Notable Deaths on October 20

Q: Who died on October 20?

Notable people who died on October 20 include: Aelia Eudocia, Li Yixing, Ralph d'Escures, Henry X, Pope Urban III.

Q: What is Fethullah Gülen known for?

Fethullah Gülen, Turkish preacher and theologian (born 1941)

2024 — Fethullah Gülen

Turkish preacher and theologian (born 1941)

October 20 has seen 114 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 460 – 2024. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · October 20 — Wikipedia

Notable Deaths 114 people 460 – 2024

Did you know

Over the years, Gülen became a centrist political figure in Turkey prior to his being there as a fugitive

Did you know

Gülen was a local state imam from 1959 to 1981 and he was a citizen of Turkey until his denaturalization by the Turkish government in 2017

Did you know

From 21 March 1999 until his death on 20 October 2024, Gülen lived in self-exile in the United States near Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania

Did you know

Gülen's body was buried inside the Chestnut Retreat Center in Pennsylvania, where he had been residing for the last 25 years

Did you know

15,000 attended his funeral in a stadium in New Jersey.

Aelia Eudocia

Byzantine wife of Theodosius II (born 401)

Aelia Eudocia Augusta, also called Saint Eudocia, was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to Emperor Theodosius II. The daughter of an Athenian philosopher, she was also a poet, whose works include Homerocentones, or…

460

Li Yixing

Chinese governor

Li Yixing, né Li Yiyin (李彝殷), noble title Prince of Xia (夏王), was an ethnic Tangut warlord who ruled Dingnan Circuit from 935 to his death in 967, as its military governor (Jiedushi). Despite his de facto independence,…

967

Ralph d'Escures

archbishop of Canterbury

Ralph d'Escures was a medieval Abbot of Séez, Bishop of Rochester, and then Archbishop of Canterbury. He studied at the school at the Abbey of Bec. In 1079 he entered the abbey of St Martin at Séez and became abbot…

1122

Henry X

Duke of Bavaria (born 1108)

Henry the Proud, a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Bavaria from 1126 to 1138 and Duke of Saxony as well as Margrave of Tuscany and Duke of Spoleto from 1137 until his death. In 1138 he was a candidate for the…

1139

Pope Urban III

Pope Urban III served as head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 November 1185 until his death in 1187. A native of Milan, Urban III was elected pope at a time of intense conflict between the…

1187

Teresa d'Entença

Countess of Urgell (born 1300)

Teresa d'Entença was the eldest daughter of Gombau d'Entença and his wife Constança d'Antillón. She was Countess of Urgell in her own right; however, control over her estate passed to her husband, Alfonso IV of Aragon.

1327

Klaus Störtebeker

German pirate

Klaus Störtebeker was a German pirate. Reputed to be the leader of a group of privateers known as the Victual Brothers, his group was hired to assist in a war between Sweden and Denmark and continued to capture merchant…

1401

Henry Bowet

Archbishop of York

Henry Bowet was both Bishop of Bath and Wells and Archbishop of York.

1423

Jacopo della Quercia

Sienese sculptor (born c. 1374)

Jacopo della Quercia, also known as Jacopo di Pietro d'Agnolo di Guarnieri, was an Italian sculptor of the Early Renaissance, a contemporary of Brunelleschi, Ghiberti and Donatello.

1438

Ambrose the Camaldulian

Italian theologian

Ambrogio Traversari, also referred to as Ambrose of Camaldoli, was an Italian monk and theologian who was a prime supporter of the papal cause in the 15th century. He is honored as a saint by the Camaldolese Order.

1439

Thomas Linacre

English physician and scholar (born 1460)

Thomas Linacre or Lynaker was an English humanist scholar, Catholic priest, and physician, after whom Linacre College, Oxford, and Linacre House, a boys' boarding house at The King's School, Canterbury, were named.

