Famous People Who Died in 1958

Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1958. This list includes people like Ralph Vaughan Williams, Rosalind Franklin, Pope Pius XII, Ronald Colman, Harry Warner and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, poets, novelists and physicists who died in 1958. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, France & Italy and many more countries.

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Birthdate: July 25, 1920

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Notting Hill, London, England

Died: April 16

Chemist and X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin is remembered for her pathbreaking X-ray diffraction studies of DNA, which helped in the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the double helix structure of DNA by Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins later. She also worked on the molecular structures of viruses. 

 2 

Tyrone Power

(Actor)

Birthdate: May 5, 1914

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Died: November 15

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Birthdate: January 9, 1878

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Travelers Rest, South Carolina, United States

Died: September 25

John B. Watson was the first to introduce the theory of behaviorism to psychology. He believed human behavior, like animal behavior, should be studied under objective and experimental conditions. One of his experiments included conditioning the fear of white rats into an 11-year-old boy he named Little Albert.

Birthdate: October 12, 1872

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Down Ampney, England

Died: August 26

 5 

Wolfgang Pauli

(One of the Pioneers of Quantum Physics and Winner of 1945 Nobel Prize for Physics)

Birthdate: April 25, 1900

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: December 15

Nobel Prize-winning Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli is remembered for his contribution to quantum physics and for laying down the Pauli principle. While he was initially married to a cabaret dancer, the marriage ended in a divorce after a year. His written works are considered classics in science.

Birthdate: February 9, 1891

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Richmond, Surrey, England

Died: May 19

Birthdate: October 15, 1880

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Edinburgh

Died: October 2

Apart from being a successful botanist, Marie Stopes was also a popular activist, known for her contribution to the feminist cause. A leading supporter of birth control, she established the UK’s first clinic for family planning. She was also known for her books Married Love and Wise Parenthood.

 8 

W. C. Handy

(Composer)

Birthdate: November 16, 1873

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Florence, Alabama, United States

Died: March 28

Birthdate: January 16, 1874

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Preston, Lancashire, England

Died: September 11

Robert W. Service was a British-Canadian poet and writer. Popularly called "the Bard of the Yukon," he wrote some of the most commercially successful poetry of his era. A bank clerk by profession, he often wrote while traveling for work. Besides poetry, he also wrote fiction and non-fiction. He was often compared to English writer and novelist Rudyard Kipling. 

Birthdate: May 5, 1882

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Shipley

Died: October 14

Douglas Mawson was an Australian Antarctic explorer, geologist, and academic. Counted among the most important leaders of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, Mawson was honored with a knighthood in 1914. Best remembered for his contribution to Australian geology, Mawson was featured on the Australian one-hundred-dollar note from 1984 to 1996.

Birthdate: March 18, 1905

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Withington, Manchester, England

Died: June 9

 12 

Ole Kirk Christiansen

(Inventor)

Birthdate: April 1, 1891

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Filskov, Denmark

Died: March 11

Birthdate: March 24, 1886

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Highland Park, Illinois, United States

Died: January 1

Edward Weston was an American photographer and archer. Regarded as one of the most influential and innovative American photographers of all time, Weston became the first photographer to be honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1937. Some of his photographs, such as Nude, 1925 and Nautilus, are among the most expensive photographs ever sold.

 14 

Tris Speaker

(Baseball Player)

Birthdate: April 4, 1888

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Hubbard, Texas, United States

Died: December 8

 15 

Edna Purviance

(Actress)

Birthdate: October 21, 1895

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Paradise Valley, Nevada, United States

Died: January 11

Height: 5'2" (157 cm)

 16 

Big Bill Broonzy

(Singer)

Birthdate: June 26, 1893

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Lake Dick, Arkansas, United States

Died: August 15

Birthdate: March 19, 1900

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Paris

Died: August 14

Frédéric Joliot-Curie was a French physicist whose discovery of artificial radioactivity earned him the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which was jointly awarded to Frédéric and his wife Irène Joliot-Curie. Along with his wife, Frédéric is credited with founding the Orsay Faculty of Sciences, a physics and mathematics school within Paris-Saclay University. He had also won the Stalin Peace Prize.

