Honoring the Legacies: Remembering Those Who Passed Away Today – 3rd December
Dear readers, today, we come together to honor the memories of the notable individuals who departed from this world on this very day. 3rd 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 |
|---|---|
| 530 BC | Cyrus the Great, king of Persia (b. 600 BC) |
| 749 | John of Damascus, Syrian priest and saint (b. 676) |
| 771 | Carloman I, Frankish king (b. 751) |
| 870 | Suairlech ind Eidnén mac Ciaráin, Irish bishop |
| 1075 | Anno II, German archbishop and saint (b. 1010) |
| 1131 | Omar Khayyám, Persian poet, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (b. 1048) |
| 1214 | William the Lion, Scottish king (b. 1143) |
| 1260 | Aymer de Valence, Bishop of Winchester (b. 1222) |
| 1270 | Theobald II of Navarre (b. 1238) |
| 1334 | Pope John XXII (b. 1249) |
| 1340 | Henry Burghersh, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1292) |
| 1341 | Janisław I, Archbishop of Gniezno |
| 1408 | Valentina Visconti, wife of Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans |
| 1456 | Charles I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1401) |
| 1459 | Adolphus VIII, Count of Holstein (b. 1401) |
| 1576 | Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian-Slovak mathematician and cartographer (b. 1514) |
| 1585 | John Willock, Scottish minister and reformer (b. 1515) |
| 1603 | Maerten de Vos, Flemish painter and draughtsman (b. 1532) |
| 1609 | Alexander Hume, Scottish poet (b. 1560) |
| 1637 | Nicholas Ferrar, English trader (b. 1592) |
| 1642 | Cardinal Richelieu, French cardinal and politician, Chief Minister to the French Monarch (b. 1585) |
| 1649 | William Drummond of Hawthornden, Scottish poet (b. 1585) |
| 1679 | Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher and theorist (b. 1588) |
| 1680 | Thomas Bartholin, Danish physician, mathematician, and theologian (b. 1616) |
| 1696 | Empress Meishō of Japan (b. 1624) |
| 1732 | John Gay, English poet and playwright (b. 1685) |
| 1798 | Luigi Galvani, Italian physician, physicist, and philosopher (b. 1737) |
| 1828 | Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1770) |
| 1841 | David Daniel Davis, Welsh-English physician and academic (b. 1777) |
| 1845 | Gregor MacGregor, Scottish soldier and explorer (b. 1786) |
| 1850 | William Sturgeon, English physicist, invented the electric motor (b. 1783) |
| 1893 | John Tyndall, Irish-English physicist and chemist (b. 1820) |
| 1897 | Griffith Rhys Jones, Welsh conductor (b. 1834) |
| 1902 | Charles Dow, American journalist and publisher, co-founded the Dow Jones & Company (b. 1851) |
| 1926 | Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (b. 1861) |
| 1933 | Stefan George, German-Swiss poet and translator (b. 1868) |
| 1935 | Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1864) |
| 1935 | Charles Richet, French physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1850) |
| 1938 | Tamanishiki San’emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 32nd Yokozuna (b. 1903) |
| 1942 | Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, 3rd Head of State of Estonia (b. 1885) |
| 1942 | Fritz Löhner-Beda, Jewish Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer (b. 1883) |
| 1944 | Roger Bresnahan, American baseball player and manager (b. 1879) |
| 1945 | Thomas Hunt Morgan, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866) |
| 1948 | Frank Benford, American physicist and engineer (b. 1883) |
| 1954 | George Shepherd, 1st Baron Shepherd (b. 1881) |
| 1955 | József Galamb, Hungarian-American engineer (b. 1881) |
| 1963 | Constance Davey, Australian psychologist (b. 1882) |
| 1967 | Bert Lahr, American actor (b. 1895) |
| 1971 | Shunryū Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator, founded the San Francisco Zen Center (b. 1904) |
| 1975 | Hannah Arendt, German-American historian, theorist, and academic (b. 1906) |
| 1976 | Tommy Bolin, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1951) |
| 1976 | Benjamin Britten, English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1913) |
| 1976 | W. F. McCoy, Irish soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1886) |
| 1980 | Francisco de Sá Carneiro, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 111th Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1934) |
| 1980 | Stanisława Walasiewicz, Polish-American runner (b. 1911) |
| 1980 | Don Warrington, Canadian football player (b. 1948) |
| 1981 | Jeanne Block, American psychologist (b. 1923) |
| 1984 | Jack Mercer, American animator, screenwriter, voice actor, and singer (b. 1910) |
| 1987 | Arnold Lobel, American author and illustrator (b. 1933) |
| 1987 | Rouben Mamoulian, Georgian-American director and screenwriter (b. 1897) |
| 1988 | Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist and academic (b. 1899) |
| 1992 | Henry Clausen, American lawyer and author (b. 1905) |
| 1993 | Margaret Landon, American missionary and author (b. 1903) |
| 1993 | Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1940) |
| 1999 | Rose Bird, American academic and judge, 25th Chief Justice of California (b. 1936) |
| 2000 | Henck Arron, Surinamese banker and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Suriname (b. 1936) |
| 2003 | Iggy Katona, American race car driver (b. 1916) |
| 2004 | Elena Souliotis, Greek soprano and actress (b. 1943) |
| 2005 | Errol Brathwaite, New Zealand soldier and author (b. 1924) |
| 2005 | Gregg Hoffman, American film producer (b. 1963) |
| 2006 | K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo (b. 1938) |
| 2006 | Ross A. McGinnis, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1987) |
| 2009 | Liam Clancy, Irish singer, actor, and guitarist (b. 1935) |
| 2010 | King Curtis Iaukea, American wrestler (b. 1937) |
| 2011 | Sócrates, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1954) |
| 2011 | Hubert Sumlin, American singer and guitarist (b. 1931) |
| 2012 | Vasily Belov, Russian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1932) |
| 2012 | Jack Brooks, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1922) |
| 2012 | Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer and manager (b. 1971) |
| 2012 | Anthony Deane-Drummond, English general (b. 1917) |
| 2012 | Carroll E. Lanier, American sailor and politician (b. 1926) |
| 2013 | Joana Raspall i Juanola, Spanish author and poet (b. 1913) |
| 2014 | Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic (b. 1957) |
| 2014 | V. R. Krishna Iyer, Indian lawyer and judge (b. 1914) |
| 2014 | Vincent L. McKusick, American lawyer and judge (b. 1921) |
| 2014 | Jeremy Thorpe, English lawyer and politician (b. 1929) |
| 2015 | Bill Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of British Columbia (b. 1932) |
| 2015 | Robert Loggia, American actor and director (b. 1930) |
| 2015 | Yossi Sarid, Israeli journalist and politician, 15th Israeli Minister of Education (b. 1940) |
| 2016 | Patricia Robins, British writer and WAAF officer (b. 1921). |
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.
