Died on Monday, 23rd February – Famous Deaths

23/02/2025

Larry Dolan, American attorney (born 1931)

Lawrence J. Dolan was an American attorney who was the principal owner of the Cleveland Guardians of the Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 until his death in 2025 and the founder of SportsTime Ohio.

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Chris Jasper, American singer, composer and producer (born 1951)

Christopher Howard Jasper was an American singer, composer and producer. Jasper was a member of the Isley Brothers from 1973 to 1983, and Isley-Jasper-Isley from 1984 to 1987. He was also a successful solo musician and record producer, recording over 17 of his own solo albums, including four urban contemporary gospel albums, all written, produced and performed, both vocally and instrumentally, by Jasper.

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Al Trautwig, American sports commentator (born 1956)

Alan Trautwig was an American sports commentator who worked with MSG Network, ABC, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and USA Network. He later did pre-game and post-game shows for the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, as well as fill-in play-by-play for both teams.

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23/02/2024

Flaco, Eurasian eagle-owl (born 2010)

Flaco was a male Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped his long-time enclosure at Central Park Zoo in New York City after someone cut the protective netting in February 2023. Flaco subsequently resided in and around Central Park. His escape attracted significant public and press attention, especially as he was of a species not native to North America. There were concerns for his ability to feed himself after being captive for so long, since he had not previously needed to fly or hunt, but he was seen successfully catching and eating rats a week after his escape. Attempts to recapture Flaco failed, and a petition circulated advocating that he remain free. Zoo officials ceased attempts to recapture him once it became clear he was eating on a regular basis and his flying skills improved.

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23/02/2023

Tony Earl, American politician, 40th Governor of Wisconsin (born 1936)

Anthony Scully Earl was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as the 41st governor of Wisconsin from 1983 until 1987. Prior to his election as governor, he served as secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration and secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in the administration of Governor Patrick Lucey. He also served three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Marathon County.

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John Motson, English football commentator (born 1945)

John Walker Motson was an English football commentator. Beginning as a television commentator with the BBC in 1971, he commentated on over 2000 games on television and radio. From the late 1970s to 2008, Motson was the dominant football commentary figure at the BBC, apart from a brief spell in the mid-1990s.

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23/02/2021

Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Saudi Arabian politician (born 1930)

Ahmed Zaki Yamani was a Saudi Arabian politician who served as Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources under four Saudi monarchs from 1962 to 1986, and a minister in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for 25 years.

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23/02/2019

Katherine Helmond, American actress (born 1929)

Katherine Marie Helmond was an American actress. Over an acting career spanning six decades, she was best known for her starring role as Jessica Tate on the sitcom Soap (1977–1981) and her co-starring role as Mona Robinson on Who's the Boss? (1984–1992). Helmond also played Doris Sherman on Coach (1995–1997) and Lois Whelan on Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2004). She also appeared as a guest on several talk and variety shows.

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23/02/2016

Peter Lustig, German television host and author (born 1937)

Peter Fritz Willi Lustig was a German television presenter, voice actor and author of children's books who has become especially well known as leading actor in the weekly children's television show Löwenzahn, which he hosted from 1979 up until 2006. During its first year the show was called Pusteblume. He also hosted the show Mittendrin (1987–95), narrated the film Gordos Reise ans Ende der Welt (2007) and provided the German voice for the computer game character Gary Gadget.

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Jacqueline Mattson, American baseball player (born 1928)

Jacqueline "Jackie" Mattson was an American baseball player who played in the catcher position. She played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in 1950 and 1951, batting and throwing right-handed. She measured in at 5 foot 5 inches, weighing 100 pounds.

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23/02/2015

James Aldridge, Australian-English journalist and author (born 1918)

Harold Edward James Aldridge was an Australian-British writer and journalist. His World War II despatches were published worldwide and he was the author of over 30 books, both fiction and non-fiction works, including war and adventure novels and books for children.

