Public Figures & Cultural Luminaries

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

24 Full Record →

Sciences & Discovery

2,978

🕯️ 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

2,978 Full Record →

Social

1

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 →

4

Statesmanship & Statesmen

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

4 Full Record →

34

🕯️ 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

34 Full Record →

17

Statesmanship & Statesmen

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

17 Full Record →

17

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

17 Full Record →

4

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

4 Full Record →

2

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

2 Full Record →

Sciences & Discovery

26

Alan Hodgkin

Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin

Great Britain

1914 – 1998 (84 years old)

English biophysicist who won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Medicine alongside Andrew Huxley for discovering the ionic mechanisms involved in excitation and inhibition in the peripheral and central parts of the nerve cell membrane.

Cambridge, United Kingdom

26 Full Record →

12

Kamel Messaoudi

كمال مسعودي

Algeria

1961 – 1998 (37 years old)

Modern renaissance master of Algerian Chaabi music who revolutionized the genre by giving voice to youth disillusionment, existential romance, and social despair during the Black Decade.

Algiers, Algeria

12 Full Record →

28

🕯️ 2,190

Archie Moore

Archibald Lee Wright

United States

13 December 1913 – 9 December 1998 (84 years old)

Archibald Lee Wright, celebrated as Archie Moore or 'The Old Mongoose', holds the undisputed all-time record for the most career knockouts in professional boxing history (132 KOs). Reining as world light heavyweight champion for an unprecedented decade (1952–1962) from age thirty-nine to forty-eight, his cross-arm defense, ring wisdom, and 219 career fights make him one of the most revered pugilists of all time.

San Diego, California, United States

28 Full Record →

19

Reinette l'Oranaise

رينات الوهرانية (سلطانة داود)

Algeria

c. 1915 – 1998 (83 years old)

Master blind Jewish-Algerian singer and oud virtuoso whose peerless interpretations of Andalusian, Hawzi, and Chaabi music symbolized the shared Judeo-Arabic cultural heritage of Algeria.

Paris, France

19 Full Record →

27

Baya Mahieddine

باية محي الدين (فاطمة حداد)

Algeria

1931 – 1998 (66 years old)

Self-taught Algerian painter and ceramicist whose dazzling, joyful gouaches of winged women, peacocks, and musical instruments captivated Paris at age sixteen, inspiring Pablo Picasso and André Breton.

Blida, Algeria

27 Full Record →

33

🕯️ 3,120

Florence Griffith Joyner

Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner

United States

21 December 1959 – 21 September 1998 (38 years old)

Florence Griffith Joyner, affectionately known as 'Flo-Jo', was an electrifying American track and field superstar whose 1988 world records in the 100 meters (10.49 seconds) and 200 meters (21.34 seconds) remain unbroken after nearly four decades. Winning three gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, her dazzling speed, self-designed one-legged bodysuits, and six-inch painted nails revolutionized athletics culture.

Mission Viejo, California, United States

33 Full Record →

10

Mahmoud Hassan

محمود حسن

Egypt

1919 – 1998 (78 years old)

Olympic hero who won the silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling (bantamweight) at the 1948 London Olympic Games and was crowned World Wrestling Champion in Stockholm in 1950.

Alexandria, Egypt

10 Full Record →

Art

1