Did you know
M. Karunanidhi was the ten-time president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for nearly five decades and a leading figure in the Dravidian movement.
Notable Deaths on August 7
2018 — M. Karunanidhi
Indian politician, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and prominent leader of Tamils (born 1924)
August 7 has 98 recorded notable deaths across history, from 461 to 2025. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
98 source records
461 – 2025
Today in history
Major events on August 7
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1743 The Treaty of Åbo ended the 1741–1743 Russo-Swedish War. Source
- 1789 The United States Department of War is established. Source
- 1987 Cold War: Lynne Cox becomes the first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union, crossing the Bering Strait from Little Diomede Island in Alaska to Big Diomede in the Soviet Union. Source
- 1942 World War II: The Battle of Guadalcanal begins as the United States Marines initiate the first American offensive of the war with landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. Source
Did you know
The French chronicler Jean Froissart described her as 'in her time the most beautiful woman in all the realm of England, and the most loved', and, Chandos Herald wrote that she was 'beautiful, pleasant and wise'.
Did you know
Henry IV was Holy Roman Emperor (1084–1105), King of Germany (1054–1105), and King of Italy and Burgundy (1056–1105).
Did you know
During his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), Baylor was a power hitter known for standing very close to home plate and was a first baseman, left fielder, and designated hitter.
Did you know
Kelsey was the first woman to receive a PhD in pharmacology and the second woman to receive the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, awarded to her by John F.
More major people who died on August 7
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1385
Joan of Kent
mother of Richard II (born 1328)
Joan, Countess of Kent suo jure, also known as the "Fair Maid of Kent", was mother of King Richard II of England, her son by her third husband, Edward the Black Prince, the eldest son and heir apparent of King Edward…
1106
Henry IV
Holy Roman Emperor (born 1050)
Henry IV was Holy Roman Emperor (1084–1105), King of Germany (1054–1105), and King of Italy and Burgundy (1056–1105). A Salian ruler, he was the son of Henry III and Agnes of Poitou.
2017
Don Baylor
American baseball player (born 1949)
Don Edward Baylor, nicknamed "Groove," was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager.
2015
Frances Oldham Kelsey
Canadian pharmacologist and physician (born 1914)
Frances Kathleen Oldham Kelsey was a Canadian-American pharmacologist and physician who had a 45-year career with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
461
Majorian
Roman emperor (born 420)
Majorian was Western Roman emperor from 457 to 461. A prominent commander in the Western military, Majorian deposed Avitus in 457 with the aid of his ally Ricimer at the Battle of Placentia.
2011
Mark Hatfield
American soldier, academic, and politician, 29th Governor of Oregon (born 1922)
Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon.
2009
Mike Seeger
American singer-songwriter (born 1933)
Mike Seeger was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who mainly played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and…
2015
Manuel Contreras
Chilean general (born 1929)
Juan Manuel "Mamo" Guillermo Contreras Sepúlveda was a Chilean Army officer and the former head of the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA), Chile's secret police during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.
1485
Alexander Stewart
duke of Albany (born 1454)
Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, was a Scottish prince and the second surviving son of King James II of Scotland.
2014
Perry Moss
American football player and coach (born 1926)
Perry Lee Moss was an American professional football player, coach, and executive. Moss played tailback at the University of Tulsa and quarterback at Illinois during the 1940s.
1899
Jacob Maris
Dutch painter and educator (born 1837)
Jacob Henricus Maris was a Dutch painter, who with his brothers Willem and Matthijs belonged to what has come to be known as the Hague School of painters.
1848
Jöns Jacob Berzelius
Swedish chemist and academic (born 1779)
Jöns Jacob Berzelius was a Swedish chemist. Berzelius is considered, along with Robert Boyle, John Dalton, and Antoine Lavoisier, to be one of the founders of modern chemistry.
2021
Markie Post
American actress (born 1950)
Marjorie Armstrong Post, known professionally as Markie Post, was an American actress.
1957
Oliver Hardy
American actor, singer, and director (born 1892)
Oliver Norvell Hardy was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957.
1941
Rabindranath Tagore
Indian author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1861)
Rabindranath Tagore, was a British Indian poet, author, playwright, musician, composer, philosopher, social reformer, painter, and one of the foremost figures of the Bengal Renaissance.
1985
Grayson Hall
American actress (born 1922)
Grayson Hall was an American actress. She was widely regarded for her avant-garde theatrical performances from the 1960s to the 1980s, and was known to television audiences for playing multiple prominent roles on the…
2023
William Friedkin
American film director (born 1935)
William David Friedkin was an American director, producer, and screenwriter who was closely identified with the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s.
1635
Friedrich Spee
German poet and academic (born 1591)
Friedrich Spee was a German Jesuit priest, professor, and poet, most well known as a forceful opponent of witch trials and one who was an insider writing from the epicenter of the European witch-phobia.
1900
Wilhelm Liebknecht
German lawyer and politician (born 1826)
Wilhelm Martin Philipp Christian Ludwig Liebknecht was a German social democratic politician and journalist.