Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1952. This list includes people like George VI, Curly Howard, John Dewey, Hattie McDaniel, Maria Montessori and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, soldiers, philosophers and poets who died in 1952. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, Germany & Italy and many more countries.
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Birthdate: May 7, 1919
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Los Toldos, Argentina
Died: July 26
Evita Peron was an Argentine actress, activist, politician, and philanthropist. She is best remembered for her service as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 to 1952. She also served as the President of a political party called Female Peronist Party. A staunch philanthropist, Evita Peron was the president of the Eva Perón Foundation, which operated from 1948 to 1955.
2
George VI(King of the United Kingdom (1936-52))
Birthdate: December 14, 1895
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Sandringham, Norfolk, England
Died: February 6
The last Emperor of India and the first Head of the Commonwealth, King George VI was the King of the United Kingdom for fifteen years. He served in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force before reluctantly inheriting the throne and becoming a symbol of courage during WWII. His determination also helped him in his struggle with stammering.
3
Curly Howard(Comedian, Actor and Member of the Comedy Trio ‘The Three Stooges’)
Birthdate: October 22, 1903
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bensonhurst, New York, United States
Died: January 18
Born Jerome Lester Horwitz and nick named Curly by his brothers, Curly Howard is an American vaudevillian actor who was known for his comic skills, childlike mannerism and exaggerated walk. His performance as a member of The Three Stooges was particularly popular among children in 1930s and early 1940s. He was forced to retire early from his career because of stroke.
4
Hattie McDaniel(Actress and Comedian Best Known for Her Role as ‘Mammy’ in the Film ‘Gone with the Wind’)
Birthdate: June 10, 1893
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Wichita, Kansas, United States
Died: October 26
Hattie McDaniel was an American actress, comedian, and singer-songwriter. She became the first African-American to be honored with an Academy Award when her portrayal of Mammy earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Also a radio performer, Hattie McDaniel was the first African American woman to express her skills as a singer on the radio in the US.
Birthdate: October 20, 1859
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Burlington, Vermont, United States
Died: June 1
A staunch advocate of progressive education and liberalism, the American philosopher and psychologist was the founder of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. John Dewey’s famous writings included The Reflex Arc Concept in Psychology and Human Nature and Conduct. According to him, passion for knowledge and intellectual curiosity were central to a teacher. He called himself a democratic socialist.
6
Maria Montessori(Italian Educator and Founder of the 'Montessori Method of Education')
Birthdate: August 1, 1870
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Chiaravalle, Italy
Died: April 30
Maria Montessori was an Italian educator and physician best known for developing the Montessori method of education, a student-friendly method, which is being used in several public and private schools around the world. In 2020, she was nominated by Time magazine as one of their Top 100 Women of the year.
Birthdate: March 4, 1913
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City
Died: May 21
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
8
George Santayana(Regarded as One of the Most Important Thinkers of the First Half of the 20th Century)
Birthdate: December 16, 1863
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Madrid, Spain
Died: September 26
One of George Santayana’s initial works, The Sense of Beauty, spoke about aesthetics, an oft-repeated topic in his later works. The Spanish-born American philosopher and Harvard professor is remembered for his quote “Only the dead have seen the end of war,” which has often been misattributed to Plato.
9
Jack Parsons(Researcher)
Birthdate: October 2, 1914
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Died: June 17
Rocketry pioneer Jack Parsons is best remembered as one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He also co-established the Aerojet Engineering Corporation and developed the first rocket engine that used a propellant. He was also known for his multiple sexual affairs and sex cult rituals.
Birthdate: March 8, 1889
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Parry Sound, Ontario
Died: August 5
Birthdate: September 20, 1880
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Warialda, New South Wales
Died: November 30
Elizabeth Kenny was an Australian bush nurse. A self-trained nurse, Kenny pioneered a new and then-controversial method to treat the victims of poliomyelitis. Her method, which she advocated enthusiastically, became the foundation of physiotherapy. Her life and career inspired the 1946 American biographical film Sister Kenny, in which she was played by Rosalind Russell.
12
Karen Horney(German Psychoanalyst Best Known for Founding Feminist Psychology in Response to Freud’s Theory of Penis Envy)
Birthdate: September 16, 1885
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Blankenese, Hamburg, Germany
Died: December 4
Remembered for her pioneering work on feminist psychology, Karen Horney studied medicine at a time when women weren’t allowed in universities. Going against Sigmund Freud’s concept of penis envy, she suggested the idea of womb envy. She believed psychological differences weren’t rooted in gender but rather depended on the socio-cultural influences.
13
Margaret Wise Brown(Writer)
Birthdate: May 23, 1910
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: November 13
Birthdate: October 20, 1883
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mirigama
Died: March 22
Sri Lanka’s first prime minister, D. S. Senanayake, was the son of a plantation owner and graphite miner and was raised as a devout Buddhist. An amateur cricketer in school, he later took to rubber planting and formed the cooperative-society movement. He rejected the honor of a knighthood.
