Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1937. This list includes people like H. P. Lovecraft, John D. Rockefeller, Jean Harlow, George Gershwin, Jagadish Chandra Bose and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, poets, composers and novelists who died in 1937. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, France & Germany and many more countries.
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Birthdate: July 8, 1839
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Richford, New York, United States
Died: May 23
Widely regarded as the richest person in modern history and the wealthiest American ever, John D. Rockefeller was a business magnate who founded the Standard Oil Company. He was America’s first billionaire. He also defined the structure of modern philanthropy as the foundations created by him had a major effect on scientific research, medicine, and education.
2
H. P. Lovecraft(American Weird-Fiction Writer Known for Creating the Mythopoeia 'Cthulhu Mythos')
Birthdate: August 20, 1890
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Died: March 15
HP Lovecraft was a writer of weird and horror fiction and is known for his creation of Cthulhu Mythos, which has inspired a large body of games and music. His stories focused on his interpretation of humanity's place in the universe. He was virtually unknown during his lifetime, but is now considered a significant 20th-century author of supernatural horror fiction.
3
George Gershwin(Pianist and Composer Best Known for His Orchestral Compositions ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and ‘An American in Paris’)
Birthdate: September 26, 1898
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: July 11
George Gershwin was an American pianist, composer, and painter. His work Porgy and Bess is widely regarded as an American cultural classic and one of the 20th century's most important American operas. Many of his compositions have been used in films and television series. His life and work inspired the 1945 biographical movie, Rhapsody in Blue.
4
Jean Harlow(American Actress Who was the Leading Sex Symbol of the Early 1930s)
Birthdate: March 3, 1911
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Died: June 7
Jean Harlow was an actress and sex symbol. Nicknamed the Platinum Blonde and Blonde Bombshell, Harlow was famous for her femme fatale screen persona. She became one of the biggest Hollywood stars despite being in the industry for not more than nine years. Her life and career inspired several movies, such as Harlow and Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell.
5
Ernest Rutherford(New Zealand Physicist Who is Known as the Father of Nuclear Physics)
Birthdate: August 30, 1871
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Brightwater, New Zealand
Died: October 19
New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford is remembered as the father of nuclear physics. His discovery of radioactive half-life and of radon, and his differentiation of alpha and beta radiation, won him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908. Element 104 was named rutherfordium in his honor.
6
Bessie Smith(One of the Greatest Female Blues Singers of the 1930s)
Birthdate: April 15, 1894
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States
Died: September 26
Bessie Smith was an American singer who gained popularity during the Jazz Age. Dubbed the Empress of the Blues, Smith was one of the most famous blues singers of the 1920s and 1930s. Counted among the greatest singers of her generation, Bessie Smith was a major influence on several other singers. Her life and work inspired the TV film Bessie.
Birthdate: April 25, 1874
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Bologna, Italy
Died: July 20
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian electrical engineer and inventor best remembered for his work on long-distance radio transmission. Marconi, who is credited with inventing the radio, was honored with the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in the field of wireless telegraphy. Also a businessman, Marconi founded the Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company in 1897.
8
Maurice Ravel(One of the Leading Composers of Impressionist Music, Known for His Orchestral Work "Boléro,")
Birthdate: March 7, 1875
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Ciboure, France
Died: December 28
French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel is best known for his orchestral composition Boléro. He rejected the Legion d'honneur and all French awards. He was one the first composers to realize the importance of recording music to gain a wider reach. Most of his music consisted of piano and orchestration.
Birthdate: May 9, 1860
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland
Died: June 19
Sir James Matthew Barrie was a Scottish playwright and novelist. He is credited and remembered for creating the famous fictional character, Peter Pan. In the 1922 New Year Honours, Barrie was made a member of the Order of Merit. Before his death, he gifted the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children with the rights of his Peter Pan works.
Birthdate: January 24, 1862
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York City
Died: August 11
Birthdate: December 12, 1862
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Crosby, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
Died: October 17
J. Bruce Ismay was an English businessman. He served as managing director and chairman of the popular shipping company White Star Line, which operated the ill-fated passenger liner RMS Titanic. In 1912, Ismay was subjected to severe criticism after surviving the sinking of the Titanic. In the 1997 film Titanic, J. Bruce Ismay was played by actor Jonathan Hyde.
Birthdate: November 30, 1858
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Bikrampur, Bengal Presidency, British India (Now Munshiganj District of Bangladesh)
Died: November 23
Indian physicist, biologist, and plant physiologist Jagadish Chandra Bose revolutionized science with his research on how plants and animals react to external stimuli. He founded the Bose Institute, made pioneering contribution to the field of radio and microwave optics, and also penned one of the first works of Bengali science fiction.
Birthdate: April 9, 1865
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Kruszewnia, Poland
Died: December 20
German military leader Erich Ludendorff gained fame with the victories at Liège and Tannenberg during World War I. He promoted the theory that Marxists, Jews, and Freemasons were responsible for Germany’s defeat in the war. He later became a military theorist, writing books such as The Total War.
