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December 13th
243 Notable deaths
Georg Friedrich Daumer
German philosopher and poet (1800-1875).
Born March 5th, 1800 in Nuremberg.
Died December 13th, 1875 at 75 years old in Würzburg.
Jean Servais Stas
Belgian chemist, co-discoverer of the atomic weight of carbon.
Born September 20th, 1813 in Leuven.
Died December 13th, 1891 at 78 years old in Brussels.
René Goblet
French politician (1828-1905).
Born November 26th, 1828 in Aire-sur-la-Lys.
Died December 13th, 1905 at 77 years old in Paris.
Natalya Kustinskaya
Soviet actress (1938-2012).
Born April 5th, 1938 in Moscow.
Died December 13th, 2012 at 74 years old in Moscow (stroke, pneumonia). [ref]
Simon Dickie
New zealand rowing cox (1951–2017).
Born March 31st, 1951 in Waverley.
Died December 13th, 2017 at 66 years old in Taupō (falling from height). [ref]
Olga Rubtsova
Russian chess player.
Born August 20th, 1909 in Moscow.
Died December 13th, 1994 at 85 years old in Moscow.
William Jacob Holland
American zoologist, palaeontologist, and presbyterian minister (1848–1932).
Born August 16th, 1848 in Jamaica.
Died December 13th, 1932 at 84 years old
Behçet Necatigil
Turkish translator and writer (1916–1979).
Born April 16th, 1916 in Istanbul.
Died December 13th, 1979 at 63 years old in Istanbul (lung cancer).
Miron Merzhanov
Russian architect (1895-1975).
Born September 23rd, 1895 in Nakhichevan-on-Don.
Died December 13th, 1975 at 80 years old in Moscow.
Klaus-Dieter Sieloff
German footballer (1942–2011).
Born February 27th, 1942 in Sovetsk.
Died December 13th, 2011 at 69 years old in Stuttgart. [ref]
María Teresa León
Spanish politician, writer and activist (1903–1988).
Born October 31st, 1903 in Logroño. [ref]
Died December 13th, 1988 at 85 years old in Majadahonda. [ref]
Leopold Jessner
German film producer (1878–1945).
Born March 3rd, 1878 in Königsberg.
Died December 13th, 1945 at 67 years old in Hollywood.
Akiva Yaglom
Russian mathematician (1921–2007).
Born March 6th, 1921 in Kharkiv.
Died December 13th, 2007 at 86 years old in Boston.
Jiří Weil
Czech publicist, translator and bookwriter (1900–1959).
Born August 6th, 1900 in Praskolesy.
Died December 13th, 1959 at 59 years old in Prague (leukemia).
Claude Roy
French poet, essayist and journalist (1915-1997).
Born August 28th, 1915 in 8th arrondissement of Paris.
Died December 13th, 1997 at 82 years old in 6th arrondissement of Paris (cancer).
Jimmy McLane
American swimmer, olympic gold medalist, former world record-holder (1930-2020).
Born September 13th, 1930 in Pittsburgh.
Died December 13th, 2020 at 90 years old in Ipswich. [ref]
Justin Godart
French politician, conferred with righteous among the nations (1871–1956).
Born November 26th, 1871 in 6th arrondissement of Lyon. [ref]
Died December 13th, 1956 at 85 years old in 7th arrondissement of Paris. [ref]
Matti Kassila
Finnish film director and screenwriter (1924–2018).
Born January 12th, 1924 in Keuruu.
Died December 13th, 2018 at 94 years old in Vantaa (Alzheimer's disease). [ref]
Julien Darui
French footballer (1916-1987).
Born February 16th, 1916 in Oberkorn.
Died December 13th, 1987 at 71 years old in Dijon.
William Chauvenet
American academic 1820-1870.
Born May 24th, 1820 in Milford.
Died December 13th, 1870 at 50 years old in Saint Paul.
Jean Chevrier
French actor (1915-1975).
Born April 26th, 1915 in 18th arrondissement of Paris.
Died December 13th, 1975 at 60 years old in 8th arrondissement of Paris.
Ernesto Figueiredo
Portuguese footballer.
Died December 13th, 2025 at 88 years old in Alcobaça. [ref]
Rudolf Wissell
German politician (1869-1962).
Born March 9th, 1869 in Göttingen.
Died December 13th, 1962 at 93 years old in Berlin.
Johann Koplenig
Austrian politician (1891-1968).
Born May 15th, 1891 in Gitschtal.
Died December 13th, 1968 at 77 years old in Vienna (cancer).
Erhard Krack
German politician (1931-2000).
Born January 9th, 1931 in Gdańsk.
Died December 13th, 2000 at 69 years old in Berlin.
Deaths 151 to 175 of 243
That’s what literature is. It’s the people who went before us, tapping out messages from the past, from beyond the grave, trying to tell us about life and death! Listen to them! Connie Willis