15
Susan Peters(Actress)
Birthdate: July 3, 1921
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Spokane, Washington, United States
Died: October 23
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
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Krystyna Skarbek(Britain's First and Longest-Serving Female Secret Agent)
Birthdate: May 1, 1908
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Trzepnica, Poland
Died: June 15
The first and the longest-serving British female secret agent, Krystyna Skarbek was born in Poland. Her contribution to the Allies during World War II won her honors such as the OBE and the Croix de Guerre. She was 37 when she was stabbed to death in a London hotel.
17
Paul Éluard(Poet)
Birthdate: December 14, 1895
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Saint-Denis, France
Died: November 18
18
Edward S. Curtis(American Photographer and Ethnologist)
Birthdate: February 19, 1868
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Whitewater, Wisconsin, United States
Died: October 19
Edward S. Curtis was an American ethnologist and photographer whose work focused on the Native American people and American West. He is credited with photographing the first portrait of a Native American. Edward S. Curtis' work aimed at preserving the traditional life of Native Americans.
19
Keith Murdoch(War correspondent)
Birthdate: August 12, 1885
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Melbourne
Died: October 5
Apart from being the father of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Keith Murdoch was a talented journalist in his own right, who gained fame as a political correspondent for the Sydney Sun. He is also known for carrying the controversial Gallipoli letter to London. He later led The Herald and Weekly Times.
20
Knut Hamsun(One of the Most Influential Norwegian Writers & Winner of the 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature.)
Birthdate: August 4, 1859
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Lom Municipality, Norway
Died: February 19
Nobel Prize-winning Norwegian author Knut Hamsun, a leading figure of neo-romanticism, is best remembered for his novel Hunger, which narrated the tale of a starving writer. With little education, he had started his career as a shoemaker’s apprentice. He supported the Nazi occupation of Norway and was later imprisoned.
21
Charles Maurras(Author)
Birthdate: April 20, 1868
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Martigues, France
Died: November 16
22
Fletcher Henderson(Former pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music)
Birthdate: December 18, 1897
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Cuthbert, Georgia, United States
Died: December 29
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
23
Josephine Tey(Author Known for Her Novel ‘The Daughter of Time')
Birthdate: July 25, 1896
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Inverness, Scotland
Died: February 13
Elizabeth Mackintosh, better known by her pseudonym, Josephine Tey, was a physical education teacher before becoming a full-time author. She first tasted success with The Man in the Queue, a detective novel written as Gordon Daviot. Her work A Shilling for Candles was made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock.
24
Horloogiyn Choybalsan(10th Chairman of the Council of Ministers)
Birthdate: February 8, 1895
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Choibalsan, Mongolia
Died: January 26
Birthdate: November 27, 1857
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Islington, London, England
Died: March 4
Charles Scott Sherrington was an English histologist, neurophysiologist, pathologist, and bacteriologist. In 1932, Sherrington and Edgar Douglas Adrian were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of the functions of neurons. Charles Scott Sherrington's exposition of synaptic communication between neurons helped understand the central nervous system. He was also the recipient of the prestigious Royal Medal.
26
Gertrude Lawrence(Actress Known for Her Performances in Noël Coward’s Sophisticated Comedies and in Musicals)
Birthdate: July 4, 1898
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: London, England
Died: September 6
Gertrude Lawrence was an English actress, singer, and dancer. She also performed musical comedy in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York. She was introduced to the entertainment world as a child and grew up to become a famous multi-faceted performer. She won several awards. In her later years, she taught acting.
27
William Fox(Film producer)
Birthdate: January 1, 1879
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Tulchva, Hungary
Died: May 8
28
Harold Innis(Canadian Political Philosopher)
Birthdate: November 5, 1894
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Otterville, Canada
Died: November 8
Born into a farming community, Harold Innis was encouraged to be a Baptist minister but became a political economist and academic instead. The former University of Toronto professor is remembered for his work on the staple thesis. He had also fought on the front lines in World War I.
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Benedetto Croce(Philosopher, Politician, Art historian, Writer, Literary critic)
Birthdate: February 25, 1866
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Pescasseroli
Died: November 20
30
Ferenc Molnár( Hungary’s Most Celebrated and Controversial Novelist and Playwright Known for His Novel 'The Paul Street Boys')
Birthdate: January 12, 1878
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: April 1
Known for his short stories and plays reflecting the life in Budapest, author Ferenc Molnár never identified with any particular literary movement. His best-known works include the short story anthology Muzsika and the novel The Paul Street Boys. Initially an aspiring lawyer, he later worked as a war correspondent.
31
Henri Bourassa(Former Member of the Canadian Parliament for Labelle (1896 - 1907))
Birthdate: September 1, 1868
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada
Died: August 31
Renowned Canadian journalist and politician Henri Bourassa is best remembered for founding the newspaper Le Devoir. Though a qualified lawyer, he made a name for himself by writing on political issues and also served as a member of the Canadian Parliament, as part of the Liberal Party of Canada.
