Notable Deaths on October 12

Q: Who died on October 12?

Notable people who died on October 12 include: Demosthenes, Honorius I, John IV, Tsunesada, Al-Muti.

Q: What is Demosthenes known for?

Demosthenes, Athenian statesman, (born 384 BC)

132 people 322 BC – 2025

October 12 has seen 132 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 322 BC – 2025. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · October 12 — Wikipedia

-322 — Demosthenes

Athenian statesman, (born 384 BC)

Did you know

He delivered his first judicial speeches at the age of 20, in which he successfully argued that he should gain from his guardians what was left of his inheritance

Did you know

His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC

Did you know

Demosthenes was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens

Did you know

For a time, Demosthenes made his living as a professional speechwriter (logographer) and a lawyer, writing speeches for use in private legal suits.

Did you know

Demosthenes learned rhetoric by studying the speeches of previous great orators

Honorius I

pope of the Catholic Church

Pope Honorius I was the bishop of Rome from his consecration on 27 October 625 until his death. He actively supported the Christianisation of the Anglo-Saxons, notably by sending Saint Birinus to convert the West Saxons…

638

John IV

pope of the Catholic Church

Pope John IV was the bishop of Rome from 24 December 640 to his death on 12 October 642. His election followed a four-month vacancy. He wrote to the clergy of Ireland and Scotland to tell them of the mistakes they were…

642

Tsunesada

Japanese prince (born 825)

Prince Tsunesada was a Japanese prince of the early Heian period. He was the second son of Emperor Junna. He was also known as Prince Teishi (亭子親王), and by his Buddhist name of Gōjyaku (恒寂). He was Crown Prince from…

884

Al-Muti

Abbasid caliph (born 913/14)

Abū ʾl-Qāsim al-Faḍl ibn al-Muqtadir, better known by his regnal name of al-Muṭīʿ li-ʾllāh, was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 946 to 974, ruling under the tutelage of the Buyid emirs.

974

Leopold II

margrave of Austria (born 1050)

Leopold II, known as Leopold the Fair, a member of the House of Babenberg, was Margrave of Austria from 1075 until his death in 1095. A supporter of the Gregorian Reforms, he was one of the main opponents of the German…

1095

Adolf III of Berg

German nobleman (born 1080)

Adolf III of Berg was count of Berg from 1093 until 1132, and count of Hövel from 1090 until 1106, and Vogt of Werden. He was the son of Adolf II of Berg-Hövel, count of Berg, and Adelaide of Lauffen. Adolf III, Count…

1152

William d'Aubigny

1st Earl of Arundel, English politician (born 1109)

William d'Aubigny, also known as William d'Albini, William de Albini and William de Albini II, was an English nobleman. He was son of William d'Aubigny and Maud Bigod, daughter of Roger Bigod of Norfolk.

1176

Michael IX Palaiologos

Byzantine emperor (born 1277)

Michael IX Palaiologos or Palaeologus was Byzantine emperor together with his father, Andronikos II Palaiologos, from 1294 until his death. Andronikos II and Michael IX ruled as equal co-rulers, both using the title…

1320

Clementia of Hungary

queen consort of France and Navarre (born 1293)

Clementia of Hungary was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Louis X.

1328

Zhu Quan

Chinese prince, historian and playwright (born 1378)

Zhu Quan, the Prince of Ning, was a Chinese historian, military commander, musician, and playwright. He was the 17th son of the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty. During his life, he served as a military commander,…

1448

Fritz Herlen

German painter (born 1449)

Fritz Herlen was a German artist of the early Swabian school, in the 15th century.

1491

Piero della Francesca

Italian mathematician and painter (born 1415)

Piero della Francesca was an Italian painter, mathematician and geometer of the Early Renaissance, nowadays chiefly appreciated for his art. His painting is characterized by its serene humanism, its use of geometric…

1492

Jean Ribault

French-American lieutenant and navigator (born 1520)

Jean Ribault was a French naval officer, navigator, and a colonizer of what would become the southeastern United States. He was a major figure in the French attempts to colonize Florida. A Huguenot and officer under…

1565

Maximilian II

Holy Roman Emperor (born 1527)

Maximilian II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1564 until his death in 1576. A member of the Austrian House of Habsburg, he was crowned King of Bohemia in Prague on 14 May 1562 and elected King of Germany on 24 November…

1576

Kanō Eitoku

Japanese painter and educator (born 1543)

Kanō Eitoku was a Japanese painter who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japanese history and one of the most prominent patriarchs of the Kanō school of Japanese painting.