 18 

Claire Lee Chennault

(US Military Aviator Who Commanded the US Army Air Forces in China)

Birthdate: September 6, 1893

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Commerce, Texas, United States

Died: July 27

US major general and military aviator Claire Lee Chennault is remembered for commanding the US Army Air Forces in China during WWII. He also formed the American Volunteer Group known as the Flying Tigers. He launched the commercial airline Civil Air Transport, which later became known as Air America.

 19 

Mel Ott

(Baseball Player)

Birthdate: March 2, 1909

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Gretna, Louisiana, United States

Died: November 21

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Birthdate: August 29, 1876

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Loudonville, Ohio

Died: November 25

Charles F. Kettering was an American engineer, inventor, and businessman. Kettering is credited with founding Delco Electronics Corporation. Holder of 186 patents, Kettering is also credited with the invention of Freon refrigerant for air conditioning and refrigeration systems. Over the course of his career, Charles F. Kettering won prestigious awards like the IEEE Edison Medal, Hoover Medal, and Franklin Medal. 

Birthdate: August 8, 1901

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Canton, South Dakota, United States

Died: August 27

 22 

Christabel Pankhurst

(British Suffragette and Co-Founder of the 'Women’s Social and Political Union')

Birthdate: September 22, 1880

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Old Trafford, Manchester, England

Died: February 13

Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst was a British suffragette who co-founded the Women's Social and Political Union. From 1912 to 1913, Pankhurst directed the organization's militant actions from France. After the war, Christabel Pankhurst settled down in the United States of America where she served as an evangelist for the Second Coming movement.

Birthdate: September 16, 1880

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Wolverhampton

Died: June 28

Birthdate: November 11, 1888

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Died: February 22

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was an Indian independence activist, Islamic theologian, and scholar. He played a key role in the Indian independence movement, serving as a senior leader of the Congress. His contribution to the Indian education system is recognized across India by celebrating his birthday as National Education Day. 

 25 

Milutin Milanković

(Serbian Climatologist Who Gave the Explanation of Earth's Climate Changes, Which Partly Explained the Ice Ages)

Birthdate: May 28, 1879

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Dalj, Croatia

Died: December 12

Milutin Milanković was a Serbian astronomer, mathematician, geophysicist, climatologist, and civil engineer. He is best remembered for his explanation of Earth's climate changes, which partly explained the ice ages. Milutin Milankovitch's biography inspired a 2007 documentary film titled A Traveler Through Distant Worlds and Times.

 26 

Duncan Edwards

(Football player)

Birthdate: October 1, 1936

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Woodside, Dudley, England

Died: February 21

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

 27 

Peter Collins

(Former British Racing Driver Who Died in a Fatal Crash in the 1958 German Grand Prix)

Birthdate: November 6, 1931

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England

Died: August 3

British racing-driver Peter Collins commenced his career at age 17 and gained-attention during Formula 3 races. He ranked third during the 1951 Autosport National Formula 3 Championship. He won the 1958 British Grand Prix and a couple of weeks later met with a fatal accident during the German Grand Prix. He was rushed to hospital, but died later that day.

Birthdate: March 2, 1876

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Rome, Italy

Died: October 9

Pope Pius XII served as the head of the Catholic Church and the sovereign of the Vatican City from 1939 till 1958. Of the many positions he had held, one was the secretaryship of the Department of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs. He is remembered for negotiating the treaty of Reichskonkordat.

 29 

John Hubert Marshall

(Archaeologist)

Birthdate: March 19, 1876

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Chester, England

Died: August 17

Birthdate: October 17, 1895

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Chicago

Died: December 29

One of the pioneers of American modern dance, Doris Humphrey had begun her career with the Denishawn dance school. The daughter of a pianist mother, she later launched her own dance school with her mother as the manager. She also excelled in American vaudeville and promoted the dance movement theory.

