Honoring the Legacies: Remembering Those Who Passed Away Today – 20th December
Dear readers, today, we come together to honor the memories of the notable individuals who departed from this world on this very day. 20th December marks the day when we reflect on the lives and legacies of those who have left an indelible imprint on history through their remarkable contributions and achievements.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| AD 72 | Thomas the Apostle, Roman martyr and saint (b. 1 AD) |
| 882 | Hincmar, French archbishop and historian (b. 806) |
| 956 | Sun Sheng, Chinese chancellor |
| 1001 | Hugh of Tuscany, margrave of Tuscany (b. 950) |
| 1308 | Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse (b. 1244) |
| 1338 | Thomas Hemenhale, Bishop of Worcester |
| 1362 | Constantine III, King of Armenia (b. 1313) |
| 1375 | Giovanni Boccaccio, Italian author and poet (b. 1313) |
| 1504 | Berthold von Henneberg, German archbishop (b. 1442) |
| 1536 | John Seymour, English courtier (b. 1474) |
| 1549 | Marguerite de Navarre, queen of Henry II of Navarre (b. 1492) |
| 1581 | Jean de la Cassière, 51st Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitaller (b. 1502) |
| 1597 | Peter Canisius, Dutch priest and saint (b. 1521) |
| 1608 | William Davison, secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England (b. c. 1541) |
| 1610 | Catherine Vasa, Swedish princess (b. 1539) |
| 1701 | Sir Hugh Paterson, Baronet of Bannockburn (b. 1659) |
| 1807 | John Newton, English soldier and minister (b. 1725) |
| 1824 | James Parkinson, English physician and paleontologist (b. 1755) |
| 1869 | Friedrich Ernst Scheller, German jurist and politician (b. 1791) |
| 1873 | Francis Garnier, French admiral and explorer (b. 1839) |
| 1889 | Friedrich August von Quenstedt, German geologist and palaeontologist (b. 1809) |
| 1920 | Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, Somalian general, founded the Dervish state (b. 1856) |
| 1929 | I. L. Patterson, American politician, 18th Governor of Oregon (b. 1859) |
| 1933 | Knud Rasmussen, Greenlandic anthropologist and explorer (b. 1879) |
| 1935 | Ted Birnie, English footballer and manager (b. 1878) |
| 1935 | Kurt Tucholsky, German-Swedish journalist and author (b. 1890) |
| 1937 | Ted Healy, American comedian and actor (b. 1896) |
| 1937 | Frank B. Kellogg, American lawyer and politician, 45th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1856) |
| 1940 | F. Scott Fitzgerald, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1896) |
| 1945 | George S. Patton, American general (b. 1885) |
| 1952 | Kenneth Edwards, American golfer (b. 1886) |
| 1953 | Kaarlo Koskelo, Finnish-American wrestler and businessman (b. 1888) |
| 1957 | Eric Coates, English-American viola player and composer (b. 1886) |
| 1958 | Lion Feuchtwanger, German-American author and playwright (b. 1884) |
| 1959 | Rosanjin, Japanese calligrapher, engraver, and painter (b. 1883) |
| 1963 | Jack Hobbs, English cricketer and journalist (b. 1882) |
| 1964 | Carl Van Vechten, American author and photographer (b. 1880) |
| 1965 | Claude Champagne, Canadian violinist, pianist, and composer (b. 1891) |
| 1968 | Vittorio Pozzo, Italian footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1886) |
| 1974 | Richard Long, American actor and director (b. 1927) |
| 1982 | Abu Al-Asar Hafeez Jullundhri, Pakistani poet and composer (b. 1900) |
| 1983 | Paul de Man, Belgian-born philosopher, literary critic and theorist (b. 1919) |
| 1988 | Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch-English ethologist and ornithologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907) |
| 1992 | Stella Adler, American actress and educator (b. 1901) |
| 1992 | Albert King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1924) |
| 1992 | Nathan Milstein, Russian-American violinist and composer (b. 1903) |
| 1998 | Ernst-Günther Schenck, German colonel and physician (b. 1904) |
| 2004 | Autar Singh Paintal, Indian physiologist and neurologist (b. 1925) |
| 2006 | Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmen engineer and politician, 1st President of Turkmenistan (b. 1940) |
| 2009 | Edwin G. Krebs, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918) |
| 2009 | Christos Lambrakis, Greek journalist and businessman (b. 1934) |
| 2010 | Enzo Bearzot, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1927) |
| 2013 | Edgar Bronfman, Sr., Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1929) |
| 2013 | John Eisenhower, American historian, general, and diplomat, 45th United States Ambassador to Belgium (b. 1922) |
| 2014 | Udo Jürgens, Austrian-Swiss singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1934) |
| 2014 | Sitor Situmorang, Indonesian poet and author (b. 1923) |
| 2014 | Billie Whitelaw, English actress (b. 1932) |
As we draw this tribute to a close, let us carry forward the lessons and legacies of those we have lost. Their impact on the world remains etched in the fabric of time, serving as a reminder of the enduring power of the human spirit. May their contributions continue to inspire us to strive for greatness and leave our own meaningful mark on the world.
Join us in continuing to celebrate the lives and contributions of those who have shaped our world, even in their absence. Their memory lives on through the stories we share and the legacies we continue to uphold. Until next time, may their spirits find peace in the legacy they have left behind.
