Events
Below, the events ofJanuary
*February
* The Zadran tribe rises up against the Afghan government, starting the Afghan tribal revolts of 1944–1947. *March
* March – Austrian-born economist Friedrich Hayek publishes his book '' The Road to Serfdom'' in London. * March 1 – WWII: American submarine torpedoes Japanese merchant cruiser ; 2,495 drown. * March 2 – TheApril
*April 2 – WWII: Ascq massacre: Members of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, 12th SS Panzer Division ''Hitlerjugend'' shoot 85 civilians suspected of blowing up their train on its approach to the Gare d'Ascq in France. *April 4 WWII: **Allied bombardment of Bucharest, Romania begins. The United States Air Force and British Royal Air Force, with approximately 3,640 bombers of different types, accompanied by about 1,830 fighters bomb Romania for the following 4½ months. As collateral damage, 5,524 inhabitants are killed, 3,373 injured, and 47,974 left homeless. **An Allied Aerial reconnaissance, photoreconnaissance aircraft of 60 Squadron SAAF photographs part of Auschwitz concentration camp. *April 10 – The Holocaust: Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler escape from Auschwitz concentration camp; on April 25–27 they prepare the Vrba–Wetzler report, one of the earliest and most detailed descriptions of the extermination of Jews in the camp. *April 14 – Bombay Explosion (1944), Bombay Explosion: Freighter SS ''Fort Stikine'', carrying a mixed cargo of ammunition, cotton bales and gold, explodes in harbour at Bombay (India), sinking surrounding ships and killing around 800 people. *April 15 – Italian fascist philosopher Giovanni Gentile is assassinated in Florence by :it:Bruno Fanciullacci, Bruno Fanciullacci, a member of the partisan Gruppi di Azione Patriottica. *April 16 – WWII: Allied forces start bombing Belgrade, killing about 1,100 people. This bombing falls on the Orthodox Christian Easter. *April 19 – WWII: ** The Japanese launch the Operation Ichi-Go offensive in central and south China. ** :fr:Semaine rouge (Rouen), Semaine rouge: American and British planes bomb the city of Rouen. *April 25 ** The Holocaust: SS-''Obersturmbannführer'' Adolf Eichmann opens "blood for goods" negotiations with Joel Brand, to offer the release of thousands of Jews from eastern Europe to the Hungarian Aid and Rescue Committee, in exchange for supplies for the German Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front. ** The United Negro College Fund is incorporated in the United States. *April 26 – WWII: **Kidnap of General Kreipe, German General Kreipe is kidnapped on Crete, Greece. ** American submarine torpedoes Japanese cargo carrier ; 2,649 drown. *April 28 – WWII: Allied convoy T4, forming part of amphibious Exercise Tiger (a full-scale rehearsal for the Normandy landings) in Start Bay, off the Devon coast of England, is attacked by E-boats, resulting in the deaths of 749 American servicemen from Landing Ship, Tank, LSTs.May
* May – Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialism, existentialist drama ''No Exit'' (''Huis Clos'') premières in Nazi-occupied Paris. * May 1 – WWII: Two hundred Communist prisoners Kaisariani executions, are shot by the Germans at Kaisariani, Athens, Greece, in reprisal for the killing of General Franz Krech by Partisans at Molaoi. * May 5 – WWII: Mohandas Gandhi is released from jail in India, on health grounds. * May 9 – WWII: In the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol, Soviet troops completely drive out German forces, who had been ordered by Hitler to “fight to the last man.”"Year by Year 1944" – History Channel International * May 12 – WWII: Soviet troops finalize the liberation of the Crimea. * May 14 – The Holocaust: Predominantly Muslim Albanian troops of the 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian), 21st ''Waffen'' Mountain Division of the SS ''Skanderbeg'' (1st Albanian) round up 281 Jews in Pristina, and hand them over to the Germans for transportation to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. * May 15–July 8 – The Holocaust: Hungarian Jews are deported toJune
* June 1 – Two K-class blimps of the United States Navy complete the first transatlantic crossing by Blimp, non-rigid airships, from the U.S. to French Morocco, with two stops. * June 2 – WWII: The Provisional Government of the French Republic is established. * June 3 – Hans Asperger publishes his paper on Asperger syndrome. * June 4 – WWII: ** Rome falls to theJuly