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Rana Bhagwandas, Pakistani lawyer and judge, Chief Justice of Pakistan (born 1942)

Rana Bhagwandas was a Pakistani jurist who served as a judge and acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (CJP). He enjoyed extremely high reputation as a judge. He remained the acting CJP during the 2007 judicial crisis in Pakistan, and also briefly became the acting Chief Justice of Pakistan when the incumbent Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry went on foreign tours in 2005 and 2006, and thus became the first Hindu and the second non-Muslim to serve as chief of the highest court in Pakistan. Rana Bhagwandas also worked as the Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission of Pakistan. He headed the interview panel for the selection of the federal civil servants in 2009.

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W. E. "Bill" Dykes, American soldier and politician (born 1925)

William E. "Bill" Dykes was a Democratic former state senator from his native St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, who represented his state's 11th District from 1972 to 1984. Prior to his legislative service, he had been mayor of Montpelier, Louisiana.

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23/02/2014

Alice Herz-Sommer, Czech-English Holocaust survivor, pianist and educator (born 1903)

Alice Herz-Sommer, was a Czech-born Israeli classical pianist, music teacher, and supercentenarian who survived Theresienstadt concentration camp. She lived for 40 years in Israel, before emigrating to London in 1986, where she resided until her death, and at the age of 110 was the world's oldest known Holocaust survivor until Yisrael Kristal was recognized as such.

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Roger Hilsman, American soldier, academic, and politician (born 1919)

Roger Hilsman Jr. was an American soldier, government official, political scientist, and author. He saw action in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II, first with Merrill's Marauders, getting wounded in combat, and then as a guerilla leader for the Office of Strategic Services. He later became an aide and adviser to President John F. Kennedy, and briefly to President Lyndon B. Johnson, in the U.S. State Department while he served as Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research in 1961 to 1963 and Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs in 1963 to 1964.

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23/02/2013

Eugene Bookhammer, American soldier and politician, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (born 1918)

Eugene Donald Bookhammer was an American politician who served as the 18th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware, as a Republican, from 1969 to 1977. He served under Governors Russell W. Peterson and Sherman W. Tribbitt. Before his election as lieutenant governor, he had served in the Delaware State Senate since 1962.

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Joseph Friedenson, Holocaust survivor, Holocaust historian, Yiddish writer, lecturer and editor (born 1922)

Joseph Friedenson was a Holocaust survivor, Holocaust historian, Yiddish writer, lecturer, and editor of Dos Yiddishe Vort.

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Julien Ries, Belgian cardinal (born 1920)

Julien Ries was a Belgian religious historian, titular archbishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church. Prior to his death, Ries was described as "the greatest living religious scholar".

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Lotika Sarkar, Indian lawyer and academic (born 1945)

Lotika Sarkar was a noted Indian feminist, social worker, educator and lawyer, who was a pioneer in the field of women's studies and women's rights in India. She was a founding member of Centre for Women's Development Studies (CWDS), Delhi, established in 1980, and also Indian Association for Women Studies, established in 1982. Starting in 1951, she taught law at Faculty of Law, University of Delhi till 1983, and also remained the head of the law faculty; thereafter she taught at Indian Law Institute. She was the first Indian woman to graduate from Cambridge University, and later in 1951 she also became the first woman to receive a PhD degree in law from the university.

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23/02/2012

William Raggio, American lawyer and politician (born 1926)

William Raggio was an American politician and a former Republican member of the Nevada Senate. He represented Washoe County's 3rd district from 1972 until his retirement in 2011. He is the longest-serving member in the history of the State Senate.

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David Sayre, American physicist and mathematician (born 1924)

David Sayre was an American scientist, credited with the early development of direct methods for protein crystallography and of diffraction microscopy. While working at IBM he was part of the initial team of ten programmers who created FORTRAN, and later suggested the use of electron beam lithography for the fabrication of X-ray Fresnel zone plates.

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Kazimierz Żygulski, Polish sociologist and activist (born 1919)

Kazimierz Żygulski was a Polish sociologist, political activist and Minister of Culture.

