Famous People Who Died on February 18

Discover the most famous people who died on February 18. The list includes people like Martin Luther, Michelangelo, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Kublai Khan, Dale Earnhardt. Famous personalities featured on this list, include novelists, political leaders, artists and composers and from other domains of life. This list includes people from United States, Germany, France & Italy and many more countries.

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Michelangelo

(Regarded as the Most Accomplished Artist of His Era (High Renaissance))

Birthdate: March 6, 1475

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Caprese Michelangelo, Italy

Died: 1564

Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet Michelangelo was a prominent figure of the High Renaissance. He is credited to have influenced the Western art in unprecedented ways. He is widely regarded as the greatest artist of his age and one of the greatest artists of all time. He was equally revered and respected as an architect.

Martin Luther

(German Theologian, Religious Reformer and Key Figure in Protestant Reformation)

Birthdate: November 10, 1483

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Eisleben, Germany

Died: 1546

German monk Martin Luther challenged the dogmas of Roman Catholicism and the authority of the pope, in his Ninety-five Theses, and was thus excommunicated. His German translation of the Bible enriched the German culture, and his marriage set an example for clerical marriage. His teachings are now known as Lutherans.

J. Robert Oppenheimer

(American Theoretical Physicist and Former Wartime Head of the ‘Los Alamos Laboratory’)

Birthdate: April 22, 1904

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Died: 1967

Hailed as a brilliant scientific mind, American physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, led the Manhattan Project which resulted in the development of atomic bomb during the World War II. The bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. However, Oppenheimer was in a constant conflict over the moral issue of the weapons of mass destruction and rallied against nuclear proliferation.

Birthdate: April 29, 1951

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Kannapolis, North Carolina, United States

Died: 2001

Dale Earnhardt was an American stock car driver who raced in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1975 to 2001. Considered one of the greatest drivers in the history of NASCAR, Earnhardt won 76 Winston Cup races and seven Winston Cup championships in an illustrious career spanning 40 years. In 2010, he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Kublai Khan

(Founder of the Yuan dynasty in Mongolia and China,)

Birthdate: September 23, 1215

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Mongolia

Died: 1294

Also known as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan, Kublai Khan served as the fifth khagan of the famous Mongol Empire. After the division of the empire, Kublai Khan founded the Yuan dynasty in China and ruled as the first Yuan emperor from 1271 until his death in 1294. Hence, he played an important role in re-creating a militarily powerful China.

Birthdate: February 3, 1960

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Niagara Falls, New York, United States

Died: 1993

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

Birthdate: March 1, 1914

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Died: 1998

Jerry Buss

(Businessman Known Worldwide as the Former Owner of the 'Los Angeles Lakers' Basketball Franchise)

Birthdate: January 27, 1933

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Died: 2013

Legendary LA Lakers co-owner Jerry Buss lived through a poverty-stricken childhood during the Great Depression. Growing up working odd jobs, he also once quit school to work for the railroads. He grew up to be a chemist and later also taught chemistry, before investing in real estate.

Andy Devine

(Actor)

Birthdate: October 7, 1905

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

Died: 1977

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

Timur

(Amir of the Timurid Empire from 1370 to 1405)

Birthdate: April 9, 1336

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Shahrisabz, Uzbekistan

Died: 1405

Widely considered one of the greatest tacticians and military leaders in history, Timur is credited with founding the Timurid Empire, which attained its greatest extent under the leadership of Timur. His empire laid the foundation for the rise of the more prominent Islamic gunpowder empires, such as the Mughal Empire, which then ruled the Indian subcontinent for almost 330 years.

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa

(German Polymath and Occult Writer Known for His Book 'Three Books of Occult Philosophy')

Birthdate: September 14, 1486

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Cologne, Germany

Died: 1535

Sixteenth-century German scholar Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa was known for his expertise in philosophy and the occult. He also taught at the universities of Pavia and Dôle. His De occulta philosophia suggested magic as a way to reach God. He was eventually branded a heretic and imprisoned.