1590

Luis de Molina

Spanish priest and philosopher (born 1535)

Luis de Molina was a Spanish Jesuit priest, jurist, economist and theologian renowned for his contributions to philosophy and economics within the framework of the second scholasticism.

1600

Nicholas Brend

English landowner (born 1560)

Nicholas Brend was an English landowner who inherited from his father the land on which the Globe Theatre was built, and on 21 February 1599 leased it to Cuthbert Burbage, Richard Burbage, William Shakespeare, Augustine…

1601

Kutsuki Mototsuna

Japanese commander (born 1549)

Kutsuki Mototsuna was a samurai commander in Azuchi-Momoyama period and Edo period. His father was Kutsuki Harutsuna. The Kutsuki were a powerful clan at Kutsuki-tani (朽木谷), Takasima-gori, Ōmi Province. His childhood…

1632

François de Bassompierre

French general and courtier (born 1579)

François de Bassompierre was a French courtier.

1646

Carel Fabritius

Dutch painter (born 1622)

Carel Pietersz. Fabritius was a Dutch painter. He was a pupil of Rembrandt and worked in his studio in Amsterdam. Fabritius, who was a member of the Delft School, developed his own artistic style and experimented with…

1654

Edmund Berry Godfrey

English lawyer and judge (born 1621)

Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey was an English magistrate whose mysterious death caused anti-Catholic uproar in England. Contemporary documents also spell the name Edmundbury Godfrey.

1678

William Gurnall

English minister, theologian, and author (born 1617)

William Gurnall was an English author and Anglican clergyman born at King's Lynn, Norfolk, where he was baptised on 17 November 1616.

1679

Christoph Ignaz Abele

Austrian lawyer and jurist (born 1628)

Christoph Ignaz Abele, von und zu Lilienberg, son of a Swabian family, was an Austrian jurist and court official.

1685

Frederick IV

king of Denmark and Norway (born 1671)

Frederick IV was King of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of Christian V of Denmark-Norway and his wife Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel.

1730

Richard Molesworth

3rd Viscount Molesworth, Irish field marshal and politician (born 1680)

Field Marshal Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth, PC (Ire), FRS was an Anglo-Irish army officer and politician. He fought in the Battle of Blenheim before being appointed aide-de-camp to the Duke of Marlborough…

1758

Juan José Castelli

Argentinian lawyer and politician (born 1764)

Juan José Castelli was an Argentine lawyer who was one of the leaders of the May Revolution, which led to the Argentine War of Independence. He led an ill-fated military campaign in Upper Peru. He was in terms of free…

1812

Ioan Nicolidi of Pindus

Aromanian physician and noble (born 1737)

Ioan Nicolidi of Pindus was an Aromanian physician and noble. Born in Gramos, he migrated to Siatista and then to Vienna to complete his studies in medicine. He gained great popularity as a physician in Vienna, being…

1828

Elizabeth Fry

English prison reformer, Quaker and philanthropist (born 1780)

Elizabeth Fry, sometimes referred to as Betsy Fry, was an English prison reformer, social reformer, philanthropist and Quaker. Fry was a major driving force behind new legislation to improve the treatment of prisoners,…

1845

Hiroshige

Japanese painter (born 1797)

Utagawa Hiroshige or Andō Hiroshige , born Andō Tokutarō, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, considered the last great master of that tradition.

1858

Robert E. Lee

American general (born 1807)

Robert Edward Lee was a Confederate general whose early actions in the American Civil War led to his appointment as the overall commander of the Confederate States Army near the end of the war. He led the Army of…

1870

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

French sculptor and painter (born 1827)

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux was a French sculptor and painter during the Second Empire under Napoleon III.

1875

Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs

Danish lawyer and politician, 9th Council President of Denmark (born 1817)

Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs was a Danish nobleman and politician. He was Council President of Denmark from 1865 to 1870 as the leader of the Frijs Cabinet.

