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In the year 1940

444 Notable deaths

Hendrik Christian Andersen

Norwegian-american sculptor, painter and urban planner (1872-1940).

Born April 17th, 1872 in Bergen.

Died December 19th, 1940 at 68 years old in Rome.

Pierre Marie

French neurologist and political journalist (1853–1940).

Born September 9th, 1853 in Paris.

Died April 13th, 1940 at 86 years old in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

David Samuel Margoliouth

British orientalist (1858–1940).

Born October 17th, 1858 in London.

Died March 22nd, 1940 at 81 years old in London.

Édouard Michelin

French industrialist.

Born June 23rd, 1859 in Clermont-Ferrand. [ref]

Died August 25th, 1940 at 81 years old in Orcines. [ref]

Karl Muck

German-born swiss conductor of classical music (1859–1940).

Born October 22nd, 1859 in Darmstadt. [ref]

Died March 4th, 1940 at 80 years old in Stuttgart. [ref]

George Fitzmaurice

American film director (1885–1940).

Born February 13th, 1885 in 17th arrondissement of Paris. [ref]

Died June 14th, 1940 at 55 years old in Los Angeles.

Song Zheyuan

A senior general of the national revolutionary army of the republic of china, one of feng yuxiang's "five tiger generals" (1885–1940).

Born October 30th, 1885 in Laoling.

Died April 5th, 1940 at 54 years old in Mianyang.

Charles de Broqueville

Belgian politician (1860-1940).

Born December 4th, 1860 in Postel.

Died September 5th, 1940 at 79 years old in City of Brussels.

Raymond Pearl

American biogerontologist (1879-1940).

Born June 3rd, 1879 in Farmington.

Died November 17th, 1940 at 61 years old in Hershey.

Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov

Russian politician (1879–1940).

Born February 1st, 1879 in Saint Petersburg.

Died May 7th, 1940 at 61 years old in Moscow (gunshot wound).

Harry Burton

English egyptologist and archaeological photographer.

Born September 13th, 1879 in Lincolnshire.

Died June 27th, 1940 at 60 years old in Kingdom of Egypt.

Hans Zinsser

American physician, bacteriologist (1878–1940).

Born November 17th, 1878 in New York City.

Died September 4th, 1940 at 61 years old in New York City (leukemia).

Beekman Winthrop

Governor of puerto rico (1874–1940).

Born September 18th, 1874 in Orange.

Died November 10th, 1940 at 66 years old in New York City.

Janina Lewandowska

Polish officer and aviator (1908-1940).

Born April 22nd, 1908 in Kharkiv.

Died April 22nd, 1940 at 32 years old in Katyn (execution by shooting, gunshot wound).

Nicolae Tonitza

Romanian painter (1886-1940).

Born April 13th, 1886 in Bârlad.

Died February 27th, 1940 at 53 years old in Bucharest.

Carl Einstein

German art historian (1885-1940).

Born April 26th, 1885 in Neuwied. [ref]

Died July 5th, 1940 at 55 years old in Pau (drowning). [ref]

Jan Kubelík

Czech violinist and composer (1880-1940).

Born July 5th, 1880 in Michle. [ref]

Died December 5th, 1940 at 60 years old in Podolí. [ref]

Nikolai Koltsov

Russian scientist.

Born July 15th, 1872 in Moscow. [ref]

Died December 2nd, 1940 at 68 years old in Saint Petersburg (poison). [ref]

William Lashly

British explorer.

Born December 25th, 1867 in Hambledon.

Died June 12th, 1940 at 72 years old in Hambledon.

Santōka Taneda

Japanese poet (1882–1940).

Born December 3rd, 1882 in Hōfu-shi.

Died October 11th, 1940 at 57 years old in Matsuyama.

Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval

French physicist and physician.

Born June 8th, 1851 in La Porcherie. [ref]

Died December 31st, 1940 at 89 years old in La Porcherie. [ref]

Farnsworth Wright

American editor.

Born July 29th, 1888 in California, Santa Barbara. [ref]

Died June 12th, 1940 at 51 years old in Manhattan (Parkinson's disease). [ref]

David Franklin Houston

American academic, businessman and politician (1866-1940).

Born February 17th, 1866 in Monroe.

Died September 2nd, 1940 at 74 years old in New York City.

Michitarō Komatsubara

Japanese general.

Born July 20th, 1886 in Yokohama.

Died October 6th, 1940 at 54 years old in Tokyo (stomach cancer).

Adolf von Trotha

German admiral, leader of the german national youth league (1868-1940).

Born March 1st, 1868 in Koblenz.

Died October 11th, 1940 at 72 years old in Berlin.

Deaths 176 to 200 of 444

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1941 »

Death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent, it clears out the old to make way for the new. Steve Jobs