Juan de la Cosa (c. 1450-60 - 1510)
Spanish cartographer, explorer and conquistador who designed the earliest European world map, shot with poison arrows and killed by indigenous people during an armed confrontation near modern day Turbaco, Colombia
Cuauhtémoc (c. 1495-1525)
the last Aztec Emperor (1520-21), tortured and killed by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés
- 1572 Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss historian (b. 1505)
- 1573 Jan "Hans" Liefrinck, Flemish engraver/publisher, dies at about 54
- 1609 Paul Sartorius, German composer, dies at 39
- 1621 Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1590)
- 1626 Cyril Tourneur, English poet/dramatist, dies at about 51
- 1638 Claude Gaspard Bachet de Meziriac, French mathematician and poet, dies at 56
- 1638 Henri duc de Rohan, French soldier and Huguenot leader, dies
- 1648 Christian IV of Denmark, King of Denmark and Norway (1588-1648), dies at 70
- 1665 Lodewijk van Nassau, Dutch governor (Bois-le-Duc), dies
- 1737 Hercule Brehy, Flemish composer and organist, dies at 63
- 1742 Willem 's-Gravesande, Dutch mathematician and physicist, dies at 53
- 1746 Hermann von der Hardt, German historian, dies at 85
- 1781 Richard Stockton, American attorney and signer of Declaration of Independence, dies at 50
- 1786 John Gwynn, English architect and engineer (b. 1713)
- 1788 Thomas Cushing, American Continental Congressman (b. 1725)
- 1796 Friedrich Wilhelm Rust, German violinist and composer, dies at 56
- 1818 Adriaan Loosjes Pzn, Dutch publisher and writer (Moral Stories), dies at 56
- 1844 Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of State, dies in explosion on USS Princeton
- 1844 Thommas W. Gilmer, Navy Secretary, dies in explosion on USS Princeton
- 1857 André Dumont, Belgian geologist, dies at 48
- 1869 Alphonse de Lamartine, French writer (Poetical Mediations) and politician (briefly led the Second Republic 1848), dies at 78
- 1876 Charles Edward Horsley, English composer, dies at 53
- 1882 John Romney Robinson, Irish astronomer and physicist, dies at 89
- 1891 George Hearst, American businessman and politician (U.S. Senator from California), dies at 70
- 1903 Girolamo de Rada, Albanian poet (Skanderbeku), dies at 88
- 1905 Joseph Clement Juglar, French physician and statistician (business cycle pioneer), dies at 85
- 1908 Pauline Lucca, Austrian operatic soprano, dies at 66
- 1912 Bill Storer, English cricket wicket-keeper (6 Tests 1897-99), dies
- 1913 Elephant seal, 6.8-m, 4000-kg, shot in Possession Bay, South Georgia
- 1916 Henry James, American-British writer (Bostonians), dies at 72
- 1922 Vicente Lleo, Spanish composer (La Corte de Faraón), dies at 51
Friedrich Ebert (1871-1925)
German politician, President of Germany 1919-25), dies at 54
- 1929 Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian physician (Pirquet’s skin test for tuberculosis, coined the word 'allergy'), commits suicide at 54
- 1929 John Ebenezer West, English composer, dies at 65
- 1930 C. K. Scott-Moncrieff, Scottish writer and translator, dies at 40
- 1932 Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer (b. 1851)
- 1935 (Francisca) "Chiquinha" Gonzaga, Brazilian pianist, composer, and 1st female conductor in Brazil, dies at 87
- 1935 Alexander Willem Frederik Idenburg, Dutch politician of the Anti Revolutionary Party and Governor-General of Dutch Indies (1909-16), dies at 73
- 1936 Charles Nicolle, French bacteriologist (Nobel Prize in Medicine 1928), dies at 69
- 1940 Arnold Dolmetsch, French-Bohemian England-based musician, instrument builder, and promoter of early music, dies at 82
- 1940 Johan Braakensiek, Dutch illustrator (Van Allerlei Slag), political cartoonist (De Groene Amsterdammer), and painter, dies at 81
Alfonso XIII (1886-1941)
King of Spain (1886-1931), dies of a heart attack at 54
Maxwell Anderson (1888-1959)