1524

Francesco Maria I della Rovere

Duke of Urbino, condottiero (born 1490)

Francesco Maria I della Rovere was an Italian condottiero, who was Duke of Urbino from 1508 to 1516 and, after retaking the throne from Lorenzo II de' Medici, from 1521 to 1538.

1538

João de Barros

Portuguese historian and author (born 1496)

João de Barros, nicknamed the "Portuguese Livy", is one of the first great Portuguese historians, most famous for his Décadas da Ásia, a history of the Portuguese in India, Asia, and southeast Africa.

1570

Walter Leveson

Elizabethan member of parliament, Shropshire landowner (born 1550)

Sir Walter Leveson was an Elizabethan Member of Parliament and a Shropshire and Staffordshire landowner who was ruined by involvement in piracy and mental illness.

1602

John Ball

English clergyman and theologian (born 1585)

John Ball was an English puritan divine.

1640

Antonio Coello

Spanish poet and playwright (born 1611)

Antonio Coello was a Spanish dramatist and poet. He entered the household of the Duke of Alburquerque, and after some years of service in the army received the Order of Santiago in 1648. He was a favorite of Philip IV,…

1652

Archibald Pitcairne

Scottish physician and academic (born 1652)

Archibald Pitcairne or Pitcairn was a Scottish physician. He was a physician and poet who first studied law at Edinburgh and Paris graduating with an M.A. from Edinburgh in 1671. He turned his attention to medicine, and…

1713

Charles VI

Holy Roman Emperor (born 1685)

Charles VI was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy from 1711 until his death, succeeding his elder brother, Joseph I. He unsuccessfully claimed the throne of Spain following the death of his…

1740

Champ Ferguson

American guerrilla leader (born 1821)

Samuel "Champ" Ferguson was a Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War. He claimed to have killed over 100 Union soldiers and pro-Union civilians. He was arrested, tried, and executed for war crimes by the…

1865

Michael William Balfe

Irish violinist and composer (born 1808)

Michael William Balfe was an Irish composer, best remembered for his operas, especially The Bohemian Girl.

1870

Karl Christian Ulmann

Latvian-German theologian and academic (born 1793)

Karl Christian Ulmann was a Baltic German theologian.

1871

Lydia Maria Child

American journalist, author, and activist (born 1802)

Lydia Maria Child was an American abolitionist, feminist, Native American rights activist, novelist, journalist, and opponent of American expansionism. Her journals, both fiction and domestic manuals, reached wide…

1880

George Chichester

3rd Marquess of Donegall (born 1797)

George Hamilton Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall, styled Viscount Chichester until 1799 and Earl of Belfast between 1799 and 1844, was an Anglo-Irish landowner, courtier and politician. He served as Vice-Chamberlain…

1883

Richard Francis Burton

English-Italian geographer and explorer (born 1821)

Sir Richard Francis Burton was a British explorer, army officer, writer and scholar. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa and South America, as well as his extensive knowledge of languages and…

1890

James Anthony Froude

English historian, novelist, biographer and editor (born 1818)

James Anthony Froude was an English historian, novelist, biographer, and editor of Fraser's Magazine. From his upbringing amidst the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement, Froude intended to become a clergyman, but doubts…

1894

Naim Frashëri

Albanian poet and translator (born 1846)

Naim bey Frashëri, more commonly Naim Frashëri, was an Albanian historian, journalist, poet, translator, and one of the most prominent figures of the Albanian National Awakening. Regarded as a pioneer of modern Albanian…

1900

Vaiben Louis Solomon

Australian politician, 21st Premier of South Australia (born 1853)

Vaiben Louis Solomon was the 21st Premier of South Australia and a member of the first Australian Commonwealth parliament. He was generally known by his full name – perhaps to distinguish him from his uncle, Vaiben…

1908

David B. Hill

American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of New York (born 1843)

David Bennett Hill was an American politician from New York who was the 29th governor of New York from 1885 to 1891 and represented New York in the United States Senate from 1892 to 1897.

