Did you know about George Marshall
In recognition of this work, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953, the only Army general ever to receive the honor.
Notable Deaths on October 16
October 16 has 134 recorded notable deaths across history, from 385 to 2024. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
1959 — George Marshall
American general and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Defense, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1880)
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
134 source records
385 – 2024
Today in history
Major events on October 16
See what else happened on this day in history.
Did you know about Nuremberg trial executions of the Main Trial:
Ernst Kaltenbrunner was an Austrian lawyer, high-ranking SS official during the Nazi era, major perpetrator of the Holocaust, and convicted war criminal.
Did you know about Stu Hart
As the patriarch of the Hart wrestling family, Hart is the ancestor of many wrestlers, most notably being the father of Bret and Owen Hart as well as the grandfather of Natalya Neidhart, Teddy Hart and Harry Smith.
Did you know about Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known for his portraits, both of German princes and leaders of the Protestant Reformation, whose cause he embraced with enthusiasm.
Did you know about Nachman of Breslov
Through Martin Buber's translation, his teaching is thought to have influenced some 20th-century writers, including Franz Kafka.
More major people who died on October 16
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1946
Nuremberg trial executions of the Main Trial:
Ernst Kaltenbrunner was an Austrian lawyer, high-ranking SS official during the Nazi era, major perpetrator of the Holocaust, and convicted war criminal. After the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in 1942, and a brief period under Heinrich Himmler, Kaltenbrunner was named the third director of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), which included the offices of Gestapo, Kripo and SD, serving from January 1943 until the end of World War II in Europe. He was also the president of Interpol during the same time period.
2003
Stu Hart
Canadian wrestler and trainer (born 1915)
Stewart Edward Hart was a Canadian amateur and professional wrestler, wrestling booker, promoter, and coach. He is best known for founding and handling Stampede Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, teaching many individuals at its associated wrestling school "The Dungeon" and establishing a professional wrestling dynasty consisting of his relatives and close trainees. As the patriarch of the Hart wrestling family, Hart is the ancestor of many wrestlers, most notably being the father of Bret and Owen Hart as well as the grandfather of Natalya Neidhart, Teddy Hart and Harry Smith.
1553
Lucas Cranach the Elder
German painter and engraver (born 1472)
Lucas Cranach the Elder was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known for his portraits, both of German princes and leaders of the Protestant Reformation, whose cause he embraced with enthusiasm. He was a close friend of Martin Luther, and eleven portraits of that reformer by him survive. Cranach also painted religious subjects, first in the Catholic tradition, and later trying to find new ways of conveying Lutheran religious concerns in art. He continued to paint nude subjects from mythology and religion throughout his career.
1810
Nachman of Breslov
Ukrainian religious leader, founded the Breslov Hasidic group (born 1772)
Nachman of Breslov, also known as Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, Rabbi Nachman miBreslev, Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover, and Nachman from Uman, was the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement. He was particularly known for his creative parables, drawing on Eastern European folktales to infuse his teaching with deeply kabbalistic yet universally accessible remedies, pieces of advice, and parabolic stories. He emphasized finding and expressing one’s uniqueness while steering away from despair in a world he saw as becoming more and more uniform. Through Martin Buber's translation, his teaching is thought to have influenced some 20th-century writers, including Franz Kafka.
2007
Toše Proeski
Macedonian singer-songwriter (born 1981)
Todor "Toše" Proeski was a Macedonian singer and songwriter. Considered a top act of the local Macedonian and Balkan music scene, Proeski's music was popular across multiple countries in Southeast Europe. Proeski has been dubbed as the "Balkan Elvis". He was also acclaimed for his commitment to humanitarian causes, including serving as UNICEF ambassador and holding charity concerts. He died in a highway car crash in Croatia in 2007 at the age of 26, and received substantial posthumous recognition.
1594
William Allen
English cardinal (born 1532)
William Allen, also known as Guilielmus Alanus or Gulielmus Alanus, was an English Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was an ordained priest, but was never a bishop. His main role was setting up colleges to train English missionary priests with the mission of returning secretly to England to keep Roman Catholicism alive there. Allen assisted in the planning of the Spanish Armada's attempted invasion of England in 1588. It failed badly, but if it had succeeded he would probably have been made Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor. The Douai-Rheims Bible, a complete translation into English from Latin, was printed under Allen's orders. His activities were part of the Counter Reformation, but they led to an intense response in England and in Ireland. He advised and recommended Pope Pius V to pronounce Elizabeth I deposed. After the Pope declared her excommunicated and deposed, Elizabeth intensified the persecution of her Roman Catholic religious opponents.
385
Fu Jian
Chinese emperor (born 337)
Fu Jian, courtesy name Yonggu (永固) or Wenyu (文玉), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Xuanzhao of Former Qin (前秦宣昭帝), was the third monarch of the Di-led Chinese Former Qin dynasty, ruling as Heavenly King. Under his reign, the Former Qin unified Northern China by conquering the Former Yan, Chouchi, Former Liang, and Dai, as well as the Eastern Jin's Yi Province, until he was repelled at the Battle of Fei River in 383. Following this defeat, the Former Qin state disintegrated and Fu was assassinated in 385 by Yao Chang, his former subordinate who then founded the Later Qin dynasty. He was considered by traditional histories to be a virtuous and just ruler, who, ironically, by sparing too many of his enemies after defeating them, led to his own downfall.
