Belgium

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Science

Nils Bohlin

Nils Ivar Bohlin

Sweden

1920-07-17 – 2002-09-26 (82 years old)

Pioneering Swedish safety engineer at Volvo who invented the three-point automotive seatbelt in 1959, credited with saving over one million lives worldwide.

Östergötland, Sweden

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Resistance & Human Rights

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Johnny Unitas

John Constantine Unitas

United States

7 May 1933 – 11 September 2002 (69 years old)

John Constantine 'Johnny U' Unitas was the prototype of the modern American football quarterback, whose pinpoint passing accuracy, legendary high-top black cleats, and ice-cold command of the two-minute drill popularized the NFL on national television. Leading the Baltimore Colts to victory in 'The Greatest Game Ever Played' in 1958, he threw a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games (a record that held for 52 years).

Timonium, Maryland, United States

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6

Dr. Daniel Timsit

دانييل تيمسيت

Algeria

1928 – 2002 (73 years old)

Jewish-Algerian medical student who established clandestine laboratories for the FLN during the Battle of Algiers, endured five years in Barberousse, and became a noted memoirist.

Paris / Algiers honors, France

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Philosophy & Thought

17

Abdel Rahman Badawi

عبد الرحمن بدوي

Egypt

1917 – 2002 (85 years old)

Towering Egyptian philosopher regarded as the father of Arab existentialism, author of over 150 encyclopedic works on Greek, Islamic, and modern European metaphysics.

Sharqia, Egypt

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Arts & Music

20

Cheikh El Hasnaoui

الشيخ الحسناوي (محمد خلوات)

Algeria

1910 – 2002 (91 years old)

Pioneering Algerian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose poignant bilingual songs in Kabyle and Algerian Arabic immortalized the heartbreak of emigration, love, and exile.

Saint-Pierre, Réunion Island

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Theodore Samuel Williams

United States

1918 – 2002 (83 years old)

American baseball left fielder for the Boston Red Sox, widely regarded as the greatest pure hitter in baseball history, the last MLB player to hit over .400.

Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

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Literature & Poetry

5

Timothy Findley

Tiff Findley

Canada

30 October 1930 – 21 June 2002 (71 years old)

Eminent Canadian novelist and playwright whose masterpiece The Wars exposed the psychological trauma and animal vulnerability of human conflict.

Toronto, Canada

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32

Fritz Walter

Friedrich Walter

Germany

1920 – 2002 (81 years old)

Legendary captain of West Germany who led the national team to victory in the 1954 World Cup 'Miracle of Bern', restoring German national dignity after World War II.

Kaiserslautern, Germany

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28

Mamo Wolde

ማሞ ወልዴ

Ethiopia

1932 – 2002 (69 years old)

Legendary Ethiopian long-distance runner who succeeded Abebe Bikila to capture the Olympic marathon gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Games.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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Samuel Jackson Snead

United States

1912 – 2002 (89 years old)

American professional golfer who won 82 PGA Tour events (tied all-time record) and seven major championships, famed for his fluid, natural swing.

Hot Springs, Virginia, United States

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Politics

Ruth Williams Khama

United Kingdom

1923-12-09 – 2002-05-22 (78 years old)

British-born inaugural First Lady of Botswana whose 1948 interracial marriage to Seretse Khama defied apartheid South Africa and British imperial pressure, becoming a global symbol of racial harmony.

Serowe, Botswana

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Art