Ivan Koloff

(Canadian Professional Wrestler Who was the Third Wrestler to Hold the WWWF Championship)

Birthdate: August 25, 1942

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Died: 2017

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Eddie Mathews

(Baseball player)

Birthdate: October 13, 1931

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Texarkana, Texas, United States

Died: 2001

Albert Bierstadt

(Painter)

Birthdate: January 7, 1830

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Solingen, Germany

Died: 1902

Landscape painter Albert Bierstadt immortalized the natural attractions of the American West, such as the Rocky Mountains, in his works. One of the finest painters of the Hudson River school, he specialized in paintings that showcased bright lighting, or luminism, and created over 500 paintings throughout his career.

Vasil Levski

(Bulgarian Revolutionary & Freedom Fighter Who was Executed by the Ottoman Authorities)

Birthdate: July 18, 1837

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Karlovo, Bulgaria

Died: 1873

Vasil Levski was a Bulgarian revolutionary who is considered a national hero in Bulgaria. Nicknamed the Apostle of Freedom, Vasil Levski strategized a revolutionary movement to free Bulgaria from the Ottoman rule. In a nationwide television poll conducted in 2007, Levski was voted as the greatest Bulgarian of all time.

Birthdate: December 10, 1804

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Potsdam, Germany

Died: 1851

Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi was a German mathematician best remembered for his contributions to differential equations, dynamics, number theory, determinants, and elliptic functions. He is the first Jewish mathematician to work as a professor at a German university. Jacobi has a crater on the Moon named after him in recognition of his contribution to science.

Fra Angelico

(Italian Painter Who is Known for a Series of Frescoes He Made for His Own Friary in Florence)

Birthdate: 1395 AD

Birthplace: Vicchio, Italy

Died: 1455

Fra Angelico was an Italian painter best remembered for a series of frescoes which he made for his own friary in Florence. Described by Giorgio Vasari as having a rare and perfect talent, Fra Angelico was proclaimed blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1982 in recognition of the saintliness of his life.

Birthdate: June 18, 1928

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.

Died: 1978

Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici

(Art collector)

Birthdate: August 11, 1667

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Pitti Palace, Florence, Italy

Died: 1743

Jerome Kersey

(Basketball player, Basketball coach)

Birthdate: June 26, 1962

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Clarksville, Virginia, United States

Died: 2015

Maria Franziska von Trapp

(Austrian American Singer)

Birthdate: September 28, 1914

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Zell am See, Austria

Died: 2014

Dedan Kimathi

(Kenyan Military Leader and Revolutionary)

Birthdate: October 31, 1920

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Nyeri County, Kenya

Died: 1957

Dedan Kimathi was a Kenyan military leader and revolutionary. He is best remembered as the military leader of the Mau Mau rebellion. Kimathi led the armed military resistance against the British colonial regime that occupied Kenya in the 1950s. Today, Dedan Kimathi is recognized as a national hero and is revered for his struggle against British colonial rule in Kenya.

Charles Trenet

(Singer-songwriter)

Birthdate: May 18, 1913

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Narbonne, France

Died: 2001

Noam Pitlik

(Actor, Film director)

Birthdate: November 4, 1932

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: 1999

Gale Robbins

(Actress)

Birthdate: May 7, 1921

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Died: 1980

Frederick Augustus III of Saxony

(King)

Birthdate: May 25, 1865

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Dresden, Germany

Died: 1932

Ngaio Marsh

(New Zealand Mystery Writer and Theatre Director)

Birthdate: April 23, 1895

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Christchurch, New Zealand

Died: 1982

Ngaio Marsh was a New Zealand theatre director and crime writer. Counted among the Queens of Crime alongside other crime writers like Agatha Christie, Marsh is best remembered for her famous character, Roderick Alleyn. She received several prestigious awards and was made an inductee of the Detection Club in 1974. The Ngaio Marsh Award is presented annually in her memory.

Pantelis Pantelidis

(Singer-songwriter)

Birthdate: November 23, 1983

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Athens, Greece

Died: 2016

Initially part of the Greek navy, Pantelis Pantelidis later quit his naval career to focus in music. A YouTube sensation, he was a self-taught guitarist, too, and soared to fame with tracks such as Den Tairiazete Sou Lew. The singer lost his life to a tragic car accident at age 32.