1896

Calvin Fairbank

American minister and activist (born 1816)

Calvin Fairbank was an American abolitionist and Methodist minister from New York state who was twice convicted in Kentucky of aiding the escape of slaves, and served a total of 19 years in the Kentucky State…

1898

Margaret E. Knight

American inventor (born 1838)

Margaret Eloise Knight was an American inventor, notably of a machine to produce flat-bottomed paper bags. She has been called "the most famous 19th-century woman inventor". She founded the Eastern Paper Bag Company in…

1914

Edith Cavell

English nurse (born 1865)

Edith Louisa Cavell was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from…

1915

Bunny Lucas

English cricketer (born 1857)

Alfred Perry "Bunny" Lucas was an English first-class cricketer from 1874 to 1907, playing for Cambridge University, Surrey, Middlesex and Essex. He also played five Test matches for the England cricket team.

1923

Anatole France

French journalist, novelist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1844)

Anatole France was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters. He was a member of the Académie Française, and…

1924

Edwin Abbott Abbott

English theologian and author (born 1838)

Edwin Abbott Abbott was an English schoolmaster, theologian, and Anglican priest, best known as the author of the novella Flatland (1884).

1926

John Lister

English philanthropist and politician (born 1847)

John Lister was an English philanthropist and politician.

1933

Tom Mix

American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1880)

Thomas Edwin Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He was one of Hollywood's first Western…

1940

Joseph Stilwell

American general (born 1883)

Joseph Warren "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell was a United States Army general who served in the China Burma India theater during World War II. Stilwell served as commander of the US forces in the theater, and also as deputy for…

1946

Susan Sutherland Isaacs

English psychologist and psychoanalyst (born 1885)

Susan Sutherland Isaacs, CBE was an English educational psychologist and psychoanalyst. She published studies on the intellectual and social development of children and promoted the nursery school movement. For Isaacs,…

1948

George Welch

American soldier and pilot (born 1918)

George Schwartz Welch was a World War II triple ace, a Distinguished Service Cross recipient, and an experimental aircraft pilot after the war. Welch is best known for having been one of the few United States Army Air…

1954

Lorenzo Perosi

Italian composer and painter (born 1872)

Monsignor Lorenzo Perosi was an Italian composer of sacred music and the only member of the Giovane Scuola who did not write opera. In the late 1890s, while he was still only in his twenties, Perosi was an…

1956

Arie de Jong

Indonesian-Dutch linguist and physician (born 1865)

Arie de Jong was a Dutch enthusiast and reformer of the constructed language Volapük by Johann Martin Schleyer, with whose help the Volapük movement gained new strength in the Netherlands. He not only revised Volapük,…

1957

Gordon Griffith

American actor, director, and producer (born 1907)

Gordon S. Griffith was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors in the American movie industry. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in over 60 films, and…

1958

Inejiro Asanuma

Japanese lawyer and politician (born 1898)

Inejiro Asanuma was a Japanese politician and leader of the Japan Socialist Party. Known for his large stature and powerful voice, he tirelessly toured the country delivering speeches, earning him the nicknames…

1960

Paul Hermann Müller

Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1899)

Paul Hermann Müller, also known as Pauly Mueller, was a Swiss chemist who received the 1948 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine for his 1939 discovery of insecticidal qualities and use of DDT in the control of vector…

1965

Ram Manohar Lohia

Indian activist and politician (born 1910)

Ram Manohar Lohia was an Indian political activist of the Indian independence movement and a socialist politician. As a nationalist, he worked actively to protest against colonialism, raising awareness of the same. He…

1967

Sonja Henie

Norwegian figure skater and actress (born 1912)

Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic champion in women's singles, a ten-time World champion (1927–1936) and a six-time European champion (1931–1936). Henie won more…

1969

Serge Poliakoff

Russian-French painter and academic (born 1906)

Serge Poliakoff was a Russian-born French modernist painter belonging to the 'New' École de Paris (Tachisme).

1969

Julius Saaristo

Finnish javelin thrower and soldier (born 1891)

Juho Julius Saaristo was a Finnish track and field athlete. He won two medals at the 1912 Olympics: a silver in conventional javelin throw and gold in the two-handed javelin throw, a one-time Olympic event in which the…

1969

Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky

Russian-American illustrator and painter (born 1891)

Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky, also known as Rojan, was a Russian émigré illustrator. He is well known both for children's book illustration and for erotic art. He won the 1956 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book…

1970

Mustafa Zaidi

Pakistani poet and academic (born 1930)

Mustafa Zaidi was a Pakistani Urdu poet and a civil servant.