American dramatist (Key Largo, Bath Seed), dies of a stroke at 70
- 1960 F. S. Flint, English translator and imagist movement poet (In the Net of the Stars), dies at 74
- 1961 Joris Vriamont, Flemish writer and music publisher, dies at 64
- 1962 Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson, American comedian (Olsen & Johnson), dies at 70
- 1963 Bobby Jaspar, Belgian jazz saxophonist, flautist and composer dies of a heart attack at 37
- 1963 Eppa Rixey Jr., American Baseball HOF pitcher (NL wins leader 1922; 266 career wins; Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds), dies at 71
Rajendra Prasad (1884-1963)
Indian independence activist and 1st President of India (1950-62), dies at 78
- 1963 Theodore Newton, American actor (Voltaire, Ace of Aces), dies at 58
- 1964 Dirk Filarski, Dutch painter and lithographer (Bergen School), dies at 78se
- 1964 Gus Lesnevich, American light heavyweight boxing champ (1947 fighter of year), dies at 49
- 1965 Adolf Schärf, Austrian politician (President of Austria, 1957-65; Vice-Chancellor, 1945-57), dies at 74
- 1966 Charles A Bassett II, American US Air Force Captain, and NASA astronaut, dies in a crash of T-38 jet at 34
- 1966 Elliot McKay See Jr., American engineer and NASA astronaut, dies at 38 in T-38 jet crash
- 1966 Jonathan Hale [Hatley], Canadian-American, actor (Blondie films; The Saint films), shoots himself at 74
- 1967 Henry Luce, American magazine publisher (Time, Fortune, Life), dies at 68
- 1968 Doretta Morrow, American actress (Because You're Mine), dies from cancer at 41
- 1968 Juanita Hall (née Long), American Tony Award-winning stage and screen actress and singer (South Pacific; Flower Drum Song), dies from complications of diabetes at 66 [some sources give date as Feb. 29]
- 1972 Victor Barna, table tennis champ, dies
- 1973 (Pablo) "Tito" Rodríguez, Puerto Rican timbalero, singer, bandleader ("Inolvidable"), and television host, dies of leukemia at 50
- 1973 Cecil Kellaway, South African-American stage and screen character actor (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner; The Luck of the Irish), dies at 82
- 1974 Bobby Bloom, American singer-songwriter ("Montego Bay"), dies in a self-inflicting gun cleaning incident at 28
- 1974 Mees Toxopeus, Dutch rescue-vessel captain, dies at 89
- 1975 István Kardos, Hungarian composer, dies at 83
- 1977 Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, American comedian and actor (The Jack Benny Program), dies at 71
- 1978 (Pil Lip) Philip Ahn, American actor (Kung Fu - as "Master Kan"; Thoroughly Modern Millie), dies from pneumonia at 72
- 1978 Eric Frank Russell, sci-fi author (Hugo, Deep Space), dies at 73
- 1979 Jane Hylton [Audrey Gwendolene Clark], British actress (Adv of Sir Lancelot, Daybreak), dies of a heart attack at 52
- 1979 Mr Ed, talking horse, dies
- 1979 Paul Alverdes, German writer (Pfeiferstube), dies at 81
- 1980 Dinorá de Carvalho, Brazilian pianist, conductor, music educator and composer (Missa Profundis), dies at 75 (or 85, year of birth disputed)
- 1980 Ian Alexander Ross Peebles, cricketer (45 wkts for England), dies
- 1984 Leslie Walcott, cricketer (Test for WI v England 1930), dies
- 1985 Charita Bauer, American actress (The Guiding Light, Aldrich Family), dies following long illness at 62
- 1985 David Byron [Garrick], British vocalist and songwriter (Uriah Heep), dies of alcohol-related complications at 38
- 1986 Laura Z. Hobson, American TV writer and panelist (I've Got a Secret), dies at 85
Olof Palme (1927-1986)
Prime Minister of Sweden (1969-76, 1982-86), assassinated at 59 while walking home from the cinema with his wife
- 1986 William Dollar, American ballet dancer and choreographer, dies at 79
- 1987 Anny Ondra, actress (Blackmail), dies at 83
- 1987 Nora Kaye, American ballet dancer, and Broadway and film choreographer, dies of cancer at 67