1910

Maria Bertilla Boscardin

Italian Catholic Saint (Born 1888)

Maria Bertilla Boscardin was an Italian nun and nurse who displayed a pronounced devotion to duty in working with sick children and victims of the air raids of World War I. She was later canonized a saint by the Roman…

1922

Eugene V. Debs

American union leader and politician (born 1855)

Eugene Victor Debs was an American socialist activist and trade unionist. He was one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and a five-time candidate of the Socialist Party of America for…

1926

Jack Peddie

Scottish footballer (born 1876)

John Hope Peddie, commonly known as Jack or Jock Peddie, was a Scottish footballer who played for various clubs in both England and Scotland, including Newcastle United, Manchester United, Plymouth Argyle and Heart of…

1928

Arthur Henderson

Scottish-English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1863)

Arthur Henderson was a British iron moulder and Labour politician. He was the first Labour cabinet minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934 and, uniquely, served three separate terms as Leader of the Labour Party in…

1935

Anne Sullivan

American educator (born 1866)

Anne Sullivan Macy was an American teacher best known for being the instructor and lifelong companion of Helen Keller. At age five, Sullivan contracted trachoma which left her partially blind and without reading or…

1936

Gunnar Asplund

Swedish architect and academic, co-designed Skogskyrkogården (born 1885)

Erik Gunnar Asplund was a Swedish architect, mostly known as a key representative of Nordic Classicism of the 1920s during the last decade of his life. At this time, he was a major proponent of the modernist style which…

1940

Ken Farnes

English cricketer and soldier (born 1911)

Kenneth Farnes was an English cricketer. He played in fifteen Tests from 1934 to 1939.

1941

Henry L. Stimson

American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 46th United States Secretary of State (born 1867)

Henry Lewis Stimson was an American statesman, lawyer, and politician. Over his long career, he emerged as a leading figure in U.S. foreign policy by serving in both Republican and Democratic administrations. He served…

1950

Werner Baumbach

German colonel and pilot (born 1916)

Werner Baumbach was a German bomber pilot during World War II. He commanded the secret bomber wing Kampfgeschwader 200 of the Luftwaffe, the air force of Nazi Germany. Baumbach received the Knight's Cross of the Iron…

1953

Lawrence Dale Bell

American industrialist and founder of Bell Aircraft Corporation (born 1894)

Lawrence Dale "Larry" Bell was an American industrialist and founder of Bell Aircraft Corporation.

1956

Michalis Dorizas

Greek-American javelin thrower and football player (born 1890)

Michális Dórizas was a Greek athlete who competed in throwing events at the 1906, 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympics. He won a silver medal in the javelin throw in 1908 and a bronze in the stone throw in 1906. In the discus…

1957

Edward B. Greene

American banking, mining, and steel company executive (born 1878)

Edward Belden Greene was an American banking, mining, and steel company executive. He joined the Cleveland Trust Company in 1900, and by 1914 was a vice president. He later was a director and chairman of its executive…

1957

Herbert Hoover

American engineer and politician, 31st President of the United States (born 1874)

Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. As a member of the Republican Party, he served as the third United States secretary of commerce from 1921 to 1928 before being…

1964

Shigeru Yoshida

Japanese politician and diplomat, 32nd Prime Minister of Japan (born 1878)

Shigeru Yoshida was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and again from 1948 to 1954, serving through most of the country's occupation after World War II. Yoshida…

1967

Bud Flanagan

English actor and screenwriter (born 1896)

Bud Flanagan was a British music hall and vaudeville entertainer and comedian, and later a television and film actor. He was best known as being one half of the comedy and music act Flanagan and Allen with his partner…

1968

Harlow Shapley

American astronomer and academic (born 1885)

Harlow Shapley was an American astronomer, who served as head of the Harvard College Observatory from 1921–1952, and political activist during the New Deal and Fair Deal.

