Historical Archives & Public Figures

Léon Spilliaert

Belgium

1881 – 1946 (65 years old)

Ostend-born master of hypnotic, haunting Symbolist ink washes and gouaches whose nocturnal seaside promenades, solitary figures, and dizzying spirals of staircases explored profound existential alienation.

Ostend, Belgium

3 Full Record →

Politics

3

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Josiah Gumede

Josiah Tshangana Gumede

South Africa

1867-10-09 – 1946-11-06 (79 years old)

Pioneering anti-colonial leader and President-General of the ANC (1927–1930) who allied the movement with international anti-imperialist solidarity following the 1927 Brussels Conference.

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

3 Full Record →

Politics

3

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Per Albin Hansson

Sweden

1885-10-28 – 1946-10-06 (60 years old)

Beloved Prime Minister of Sweden who formulated the concept of 'Folkhemmet' (The People's Home) in 1928 and steered neutral Sweden through the perilous waters of World War II.

Solna, Sweden

3 Full Record →

Science

3

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Arthur Sicard

Canada

17 December 1876 – 13 September 1946 (69 years old)

Ingenious French-Canadian inventor whose 1925 rotary snowblower mechanized winter road clearance across the snowbound northern hemisphere.

Montreal, Canada

3 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

30

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H.G. Wells

Herbert George Wells

Great Britain

1866 – 1946 (79 years old)

Visionary English author and social prophet revered as the 'Father of Science Fiction' for The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, and The Invisible Man.

English Channel, United Kingdom

30 Full Record →

Politics

0

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Gualberto Villarroel

Gualberto Villarroel López

Bolivia

1908-12-15 – 1946-07-21 (37 years old)

Reformist President of Bolivia who organized the first National Indigenous Congress, abolished pongueaje (feudal servitude), and was lynched in Plaza Murillo by a conservative insurrection in 1946.

La Paz, Bolivia

0 Full Record →

Diplomacy

3

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Lorenzo Taezaz

Eritrea

1900-06-30 – 1946-06-23 (45 years old)

Brilliant Eritrean-Ethiopian jurist and diplomat who drafted Haile Selassie's historic 1936 address to the League of Nations and organized the clandestine patriot network during Italian occupation.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

3 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

39

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Jack Johnson

John Arthur Johnson

United States

31 March 1878 – 10 June 1946 (68 years old)

John Arthur 'Jack' Johnson was a historic boxing pioneer who broke the color barrier in 1908 to become the first African-American World Heavyweight Champion in history. Defying the racism of the Jim Crow era with supreme defensive counter-punching and an unapologetic, flamboyant lifestyle, he defended his title against James J. Jeffries in the 1910 'Fight of the Century', sparking nationwide social upheaval.

Franklinton, North Carolina, United States

39 Full Record →

Science

2

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Louis Slotin

Canada

1 December 1910 – 30 May 1946 (35 years old)

Canadian nuclear physicist who shielded his colleagues with his own body during a criticality accident with the "demon core" at Los Alamos in 1946.

Winnipeg, Canada

2 Full Record →

Politics

3

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Herbert Macaulay

Olayinka Herbert Samuel Heelas Badun Macaulay

Nigeria

1864-11-14 – 1946-05-07 (81 years old)

Pioneering Nigerian nationalist, civil engineer, journalist, and politician regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism, who founded the NNDP and co-founded the NCNC.

Lagos, Nigeria

3 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

2

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Alcides Arguedas

Alcides Arguedas Díaz

Bolivia

1879-07-15 – 1946-05-06 (66 years old)

Influential Bolivian novelist and sociological historian whose seminal 1919 novel 'Raza de bronce' pioneered indigenist literature in Latin America.

La Paz, Bolivia

2 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

6

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Nasib Arida

نسيب عريضة

Syria

1 August 1887 – 25 March 1946 (58 years old)

Pioneering Syrian-Lebanese Mahjar poet who founded the legendary literary magazine 'Al-Funoon' in New York in 1913.

Brooklyn, New York, United States

6 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

37

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Alexander Alekhine

Александр Александрович Алехин

Russia

1892 – 1946 (53 years old)

Fourth World Chess Champion famed for his ferocious attacking combinations and the only world champion to die while holding the world title.

Paris, France

37 Full Record →

Sciences & Discovery

2,865

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Gilbert N. Lewis

Gilbert Newton Lewis

United States

1875 – 1946 (70 years old)

Colossal physical chemist who discovered the covalent bond, created Lewis dot structures, and generalized acid-base theory.

El Cerrito, California, United States

2,865 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

2

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Henry Handel Richardson

Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson

Australia

1870-01-03 – 1946-03-20 (76 years old)

Pen name of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, one of Australia's greatest novelists, whose epic trilogy 'The Fortunes of Richard Mahony' is a monumental psychological study of colonial life.

East Sussex, United Kingdom

2 Full Record →

Humanitarian & Peace

37

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Mabel Thorp Boardman

United States

12 October 1860 – 17 March 1946 (85 years old)

Mabel Thorp Boardman was an American philanthropist and civic organizer who led the total administrative reorganization of the American Red Cross under a federal congressional charter in 1905. Serving as the organization's de facto executive leader for over four decades, she transformed the Red Cross from a small volunteer group into a massive, professionally funded national disaster relief agency.

Washington, D.C., United States

37 Full Record →

Sciences & Discovery

8

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Dr. Hassine Bouhageb

حسين بوحاجب

Tunisia

1872 – 1946 (73 years old)

Pioneering doctor who served as Chief Physician of Sadiki Hospital from 1904 to 1944, eradicated epidemic typhus, and founded the first modern Tunisian sports and athletic federations.

Tunis, Tunisia

8 Full Record →