* July–October – WWII: Germans are driven out of Lithuania leading to reimposition of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. * July 1 – The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference begins at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States. * July 3 – WWII: ** Soviet troops liberate Minsk. ** Battle of Imphal: Japanese forces call off their advance, ending the battle with a British victory. * July 6 – WWII: At Camp Hood, Texas, future baseball star and 1st Lt. Jackie Robinson is arrested and later court-martialed, for refusing to move to the back of a segregated U.S. Army bus (he is eventually acquitted). * July 9 – WWII: British and Canadian forces capture Caen. * July 10–July 11, 11 – WWII: Operation Jupiter (1944), Operation Jupiter during the Battle of Normandy of World War II: British strategic victory over German Panzer Corps. * July 10 – WWII: Soviet troops begin operations to liberate the Baltic states, Baltic countries from Nazi occupation. * July 12–July 21, 21 – WWII: Dortan massacre – 35–36 French civilians are killed by ''Ostlegionen'' (Cossacks) serving with the ''Wehrmacht''. * July 13 – WWII: Vilnius is freed by Soviet forces. * July 16 – WWII: The first contingent of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force arrives in Italy. * July 17 – WWII: ** The largest convoy of the war embarks from Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, under Royal Canadian Navy protection. ** Port Chicago disaster: The SS ''E. A. Bryan'', loaded with ammunition, explodes at the Port Chicago, California, Naval Magazine, killing 320 sailors and civilian personnel. * July 18 – WWII: ** American forces push back the Germans in Saint-Lô, capturing the city. ** British forces launch Operation Goodwood, an armoured offensive aimed at driving the Germans from the high ground to the south of Caen. The offensive ends 2 days later with minimal gains. ** Hideki Tōjō resigns as Prime Minister of Japan due to numerous setbacks in the war effort and is succeeded on July 22 by Kuniaki Koiso. * July 20 ** WWII: Adolf Hitler survives the 20 July plot to assassinate him led by Claus von Stauffenberg; he and his fellow conspirators in this and Operation Valkyrie are executed the following day. ** The annular solar eclipse of July 20, 1944 is visible in Africa, Indian Ocean, Asia, Pacific Ocean and Australia, and is the 35th solar eclipse of Solar Saros 135. * July 21 – WWII: ** Battle of Guam (1944), Battle of Guam: American troops land on Guam (the battle ends August 10). ** The Soviet-sponsored Polish Committee of National Liberation is created, in opposition to the Polish government-in-exile. * July 22 **The Bretton Woods Conference ends with agreements signed to set up the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and International Monetary Fund. **The new Polish Committee of National Liberation publishes the PKWN Manifesto in Chełm, calling for a continuation of fighting against Nazi Germany, radical reforms including nationalisation of industry, and a "decent border in the West" (the Oder–Neisse line). **''United States v. Masaaki Kuwabara'', the only Japanese American draft avoidance case to be dismissed on a due process violation of the U.S. Constitution. * July 24 – The Holocaust: Majdanek concentration camp is liberated by the Soviet Red Army and much incriminating evidence of the atrocities committed there is found. * July 25 – WWII: **Operation Spring: One of the bloodiest days for Canadian forces during the war results in 1,550 casualties, including 450 killed, during the Operation Overlord, Normandy Campaign. **Battle of Tannenberg Line (or "Battle of the Blue Hills") in northeastern Estonia begins: The Red Army will gain a Pyrrhic victory by August 10. * July 26 – WWII: A Messerschmitt Me 262 becomes the first Jet aircraft, jet fighter aircraft to have an operational victory. * July 31 – WWII: American submarine torpedoes Japanese troop transport ''Yoshino Maru''; 2,495 drown.August
