Public Figures & Cultural Luminaries

Sciences & Discovery

8

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Tawhida Ben Cheikh

توحيدة بن الشيخ

Tunisia

1909 – 2010 (101 years old)

First modern female physician in Tunisia and the Arab world, pioneering pediatrician and gynecologist who championed women's reproductive healthcare, honored on the Tunisian 10-dinar banknote.

Tunis, Tunisia

8 Full Record →

Arts & Music

15

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Mario Monicelli

Mario Monicelli

Italy

1915 – 2010 (95 years old)

Founding master of the Commedia all'italiana genre, whose classics Big Deal on Madonna Street and The Great War combined biting social satire, human tragedy, and laughter.

Rome, Italy

15 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

10

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Bella Akhmadulina

Изабелла Ахатовна Ахмадулина

Russia

1937 – 2010 (73 years old)

Prominent Soviet and Russian poet acclaimed as one of the leading literary voices of the post-Stalin Thaw, celebrated for her melodic verse and moral courage.

Moscow, Russia

10 Full Record →

Arts & Music

12

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Leslie Nielsen

Leslie William Nielsen

Canada

1926 – 2010 (84 years old)

Canadian-American actor who redefined cinematic comedy with his deadpan delivery in parody classics Airplane! and The Naked Gun series after a distinguished dramatic career.

Fort Lauderdale, United States

12 Full Record →

Sciences & Discovery

9

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Frank Fenner

Frank John Fenner

Australia

1914 – 2010 (95 years old)

Eminent Australian microbiologist who played a pivotal role in eradicating smallpox and controlling Australia's wild rabbit plague through the myxoma virus.

Canberra, Australia

9 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

10

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Pat Burns

Patrick John Joseph Burns

Canada

1952 – 2010 (58 years old)

Formidable Canadian NHL head coach and former police officer who won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils and is the only coach to win the Jack Adams Award with three different franchises.

Montreal, Canada

10 Full Record →

Politics

3

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Abraham Serfaty

أبراهام السرفاتي

Morocco

1926 – 2010 (84 years old)

Moroccan Jewish mining engineer, anti-Zionist intellectual, and legendary political dissident who spent 17 years as a political prisoner in Kenitra before his triumphant return from exile in 1999.

Casablanca, Morocco

3 Full Record →

Sciences & Discovery

10

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Brian G. Marsden

Brian Geoffrey Marsden

Great Britain

1937 – 2010 (73 years old)

British-American astronomer who served as director of the Minor Planet Center for nearly three decades, specializing in calculating orbits of comets and near-Earth asteroids.

Burlington, United States

10 Full Record →

Humanitarian & Peace

14

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Isabelle Caro

Isabelle Caro

France

1982 – 2010 (28 years old)

French model and actress who bravely posed for Oliviero Toscani's shocking 'No Anorexia' global awareness campaign to expose the deadly realities of eating disorders in fashion.

Paris, France

14 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

30

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Edmond Amran El Maleh

إدمون عمران المالح

Morocco

1917 – 2010 (93 years old)

Moroccan-Jewish writer, philosopher, and Communist activist who fiercely defended Palestinian rights, celebrated Judeo-Arabic-Berber symbiotic identity, and authored 'Aïlen ou la nuit du récit'.

Essaouira, Morocco

30 Full Record →

Religious Figures & Theologians

17

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Abderrahmane El Djilali

عبد الرحمن الجيلالي

Algeria

1908 – 2010 (102 years old)

Centenarian Grand Mufti of Algiers and dean of national historians whose monumental four-volume Tarikh al-Jaza'ir al-Aam (General History of Algeria) provided the definitive chronicle of Algerian identity.

Algiers, Algeria

17 Full Record →

Arts & Music

14

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Dino De Laurentiis

Agostino De Laurentiis

Italy

1919 – 2010 (91 years old)

Legendary Italian-American film producer who produced over 500 films, bringing Italian neorealism to international prominence and producing Hollywood spectacles like Serpico and Dune.

Beverly Hills, United States

14 Full Record →

Arts & Music

15

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Shirley Verrett

Shirley Verrett

United States

1931 – 2010 (79 years old)

Acclaimed African American operatic soprano and mezzo-soprano renowned for her blazing vocal intensity, regal stage presence, and triumphant triumphs at La Scala, Covent Garden, and the Met.

Ann Arbor, United States

15 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

11

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Sparky Anderson

George Lee Anderson

United States

1934 – 2010 (76 years old)

Hall of Fame Major League Baseball manager who led Cincinnati's 'Big Red Machine' to consecutive World Series titles in 1975–1976 and became the first manager to win the World Series in both leagues.

Thousand Oaks, United States

11 Full Record →

Statesmanship & Statesmen

14

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Viktor Chernomyrdin

Виктор Степанович Черномырдин

Russia

1938 – 2010 (72 years old)

Russian statesman who served as Prime Minister under Boris Yeltsin from 1992 to 1998, founded Gazprom, and mediated the end of the 1999 Kosovo War.

Moscow, Russia

14 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

23

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Andy Irons

Philip Andrew Irons

United States

1978 – 2010 (32 years old)

Legendary American professional surfer from Kauai who won three consecutive ASP World Championships (2002, 2003, 2004) and defined modern competitive big-wave surfing.

Hanalei, United States

23 Full Record →

Statesmanship & Statesmen

16

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Ted Sorensen

Theodore Chaikin Sorensen

United States

1928 – 2010 (82 years old)

American attorney and special counsel to President John F. Kennedy, celebrated as JFK's 'intellectual blood bank' who helped craft his historic Inaugural Address and 1962 Moon speech.

New York City, United States

16 Full Record →

Statesmanship & Statesmen

18

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Néstor Kirchner

Néstor Carlos Kirchner

Argentina

1950 – 2010 (60 years old)

President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007 who led the nation's economic recovery from its catastrophic 2001 default and re-opened trials against military junta human rights abusers.

Río Gallegos, Argentina

18 Full Record →