1972

Norman Chandler

American newspaper executive (born 1899)

Norman Chandler was the publisher of the Los Angeles Times from 1945 to 1960.

1973

Steve Gaines

American guitarist (born 1949)

Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is best known as a guitarist and backing vocalist with rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1976 until his death in the October 1977 airplane crash that claimed other band…

1977

Ronnie Van Zant

American singer-songwriter (born 1948)

Ronald Wayne Van Zant was an American singer, best known as the founding lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He was the older brother of Johnny Van Zant, the current lead…

1977

Gunnar Nilsson

Swedish race car driver (born 1948)

Gunnar Axel Arvid Nilsson was a Swedish racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1976 to 1977. Nilsson won the 1977 Belgian Grand Prix with Lotus.

1978

Yves Thériault

Canadian author (born 1915)

Yves Thériault OC was a Canadian author.

1983

Merle Travis

American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1917)

Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, actor, and guitarist. Born in Rosewood, Kentucky, his songs' lyrics were often about the lives and the economic exploitation of American coal…

1983

Carl Ferdinand Cori

Czech-American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1896)

Carl Ferdinand Cori, ForMemRS was a Czech-American biochemist and pharmacologist. He, together with his wife Gerty Cori and Argentine physiologist Bernardo Houssay, received a Nobel Prize in 1947 for their discovery of…

1984

Paul Dirac

English-American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902)

Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac was a British theoretical physicist who is considered to be one of the founders of quantum mechanics. Dirac laid the foundations for both quantum electrodynamics and quantum field theory,…

1984

Andrey Kolmogorov

Russian mathematician and academic (born 1903)

Andrey Nikolaevich Kolmogorov was a Soviet mathematician who played a central role in the creation of modern probability theory. He also gave fundamental contributions to the mathematics of topology, intuitionistic…

1987

Sheila Scott

English pilot and author (born 1922)

Sheila Christine Scott OBE was an English aviator who broke over 100 aviation records through her long-distance flight endeavours, which included a 34,000-mile (55,000 km) "world and a half" flight in 1971. On this…

1988

Anthony Quayle

English actor and director (born 1913)

Sir John Anthony Quayle was a British actor. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film Anne of the Thousand Days (1969). He also played important roles in such…

1989

Joel McCrea

American actor (born 1905)

Joel Albert McCrea was an American actor whose career as a leading man spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he…

1990

Werner Torkanowsky

German-American conductor (born 1926)

Werner Torkanowsky was a German-American conductor, composer and violinist.

1992

Yasushi Sugiyama

Japanese painter (born 1909)

Yasushi Sugiyama was a Japanese painter of the Shōwa and Heisei eras, who practiced the nihonga style of watercolour painting.

1993

Burt Lancaster

American actor (born 1913)

Burton Stephen Lancaster was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year career in films and…

1994

Christopher Stone

American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1942)

Christopher Stone was an American actor.

1995

John Tonkin

Australian politician, 20th Premier of Western Australia (born 1902)

John Trezise Tonkin was an Australian politician who was the premier of Western Australia from 3 March 1971 to 8 April 1974. A member of the Labor Party, Tonkin was a minister in the Willcock, Wise and Hawke state…

1995

Calvin Griffith

Canadian-American businessman (born 1911)

Calvin Robertson Griffith, born Calvin Griffith Robertson, was a Canadian-born American Major League Baseball team owner. As president, majority owner and de facto general manager of the Washington Senators/Minnesota…

1999

Jack Lynch

Irish footballer, lawyer, and politician, 5th Taoiseach of Ireland (born 1917)

John Mary Lynch was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979. He was Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1966 to 1979, Leader of the Opposition from 1973 to 1977, Minister for…

1999

Ted Ammon

American financier and banker (born 1949)

Robert Theodore Ammon was an American financier and investment banker. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was murdered in his home in 2001 by electrician Daniel Pelosi, who was convicted in 2004. Ammon and his wife…