* August 1 – WWII: The Warsaw Uprising begins. * August 2 – WWII: ** Single-party period of the Republic of Turkey#World War II, Turkey ends diplomatic and economic relations with Germany. ** The First Assembly of ASNOM (the Anti-Fascist Assembly for the People's Liberation of Independent Macedonia (1944), Macedonia) is held in the Prohor Pčinjski Monastery, Prohor Pčinjski monastery. * August 3 – The Education Act 1944, Education Act in the United Kingdom, promoted by Rab Butler, creates a Tripartite System, Tripartite system of education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. * August 4 – WWII: ** The Holocaust: A tip from a Netherlands, Dutch informer leads the Gestapo to a sealed-off area in an Amsterdam warehouse, where they find Jewish diarist Anne Frank, her family, and others in hiding. All will die in captivity, except for Otto Frank, Anne's father. ** The Parliament of Finland, Finnish Parliament, by derogation, elects Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, C. G. E. Mannerheim as President of Finland to replace Risto Ryti, who has resigned. * August 5 – WWII: ** The Warsaw Uprising: *** The Wola massacre begins. Between now and August 12, 40,000 to 50,000 Polish civilians will be indiscriminately massacred by occupying SS troops. *** The Holocaust: Polish insurgents liberate a German labor camp in Warsaw, freeing 348 Jewish prisoners. ** Cowra breakout: Over 500 Japanese prisoners of war attempt a mass breakout from the Cowra camp in Australia. In the ensuing manhunt, 231 Japanese escapees and four Australian soldiers are killed. * August 7 – IBM dedicates the first program-controlled calculator, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (known best as the Harvard Mark I). * August 9 – The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release the first posters featuring Smokey Bear. * August 12 – WWII: ** The Allies capture History of Florence#20th century, Florence, Italy. ** Operation Pluto: The world's first undersea oil pipeline is laid between England and France. * August 15 – WWII: Operation Dragoon lands Allies in southern France. The U.S. 45th Infantry Division participates in its fourth assault landing at Sainte-Maxime, spearheading the drive for the Belfort Gap. * August 18 – WWII: American submarine sinks ''Teia Maru'', ''Eishin Maru'', ''Teiyu Maru'', and aircraft carrier from Japanese convoy HI71, in one of the most effective American "Wolfpack (naval tactic), wolfpack" attacks of the war. * August 19 – WWII: ** American submarine torpedoes Japanese landing craft depot ship ; more than 4,400 Japanese servicemen drown. ** Liberation of Paris starts with resistance forces staging an insurrection against the German occupiers. * August 20 – WWII: ** American forces successfully defeat Nazi forces at Chambois, Orne, Chambois, closing the Falaise Pocket. ** 168 captured Allied airmen, including Phil Lamason, accused of being "terror fliers" by the Gestapo, arrive at Buchenwald concentration camp, where they form the KLB Club. * August 21 ** The Dumbarton Oaks Conference (Washington Conversations on International Peace and Security Organization) opens in Washington, D.C.: U.S., British, Chinese, French and Soviet representatives meet to plan the foundation of the United Nations. ** WWII: Operation Tractable concludes, when Canadian troops relieve the Polish and link with the Americans, capturing remaining German forces in the Falaise Pocket, and securing the strategically important French town of Falaise, Calvados, Falaise, in the final offensive of the Battle of Normandy. * August 22 – WWII: ** , an unmarked Japanese passenger/cargo ship, is sunk by torpedoes launched by the submarine off Akuseki-jima, killing 1,484 civilians, including 767 schoolchildren. ** Holocaust of Kedros: German ''Wehrmacht'' infantry begin an intimidatory razing operation, killing 164, against the civilian residents of nine villages in the Amari Valley on the occupied Greek island of Crete. * August 23 – WWII: ** King Michael's Coup: Ion Antonescu, the Conducator of Romania and Mihai Antonescu prime minister of Romania, are arrested and a new military government established. Romania leaves the war against theSeptember