1970

Dean Acheson

American lawyer and politician, 51st United States Secretary of State (born 1893)

Dean Gooderham Acheson was an American politician and lawyer. As the 51st U.S. secretary of state, he set the foreign policy of the Harry S. Truman administration from 1949 to 1953. He was also Truman's main foreign…

1971

Gene Vincent

American musician (born 1935)

Vincent Eugene Craddock, known as Gene Vincent, was an American rock and roll musician who pioneered the style of rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-a-Lula", is considered a…

1971

Robert Le Vigan

French-Argentinian actor and politician (born 1900)

Robert Le Vigan was a French actor.

1972

Peter Aufschnaiter

Austrian mountaineer, geographer, and cartographer (born 1899)

Peter Aufschnaiter was an Austrian mountaineer, agricultural scientist, geographer and cartographer. His experiences with fellow climber Heinrich Harrer during World War II were depicted in the 1997 film Seven Years in…

1973

Nancy Spungen

American figure of the 1970s punk rock scene (born 1958)

Nancy Laura Spungen was the American girlfriend of English musician Sid Vicious and a figure of the 1970s punk rock scene.

1978

Anthony Berry

English politician (born 1925)

Sir Anthony George Berry was a British Conservative politician. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Enfield Southgate and a Whip in Margaret Thatcher's government.

1984

Johnny Olson

American radio host and game show announcer (born 1910)

John Leonard Olson was an American radio personality and television announcer. Olson is perhaps best known for his work as an announcer for game shows, particularly the work he did for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman…

1985

Ricky Wilson

American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1953)

Ricky Helton Wilson was an American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of rock band the B-52s. Born in Athens, Georgia, Wilson was the brother of fellow member Cindy Wilson. The B-52s were…

1985

Alf Landon

American lieutenant and politician, 26th Governor of Kansas (born 1887)

Alfred Mossman Landon was an American oilman and politician who served as the 26th governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 1936 presidential election,…

1987

Fahri Korutürk

Turkish commander and politician, 6th President of Turkey (born 1903)

Fahri Sabit Korutürk was a Turkish admiral, diplomat and politician who was the president of Turkey from 1973 to 1980. Before his presidency, he served as the commander of the Turkish Naval Forces from 1957 to 1960.

1987

Ruth Manning-Sanders

Welsh-English poet and author (born 1886)

Ruth Manning-Sanders was an English poet and author born in Wales, known for a series of children's books for which she collected and related fairy tales worldwide. She published over 90 books in her lifetime.

1988

Coby Whitmore

American painter and illustrator (born 1913)

Maxwell Coburn Whitmore was an American painter and magazine illustrator known for his Saturday Evening Post covers, and a commercial artist whose work included advertisements for Gallo Wine and other brands. He…

1988

Jay Ward

American animator, producer, and screenwriter, founded Jay Ward Productions (born 1920)

Joseph Ward Cohen Jr., known professionally as Jay Ward, was an American animator and producer. He is best known for creating The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, alongside works featuring a diverse…

1989

Rifaat el-Mahgoub

Egyptian politician (born 1926)

Rifaat El Mahgoub was an Egyptian politician who served as the 8th speaker of the People's Assembly of Egypt from 1984 until his assassination in 1990. He was a member of the then ruling National Democratic Party.

1990

Peter Wessel Zapffe

Norwegian physician, mountaineer, and author (born 1899)

Peter Wessel Zapffe was a Norwegian philosopher, author, artist, lawyer and mountaineer. He is often noted for his philosophically pessimistic and fatalistic view of human existence. His system of philosophy was…

1990

Sheila Florance

Australian actress (born 1916)

Sheila Mary Florance was an Australian actress known for her work in theatre, television and film.

1991

Arkady Strugatsky

Russian author and translator (born 1925)

The brothers Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky were Soviet and Russian science-fiction authors who collaborated through most of their careers.

1991

Regis Toomey

American actor (born 1898)

John Francis Regis Toomey was an American film and television actor.

1991

Leon Ames

American actor (born 1902)

Leon Ames was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing father figures in such films as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Little Women (1949), On Moonlight Bay (1951), and By the Light of the…

1993

Gérald Godin

Canadian journalist and politician (born 1938)

Gérald Godin was a Canadian poet and politician from Quebec. During his time as a politician, he served in various cabinet posts in the governments of René Lévesque and Pierre-Marc Johnson. As cabinet minister, Godin…

1994

René Lacoste

French tennis player and fashion designer, co-founded Lacoste (born 1904)

Jean René Lacoste was a French tennis player and businessman. He was nicknamed "the Crocodile" because of how he dealt with his opponents; he is also known worldwide as the creator of the Lacoste tennis shirt, which he…

1996

Roger Lapébie

French cyclist (born 1911)

Roger Lapébie was a French racing cyclist who won the 1937 Tour de France. In addition, Lapébie won the 1934 and 1937 editions of the Critérium National. He was born at Bayonne, Aquitaine, and died in Pessac.