 31 

Norman Bel Geddes

(American Theatrical and Industrial Designer)

Birthdate: April 27, 1893

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Adrian, Michigan, United States

Died: May 8

American theatrical and industrial designer, Norman Bel Geddes helped popularize “streamlining” as a distinct modern style. He influenced the design of major furniture, railroads, automobiles, and hotels. His revolutionary vision led to a collaboration with Max Reinhardt in the theatrical production of The Miracle. Among his most notable designs was Futurama exhibit at the New York World's Fair of 1939.

 32 

Harry Cohn

(Film producer)

Birthdate: July 23, 1891

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: New York City, U.S.

Died: February 27

 33 

Douglas Jardine

(English Cricketer)

Birthdate: October 23, 1900

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Malabar Hill, Mumbai, India

Died: June 18

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

 34 

Mary Roberts Rinehart

(Writer)

Birthdate: August 12, 1876

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (now Pittsburgh), United States

Died: September 22

 35 

Ernst Heinrich Heinkel

(Aeronautical engineer)

Birthdate: January 24, 1888

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Grunbach, Germany

Died: January 30

 36 

Chuck Klein

(Baseball player)

Birthdate: October 7, 1904

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Died: March 28

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

 37 

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia

(Nurse)

Birthdate: April 18, 1890

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russian

Died: December 13

Birthdate: October 22, 1881

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Bloomington, Illinois, United States

Died: February 1

 39 

Viktor Schauberger

(Forester, Inventor, Writer)

Birthdate: June 30, 1885

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Schwarzenberg am Böhmerwald

Died: September 25

Austrian forest caretaker, naturalist, pseudoscientist, biomimicry experimenter, inventor and philosopher, Viktor Schauberger came up with his own concepts based on his observations of nature. He mentioned in the Implosion magazine that the propeller was incorrectly designed by the aeronautical and marine engineers.

 40 

Hubert Wilkins

(Australian Polar Explorer, Ornithologist, Pilot, Soldier, Geographer and Photographer)

Birthdate: October 31, 1888

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Mount Bryan, Australia

Died: November 30

Australian-born British explorer and ornithologist Hubert Wilkins is best remembered for pioneering the use of the submarine for polar exploration. While he initially studied photography and engineering, he later embarked on the world’s first transpolar airplane flight across the Arctic and the first over parts of Antarctica.

Birthdate: July 10, 1902

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Königshütte (Chorzów), Silesia

Died: June 20

Kurt Alder was a German chemist whose work on the Diels-Alder reaction, which is named after him and his teacher Diels, earned him the prestigious Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1950. Alder is also remembered for working with Ferdinand Münz, the inventor of EDTA. Over the course of his career, Kurt Alder won many prestigious awards and honorary degrees.

 42 

Lion Feuchtwanger

(Novelist)

Birthdate: July 7, 1884

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Munich, Germany

Died: December 21

 43 

C.M. Kornbluth

(Author)

Birthdate: July 2, 1923

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States

Died: March 21

 44 

Alfred Weber

(Economist, Educationist, Sociologist, University teacher)

Birthdate: July 30, 1868

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Erfurt

Died: May 2

Alfred Weber was a German geographer, sociologist, economist, and theoretician of culture. Weber's work and contribution played a key role in the progression of modern economic geography. The younger brother of Max Weber, Alfred Weber contributed theories for analyzing social processes, social change as a confluence of civilization, and culture.

 45 

Harry Wills

(Boxer)

Birthdate: May 15, 1889

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Died: December 21

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

 46 

Karl Lashley

(Psychologist, University teacher)

Birthdate: June 7, 1890

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Davis

Died: August 7

 47 

Robert Service

(Writer, Poet, Novelist)

Birthdate: January 16, 1874

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: City of Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom

Died: September 11

 48 

Princess Louise of Orléans

(Princess)

Birthdate: February 24, 1882

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Cannes, France

Died: April 18

 49 

Willie Maley

(Scottish International Football Player and Manager)

Birthdate: April 25, 1868

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Newry, County Down, Ireland

Died: April 2

Birthdate: August 1, 1881

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Rugby, England

Died: October 30