* September – The Dutch famine of 1944, Dutch famine ("Hongerwinter") begins, in the occupied northern part of the Netherlands. * September 1 – WWII: In Bulgaria, the Ivan Ivanov Bagryanov, Bagryanov government resigns. * September 2 ** The Holocaust: Diarist Anne Frank and her family are placed on the last transport train from Westerbork to Auschwitz concentration camp, arriving 3 days later. ** ''¡Hola!'' magazine is launched in Barcelona. ** The last execution of a Finn in Finland will take place when soldier Olavi Laiho is executed by shooting in Oulu. * September 3 – WWII: The Allies liberate Brussels. * September 4 – WWII: ** The British 11th Armoured Division (United Kingdom), 11th Armoured Division liberates the city of Antwerp, Belgium. ** Finland breaks off relations with Germany. * September 5 ** WWII: The Soviet Union declares war on Bulgaria. ** Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg constitute Benelux. * September 6 – WWII: The Tartu Offensive in Estonia concludes, with Soviet forces capturing Tartu. * September 7 – WWII: ** The Belgian government in exile returns to Brussels from London. ** Members of Vichy France's collaborationist government are relocated to Germany where an enclave is established for them in Sigmaringen Castle. ** Shin'yō Maru incident, ''Shin'yō Maru'' incident: Japanese cargo ship is torpedoed and sunk in the Sulu Sea by American submarine USS Paddle (SS-263), USS ''Paddle'' while carrying 750 American prisoners of war; 688 perish. * September 8 – WWII: ** The first V-2 rocket attack on London takes place. ** The French town of Menton is liberated from German forces. ** Bulgaria declares war on Germany. * September 9 – WWII: The Bulgarian government is 1944 Bulgarian coup d'état, overthrown by the Fatherland Front (Bulgaria), Fatherland Front coalition, which establishes a pro-Soviet government. * September 10 – WWII: Liberation of Luxembourg. * September 11 – WWII: ** The Laksevåg floating dry dock at Bergen (Norway) is sunk by British X-class submarine ''X-24''. ** An approaching formation of 36 US bombers is engaged by a German fighter squadron (''Jagdgeschwader'') in the Battle over the Ore Mountains. After the first German attack on the bombers, US ''North American P-51, Mustangs'' attack the German squadron in aerial dogfights. * September 12 – WWII: Allied forces from Operation Overlord (in northern France) and Operation Dragoon (in the south) link up near Dijon. * September 13 – WWII: The Battle of Meligalas begins, between the Greek Resistance forces of the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) and the Hellenic State (1941–1944), collaborationist Security Battalions. * September 14 – 1944 Great Atlantic hurricane, The Great Atlantic hurricane makes landfall in the New York City area. * September 15 – WWII: The Battle of Peleliu begins in the Pacific. * September 17 – WWII: Operation Market Garden: Allied airborne landings begin in the Netherlands and Germany. * September 17–September 20, 20 – WWII: Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign – In the Battle of San Marino, British and Empire forces take the occupied neutral republic of San Marino from the German Army. * September 18 – WWII: ** British submarine torpedoes Japanese "hell ship" ; 5,620 drown. ** After German forces declare the evacuation of Estonia the day before, the Estonian national government Estonia in World War II#Attempt to restore independence, briefly resumes control of Tallinn before the Soviet advance. * September 19 – WWII: ** An armistice between Finland and the Soviet Union is signed, ending the Continuation War. ** The Battle of Hürtgen Forest begins, east of the Belgian–German border. * September 22 – WWII: The Red Army captures Tallinn, Estonia. Prime Minister in Duties of the President of Estonia Jüri Uluots and 80,000 Estonian civilians manage to escape to Sweden and Germany. The evacuees include almost the entire population of Estonian Swedes. Soviet bombing raids on the evacuating ships sink several, with thousands on board. * September 24 – WWII: The U.S. 45th Infantry Division takes the strongly defended city of Épinal in France before crossing the Moselle River and entering the western foothills of the Vosges. * September 26 – WWII: ** Operation Market Garden ends in an Allied withdrawal. ** On the Gothic Line#Central Front (5th Army), middle front of the Gothic Line#Battle, Gothic Line, Brazilian troops control the Serchio valley region after 10 days of fighting.October