14
Antonio Gramsci(Italian Philosopher Best Known for His Theory of 'Cultural Hegemony')
Birthdate: January 22, 1891
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Ales, Italy
Died: April 27
Antonio Gramsci was an Italian politician, journalist, philosopher, linguist, and writer. A founding member of the Communist Party of Italy, Gramsci went on to serve as the leader of the party before he was arrested by Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime. Since his death, Antonio Gramsci has been the subject of several plays and films.
Birthdate: October 12, 1866
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Lossiemouth
Died: November 9
16
Alfred Adler(Austrian Psychotherapist and Founder of the School of ‘Individual Psychology’)
Birthdate: February 7, 1870
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, Vienna, Austria
Died: May 28
Alfred Adler was an Austrian psychotherapist and medical doctor. He is credited with founding the school of individual psychology. He was also one of the founders of the psychoanalytic movement along with Sigmund Freud and Freud's colleagues. In 2002, a survey conducted by Review of General Psychology named Adler among the 20th century's most eminent psychologists.
Birthdate: January 1, 1863
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paris
Died: September 2
Pierre de Coubertin was a French historian and educator. Credited with founding the International Olympic Committee, Coubertin is often referred to as the father of the modern Olympic Games. Also an important contributor to the sport of rugby union, Coubertin was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007.
Birthdate: March 24, 1855
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: August 27
The son of wealthy Pittsburgh banker Thomas Mellon, Andrew William Mellon had followed in his father’s footsteps, to be a banker. He had also been the American ambassador to the U.K. and the American secretary of the treasury. He owned companies such as Alcoa, Old Overholt whiskey, and Gulf Oil.
19
Ted Healy(American Vaudeville Performer, Actor and Comedian)
Birthdate: October 1, 1896
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kaufman, Texas, United States
Died: December 21
20
Daniel Daly(Military Leader)
Birthdate: November 11, 1873
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Glen Cove, New York, United States
Died: April 27
21
Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild(British Politician and Zoologist Who Served as a Member of Parliament from Aylesbury)
Birthdate: February 8, 1868
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: England
Died: August 27
Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild was a British soldier, politician, zoologist, and banker. He is best remembered for his service as the president of the largest Jewish communal organization in the UK, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, between 1925 and 1926. Walter Rothschild also made immense contributions to the field of zoology.
22
R. J. Mitchell(British Aircraft Designer Known for Designing the Supermarine Spitfire Fighter Used in WWII)
Birthdate: May 20, 1895
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Butt Lane, Kidsgrove, England
Died: June 11
Aeronautical designer R. J. Mitchell joined Supermarine at age 21 and worked for them throughout his life. Remembered for designing sea planes, he was also the man behind the fighter aircraft Spitfire, which was used extensively during World War II. The film The First of the Few chronicled his life.
23
Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse(Artist)
Birthdate: November 25, 1868
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Darmstadt, Germany
Died: October 9
Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse was the son of Louis IV and Princess Alice and the grandson of Queen Victoria of England. An art lover, he established the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony for artists and craftsmen, and patronized the artists of the art nouveau Jugendstil movement.
Birthdate: April 27, 1896
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Burlington, Iowa, United States
Died: April 29
Wallace Carothers was an American inventor and chemist. He worked for DuPont where he was the leader of organic chemistry. Carothers, who played a major role at the DuPont Experimental Station, is credited with inventing nylon. Despite his success, Carothers was unhappy with his life and committed suicide at the age of 41; he was troubled by bouts of depression.
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Horacio Quiroga(Uruguayan Playwright, Poet and Short Story Writer)
Birthdate: December 31, 1878
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Salto, Uruguay
Died: February 19
Horacio Quiroga was a Uruguayan poet, playwright, and short story writer. He is best remembered for depicting jungles and characters with mental illnesses in his stories. Horacio Quiroga is credited with influencing the works of Gabriel García Márquez and Julio Cortázar.
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Karol Szymanowski(Polish Composer, Pianist and a Member of the Modernist Movement 'Young Poland')
Birthdate: October 6, 1882
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Tymoshivka, Ukraine
Died: March 29
Karol Szymanowski was a Polish pianist and composer best remembered for his opera King Roger, which was composed between 1918 and 1924. An internationally recognized composer, Karol Szymanowski is the recipient of some of the highest national honors such as the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland and the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Birthdate: June 21, 1859
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: May 25
Henry Ossawa Tanner was an American artist best remembered as the first African-American painter to achieve international fame. Widely regarded as the best African American painter of all time, Henry's work was influential during his lifetime. The works of other painters like William Edouard Scott and Norman Rockwell were influenced by Henry Ossawa Tanner's technique.
