Famous People Who Died in 1939

Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1939. This list includes people like Sigmund Freud, Amelia Earhart, James Naismith, Havelock Ellis, Norman Bethune and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, journalists, poets and playwrights who died in 1939. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, Russia & Austria and many more countries.

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Amelia Earhart

(The First Female Aviator to Fly Solo Across the Atlantic Ocean)

Birthdate: July 24, 1897

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Atchison, Kansas, United States

Died: January 5

Amelia Earhart became the first female pilot to complete a solo trans-Atlantic flight, in 1932. A champion for equal rights, Amelia later wrote best-selling memoirs and contributed to the women pilot’s group The Ninety-Nines. In 1937, Amelia disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean and was later declared dead.

Birthdate: May 6, 1856

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Příbor, Czechia

Died: September 23

Regarded as the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud was a neurologist. Despite suffering criticism, psychoanalysis remains influential in the fields of psychology and psychiatry; such is the influence Freud has on humanities. Scholars believe that Freud is one of the most influential personalities of the 20th century and that his impact is comparable to that of Marxism and Darwinism.

W B Yeats

(One of the Greatest English-Language Poets of the 20th Century and 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature Winner)

Birthdate: June 13, 1865

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Sandymount, Ireland

Died: January 28

Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet, playwright, and prose writer W. B. Yeats is remembered as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century. Known for works such as The Tower, he also helped establish the Abbey Theatre. An occult enthusiast, he was also part of The Ghost Club.

Birthdate: November 6, 1861

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Almonte, Mississippi Mills, Canada

Died: November 28

Canadian-American physician and coach James Naismith is considered as the inventor of basketball. He authored the first basksetball rule book and established the University of Kansas basketball team. He served as the Kansas Jayhawks athletic director and coach, and trained legends such as Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith.

Birthdate: May 9, 1874

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Kensington, London, England

Died: March 2

Ma Rainey

(Street artist, Musician)

Birthdate: April 26, 1886

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Columbus, Georgia, United States

Died: December 22

Douglas Fairbanks

(Actor)

Birthdate: May 23, 1883

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Denver, Colorado, United States

Died: December 12

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Alphonse Mucha

(Painter)

Birthdate: July 24, 1860

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Ivancice, Czechia

Died: July 14

Birthdate: February 18, 1862

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: October 18

Zane Grey

(Novelist)

Birthdate: January 31, 1872

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Zanesville, Ohio, USA

Died: October 23

Birthdate: March 4, 1890

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Gravenhurst, Canada

Died: November 12

Canadian thoracic surgeon Norman Bethune served as an army physician for the Canadian Army during World War I. He revolutionized medical science by introducing the concept of mobile blood-transfusion. A Communist Party of Canada member, he later served the Chinese army against Japan, becoming a revered name in China.

Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya

(Deputy Minister of Education in the Government of the Soviet Union 1929 – 1938)

Birthdate: February 26, 1869

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Died: February 27

Harvey Cushing

(American Neurosurgeon, Pathologist, Writer and the First Person to Describe Cushing’s Disease)

Birthdate: April 8, 1869

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Died: October 7

Anthony Fokker

(Aviation Entrepreneur & Aircraft Designer Who Pproduced Fighter Aircraft in Germany During WW I)

Birthdate: April 6, 1890

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Blitar, Indonesia

Died: December 23

Though a high-school drop-out, Dutch aviation designer and entrepreneur Anthony Fokker showed his interest in mechanics quite early. He designed over 40 types of fighter aircrafts for the Germans during World War I. The aircraft that completed the first nonstop flight across the U.S. was also made by him.

Carl Laemmle

(Filmmaker)

Birthdate: January 17, 1867

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Laupheim, Germany

Died: September 24

Chick Webb

(Musician)

Birthdate: February 10, 1905

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

Died: June 16

Height: 4'1" (124 cm)

Hans Langsdorff

(Soldier)

Birthdate: March 20, 1894

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Bergen auf Rügen

Died: December 19

Hans Langsdorff was a German naval officer best remembered for commanding the Admiral Graf Spee, a heavily armed cruiser, which was nicknamedpocket battleship by the British. The legendary ship played a key role in the Spanish Civil War where it conducted five non-intervention patrols.