George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence

(Duke)

Birthdate: October 21, 1449

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland

Died: 1478

Laurel Hester

(Former police lieutenant who came to national attention with her deathbed appeal for the extension of pension benefits to her domestic partner)

Birthdate: August 15, 1956

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Elgin, Illinois, United States

Died: 2006

Alain Robbe-Grillet

(Writer)

Birthdate: August 18, 1922

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Brest, France

Died: 2008

Clyde Stubblefield

(Drummer)

Birthdate: April 18, 1943

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Chattanooga

Died: 2017

Pope Gregory V

(Bishop of Rome)

Birthdate: 0972 AD

Birthplace: Stainach-Pürgg, Austria

Died: 0999

Counted as the first German pope, Pope Gregory V reigned for less than three years. A member of the Salian dynasty, he is said to have acted as a representative of the Holy Roman Emperor in Rome. His pontificate, which started in May 996 and ended with his death in February 999, was historically one of the most unsettled periods.

Albert Payson Terhune

(Author)

Birthdate: December 21, 1872

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States

Died: 1942

Bozorg Alavi

(Iranian Writer Best Known for His Short-Story Collection 'Chamadān')

Birthdate: February 2, 1904

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Tehrān, Iran

Died: 1997

Bozorg Alavi was an Iranian writer, novelist, and political intellectual. In 1941, he became a founding member of the communist Tudeh Party of Iran. The party proved to be influential in its initial years. After the 1953 coup against Premier Mohammad Mossadegh, Alavi went into exile and spent the rest of his life in East Germany.

Niceto Alcalá-Zamora

(Spanish Politician and Lawyer)

Birthdate: July 6, 1877

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Priego de Córdoba, Spain

Died: 1949

Kevin Ayers

(Singer-songwriter)

Birthdate: August 16, 1944

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Herne Bay, Kent Herne Bay, Kent, England

Died: 2013

George Dayton

(Entrepreneur)

Birthdate: March 6, 1857

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Clifton Springs

Died: 1938

Birthdate: March 16, 1908

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States

Died: 1966

Richard Schickel

(Journalist, Writer, Film critic, Documentary filmmaker, Film director, Film producer)

Birthdate: February 10, 1933

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Milwaukee

Died: 2017

Charles Lewis Tiffany

(Trader)

Birthdate: February 15, 1812

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Connecticut, United States

Died: 1902

Rosario Ferré

(Writer)

Birthdate: September 28, 1938

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Ponce, Puerto Rico

Died: 2016

Kristijonas Donelaitis

(Best Known as the Author of the Poem 'The Seasons', a Classic Work of Lithuanian Literature)

Birthdate: January 1, 1714

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Gumbinnen, Russia

Died: 1780

Prussian Lithuanian poet Kristijonas Donelaitis had mastered theology and classical languages and also served as a pastor of Tolmingkehmen. His best-known work, Metai, or The Seasons, was penned in hexameters, a style never used before in Lithuanian verse. He had also written Lithuanian fables based on Aesop's Fables.

Jean Rouch

(Filmmaker, Anthropologist.)

Birthdate: May 31, 1917

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: 2004

Leopoldo Lugones

(Argentine Poet, Essayist, Novelist and Playwright)

Birthdate: June 13, 1874

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Villa de María del Río Seco, Argentina

Died: 1938

A central figure in the history of Hispanic-American modernism, Leopoldo Lugones is remembered as much for his contributions towards formation of modern Spanish poetry as for his profound insight into Argentinean history. A well-Known poet-playwright-novelist, literary and social critic, and cultural ambassador, he later involved himself with national and international politics, leaving huge impact on the younger generation of writers.

Bill Cowsill

(Singer)

Birthdate: January 9, 1948

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Middletown, Rhode Island, United States

Died: 2006

Yūko Tsushima

(Writer, Novelist, Short story writer, Literary critic)

Birthdate: March 30, 1947

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Mitaka

Died: 2016

One of Japan's most distinguished female authors, Yūko Tsushima wrote mostly about marginalized section of the society, including abandoned women who try to break out of the assigned gender roles, drawing many of the characters from her personal experience as single mother. Winner of numerous national and international awards, her works have been translated into at least 13 languages.

Alessandro Mendini

(Italian Designer and Architect)

Birthdate: August 16, 1931

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Milan, Italy

Died: 2019