Birthdate: October 16, 1863
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Birmingham, England
Died: March 16
29
William Gillette(Actor)
Birthdate: July 24, 1863
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Died: April 29
30
Chūya Nakahara(Poet, Writer, Tanka poet, Translator)
Birthdate: April 29, 1907
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Yamaguchi
Died: October 22
Known as one of Japan’s most impactful bohemian romantic poets, Chūya Nakahara was often compared to French symbolist poets for his fine imagery. Also known as the Japanese Rimbaud, he was influenced by Dadaism, too. He tragically died of meningitis at 30, though his legacy of around 350 poems lives on.
31
Carl Emil Pettersson(Sailor)
Birthdate: October 23, 1875
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Died: May 12
Swedish sailor Carl Emil Pettersson, who worked for Neuguinea-Compagnie, was shipwrecked while on a work trip in the Pacific. He was washed ashore and eventually became the ruler of Tabar Island in Papua New Guinea, after marrying the princess of the island. He also owned plantations and unearthed a gold deposit.
32
Rudolf Otto(German Theologian and One of the Most Influential Scholars of Religion in the Early Twentieth Century)
Birthdate: September 25, 1869
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Peine, Germany
Died: March 6
Initially a professor of theology, philosopher Rudolf Otto later contributed to some of the most significant works of theology, such as The Idea of the Holy. He was also a member of the Prussian Parliament and is remembered for his services to Christianity and his idea of numinous.
Birthdate: December 22, 1856
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Potsdam
Died: December 21
34
Jaishankar Prasad(Poet)
Birthdate: January 30, 1889
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Varanasi
Died: January 14
Jaishankar Prasad was an Indian poet and an important figure in modern Hindi theatre and Hindi literature. Along with Mahadevi Verma, Sumitranandan Pant, and Suryakant Tripathi, Prasad is counted among the Four Pillars of Romanticism in Hindi literature.
35
Attila József(One of the Most Famous Hungarian Poets of the 20th Century)
Birthdate: April 11, 1905
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: December 3
One of the greatest 20th-century Hungarian poets, Attila József was a washerwoman’s son and had begun writing poems since age 17 but soared to fame only after his death. He was also a co-founder of the literary journal Szép Szó, or Beautiful Word. He later showed signs of mental illnesses.
36
Joseph Taylor Robinson(Politician)
Birthdate: August 26, 1872
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Lonoke, Arkansas, United States
Died: July 14
37
Hadji Ali(Artist)
Birthdate: 1892 AD
Birthplace: Khedivate of Egypt
Died: November 5
38
Philip Snowden, Viscount Snowden(Politician)
Birthdate: July 18, 1864
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cowling, England
Died: May 15
39
Ivor Gurney(Former Poet, Composer best known for his Five Elizabethan Songs)
Birthdate: August 28, 1890
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Gloucester, United Kingdom
Died: December 26
40
Abd al-Hafid of Morocco(Sultan)
Birthdate: February 24, 1875
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Fès, Morocco
Died: April 4
41
Philip de László(Painter)
Birthdate: April 30, 1869
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: November 22
42
Harry Vardon(Golfer)
Birthdate: May 9, 1870
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands
Died: March 20
Birthdate: July 29, 1878
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Walnut, Illinois
Died: December 29
44
Walter Burley Griffin(Architect, Landscape architect, Urban planner)
Birthdate: November 24, 1876
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Maywood
Died: February 11
American architect Walter Burley Griffin is best known for designing cities such as Canberra, Griffith, and Leeton. His early projects were inspired by the Prairie house style. He is also believed to have developed the concept of the L-shaped floor plan. He died in India, while working on his commissions.
45
Yeghishe Charents(Poet)
Birthdate: March 13, 1897
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Kars, Kars Oblast, Russian Empire
Died: November 27
46
Mrs. Leslie Carter(Actress)
Birthdate: June 10, 1857
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Lexington, Kentucky, United States
Died: November 13
47
Alfred Abel(Actor)
Birthdate: March 12, 1879
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Leipzig, Germany
Died: December 12
48
Bolesław Leśmian(Polish Poet Who Was Among the First to Adapt Symbolism and Expressionism to Polish Verse)
Birthdate: January 22, 1877
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
Died: November 5
One of the pioneers of Symbolism and Expressionism in Polish poetry, lyric poet Bolesław Leśmian also established an artistic theater and co-published an art newspaper. Apart from working as a notary and a lawyer, he published masterpieces such as Łąka, or The Meadow, and Napój cienisty, or Shadowy Drink.
49
Eero Järnefelt(Finnish Painter Known for His Landscapes of the Area Around Koli National Park and His Portraits)
Birthdate: November 8, 1863
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Vyborg, Russia
Died: November 15
One of Finland’s best-known painters, Eero Järnefelt is remembered for his stunning depictions of scenes around the Koli National Park. Apart from his landscapes such as Heinäkuun päivä and Raatajat rahanalaiset, he also painted portraits, such as Poikani. He was also an art professor at the University of Helsinki.
50
Charles Homer Haskins(Historian)
Birthdate: December 21, 1870
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: May 14