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23/02/2011

Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious leader, founded Sahaja Yoga (born 1923)

Nirmala Srivastava, also known as Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, was the founder and guru of Sahaja Yoga, a new religious movement. She claimed to have been born fully realised and spent her life working for peace by developing and promoting a simple technique through which people can achieve their self-realization.

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23/02/2010

Orlando Zapata, Cuban plumber and activist (born 1967)

Orlando Zapata Tamayo was a Cuban political activist and a political prisoner who died after hunger striking for 85 days. His death received international attention, and was viewed as a significant setback in Cuba's relationship with the U.S. the EU and the rest of the world.

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23/02/2008

Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian economist and politician, 2nd President of Slovenia (born 1950)

Janez Drnovšek was a Slovenian liberal politician, President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia (1989–1990), Prime Minister of Slovenia and President of Slovenia (2002–2007).

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Paul Frère, Belgian racing driver and journalist (born 1917)

Paul Frère was a racing driver and journalist from Belgium. He participated in eleven World Championship Formula One Grands Prix debuting on 22 June 1952 and achieving one podium finish with a total of eleven championship points. He drove in several non-Championship Formula One races, winning the 1952 Grand Prix des Frontières and 1960 VI South African Grand Prix.

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23/02/2007

Hanna Barysiewicz, the oldest female resident of Belarus not registered by the Guinness Book of Records (born 1888)

Hanna Adamauna Barysiewicz, Belarusian: Ганна Адамаўна Барысевiч, Russian: Анна Адамовна Борисевич was the oldest female resident of Belarus not registered by the Guinness Book of Records. Until her death, she was reputedly the oldest resident in the country and, according to the media, in the world. She lived to the claimed age of 118 years and 281 days.

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John Ritchie, English footballer (born 1941)

John Henry Ritchie was an English footballer. He is Stoke City's all-time record goalscorer.

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23/02/2006

Muhammad Shamsul Huq, Bangladeshi academic and former Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1912)

Muhammad Shamsul Huq was a Bangladeshi politician and educator. He served as an education minister in erstwhile East Pakistan, and became the minister of foreign affairs six years after the independence of Bangladesh. Shamsul Huq also served as vice-chancellor in both the University of Dhaka and University of Rajshahi. He was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2003 by the government of Bangladesh.

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Telmo Zarra, Spanish footballer (born 1921)

Pedro Telmo Zarraonandía Montoya, known as Telmo Zarra, was a Spanish football forward. He spent the majority of his career at Athletic Bilbao, from 1940 to 1955, for whom he remains the top scorer in competitive matches with 335 goals.

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23/02/2004

Vijay Anand, Indian director, producer, screenwriter, and actor (born 1934)

Vijay Anand, also known as Goldie Anand, was an Indian filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, editor and actor, who is known for acclaimed films such as Guide (1965), Teesri Manzil (1966), Jewel Thief (1967) and Johny Mera Naam (1970). He made most of his films for the in-house banner Navketan Films and was part of the Anand family.

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Sikander Bakht, Indian politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (born 1918)

Sikander Bakht was an Indian politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who served as the 15th governor of Kerala from 2002 until his death. He was elected as the Vice President of the BJP, served as its leader in the Rajya Sabha, and as a cabinet minister in the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In 2000, he was awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour of the Government of India.

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23/02/2003

Howie Epstein, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (born 1955)

Howard Norman Epstein was an American musician best known as a bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

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Robert K. Merton, American sociologist and academic (born 1910)

Robert King Merton was an American sociologist who is considered a founding father of modern sociology, and a major contributor to the subfield of criminology. He served as the 47th president of the American Sociological Association. He spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University, where he attained the rank of University Professor. In 1994 he was awarded the National Medal of Science for his contributions to the field and for having founded the sociology of science.

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23/02/2000

Ofra Haza, Israeli singer-songwriter and actress (born 1957)

Ofra Haza was an Israeli singer, songwriter, and actress, commonly known in the Western world as "the Madonna of the East", or "the Israeli Madonna". Her voice has been described as a "tender" mezzo-soprano. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked her at number 186 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

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Stanley Matthews, English footballer and manager (born 1915)

Sir Stanley Matthews was an English footballer who played as an outside right. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game and one of the greatest players of all time, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing football, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards. His nicknames included "The Wizard of Dribble" and "The Magician".