* October 2 – WWII: Nazi troops end the Warsaw Uprising. This is followed by the Destruction of Warsaw. * October 4 – WWII: Milan Nedić's Collaborationism, collaborationist puppet government of the Axis powers, the Government of National Salvation in Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, Nazi-occupied Serbia, is disbanded. * October 5 – WWII: Royal Canadian Air Force pilots shoot down the first German Messerschmitt Me 262, Me 262 over the Netherlands. * October 6 ** WWII: The Battle of Debrecen starts on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front, lasting until October 29. ** Milan Nedić, president of the Serbian Collaborationism, collaborationist puppet state of the Axis powers, the Government of National Salvation, flees from Belgrade in Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, Nazi-occupied Serbia by air together with other Serbian collaborators and German officials, via Hungary to Austria. ** The Holocaust: Members of the Sonderkommando (Jewish work units) in Auschwitz concentration camp stage a revolt, killing 3 Schutzstaffel, SS men before being massacred themselves. ** The Dumbarton Oaks Conference concludes. * October 8 – ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' radio show debuts in the United States. * October 9 – WWII: Fourth Moscow Conference (1944), Moscow Conference: British Prime MinisterNovember
* November 1–December 7 – Delegates of 52 nations meet at the International Civil Aviation Conference in Chicago, to plan for postwar international cooperation, framing the constitution of the International Civil Aviation Organization. * November 3 – WWII: Two supreme commanders of the Slovak National Uprising, Generals Ján Golian and Rudolf Viest, are captured, tortured and later executed by German forces. * November 7 ** 1944 United States presidential election:December
* December 1 – Edward Stettinius, Jr. becomes the last United States Secretary of State of the Franklin D. Roosevelt, Roosevelt administration, filling the seat left by Cordell Hull. * December 3 – WWII: ** Dekemvriana, Fighting breaks out between KKE, Communists and royalists in newly liberated Greece, eventually leading to a full-scale Greek Civil War. ** The Home Guard (United Kingdom) is stood down. * December 7 ** The Convention on International Civil Aviation is signed in Chicago, creating the International Civil Aviation Organization. ** The Arab Women's Congress of 1944 is hosted by the Egyptian Feminist Union in Cairo, leading to establishment of the Arab Feminist Union. ** 1944 Tōnankai earthquake, An earthquake along the coast of Wakayama Prefecture in Japan causes a tsunami which kills 1223 people. * December 10 – Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini leads a concert performance of the first half of Beethoven's ''Fidelio'' (minus its spoken dialogue) on NBC Radio, starring Rose Bampton. He chooses this opera for its political message: a statement against tyranny and dictatorship. Presenting it in German, Toscanini intends it as a tribute to the German people who are being oppressed by Hitler. The second half is broadcast a week later. The performance is later released on LP and CD, the first of 7 operas that Toscanini conducts on radio. * December 12–December 13, 13 – WWII: British units attempt to take the Italian hilltop town of Tossignano, but are repulsed. * December 13 – WWII: Battle of Mindoro – United States, Australian and Philippine Commonwealth troops land on Mindoro Island in the Philippines. * December 14 ** The Soviet government changes Turkish place names to Russian in the Crimean Peninsula, Crimea. ** The film ''National Velvet (film), National Velvet'' is released in the United States, bringing a young Elizabeth Taylor to stardom. * December 15 – A USAAF utility aircraft carrying bandleader Major Glenn Miller disappears in heavy fog over the English Channel, while flying to Paris. * December 16 – WWII: ** Germany begins the Ardennes offensive, later known as the Battle of the Bulge. ** General George C. Marshall becomes the first General of the Army (United States), U.S. Five-Star General. * December 17 – WWII: ** Malmedy massacre: German SS troops under Joachim Peiper machine gun American prisoners of war captured during the Battle of the Bulge near Malmedy, and elsewhere in Belgium. ** Bombing of Ulm in World War II, Bombing of Ulm: 707 people are killed and 25,000 left homeless. * December 18 – General Douglas MacArthur becomes the second General of the Army (United States), U.S. Five-Star General. * December 19 – The daily newspaper ''Le Monde'' begins publication in Paris. * December 20 ** The United States Women Airforce Service Pilots are disbanded. ** General Dwight D. Eisenhower is promoted to the rank of 5-star General of the Army (United States), U.S. Five-Star General. * December 22 ** WWII: Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe, commander of the U.S. forces defending Bastogne, refuses to accept demands for surrender by sending a one-word reply, "Nuts!", to the German command. ** The Vietnam People's Army is formed in French Indochina. * December 24 ** WWII: Troopship is sunk in the English Channel by . Approximately 763 soldiers of the 66th Infantry Division (United States), U.S. 66th Infantry Division, bound for the Battle of the Bulge, drown. ** WWII: German tanks reach the furthest point of the Bulge at Celles, Houyet, Celles. ** WWII: Fifty German V-1 flying bombs, air-launched from Heinkel He 111 bombers flying over the North Sea, target Manchester in England, killing 42 and injuring more than 100 in the Oldham area. ** WWII: List of massacres in Belgium, Bande massacre: 34 men between the ages of 17 and 32 are executed by the Sicherheitsdienst near Bande, Belgium, in retaliation for the killing of 3 German soldiers. ** The first complete U.S. production of Tchaikovsky's ballet ''The Nutcracker'' is presented in San Francisco, choreographed by Willam Christensen. It will become an annual tradition there, and for the next ten years, the San Francisco Ballet will be the only company in the United States performing the complete work. * December 24–26 – Agana race riot in Guam between white and black United States Marines. * December 26 ** WWII: American troops repulse German forces at Bastogne. ** The original stage version of ''The Glass Menagerie'' by Tennessee Williams premieres in Chicago. ** Esztergom, Hungary, is captured by the Russians. * December 30 ** King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving his throne vacant. ** ''Stage Door Cartoon'' is the first cartoon produced by Eddie Selzer. * December 31 – WWII: Battle of Leyte – Tens of thousands of Imperial Japanese Army soldiers are killed in action, in a significant Filipino/Allied military victory.Date unknown
* The 1944 Summer Olympics, scheduled for London (together with the 1944 Winter Olympics, February Winter Olympics scheduled for Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy), are suspended due to WWII. * National Committee for Education on Alcoholism, predecessor of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, is established in the United States by Marty Mann. * Last known evidence of the existence of the Asiatic lion in the wild in Khuzestan Province, Persia. * The BC Žalgiris professional basketball club is founded in Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic.Births
January
* January 1 ** Omar al-Bashir, 7th President of Sudan ** Mohammad Abdul Hamid, President of Bangladesh ** Jumabek Ibraimov, 5th Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan (d. 1999) ** Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani politician, 15th Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 2020) ** Robert Lee Minor, American actor, stunt performer *February
*March
* March 1 ** John Breaux, American politician ** Roger Daltrey, English singer-songwriter (The Who), actor * March 2 ** Uschi Glas, German actress ** Leif Segerstam, Finnish conductor and composer * March 3 – Odessa Cleveland, American actress (''M*A*S*H'') * March 4 ** Harvey Postlethwaite, English engineer and race car designer (d. 1999) ** Bobby Womack, African-American singer and songwriter (d. 2014) * March 5 – Peter Brandes, Danish artist * March 6 ** Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, New Zealand soprano ** Mary Wilson (singer), Mary Wilson, African-American singer (The Supremes) (d. 2021) * March 7 ** Michael Rosbash, American geneticist and chronobiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ** Townes Van Zandt, American country singer (d. 1997) * March 8 – Buzz Hargrove, Canadian labour leader * March 11 ** Graham Lyle, Grammy-winning Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for writing several international hits for Tina Turner ** Don Maclean, English comedian and broadcaster * March 15 ** Emmerich Danzer, Austrian figure skater ** Ralph MacDonald, American percussionist, songwriter (d. 2011) * March 17 ** Pattie Boyd, English model and first wife of George Harrison and Eric Clapton ** John Sebastian, American singer-songwriter (The Lovin' Spoonful) * March 18 – Dick Smith (entrepreneur), Dick Smith, Australian entrepreneur * March 19 ** Said