2003
László Papp
Hungarian boxer (born 1926)
László Papp was a Hungarian professional boxer from Budapest. He was left-handed and won gold medals in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, and the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia. In his final Olympic competition he became the first boxer in Olympic history to win three successive gold medals. He won 12 of his 13 Olympic fights without losing a round, dropping only one, in his last Olympic final, to American boxer José Torres. There was not another triple gold medalist for 20 years, when Cuba's Teófilo Stevenson won three, followed by another Cuban Félix Savón as the third of the three men to accomplish the feat.
1774
Robert Fergusson
Scottish poet (born 1750)
Robert Fergusson was a Scottish poet. After formal education at the University of St Andrews, Fergusson led a bohemian life in Edinburgh, the city of his birth, then at the height of intellectual and cultural ferment as part of the Scottish Enlightenment. Many of his extant poems were printed from 1771 onwards in Walter Ruddiman's Weekly Magazine, and a collected works was first published early in 1773. Despite a short life, his career was highly influential, especially through its impact on Robert Burns. He wrote both Scottish English and the Scots language, and it is his vivid and masterly writing in the latter leid for which he is principally acclaimed.
1284
Shams al-Din Juvayni
Persian statesman, vizier and minister of finance of the Ilkhanate
Shams al-Din Juvayni was a Persian statesman and member of the Juvayni family. He was an influential figure in early Ilkhanate politics, serving as sahib-i divan under four Mongol Ilkhans – Hulagu, Abaqa, Tekuder and Arghun Khan. In 1284, Arghun accused Shams al-Din of having poisoned the Ilkhan Abaqa, who may actually have died of the effects of alcoholism; Shams al-Din was duly executed and replaced as vizier by Buqa. A skillful political and military leader, Shams al-Din is also known to have patronized the arts. The musician Safi al-Din al-Urmawi was one of those he supported.
2024
Ollie Olsen
Australian musician, composer and sound designer (born 1958)
Ollie Jngbert Christian Olsen was an Australian multi-instrumentalist, composer, sound designer and pioneer of electronic music in the Southern Hemisphere. From the mid-1970s until his later years, he performed, recorded and produced electronic, rock and experimental music. His post-punk groups included Whirlywirld (1978–80), Orchestra of Skin and Bone (1984–86) and No (1987–89). Olsen joined with Michael Hutchence to form a short-term band, Max Q, which issued an album in 1989. He co-founded the alternative electronic music record label Psy-Harmonics with Bruce Butler in 1993, and later continued with Andrew Till. In 2014 he formed Taipan Tiger Girls.
2024
Liam Payne
English singer-songwriter from One Direction (born 1993)
Liam James Payne was an English singer and songwriter. He was a member of the pop band One Direction, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, alongside Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. Payne twice auditioned as a solo artist on the British television series The X Factor in 2008 and 2010; in the latter, he was invited to join One Direction alongside fellow contestants, placing third and later achieving global success.
2007
Deborah Kerr
Scottish actress (born 1921)
Deborah Jane Trimmer, known professionally as Deborah Kerr, was a British actress. Kerr rose to fame for her portrayals of proper, ladylike women, who often navigated societal expectations and stereotypes. Kerr attracted wide praise for her work, earning six Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. She was regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation. From the 1940s to the 1960s, she was one of the most popular actresses in the world.
1972
Nick Begich
American lawyer and politician (born 1932)
Nicholas Joseph Begich Sr. was an American politician, school counselor, and school administrator. He served in the Alaska state senate for eight years before being elected in 1970 as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alaska. He is presumed to have died in the crash of a light aircraft in Alaska in October 1972; his body was never found. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
2017
Roy Dotrice
British actor (born 1923)
Roy Dotrice was a British stage and screen actor. He played the antiquarian John Aubrey in the solo play Brief Lives. He won a Tony Award for his performance in the 2000 Broadway revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten, also appearing as Leopold Mozart in the film version of Amadeus (1984), Charles Dickens in Dickens of London (1976), and Jacob Wells/Father in the TV series Beauty and the Beast.
1799
Veerapandiya Kattabomman Indian activist (born 1760)
Veerapandiya Kattabomman was an 18th-century Palayakarrar and king of Panchalankurichi in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. He fought the British East India Company and was captured by the British with the help of the ruler of the kingdom of Pudukottai, Vijaya Raghunatha Tondaiman, and at the age of 39 he was hanged at Kayathar on 16 October 1799. He belongs to the Thokalavar sub-sect of the Rajakambala Nayakkar community.
1989
Cornel Wilde
American actor (born 1912)
Cornelius Louis Wilde was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. His acting career began on Broadway in 1935, followed by small, uncredited appearances in films. By the 1940s he had signed a contract with 20th Century Fox, and by the middle of the decade he was a major leading man. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in 1945's A Song to Remember.
1946
Nuremberg trial executions of the Main Trial:
Arthur Seyss-Inquart was an Austrian Nazi politician and convicted war criminal who served as Chancellor of Austria in 1938 for two days before the Anschluss. His positions in Nazi Germany included deputy governor to Hans Frank in the General Government of Occupied Poland, and Reichskommissar for the German-occupied Netherlands. In the latter role, he shared responsibility for the deportation of Dutch Jews and the shooting of hostages.
2017
John Dunsworth
Canadian actor (born 1946)
John Francis Dunsworth was a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He was best known for playing trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey, the antagonist on the comedy series Trailer Park Boys (2001–2018). His other roles included the mysterious reporter Dave Teagues on the supernatural drama series Haven (2010–2015) and Officer McNabb in the CBC film Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion (2003). He also had extensive experience in regional theater.