Ford Madox Ford

(British Writer Known for His Novels: 'The Good Soldier', 'Parade’s End' Tetralogy and 'The Fifth Queen' Trilogy)

Birthdate: December 17, 1873

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Merton, Surrey, England

Died: June 26

Best remembered for his novel The Good Soldier, author Ford Madox Ford was the grandson of Pre-Raphaelite painter Ford Madox Brown. He had been part of World War I. He spent his final years in France and the US, mostly authoring criticism. The tetralogy Parade's End remains one of his best-known works.

Birthdate: June 29, 1861

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Le Sueur

Died: July 28

Physician and surgeon William James Mayo is best-known as a principal co-founder of the non-profit American academic medical center Mayo Clinic. Son of British-American medical-doctor and chemist William Worrall Mayo, William James and his brother, Charles Horace Mayo, joined the sole-proprietorship medical practice of their father, which developed under them and other doctors intothe Mayo Clinic.

Otto Rank

(Psychologist)

Birthdate: April 22, 1884

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Vienna

Died: October 31

Otto Rank was an Austrian psychoanalyst and philosopher. A close colleague of Sigmund Freud, Rank was also the managing director of Freud's publishing house. Rank was a prolific writer and wrote extensively on psychoanalytic themes. He was the first person who viewed therapy as a learning and unlearning experience focusing on feelings. Psychologist Rollo May was deeply influenced by Rank.

Birthdate: July 19, 1865

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Rochester

Died: May 26

Part of the Mayo medical family of the U.S., Charles Horace Mayo had established the Mayo Clinic with his brother William James Mayo and others. He specialized in varied medical fields, mastering neurosurgery, goitre surgery, cataract operations, and other procedures. He later served the U.S. Army surgical team.

Alice Brady

(Actress)

Birthdate: November 2, 1892

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Died: October 28

Eugen Bleuler

(Psychiatrist, Physician, University teacher)

Birthdate: April 30, 1857

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Zollikon

Died: July 15

One of the most prolific psychiatrists of his time, Eugen Bleuler is known as the man who introduced the term schizophrenia. He also introduced autism and ambivalence as 2 concepts required for the study of schizophrenia. His Textbook of Psychiatry became a staple in classes of psychiatry

Charles R. Walgreen

(American Businessman and Founder of 'Walgreens')

Birthdate: October 9, 1873

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Dixon, Illinois, United States

Died: December 11

Charles R. Walgreen was an American businessman best remembered for founding Walgreens, which operates America's second-largest pharmacy store chain. Charles R. Walgreen is one of the most important members of the Labor Hall of Fame.

Ernst Toller

(German Author, Playwright, Left-Wing Politician and Revolutionary Known for His Expressionist Plays)

Birthdate: December 1, 1893

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Szamocin, Poland

Died: May 22

German playwright and author Ernst Toller is best remembered for his Expressionist plays and his Marxism. Though he served the German Army initially, he suffered a physical breakdown soon and quit, propagating peace instead. His best-known play, Man and the Masses, was written in prison.

Arthur Rackham

(Former Illustrator best-known works include the illustrations for Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm)

Birthdate: September 19, 1867

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Vauxhall, London, England, United Kingdom

Died: September 6

Polaire

(Singer)

Birthdate: May 14, 1874

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Algiers, Algiers, Algeria

Died: October 11

Height: 5'3" (160 cm)

Richard Halliburton

(Author)

Birthdate: January 9, 1900

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Brownsville, Tennessee, United States

Died: March 24

Benjamin Tucker

(Journalist, Philosopher, Economist, Translator, Anarchist)

Birthdate: April 17, 1854

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Dartmouth

Died: June 22

Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz

(Writer & Painter Active Before World War I & During Interwar Period)

Birthdate: February 24, 1885

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland

Died: September 18

Polish author, painter, and dramatist Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz of the Awangarda Krakowska movement was part of the Australian expedition of anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski, as an artist. He had also worked in the Russian Army. He committed suicide at the onset of World War II, though many believe he had faked his own death.

Joseph Force Crater

(American Lawyer and Judge)

Birthdate: January 5, 1889

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Easton, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: June 6

Armand Călinescu

(39th Prime Minister of Romania Who was Assassinated by ‘Iron Guard’ Members with ‘Nazi’ Support)

Birthdate: June 4, 1893

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Piteşti, Romania

Died: September 21

Romanian economist and politician Armand Călinescu served as Minister of Interior and Deputy Prime Minister before becoming Prime Minister of Romania. He was believed to be very close to King Carol II and possibly the real-power behind the throne during the King’s royal-dictatorship. Călinescu detested Iron Guard and anti-Semitism and was eventually assassinated by Iron Guard members with Nazi support.

Lois Weber

(Actress)

Birthdate: June 13, 1879

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Died: November 13

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Philipp Scheidemann

(Politician)

Birthdate: July 26, 1865

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Kassel

Died: November 29

Social Democratic Party of Germany member Philipp Scheidemann was the man who declared the formation of the Weimar Republic and also served as its chancellor. Born into a working-class family, he initially apprenticed as a printer. The rise of the Nazi power caused him to move to Denmark later.

Kyōka Izumi

(Japanese Author of Novels, Short Stories, and Kabuki Plays Who Was Active During the Prewar Period)

Birthdate: November 4, 1873

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

Died: September 7

Often considered an eccentric and superstitious writer, Kyōka Izumi chiefly wrote on fantasy, producing numerous novels, short stories and haiku plays in the backdrop of distinctive and yet supernatural world, using fantasy to criticize many social norms and practices. Initially trained by Ozaki Kōyō, Izumi has produced several masterpieces, including The Holy Man of Mount Kōya and Worship at Yushima.

Birthdate: May 31, 1857

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Desio, Italy

Died: February 10

A man who believed in the motto “The peace of Christ in the kingdom of Christ,” Pope Pius XI was also an avid scholar. His reign witnessed the rise of Benito Mussolini and the signing of the Lateran Treaty, which recognized Vatican City as an independent nation state.

John R. Lynch

(American Writer, Attorney and Military Officer)

Birthdate: September 10, 1847

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Vidalia, Louisiana, United States

Died: November 2

Pierce Butler

(Jurist)

Birthdate: March 17, 1866

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Dakota County, Minnesota, United States

Died: November 16

Ambroise Vollard

(Art Dealer)

Birthdate: July 3, 1866

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Saint-Denis, Réunion

Died: July 22

Zinaida Yusupova

(Lady in waiting)

Birthdate: September 2, 1861

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Died: November 24

Sidney Howard

(Playwright)

Birthdate: June 26, 1891

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States

Died: August 23

Heywood Campbell Broun

(Journalist)

Birthdate: December 7, 1888

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Died: December 18

Kelly Miller

(American mathematician)

Birthdate: July 18, 1863

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Winnsboro, South Carolina, United States

Died: December 29

Johann Strauss III

(Composer)

Birthdate: February 16, 1866

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: January 9

Fay Templeton

(Singer and actress)

Birthdate: December 25, 1865

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

Died: October 3

Gwen John

(Painter, Visual artist, Model)

Birthdate: June 22, 1876

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Haverfordwest

Died: September 18

Margaret Floy Washburn

(American Psychologist)

Birthdate: July 25, 1871

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: New York, United States

Died: October 29

Yevgeny Miller

(Politician, Military officer)

Birthdate: September 25, 1867

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Daugavpils, Latvia

Died: May 11

U Ottama

(Theravada Buddhist Monk, Author, and Freedom Fighter)

Birthdate: December 28, 1879

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Sittwe, Myanmar (Burma)

Died: September 9

U Ottama was a Theravada Buddhist author and monk. He is best remembered for leading the independence movement in Burma during British colonial rule. U Ottama kept fighting for the freedom of his country despite being imprisoned on a number of occasions for his anti-colonialist political activities.

Owen Moore

(Film actor)

Birthdate: December 12, 1884

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Fordstown Crossroads, County Meath, Ireland

Died: June 9