1996

John Denver

American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (born 1943)

Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., known professionally as John Denver, was an American country and folk singer, songwriter, and actor. He was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the 1970s and one of the best-selling…

1997

Mario Beaulieu

Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1930)

Mario Beaulieu was a Canadian notary, politician and senator.

1998

Matthew Shepard

American murder victim (born 1976)

Matthew Wayne Shepard was an American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie on October 6, 1998. He was transported by rescuers to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort…

1998

Wilt Chamberlain

American basketball player and coach (born 1936)

Wilton Norman Chamberlain was an American professional basketball player. Standing 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 m) tall, he played center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrined in the…

1999

Robert Marsden Hope

Australian lawyer and judge (born 1919)

Robert Marsden Hope, was a Justice of the New South Wales Court of Appeal and Royal Commissioner on three separate occasions, most notably the Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security. As a judge Hope was known for…

1999

Quintin Hogg

Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, English academic and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (born 1907)

Quintin McGarel Hogg, Baron Hailsham of Saint Marylebone, was a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. He was known as the 2nd Viscount Hailsham between 1950 and 1963, at which point he disclaimed his…

2001

Hikmet Şimşek

Turkish conductor (born 1924)

Hikmet Şimşek was a Turkish conductor of Western classical music.

2001

Richard Buckle

Ballet critic and writer (born 1916)

(Christopher) Richard Sandford Buckle CBE, was a lifelong English devotee of ballet, and a well-known ballet critic. He founded the magazine Ballet in 1939.

2001

Ray Conniff

American bandleader and composer (born 1916)

Joseph Raymond Conniff was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s. He developed a unique sound taking advantage of stereo LP recording combining wordless chorus with…

2002

Audrey Mestre

French biologist and diver (born 1974)

Audrey Mestre was a French world record-setting freediver.

2002

Hilaire du Berrier

American-French aviator, mercenary, and writer (born 1906)

Hilaire du Berrier was an American barnstorming pilot, mercenary adventurer, journalist, and spy. He wrote for a number of publications, mostly right-wing and far-right, including his own monthly newsletter.

2002

Jim Cairns

Australian economist and politician, 4th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (born 1914)

James Ford Cairns was an Australian politician who was prominent in the Labor movement through the 1960s and 1970s, and was briefly Treasurer and the fourth deputy prime minister of Australia, both in the Whitlam…

2003

Joan Kroc

American philanthropist (born 1928)

Joan Beverly Kroc, also known as Joni, was an American philanthropist and the third wife of McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc.

2003

Bill Shoemaker

American jockey (born 1931)

William Lee Shoemaker was an American jockey, considered one of the greatest. For 29 years he held the world record for the most professional jockey victories.

2003

C. Delores Tucker

American activist and politician (born 1927)

Cynthia Delores Tucker was an American politician and civil rights activist. She had a long history of involvement in the American Civil Rights Movement. She was Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1971…

2005

Angelika Machinek

German glider pilot (born 1956)

Angelika Machinek was a German glider pilot. Born in the district of Holzminden, she started gliding at the age of 14, gained her pilot’s license in 1973 and received her instructor’s license in 1980. She was five times…

2006

Eugène Martin

French race car driver (born 1915)

Eugène Martin was a racing driver from France. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 13 May 1950. He scored no championship points.

2006

Gillo Pontecorvo

Italian director and screenwriter (born 1919)

Gilberto Pontecorvo Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian filmmaker associated with the political cinema movement of the 1960s and '70s. He is best known for directing the landmark war docudrama The Battle of…

2006

Carlo Acutis

Italian programmer, known for his devotion to the Eucharist (born 1991)

Carlo Acutis was an English-born Italian Catholic teenager known for his devotion to the Eucharist and his use of digital media to promote Catholic devotion. Born in London and raised in Milan, he developed an early…

2006

Kisho Kurokawa

Japanese architect, designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower (born 1934)

Kisho Kurokawa was a leading Japanese architect and one of the founders of the Metabolist Movement.