- 1988 Harvey Kuenn, American baseball utility (AL batting champion 1959; 10 × All-Star 1953–1960²; Detroit Tigers), dies from heart disease and diabetes at 57
- 1988 Kylie Tennant, Australian novelist (Battlers, Lost Haven), dies at 75
- 1988 Mikha`il Na'imah, Lebanese playwright, dies at 99
- 1989 Hermann Burger, Swiss poet and writer, dies at 46
- 1990 Colin Milburn, English cricket batsman (9 Tests, 2 x 100, 2 x 50, HS 139; Northamptonshire CCC, MCC, WA CA), dies of a heart attack at 48
- 1990 Fabia Drake, actress (Nice Girl Like Me), dies at 86
- 1990 Tuppy Owen-Smith, South African cricketer (batsman v England 1929), dies
- 1991 Guillermo Ungo, member of El Salvador junta (1979-80), dies
- 1991 Wassily Hoeffding, American statistician (b. 1914)
- 1992 Emilia Sherman, American choreographer and dancer in the Rockettes, dies at an undisclosed age
- 1992 La Lupe [Guadalupe Yolí Raymond], Cuban salsa, boleros, and guarachas singer, dies of a heart attack at 53
- 1993 Fer A Olthoff, Dutch WW II resistance fighter (Het Parool), dies
- 1993 Franco Brusati, Italian dir/writer (Bread & Chocolate), dies at 70
- 1993 Ishirō Honda, Japanese film director and producer (Godzilla), dies at 81
- 1993 Joyce Carey, British actress (Brief Encounter, The Cedar Tree), dies at 94
- 1993 Ruby Keeler, Canadian-American actress, singer, and dancer (42nd Street; Dames), dies of kidney cancer at 83
- 1994 (Elbert) "Skippy" Williams, American jazz tenor saxophonist and musical arranger, dies at 77
- 1994 Aisin Giorro Pu Chieh, brother of Last Emperor of China, dies at 86
- 1994 Buster Holmes, American chef and New Orleans restaurateur, dies at 88
- 1994 G. O. Sayles, English historian, dies at 92
- 1994 Leopoldina Poldi Feichtegger Gerhard, dies at 90
- 1994 Pu Yi, brother of last Chinese emperor, Pu Yi, dies at 87
- 1995 (Herman) "Ace" Wallace, American St. Louis blues guitarist and singer, dies at 69
- 1995 Keith Rigg, Australian cricket batsman (8 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 127; Victoria), dies at 88
- 1995 Max Rudolf, German-American conductor (Cincinnati Symphony, 1958-70), and pedagogue (Curtis Institute, 1970-73 and 1980-95), dies at 92
- 1996 Daniel Chipenda, Angolan politician and field commander, dies at 64
- 1998 Arkady Shevchenko, Soviet diplomat eho defe tef to the US (Foreign Ministry, 1958-73; United Nations Under-Secretary, 1973-78), dies of a heart attack at 67
- 1998 Dermot Morgan, Irish actor and comedian (Father Ted Crilly-Father Ted), dies of a heart attack at 45
- 1999 Bill Talbert, American tennis player (9 x Grand Slam doubles titles; US Open singles 1944, 45 runner-up; International Tennis HOF), dies at 80
- 1999 Christine Glanville, British Puppeteer (. 1924)
- 2000 George Siravo, American big band and session saxophonist, composer, arranger and conductor (Columbia Records), dies at 83
- 2002 Helmut Zacharias, German violinist and composer, dies at 82
- 2002 Mary Stuart, American actress (Jo-Search for Tomorrow), dies at 75
- 2003 Chris Brasher, English athlete (b. 1928)
- 2003 Fidel Sánchez Hernández, Salvadoran general and politician, President of El Salvador (1967-72), dies at 85
- 2003 Roger Michael Needham, British cryptographer (b. 1935)
- 2003 Rudolf Kingslake, Lens designer, and Engineer (b. 1903)
- 2004 Andres Nuiamäe, Estonian soldier (b. 1982)
- 2004 Carmen Laforet, Spanish author, dies at 82
- 2004 Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian, Librarian of Congress (1975-87) and author ("The Americans: The Democratic Experience" - 1974 Pulitzer Prize), dies at 89
- 2004 Gene Allison, American R&B singer ("You Can Make It If You Try"), dies at 69
- 2005 Chris Curtis [Crummey], British rock drummer, songwriter and vocalist (The Searchers - "Needles And Pins"), dies at 63
- 2006 Irv Kluger, American big band jazz and session drummer (Artie Shaw; Gramercy Five), dies at 84
Owen Chamberlain (1920-2006)
American physicist (antiproton, Nobel-1959), dies at 85