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23/02/1999

The Renegade, American wrestler (born 1965)

Richard L. Wilson was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name The Renegade, where he was a one-time WCW World Television Champion.

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23/02/1998

Philip Abbott, American actor and director (born 1924)

Philip Abbott was an American character actor. He appeared in several films and numerous television series, including a lead role as Arthur Ward in the crime series The F.B.I.

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23/02/1997

Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (born 1945)

Anthony Tillmon Williams was an American jazz drummer. Williams first gained fame as a member of Miles Davis's "Second Great Quintet", and later pioneered jazz fusion with Davis's group and his own combo, The Tony Williams Lifetime. In 1970, music critic Robert Christgau described him as "probably the best drummer in the world". Williams was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1997.

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23/02/1995

James Herriot, English veterinarian and author (born 1916)

James Alfred Wight, better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author.

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23/02/1990

José Napoleón Duarte, Salvadoran engineer and politician, President of El Salvador (born 1925)

José Napoleón Duarte Fuentes was a Salvadoran politician who served as President of El Salvador from 1984 to 1989 during the Salvadoran Civil War. He was mayor of San Salvador before running for president in 1972. He lost, but the election is widely viewed as fraudulent. Following a coup d'état in 1979, Duarte led the subsequent civil-military Junta from 1980 to 1982. He was then elected president in 1984, defeating ARENA party leader Roberto D'Aubuisson.

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23/02/1983

Herbert Howells, English organist and composer (born 1892)

Herbert Norman Howells was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music.

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23/02/1979

W. A. C. Bennett, Canadian businessman and politician, 25th Premier of British Columbia (born 1900)

William Andrew Cecil Bennett was a Canadian politician who served as the 25th premier of British Columbia from 1952 to 1972. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett remains the longest-serving premier in British Columbia history. He was a member of the Social Credit Party (Socreds).

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23/02/1976

L. S. Lowry, English painter (born 1887)

Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist. His drawings and paintings mainly depict Pendlebury, Lancashire as well as Salford and its vicinity.

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23/02/1974

Harry Ruby, American composer and screenwriter (born 1895)

Harry Rubenstein, known professionally as Harry Ruby, was an American pianist, composer, songwriter and screenwriter, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. He was married to silent film actress Eileen Percy.

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23/02/1973

Dickinson W. Richards, American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1895)

Dickinson Woodruff Richards Jr. was an American physician and physiologist. He was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1956 with André Cournand and Werner Forssmann for the development of cardiac catheterization and the characterisation of a number of cardiac diseases.

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23/02/1969

Madhubala, Indian actress and producer (born 1933)

Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi, known professionally as Madhubala, was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. She is regarded to have been one of the greatest and finest actresses in the history of Indian cinema. One of the country's highest-paid stars in the 1950s, Madhubala appeared in over 70 films—ranging from slapstick comedies to historical dramas—in a two decade-long career. Long after her death, she remains a Bollywood icon, particularly noted for her beauty and unconventional screen persona. Media outlets often refer to her as "The Venus of Indian cinema".

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Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 2nd King of Saudi Arabia (born 1902)

Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 until his abdication on 2 November 1964. During his reign, he served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1954 and from 1960 to 1962. Prior to his accession, Saud was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 11 May 1933 to 9 November 1953. He was the second son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia.

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23/02/1965

Stan Laurel, English actor and comedian (born 1890)

Stan Laurel was an English actor, comedian, director and writer who was in the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 107 short films, feature films and cameo roles.

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23/02/1955

Paul Claudel, French poet and playwright (born 1868)

Paul Claudel was a French poet, dramatist and diplomat, and the younger brother of the sculptor Camille Claudel. He was most famous for his verse dramas, which often convey his devout Catholicism.