2001

Jack Elam

American actor (born 1918)

William Scott "Jack" Elam was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films, and later in his career, comedies. His most distinguishing physical quality was his…

2003

Anthony Hecht

American poet and educator (born 1923)

Anthony Evan Hecht was an American poet. His work combined a deep interest in form with a passionate desire to confront the horrors of 20th-century history, with the Second World War, in which he fought, and the…

2004

Chuck Hiller

American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1934)

Charles Joseph Hiller was an American Major League Baseball second baseman. In the 1962 World Series, he became the first National League player to hit a grand slam in a World Series.

2004

Shirley Horn

American singer and pianist (born 1934)

Shirley Valerie Horn was an American jazz singer and pianist. She collaborated with many jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and others. She…

2005

Eva Švankmajerová

Czech painter and poet (born 1940)

Eva Švankmajerová was a Czech surrealist painter, ceramist, costume and stage designer, poet and prose writer. She was wife and partner of the artist and film director Jan Švankmajer. Her works are reflections of…

2005

André van der Louw

Dutch lawyer and politician, 16th Mayor of Rotterdam (born 1933)

Arie Andries "Andre" van der Louw was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and journalist.

2005

Arnold Viiding

Estonian shot putter and discus thrower (born 1911)

Arnold Viiding was an Estonian shot putter and discus thrower. At the 1936 Summer Olympics, he achieved eighth place in the shot put event with 15.23 metres.

2006

Jane Wyatt

American actress (born 1910)

Jane Waddington Wyatt was an American actress. She starred in a number of Hollywood films, such as Frank Capra's Lost Horizon, but is likely best known for her role as homemaker and mother Margaret Anderson on the CBS…

2006

Max McGee

American football player and sportscaster (born 1932)

William Max McGee was an American professional football player who was an end and punter for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1954 to 1967. He is best known for his seven receptions for…

2007

Gene Hickerson

American football player (born 1935)

Robert Gene Hickerson was an American professional football player who was an offensive guard for 15 years with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1973. Hickerson…

2008

W. Cary Edwards

American politician (born 1944)

William Cary Edwards was a New Jersey politician who served as the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1986 to 1989.

2010

Bob Guccione

American publisher, founded Penthouse magazine (born 1930)

Robert Charles Joseph Edward Sabatini Guccione was an American visual artist, photographer and publisher. He founded the adult magazine Penthouse in 1965. This was aimed at competing with Playboy, but with more explicit…

2010

Eva Ibbotson

Austrian-English author (born 1925)

Eva Maria Charlotte Michelle Ibbotson was an Austrian-born British novelist, known for her children's literature. Some of her novels for adults have been reissued for the young adult market. The historical novel Journey…

2010

Max Kohnstamm

Dutch historian and diplomat (born 1914)

Max Kohnstamm was a Dutch historian and diplomat.

2010

Farooq Leghari

Pakistani politician, 8th President of Pakistan (born 1940)

Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari was a Pakistani politician who served as the eighth president of Pakistan from 1993 until his resignation in 1997. He, prior to his presidency, also served as the minister of foreign affairs in…

2010

Muammar Gaddafi

Libyan colonel and politician, Prime Minister of Libya (born 1942)

Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician, and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until his overthrow by Libyan rebel forces in 2011 during the First…

2011

Mutassim Gaddafi

Libyan colonel (born 1974)

Mutassim Billah Gaddafi was a Libyan military officer, and the National Security Advisor of Libya from 2008 until his assassination in 2011. He was the fourth son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and a member of…

2011

Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr

Libyan politician (born 1942)

Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr was a Libyan military officer and politician who was the Minister of Defence of Libya during the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. His official position was Secretary of the Libyan General Committee for…

2011

Iztok Puc

Croatian-Slovenian handball player (born 1966)

Iztok Puc was a Croatian-Slovenian handball player, who was one of the world's top players of the 1980s and 1990s. During his career he played professionally for Borac Banja Luka, Zagreb, Celje and Prule 67. He won a…

2011

Przemysław Gintrowski

Polish poet and composer (born 1951)

Przemysław Adam Gintrowski was a Polish composer and musician.