2007

Karl Chircop

Maltese physician and politician (born 1965)

Karl Chircop was a family doctor and Maltese politician. He was Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives of Malta of the Malta Labour Party from 1996 to 2008, served as shadow Minister for post, Social…

2008

Dickie Peterson American singer-songwriter and bass player (born 1948)

Richard Allan Peterson known as Dickie Peterson was an American musician, best known as the bassist, lead singer and only constant member of Blue Cheer. He also recorded two solo albums: Child of the Darkness and Tramp.

2009

Frank Vandenbroucke

Belgian cyclist (born 1974)

Frank Vandenbroucke was a Belgian professional road racing cyclist. After showing promise in track and field in his adolescence, Vandenbroucke took to cycle racing in the late 1980s and developed into one of the great…

2009

Austin Ardill

Northern Irish soldier and politician (born 1917)

Captain Robert Austin Ardill MC was a Northern Irish unionist politician.

2010

Woody Peoples

American football player (born 1943)

Woodrow Peoples Jr. was an American professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). Undrafted after playing college football for the Grambling Tigers, he was a two-time…

2010

Belva Plain

American author (born 1919)

Belva Plain, née Offenberg, was a best-selling American author of mainstream fiction.

2010

Patricia Breslin

American actress (born 1931)

Patricia Rose Breslin was an American actress and philanthropist. She had a prominent career in television, which included recurring roles as Amanda Miller on The People's Choice (1955–58), and as Laura Harrington…

2011

Dennis Ritchie

American computer scientist, created the C programming language (born 1941)

Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie was an American computer scientist. He created, together with long-time colleague Ken Thompson, the Unix operating system, C programming language, and B programming language.

2011

James Coyne

Canadian lawyer and banker, 2nd Governor of the Bank of Canada (born 1910)

James Elliott Coyne was a Canadian economist who served as the second governor of the Bank of Canada, from 1955 to 1961, succeeding Graham Towers. During his time in office, he had a much-publicized debate with Prime…

2012

Norm Grabowski

American hot rod builder and actor (born 1933)

Norman "Norm" Grabowski was a Polish-American hot rod builder and actor. The heavy-set crew cut-wearing Grabowski appeared in minor roles in many films produced by Albert Zugsmith and Walt Disney.

2012

Sukhdev Singh Kang

Indian judge and politician, 14th Governor of Kerala (born 1931)

Sukhdev Singh Kang was the fourteenth Governor of Kerala from 25 January 1997 to 18 April 2002. He served as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court from 19 February 1979 till 23 October 1989 and was subsequently…

2012

Torkom Manoogian

Iraqi-Armenian patriarch (born 1919)

Patriarch Torkom Manoogian was the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem serving the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He was the 96th in a succession of Armenian Patriarchs of Jerusalem, succeeding Patriarch Yeghishe…

2012

Erik Moseholm

Danish bassist, composer, and bandleader (born 1930)

Erik Moseholm was a Danish jazz bassist, composer, bandleader and music administrator. He was the leader of the DR Big Band from 1961 to 1966 and the principal of the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen from 1992…

2012

Břetislav Pojar

Czech animator, director, and screenwriter (born 1923)

Břetislav Pojar was a Czech puppeteer, animator and director of short and feature films.

2012

George Herbig

American astronomer and academic (born 1920)

George Howard Herbig was an American astronomer at the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy. He is perhaps best known for his contribution to the discovery of Herbig–Haro objects.

2013

Oscar Hijuelos

American author and academic (born 1951)

Oscar Jerome Hijuelos was an American novelist of Cuban descent, during a year-long convalescence from a childhood illness spent in a Connecticut hospital he lost his knowledge of Spanish, his parents' native language.…

2013

Hans Wilhelm Longva

Norwegian diplomat (born 1942)

Hans Wilhelm Longva was a Norwegian diplomat.

2013

Malcolm Renfrew

American chemist and academic (born 1910)

Malcolm MacKenzie Renfrew was an American polymer chemist, inventor, and professor emeritus at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. Renfrew Hall, the university's chemistry building, was named for him in 1985.

2013

Ali Mazrui

Kenyan-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic (born 1933)

Ali Al'amin Mazrui, was a Kenyan-born American academic, professor, and political writer on African and Islamic studies, and North-South relations. He was born in Mombasa, Kenya. His positions included Director of the…

2014

Graham Miles

English snooker player (born 1941)

Graham Miles was an English snooker player.