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23/02/1948

John Robert Gregg, Irish-American publisher and educator (born 1866)

John Robert Gregg was an Irish-born educator, publisher, and inventor, best known as the creator of the eponymous shorthand writing system, Gregg shorthand. Developed in the late 19th century and refined over several decades, Gregg shorthand became one of the most widely used systems of shorthand in the English-speaking world, particularly in business and educational settings during the 20th century.

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23/02/1946

Tomoyuki Yamashita, Japanese general (born 1885)

Tomoyuki Yamashita was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore. His conquest of Malaya and Singapore in 70 days earned him the sobriquet "The Tiger of Malaya". He was assigned to defend the Philippines from the advancing Allies later in the war. Although he was unable to prevent the superior Allied forces from advancing, despite dwindling supplies and Allied guerrilla action, he was able to hold on to part of Luzon until after the formal surrender of Japan in August 1945.

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23/02/1944

Leo Baekeland, Belgian-American chemist and engineer (born 1863)

Leo Hendrik Baekeland was a Belgian chemist. Educated in Belgium and Germany, he spent most of his career in the United States. He is best known for the inventions of Velox photographic paper in 1893, and Bakelite in 1907. He has been called "The Father of the Plastics Industry" for his invention of Bakelite, an inexpensive, non-flammable and versatile plastic, which marked the beginning of the modern plastics industry.

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23/02/1934

Edward Elgar, English composer and academic (born 1857)

Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies. He also composed choral works, including The Dream of Gerontius, chamber music and songs. He was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1924.

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23/02/1931

Nellie Melba, Australian soprano and actress (born 1861)

Dame Nellie Melba was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, and was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician. She took the pseudonym "Melba" from Melbourne, her home town.

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23/02/1930

Horst Wessel, German SA officer (born 1907)

Horst Ludwig Georg Erich Wessel was a member of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, who became a propaganda symbol in Nazi Germany following his murder in 1930 by two members of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). After his death, Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels elevated him into a martyr for the Nazi Party.

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23/02/1918

Adolphus Frederick VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born 1882)

Adolphus Frederick VI was the last reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

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23/02/1908

Friedrich von Esmarch, German surgeon and academic (born 1823)

Johannes Friedrich August von Esmarch was a German surgeon. He developed the Esmarch bandage and founded the Deutscher Samariter-Verein, the predecessor of the Deutscher Samariter-Bund.

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23/02/1900

Ernest Dowson, English poet, novelist, and short story writer (born 1867)

Ernest Christopher Dowson was an English poet, novelist, and short-story writer. Despite his short lifespan, he made a lasting impression on the literature of the English fin-de-siècle through his Decadent poetry.

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23/02/1897

Woldemar Bargiel, German composer and educator (born 1828)

Woldemar Bargiel was a German composer and conductor of the Romantic period.

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23/02/1879

Albrecht von Roon, Prussian soldier and politician, 10th Minister President of Prussia (born 1803)

Albrecht Theodor Emil Graf von Roon was a Prussian soldier and statesman. As Minister of War from 1859 to 1873, Roon, along with Otto von Bismarck and Helmuth von Moltke, was a dominating figure in Prussia's government during the key decade of the 1860s, when a series of successful wars against Denmark, Austria, and France led to German unification under Prussia's leadership. A moderate conservative and supporter of executive monarchy, he was an avid modernizer who worked to improve the efficiency of the army.

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23/02/1871

Amanda Cajander, Finnish medical reformer (born 1827)

Mathilda Fredrika "Amanda" Cajander, née Nygren, was a Finnish deaconess and a pioneer within medical care in Finland.

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23/02/1859

Zygmunt Krasiński, Polish poet and playwright (born 1812)

Count Napoleon Stanisław Adam Feliks Zygmunt Krasiński was a Polish poet traditionally ranked after Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Słowacki as one of Poland's Three Bards – the Romantic poets who influenced national consciousness in the period of Partitions of Poland.

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23/02/1855

Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (born 1777)

Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician, astronomer, geodesist, and physicist, who contributed to many fields in mathematics and science. His mathematical contributions spanned the branches of number theory, algebra, analysis, geometry, statistics, and probability. Gauss was director of the Göttingen Observatory in Germany and professor of astronomy from 1807 until his death in 1855.