2012

Paul Kurtz

American philosopher and academic (born 1925)

Paul Kurtz was an American scientific skeptic, philosopher and secular humanist. He has been called "the father of secular humanism". He was a professor emeritus of philosophy at the State University of New York at…

2012

Dave May

American baseball player (born 1943)

David LaFrance May was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1967 through 1978 for the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers and…

2012

John McConnell

American activist, created Earth Day (born 1915)

John McConnell was the founder and creator of Earth Day, and The Earth Society Foundation. He was known for designing the Earth Flag, pursuing causes relating to peace, religion, and science.

2012

E. Donnall Thomas

American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1920)

Edward Donnall "Don" Thomas was an American physician, professor emeritus at the University of Washington, and director emeritus of the clinical research division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In 1990…

2012

Raymond Watson

American businessman (born 1926)

Raymond "Ray" L. Watson was the former president of the Irvine Company, and served as chief planner during the 1960s and 1970s. He was also chairman of Walt Disney Productions from 1983 to 1984, and served on the Disney…

2012

Jovanka Broz

Croatian-Serbian colonel (born 1924)

Jovanka Broz was the First Lady of Yugoslavia from 1952 until 1980 as the wife of Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito. She was a lieutenant colonel in the Yugoslav People's Army.

2013

Don James

American football player and coach (born 1932)

Donald Earl James was an American college football coach and player. He served as the head coach at Kent State University from 1971 to 1974 and at the University of Washington from 1975 to 1992, compiling a career…

2013

Lawrence Klein

American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1920)

Lawrence Robert Klein was an American economist. For his work in creating computer models to forecast economic trends in the field of econometrics in the Department of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, he was…

2013

Joginder Singh

Kenyan race car driver (born 1932)

Sardar Joginder Singh Bhachu was a successful Kenyan rally driver in the 1960s and 1970s. Popularly known as "The Flying Sikh", He won the Safari Rally three times, in 1965 driving a Volvo PV544 with his brother Jaswant…

2013

Larri Thomas

American actress and dancer (born 1932)

Larri Thomas was an American actress and dancer. She began her career by participating in a string of television commercials and eventually signed a contract with NBC. The network put on Thomas' shows, including Peter…

2013

Sid Yudain

American journalist, founded Roll Call (born 1923)

Sidney Lawrence "Sid" Yudain was an American journalist who founded Roll Call in 1955 as a community newspaper focused on the United States Congress and Capitol Hill. Yudain published the first issue of Roll Call June…

2013

René Burri

Swiss photographer and journalist (born 1933)

René Burri was a Swiss photographer. Burri was a member of Magnum Photos and photographed major political, historical and cultural events and key figures of the second half of the 20th century. He made portraits of Che…

2014

Oscar de la Renta

Dominican-American fashion designer (born 1932)

Óscar Arístides de la Renta y Fiallo, known professionally as Óscar de la Renta, was a Dominican fashion designer. Born in Santo Domingo, he was trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo. De la Renta…

2014

Christophe de Margerie

French businessman (born 1951)

Christophe de Margerie was a French businessman. He served as the chairman and chief executive officer of French oil corporation Total.

2014

Makis Dendrinos

Greek basketball player and coach (born 1950)

Gerasimos "Makis" Dendrinos was a Greek professional basketball player and basketball coach. He was a 1.80 m tall point guard. His nickname as a player was "Buddha".

2015

Arno Gruen

German-Swiss psychologist and psychoanalyst (born 1923)

Arno Gruen was a Swiss-German psychologist and psychoanalyst.