32
Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg(The 1st President of Finland)
Birthdate: January 28, 1865
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Suomussalmi, Finland
Died: September 22
Finland’s 1st president, Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg was one of the first politicians to introduce republicanism in Finland. A lawyer and judge, he initially taught law and economics at the University of Helsinki. The National Progressive Party member is also remembered as one of the main figures behind the Finnish constitution.
33
Natalia Brasova(Noblewoman)
Birthdate: June 27, 1880
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Perovo, Russia
Died: January 23
34
Wop May(Canadian Flying Ace )
Birthdate: March 20, 1896
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Carberry
Died: June 21
35
Elena of Montenegro(Princess)
Birthdate: January 8, 1873
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Cetinje, Montenegro
Died: November 28
36
Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow(Governor-General of India)
Birthdate: September 24, 1887
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Queensferry, Scotland
Died: January 5
Born into an aristocratic family, Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow received an elite education at Eton. He later became India’s longest serving viceroy of India. He is also remembered for his numerous conflicts with the Indian National Congress and for his efforts in suppressing the independence movement.
37
Emilie Louise Flöge(Fashion designer)
Birthdate: August 30, 1874
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: May 26
The daughter of a pipe manufacturer, Emilie Louise Flöge initially worked as a seamstress but later found her calling in fashion designing. Also remembered as the companion of Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt, she featured in many of his paintings and was a major figure of the Fin de siècle movement.
38
Paul Nemenyi(Physicist)
Birthdate: June 5, 1895
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Rijeka
Died: March 1
Hungarian mathematician Paul Nemenyi is best remembered for his contribution to fluid dynamics through his inverse or semi-inverse approach. The continuum mechanics specialist taught in Berlin and the US. In 2002, an investigation revealed he was the biological father of chess legend Bobby Fischer and not Hans-Gerhardt Fischer.
39
Kurt Schumacher(Politician)
Birthdate: October 13, 1895
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chełmno, Poland
Died: August 20
40
Dick Curtis(Actor)
Birthdate: May 11, 1902
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Newport, Kentucky, United States
Died: January 3
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
Birthdate: January 5, 1893
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died: March 7
Paramahansa Yogananda was an Indian Hindu monk, yogi, and guru. He is known for introducing the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his organization Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) / Yogoda Satsanga Society (YSS) of India to millions across the world. He authored the book Autobiography of a Yogi and is considered the Father of Yoga in the West.
42
Michael von Faulhaber(German Catholic Prelate Who Served as Archbishop of Munich)
Birthdate: March 5, 1869
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Röthlein, Germany
Died: June 12
Michael von Faulhaber was a senior Catholic prelate and Archbishop of Munich from 1917 to 1952. He was a co-founder of the Amici Israel, a priestly association that strove for Jewish-Christian reconciliation. During the Nazi era, he was involved in drafting the encyclical Mit brennender Sorge. He recognized the Nazi government as legitimate and preached against communism.
43
Michael Rostovtzeff(Russian Archaeologist and Historian)
Birthdate: November 10, 1870
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Zhytomyr, Ukraine
Died: October 20
Russian historian Mikhail Ivanovich Rostovtzeff is best-known for producing significant works on ancient Roman and Greek history. He emerged as an influential authority on ancient-history of South Russia and Ukraine while working in Russia. The term caravan city is believed to have been coined by him. Noted books of Rostovtzeff include Dura-Europos and Its Art and Skythien und der Bosporus.
44
Norman Douglas(Writer)
Birthdate: December 8, 1868
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Thuringen, Austria
Died: February 7
45
Harold LeClair Ickes(Politician)
Birthdate: March 15, 1874
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: February 3
46
Keisuke Okada(Prime Minister of Japan from 1934 to 1936)
Birthdate: January 20, 1868
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Fukui, Fukui, Japan
Died: October 7
Japanese navy admiral Keisuke Okada was born to a former samurai family and later grew up to be the prime minister of Japan. He was a moderate voice and tried to reduce the influence of military extremists in Japan. He also advocated for peace with the Allies during World War II.
47
Henri Winkelman(Military officer)
Birthdate: August 17, 1876
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Maastricht, Netherlands
Died: December 27
Birthdate: May 2, 1895
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Mackenzell, Prussia, German Empire
Died: August 13
Wilm Hosenfeld was a German Army officer, best remembered for rescuing many Polish people in Nazi-German occupied Poland. His efforts to help save the life of Jewish composer and pianist Władysław Szpilman were depicted in the 2002 biographical war drama film, The Pianist, in which Hosenfeld was portrayed by actor Thomas Kretschmann.
49
Boardman Robinson(Caricaturist and painter)
Birthdate: September 6, 1876
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Somerset, Canada
Died: September 5
50
Archduke Maximilian Eugen of Austria(Archduke)
Birthdate: April 13, 1895
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: January 19