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23/02/1848

John Quincy Adams, American politician, 6th President of the United States (born 1767)

John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825; minister to Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia; and senator for Massachusetts. After his presidency, Adams uniquely returned to Congress as a member of the lower house, where he died in 1848. He was the eldest son of John Adams, the second president, and First Lady Abigail Adams. Among his children were Charles Francis Adams Sr. Initially a Federalist like his father, Adams spent his presidency as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, and later, in the mid-1830s, became affiliated with the Whig Party.

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23/02/1844

Martim Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada, Brazilian politician, twice Minister of Finance, brother of José Bonifácio and Antônio Carlos (born 1775)

Martim Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada was a Brazilian politician who played a leading role in the declaration of Brazil's independence and in the government the following years. He was twice Minister of Finance.

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23/02/1821

John Keats, English poet (born 1795)

John Keats was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculosis at the age of 25. They were indifferently received in his lifetime, but his fame grew rapidly after his death. By the end of the century, he was placed in the canon of English literature, strongly influencing many writers of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood; the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1888 described his "Ode to a Nightingale" as "one of the final masterpieces".

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23/02/1792

Joshua Reynolds, English painter and academic (born 1723)

Sir Joshua Reynolds was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy Peltz says he was "the leading portrait artist of the 18th-century and arguably one of the greatest artists in the history of art." He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting, which depended on idealisation of the imperfect. He was a founder and first president of the Royal Academy of Arts and was knighted by George III in 1769. He has been referred to as the 'master who revolutionised British Art.'

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23/02/1781

George Taylor, Founding Father of the United States (born 1716)

George Taylor was an American ironmaster and politician who was a Founding Father of the United States and a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Pennsylvania. His former home, the George Taylor House in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, was named a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

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23/02/1766

Stanisław Leszczyński, Polish king (born 1677)

Stanisław I Leszczyński, also Anglicized and Latinized as Stanislaus I, was twice King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and at various times Prince of Deux-Ponts, Duke of Bar and Duke of Lorraine.

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23/02/1704

Georg Muffat, French organist and composer (born 1653)

Georg Muffat was a Baroque composer and organist. He is best known for the remarkably articulate and informative performance directions printed along with his collections of string pieces Florilegium Primum and Florilegium Secundum in 1695 and 1698.

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23/02/1620

Nicholas Fuller, English politician (born 1543)

Sir Nicholas Fuller was an English barrister and Member of Parliament. After studying at Christ's College, Cambridge, Fuller became a barrister of Gray's Inn. His legal career there began prosperously—he was employed by the Privy Council to examine witnesses—but was hampered later by his representation of the Puritans, a religious tendency which did not conform with the established Church of England. Fuller was repeatedly in contention with the ecclesiastical courts, including the Star Chamber and Court of High Commission, and was once expelled for the zeal with which he defended his client. In 1593 he was returned as the Member of Parliament for St Mawes, where he campaigned against the extension of recusancy laws. Outside of Parliament, he successfully brought a patents case which not only undermined the right of the Crown to issue patents but accurately predicted the attitude taken by the Statute of Monopolies two decades later.

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23/02/1603

Andrea Cesalpino, Italian philosopher, physician, and botanist (born 1519)

Andrea Cesalpino was a Florentine physician, philosopher and botanist.

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Franciscus Vieta, French mathematician (born 1540)

François Viète, known in Latin as Franciscus Vieta, was a French mathematician whose work on new algebra was an important step towards modern algebra, due to his innovative use of letters as parameters in equations. Because of this, Viète is sometimes called "the father of modern algebraic notation". He was a lawyer by trade, and served as a privy councillor to both Henry III and Henry IV of France.

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23/02/1554

Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire (born 1515)

Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, was an English courtier and nobleman of the Tudor period. He was the father of Lady Jane Grey, known as "the Nine Days Queen".