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (1917-2007)
American Pulitzer Prize winning historian (The Age of Jackson; A Thousand Days), dies at 89
- 2007 Billy Thorpe, British-Australian musician (Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs - "I Told The Brook", "Mashed Potato"; solo - "Children of the Sun"), dies of a heart attack at 60
- 2007 Charles Forte, Italian-British hotel magnate (Savoy), dies at 98
- 2007 John Smith, English landowner, financier and Philanthropist (National Trust, Landmark Trust), dies at 83 [1]
- 2008 Mike Smith, British rock singer and keyboardist (Dave Clark Five - "Glad All Over"), dies of pneumonia at 64
- 2009 Miguel Serrano, Chilean author, diplomat and fascist (Esoteric Hitlerism), dies at 91
Paul Harvey (1918-2009)
American news commentator and radio broadcaster (The Rest of the Story), dies at 90
- 2010 Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, American rock bassist (Hall & Oates), dies of a heart attack at 51
- 2011 Annie Girardot, French actress (Three Rooms in Manhattan, Gypsy, Jacko & Lise), dies at 79
- 2011 Jane Russell, American actress and leading sex symbol in 1940s-50s (The Outlaw), dies at 89
- 2011 Peter Gomes, Harvard University Chaplain (b. 1942)
- 2013 Bruce Reynolds, English criminal, dies at 81
- 2013 Donald A. Glaser, American physicist (Nobel 1960), dies at 86
- 2014 Hugo Brandt Corstius, Dutch essayist and mathematician, dies at 78
- 2014 Rostislav Belyakov, Russian chief designer of the MiG fighter jet, dies at 94
Alex Johnson (1942-2015)
American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star, AL batting champion 1970, California Angels), dies from prostate cancer at 72
- 2015 Anthony Mason, American NBA forward (NY Knicks, Charlotte Hornets), dies at 48 of a heart attack
- 2015 Ezra Laderman, American composer (Jacob & the Indians), dies at 90 [1]
- 2015 Yaşar Kemal, Turkish writer (Memed, My Hawk), dies at 91
- 2016 Frank Kelly, Irish stage and screen actor (Father Ted), dies at 77
- 2017 Claude Rene Georges Pascal, French composer, dies at 96
- 2017 Leoncjusz Ciuciura, Polish classical composer (Spirals), dies at 86 [1] [2]
- 2017 Nicholas Mosley, British novelist, biographer and son of Oswald Mosley, dies at 93
- 2018 Harvey Schmidt, American musical theatre composer (The Fantasticks; 110 in the Shade), and illustrator, dies of complications of congestive heart failure at 88
- 2018 Jayendra Saraswathi, Hindu religious leader (69th Shankaracharya Guru), dies at 82
- 2019 André Previn [Andreas Priwin], German-American conductor (London Symphony, 1968-79; Pittsburgh Symphony, 1975-85), film score composer (My Fair Lady), and jazz pianist, dies at 89-ish
- 2020 Freeman Dyson, American physicist (known for his work in quantum electrodynamics, solid-state physics, astronomy and nuclear engineering), dies at 96
- 2020 Johnny Antonelli, American baseball pitcher (6 × MLB All-Star 1954, 56–59²; World Series, NL ERA leader 1954; SF Giants), dies from colon cancer at 89
- 2020 Stig-Göran Myntti, Finnish soccer midfielder (61 caps; Vasa IFK), dies at 94
- 2021 Glenn Roeder, English soccer defender (QPR, Newcastle United), and manager (Watford, West Ham, Newcastle, Norwich), dies from a brain tumour at 65
- 2021 Irv Cross, American football cornerback (Pro Bowl 1964, 65; Philadelphia Eagles) and broadcaster (CBS), dies from ischemic cardiomyopathy at 81
- 2021 Johnny Briggs, English actor (Mike Baldwin on Coronation Street), dies at 85 [1]
- 2022 William Lithgow, Scottish industrialist (shipbuilding, agriculture, aquaculture), dies at 87
- 2023 Brian O'Brien, Irish rugby union centre (3 Tests; Munster RFC) and selector (Ireland, British & Irish Lions), dies at 83
- 2023 Grant Turner, New Zealand soccer midfielder (42 caps; SC Stop Out, Gisborne City AFC), dies from cancer at 64
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide