Public Figures & Cultural Luminaries

Resistance & Human Rights

Ahmed Sekou Toure

French Guinea

1922 – 1984 (62 years old)

First President of independent Guinea (1958–1984) who famously made history on August 25, 1958, by looking General Charles de Gaulle in the eye and declaring 'No' to the French Community: 'We prefer poverty in liberty to riches in slavery.'

Conakry, Guinea

1 Full Record →

12

🕯️ 930

Martin Niemöller

Emil Gustav Friedrich Martin Niemöller

Germany

14 January 1892 – 6 March 1984 (92 years old)

German theologian and Lutheran pastor who founded the anti-Nazi Confessing Church, was held as Hitler's 'personal prisoner' in Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps for eight years, and authored the immortal poem 'First they came...'.

Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany

12 Full Record →

9

🕯️ 380

Johann Peter Weißmüller

Hungary

1904 – 1984 (79 years old)

Austro-Hungarian-born American swimmer who won five Olympic gold medals, never lost an individual freestyle race, and starred as Hollywood's Tarzan.

Acapulco, Mexico

9 Full Record →

1,996

🕯️ 132

Joan Miró

Joan Miró i Ferrà

Spain

1893 – 1983 (90 years old)

Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist whose whimsical Surrealist dreamscapes and biomorphic forms redefined modern art.

Barcelona, Spain

1,996 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

6

Bechir Khraief

البشير خريف

Tunisia

1917 – 1983 (66 years old)

Pioneering Tunisian novelist and educator acclaimed as the 'Father of the Modern Tunisian Novel', who daringly introduced spoken vernacular dialogue into literature in his masterwork 'Degla fi Arajiniha' (Dates on their Bunches).

Tunis, Tunisia

6 Full Record →

Humanitarian & Peace

2

Yusuf Dadoo

Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo

South Africa

1909 – 1983 (74 years old)

Physician and leader of the South African Indian Congress who signed the 1947 'Three Doctors' Pact' forging the historic alliance between Black and Indian freedom fighters.

London, United Kingdom

2 Full Record →

Humanitarian & Peace

1

Michael Scott

Guthrie Michael Scott

United Kingdom

1907 – 1983 (76 years old)

Anglican priest and civil rights champion who served as the official petitioner for the Herero people at the United Nations, bringing Namibian independence to the world stage.

London, United Kingdom

1 Full Record →

1

Alberto Ginastera

Alberto Evaristo Ginastera

Argentina

1916 – 1983 (67 years old)

Argentine classical composer acclaimed as the greatest South American composer of the twentieth century, celebrated for Danzas Argentinas, the ballet Estancia, and innovative neo-expressionist operas.

Geneva, Switzerland

1 Full Record →

Humanitarian & Peace

6

Ghanshyam Das Birla

घनश्याम दास बिड़ला

India

1894 – 1983 (89 years old)

Magnat de l'industrie et philanthrope indien, mécène principal du Mahatma Gandhi et du mouvement pour l'indépendance, bâtisseur du BITS Pilani.

London, United Kingdom

6 Full Record →

Monarchs, Kings & Royalty

8

🕯️ 2,450

Jack Dempsey

William Harrison Dempsey

United States

24 June 1895 – 31 May 1983 (87 years old)

William Harrison 'Jack' Dempsey, 'The Manassa Mauler', was an explosive American heavyweight boxing champion who became one of the greatest cultural icons of the Roaring Twenties. Renowned for his ferocious aggression, bobbing-and-weaving 'Dempsey Roll', and devastating punching power, he drew boxing's first million-dollar gates and reigned as world champion from 1919 to 1926.

New York City, United States

8 Full Record →

5

Statesmanship & Statesmen

King Idris I of Libya

إدريس الأول السنوسي (ملك ليبيا)

Libya

1889 – 1983 (94 years old)

First and only King of the United Kingdom of Libya (1951–1969), leader of the Senussi Sufi order, who proclaimed Libyan independence on December 24, 1951, uniting Cyrenaica, Tripolitania, and Fezzan.

Medina, Saudi Arabia

5 Full Record →

2

Pridi Banomyong

ปรีดี พนมยงค์

Siam

1900 – 1983 (82 years old)

Father of Thai democracy who led the Siamese Revolution of 1932 ending absolute monarchy, founded Thammasat University, and led the anti-Japanese Free Thai Movement.

Bangkok, Thailand

2 Full Record →

Resistance & Human Rights

2,716

🕯️ 75

Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield

United States

1913 – 1983 (70 years old)

'Father of Modern Chicago Blues' whose amplified electric sound laid the foundation for modern rock and roll.

Alsip, Illinois, United States

2,716 Full Record →

8

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Corrie ten Boom

Cornelia Arnolda Johanna ten Boom

Netherlands

15 April 1892 – 15 April 1983 (91 years old)

Dutch watchmaker who, along with her family, harbored hundreds of Jews and resistance fighters in a secret room inside their Haarlem house during the Nazi occupation, surviving Ravensbrück concentration camp.

Placentia, California, United States

8 Full Record →

9

🕯️ 280

Louis Bobet

France

1925 – 1983 (58 years old)

French professional road cyclist who was the first rider to win the Tour de France in three consecutive years (1953, 1954, 1955).

Saint-Méen-le-Grand, France

9 Full Record →

2

Chabuca Granda

María Isabel Granda y Larco

Peru

1920 – 1983 (62 years old)

Peruvian singer-songwriter and poet universally revered as the queen of musica criolla, world-famous for the iconic waltz La flor de la canela.

Lima, Peru

2 Full Record →