2015

Kazimierz Łaski

Polish-Austrian economist and academic (born 1921)

Kazimierz Łaski was a Polish-Austrian economist. During the antisemitic purge of 1968 Łaski had to leave Poland and moved to Austria, where he worked for the rest of his life and was widely recognized as a major…

2015

Michael Meacher

English academic and politician, Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (born 1939)

Michael Hugh Meacher was a British politician who served as a government minister under Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Tony Blair. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Oldham West and…

2015

Ian Steel

Scottish cyclist and manager (born 1928)

John "Ian" Steel was a Scottish racing cyclist who in 1952 won the Peace Race, a central European race between Warsaw, Berlin and Prague. He was the only Briton, and the only rider from the English-speaking world to win…

2015

Robert E. Kramek

former United States Coast Guard admiral (born 1939)

Robert Edward Kramek was an admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 20th commandant from 1994 to 1998. During his tenure as commandant, he successfully led the service through difficult budget battles…

2016

Michael Massee

American actor (born 1952)

Michael Groo Massee was an American actor. Active on screen for three decades, he frequently portrayed villainous characters. His film roles include Funboy in the dark fantasy The Crow (1994), Newton in the horror…

2016

Junko Tabei

Japanese mountaineer (born 1939)

Junko Tabei was a Japanese mountaineer, author and teacher. She was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest and ascend the Seven Summits, climbing the highest peak on every continent.

2016

Wim Kok

Dutch prime minister (born 1938)

Willem "Wim" Kok was a Dutch politician and trade union leader who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 August 1994 until 22 July 2002. He was a member of the Labour Party (PvdA).

2018

James Randi

Canadian-American stage magician and author (born 1928)

James Randi was a Canadian-American stage magician, author, and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. He was the co-founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI),…

2020

Lucy Simon

American composer and songwriter (born 1940)

Lucy Elizabeth Simon was an American singer and composer for the theatre and of popular songs. She recorded and performed as a singer and songwriter, and was known for the musicals The Secret Garden (1991) and Doctor…

2022

Barbara Dane

American folk, blues and jazz singer (born 1927)

Barbara Jean Spillman, known professionally as Barbara Dane, was an American folk, blues and jazz singer, guitarist, record producer, and political activist. She co-founded Paredon Records with Irwin Silber.

2024

Walter Jacob

American Reform rabbi (born 1930)

Walter Jacob was an American Reform rabbi. He was rabbi at the Rodef Shalom Congregation in Pittsburgh from 1955 to 1997. He served as chairman of organizations such as the Central Conference of American Rabbis and…

2024

Janusz Olejniczak

Polish classical pianist and actor (born 1952)

Janusz Olejniczak was a Polish classical pianist, academic teacher and actor. He made an international career as a pianist, especially with the piano music of Chopin which he played on modern and period instruments. He…

2024

Paul White

Baron Hanningfield, British life peer (born 1940)

Paul Edward Winston White, Baron Hanningfield,, was a British politician and farmer. As a member of the Conservative Party, he served in various leadership roles in local government in Essex and was influential in…

2024

Notable deaths

Who died on October 20?

Fethullah Gülen — Turkish scholar, theologian and dissident (1941–2024)

FeaturedFethullah Gülen

Death year2024

Known forGülen was an influential neo-Ottomanist, Anatolian panethnicist, Islamic poet, writer, social critic, and activist–dissident developing a Nursian theological perspective that embraces democratic modernity

Deaths on this date114 (460 – 2024)

Explore October 20

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Also on October 20 in History

2022

Liz Truss steps down as British Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party amid the country's political crisis, serving for the least time of any British Prime Minister (49 days). Wikipedia →

2017

Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declare victory in the Raqqa campaign. Wikipedia →

2011

Libyan Crisis: Rebel forces capture Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in his hometown of Sirte and kill them shortly thereafter, ending the first Libyan civil war. Wikipedia →

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