Historical Archives & Public Figures

Gratien Gélinas

Canada

1909 – 1999 (89 years old)

The founding father of contemporary French-Canadian theater whose 1948 masterpiece Tit-Coq was the first indigenous blockbuster play to give voice to Quebec working-class reality.

Montreal, Canada

4 Full Record →

Politics

2

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Habib Achour

الحبيب عاشور

Tunisia

1913 – 1999 (86 years old)

Charismatic trade union giant and close comrade of Farhat Hached who led the UGTT through major confrontations with state power, notably the historic general strike of Black Thursday in January 1978.

Kerkennah Islands, Tunisia

2 Full Record →

Art

0

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Oswaldo Guayasamín

Oswaldo Guayasamín Calero

Ecuador

1919-07-06 – 1999-03-10 (79 years old)

World-renowned visual master whose colossal expressionist cycles 'Huacayñán' (The Trail of Tears) and 'La Edad de la Ira' (The Age of Wrath) depicted indigenous suffering, human tyranny, and eternal maternal love.

Quito, Ecuador

0 Full Record →

Arts & Music

35

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Oswaldo Guayasamin

Oswaldo Guayasamín Calero

Ecuador

1919 – 1999 (79 years old)

Ecuadorian painter and sculptor of Quechua-indigenous descent whose expressionist masterwork The Age of Rage (La Edad de la Ira) denounced the violence and oppression of twentieth-century tyranny.

Quito, Ecuador

35 Full Record →

Music

1

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Harry Somers

Canada

11 September 1925 – 9 March 1999 (73 years old)

Foremost Canadian classical composer of his generation whose 1967 Centennial opera Louis Riel and Five Songs of the Newfoundland Outports defined national composition.

Toronto, Canada

1 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

4

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Adolfo Bioy Casares

Argentina

1914-09-15 – 1999-03-08 (84 years old)

Master of fantastic and speculative fiction who received the 1990 Miguel de Cervantes Prize, famed for his brilliant novella La invención de Morel, which Jorge Luis Borges hailed as a work of flawless plot.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

4 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

37

🕯️ 360

Joseph Paul DiMaggio

United States

1914 – 1999 (84 years old)

American baseball center fielder for the New York Yankees, legendary for his 56-game hitting streak in 1941, an immortal record in American sports.

Colma, California, United States

37 Full Record →

Politics

1

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Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa

عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة

Bahrain

1933-06-03 – 1999-03-06 (65 years old)

First Emir of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999 who led Bahrain to full independence from Great Britain in 1971, built the King Fahd Causeway, and transformed Bahrain into the financial capital of the Gulf.

Riffa, Bahrain

1 Full Record →

Science

2

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Gerhard Herzberg

Germany

25 December 1904 – 3 March 1999 (94 years old)

German-Canadian physicist and physical chemist at the National Research Council who founded modern molecular spectroscopy, winning the 1971 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Ottawa, Canada

2 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

27

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Bing Xin

冰心

China

1900 – 1999 (98 years old)

Pioneering Chinese poet, essayist, and children's author whose delicate collections A Maze of Stars and Letters to Young Readers nurtured generations of Chinese readers.

Beijing, China

27 Full Record →

Sciences & Discovery

2,982

🕯️ 174

Glenn T. Seaborg

Glenn Theodore Seaborg

United States

1912 – 1999 (86 years old)

American nuclear chemist who co-discovered plutonium and nine other transuranic elements, winning the 1951 Nobel Prize.

El Cerrito, California, United States

2,982 Full Record →

Social

1

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Sir Frank Walcott

Sir Frank Leslie Walcott

Barbados

1916-09-16 – 1999-02-24 (82 years old)

Formidable trade union leader and National Hero who headed the Barbados Workers' Union for 40 years, negotiating transformative wages, pensions, and housing for working families.

Saint George, Barbados

1 Full Record →

Arts & Music

6

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Albert Rouimi (Blond-Blond)

ألبير رويمي (بلوند بلوند)

Algeria

1919 – 1999 (79 years old)

Beloved Jewish-Algerian albino singer from Oran who created the joyous 'Francarabe' genre, combining Andalusian Hawzi with jazz and flamenco.

Oran / Marseille, Algeria

6 Full Record →

Statesmanship & Statesmen

38

🕯️ 500

King Hussein of Jordan

الحسين بن طلال

Jordan

1935-11-14 – 1999-02-07 (63 years old)

Revered as the consummate diplomatic survivor and tireless regional peacemaker who preserved Jordanian stability amidst constant Middle Eastern turbulence.

Amman, Jordan

38 Full Record →

Arts & Music

20

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Rouiched

رويشد (أحمد عياد)

Algeria

1921 – 1999 (77 years old)

Legendary comedic actor and dramatist of the Algerian theatre and cinema whose iconic satirical character 'Hassan Terro' captured the humorous foibles, courage, and humanity of ordinary Algerians.

Algiers, Algeria

20 Full Record →

Statesmanship & Statesmen

20

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Abdel Latif Boghdadi

عبد اللطيف البغدادي

Egypt

September 20, 1917 – January 8, 1999 (81 years old)

Key founding leader of the Free Officers Movement, Minister of Municipal Affairs, and Vice President of Egypt who masterminded the post-1952 urban modernization of Cairo, building the Nile Corniche and Nasr City.

Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt

20 Full Record →

Arts & Music

6

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Zohra Faïza

زهرة فائزة

Tunisia

1919 AD – 1999 AD (80 years old)

Beloved pioneer actress of Tunisian radio, cinema, and television, renowned for her role as the affectionate matriarch Ommi Traki on the historic daily radio serial that captivated the nation.

Tunis, Tunisia

6 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

4

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Syl Apps

Canada

18 January 1915 – 24 December 1998 (83 years old)

Exemplary Toronto Maple Leafs captain who represented Canada at the 1936 Olympics in pole vault before captaining the Leafs to three Stanley Cup championships.

Kingston, Canada

4 Full Record →

Public Figures & Cultural Luminaries