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23/02/1526

Diego Colón, Spanish Viceroy of the Indies (born c. 1479)

Diego Columbus was a navigator and explorer under the kings of Castile and Aragón. He served as the 2nd admiral of the Indies, 2nd viceroy of the Indies and 4th governor of the Indies as a vassal to the kings of Castile and Aragón. He was the only child of Christopher Columbus by his wife Filipa Moniz Perestrelo.

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23/02/1473

Arnold, Duke of Gelderland (born 1410)

Arnold of Egmond was Duke of Guelders, Count of Zutphen.

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23/02/1464

Emperor Yingzong of Ming (born 1427)

Emperor Yingzong of Ming, personal name Zhu Qizhen, was the sixth and eighth emperor of the Ming dynasty. He ruled as the Zhengtong Emperor from 1435 to 1449, and as the Tianshun Emperor from 1457 to 1464.

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23/02/1447

Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (born 1390)

Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester was an English prince, soldier and literary patron. He was, and styled himself as, "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of Henry IV of England, the brother of Henry V, and the uncle of Henry VI. Gloucester fought in the Hundred Years' War and acted as Lord Protector of England during the minority of his nephew. He was a controversial political figure whose actions and policies generated both support and opposition among his contemporaries and later historians. Assessments of his career note his involvement in political conflicts as well as his engagement with intellectual circles, including his role as an early English patron of humanist scholarship, in the context of the Renaissance.

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Pope Eugene IV (born 1383)

Pope Eugene IV was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian and a nephew of Pope Gregory XII. In 1431, he was elected pope. He is the most recent pope to take the pontifical name "Eugene".

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23/02/1270

Isabel of France (born 1225)

Isabelle of France was a French princess and daughter of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile. She was a younger sister of King Louis IX of France and of Alfonso, Count of Poitiers, and an older sister of King Charles I of Sicily. In 1256, she founded the nunnery of Longchamp in part of the Forest of Rouvray, west of Paris. Isabelle consecrated her virginity and her entire life to God alone. She is honored as a saint by the Franciscan Order. Her feast day is 26 February.

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23/02/1100

Emperor Zhezong of Song (born 1076)

Emperor Zhezong of Song, personal name Zhao Xu, was the seventh emperor of the Song dynasty of China. His original personal name was Zhao Yong but he changed it to "Zhao Xu" after his coronation. He reigned from 1085 until his death in 1100, and was succeeded by his younger half-brother, Emperor Huizong, because his son died prematurely.

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23/02/1011

Willigis, German archbishop (born 940)

Willigis was Archbishop of Mainz from 975 until his death as well as archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire.

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23/02/0943

Herbert II, Count of Vermandois, (born 884)

Herbert II, Count of Vermandois, Count of Meaux, and Count of Soissons. He was the first to exercise power over the territory that became the province of Champagne.

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David I, prince of Tao-Klarjeti (Georgia)

David I was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti who ruled, with the title of mampali, in Adjara and Nigali from 889 and in Klarjeti from 900 until his abdication in 943.

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23/02/0908

Li Keyong, Shatuo military governor during the Tang dynasty in China (born 856)

Li Keyong was a Chinese military general and politician of Shatuo ethnicity, and from January 896 the Prince of Jin, which would become an independent state after the fall of the Tang dynasty in 907. Li served as a Jiedushi provincial military governor during the late Tang period and was an instrumental figure in the development of a Shatuo base of power in what is today's Shanxi Province of China. His son Li Cunxu, a child of his concubine Lady Cao, would succeed him as Prince of Jin and eventually become the founding emperor of the Later Tang dynasty in 923.

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23/02/0715

Al-Walid I, Umayyad caliph (born 668)

Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, commonly known as al-Walid I, was the sixth Umayyad caliph, ruling from October 705 until his death in 715. He was the eldest son of his predecessor, Caliph Abd al-Malik. As a prince, he led annual raids against the Byzantines from 695 to 698 and built or restored fortifications along the Syrian Desert route to Mecca. He became heir apparent in c. 705, after the death of the designated successor, Abd al-Malik's brother Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan.

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