2014

Roberto Telch

Argentinian footballer and coach (born 1943)

Roberto "Oveja" Telch was an Argentine footballer who played as a midfielder. He was born in San Vicente, Córdoba, and won four league championships with San Lorenzo in Argentina and represented the Argentina national…

2014

Abdallah Kigoda

Tanzanian politician, 8th Tanzanian Minister of Industry and Trade (born 1953)

Abdallah Omar Kigoda was a Tanzanian CCM politician and Member of Parliament for Handeni constituency from 1995 to 2015. He served as Minister of Industry and Trade from 1996 to 1997 and from 2012 to 2015, as Minister…

2015

Joan Leslie

American actress, dancer, and vaudevillian (born 1925)

Joan Leslie was an American actress and vaudevillian, who during the Hollywood Golden Age, appeared in films such as High Sierra (1941), Sergeant York (1941) and Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942).

2015

Margarita D'Amico

Venezuelan journalist (born 1938)

Margarita D'Amico was a Venezuelan journalist, researcher, and professor who made a substantial impact on art criticism and cultural journalism in Venezuela.

2017

Conchata Ferrell

American actress (born 1943)

Conchata Galen Ferrell was an American actress. She played Berta the housekeeper on the sitcom Two and a Half Men from 2003 to 2015, and she received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding…

2020

Roberta McCain

American socialite and oil heiress (born 1912)

Roberta Wright McCain was an American socialite and oil heiress. She was the wife of Admiral John S. McCain Jr., with whom she had three children including U.S. Senator John S. McCain III and stage actor and journalist…

2020

Luis Garavito

Colombian serial killer (born 1957)

Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos, also known as La Bestia or Tribilín ("Goofy"), was a Colombian serial killer, sex offender, pedophile, and necrophile who sexually assaulted 200 victims before murdering 193 victims,…

2023

Jackmaster

Scottish DJ and record producer (born 1986)

Jack Revill, better known as Jackmaster, was a Scottish DJ and record producer. He co-founded the Glasgow-based record label and club night Numbers as well as Wireblock, Dress 2 Sweat, Point.One Recordings, Seldom Felt…

2024

American rapper (born 1972)

Kaseem Ryan, better known by his stage name Ka, was an American rapper, producer, and firefighter from Brooklyn, New York City. His solo work achieved critical acclaim, and he was often noted for his focused concept…

2024

Lilly Ledbetter

American activist (born 1938)

Lilly Lynn McDaniel Ledbetter was an American activist who was the plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. regarding employment discrimination. Two years after the…

2024

Tito Mboweni

South African politician (born 1959)

Tito Titus Mboweni was a South African politician who served as Minister of Finance of South Africa in the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa from 2018 to 2021.

2024

Alvin Rakoff

Canadian film and television director (born 1927)

Alvin Rakoff was a Canadian director of film, television and theatre productions. He worked with actors including Laurence Olivier, Peter Sellers, Sean Connery, Judi Dench, Rex Harrison, Rod Steiger, Henry Fonda and Ava…

2024

Alex Salmond

Scottish economist and politician, First Minister of Scotland (born 1954)

Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond was a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure in the Scottish nationalist movement, he was Leader of the Scottish National…

2024

Baba Siddique

Indian politician (born 1958)

Baba Ziauddin Siddique was an Indian politician who was a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the state of Maharashtra for the Vandre West Assembly constituency. He was the MLA for three consecutive terms in 1999,…

2024

Jackie Burch

American casting director (born 1951)

Jackie Burch was an American casting director of film and television.

2025

Notable deaths

Who died on October 12?

Demosthenes — Classical Athenian statesman and orator (384–322 BC)

FeaturedDemosthenes

Death year-322

Known forHis orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC

Deaths on this date132 (322 BC – 2025)

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2022

2022 Bratislava shooting, killing 3 (including the perpetrator) and injuring one. The shooting occurred outside of a gay bar in Bratislava known as Tepláreň. Two people (excluding the perpetrator) died as a result of the shooting: Juraj Vankulič, a non-binary person, and Matúš Horváth, a bisexual man. The perpetrator (Juraj Krajčík) was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot the morning after the attack. Wikipedia →

2019

Typhoon Hagibis makes landfall in Japan, killing 10 and forcing the evacuation of one million people. Wikipedia →

2019

Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya becomes the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours with a time of 1:59:40 in Vienna. Wikipedia →

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Notable Deaths on October 12

-322 — Demosthenes

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