Musa, Prime Minister of Belize ** Sirhan Sirhan, Palestinian assassin of Robert F. Kennedy * March 20 – Erwin Neher, German biophysicist * March 21 – Hilary Minster, English actor (d. 1999) * March 23 – Ric Ocasek, American singer-songwriter and record producer (''The Cars'') (d. 2019) * March 24 – R. Lee Ermey, American actor and Marine drill instructor (d. 2018) * March 26 – Diana Ross, African-American actress and singer * March 27 – Ann Sidney, Miss World * March 28 ** Rick Barry, American basketball player ** Ken Howard, American actor (d. 2016) * March 29 ** Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana ** Denny McLain, American baseball playerApril
* April 3 ** Grover Furr, American historical negationist and professor of English literature ** Tony Orlando, American pop singer-songwriter, producer and actor * April 4 ** Faisal bin Musaid, assassin and nephew of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia (d. 1975) ** Magda Aelvoet, Belgian politician ** Craig T. Nelson, American actor * April 5 – Peter T. King, American politician * April 6 ** Judith McConnell, American actress ** Anita Pallenberg, Italian-born model and actress (d. 2017) ** Dame Felicity Palmer, English soprano **Charles Sobhraj, French-Indian serial killer * April 7 ** Shel Bachrach, American insurance broker, investor, businessman and philanthropist ** Warner Fusselle, American sportscaster (d. 2012) ** Makoto Kobayashi (physicist), Makoto Kobayashi, Japanese physicist ** Oshik Levi, Israeli singer and actor ** Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic), Chancellor of Germany * April 8 ** Burny Bos, Dutch producer, scenarist and children's book writer. ** Odd Nerdrum, Norwegian painter ** Jimmy Walker (basketball, born 1944), Jimmy Walker, American professional basketball player (d. 2007) * April 10 – Abubakar Habu Hashidu, Nigerian politician (d. 2018) * April 11 – John Milius, American film director, producer and screenwriter * April 13 – Jack Casady, American rock musician (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) * April 14 – Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Vietnamese politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of Vietnam, President * April 15 – Kunishige Kamamoto, Japanese footballer, manager and politician * April 18 ** Isao Shibata, Japanese baseball player ** Charlie Tuna, American disc jockey and game show announcer (d. 2016) * April 19 ** Bernie Worrell, American keyboardist, composer (Parliament-Funkadelic) (d. 2016) ** James Heckman, American economist, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate * April 20 – Thein Sein, Burmese politician, 8th President of Myanmar * April 22 – Steve Fossett, American millionaire aviator, sailor and adventurer (d. 2007) * April 24 – Tony Visconti, American record producer, musician and singer * April 25 – Len Goodman, British ballroom dancer and television personality * April 26 ** Amien Rais, Indonesian politician ** Larry H. Miller, American sports owner (Utah Jazz; d. 2009) * April 27 ** Michael Fish, British TV weatherman ** Cuba Gooding Sr., American actor and singer (d. 2017) * April 28 – Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe, Belgian politician * April 29 ** Princess Benedikte of Denmark ** Richard Kline, American actor and television director * April 30 ** Rudi Assauer, German footballer and manager (d. 2019) ** Jill Clayburgh, American actress (d. 2010) ** Michael Angelis, English actor (d. 2020)May
* May 1 ** Costa Cordalis, German singer (d. 2019) ** Suresh Kalmadi, Indian politician ** Marva Whitney, American singer (d. 2012) * May 4, May 2 – Gloria Lizárraga de Capriles, Venezuelan politician (d. 2021) *May 4 ** Walker Boone, Canadian actor (d. 2021) ** Russi Taylor, American actress (d. 2019) * May 5 ** Roger Rees, Welsh actor and director (d. 2015) ** John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor * May 8 – Gary Glitter (Paul Gadd), English glam rock singer and paedophile * May 9 ** Richie Furay, American rock singer-songwriter (Poco, Buffalo Springfield) ** Lars Norén, Swedish playwright, novelist and poet (d. 2021) ** Laurence Owen, American figure skater (d. 1961) * May 10 ** Jim Abrahams, American film director ** Jackie Lomax, English rock singer-songwriter, guitarist (d. 2013) * May 12 – Sara Kestelman, English actress * May 13 ** Armistead Maupin, American fiction writer ** Carolyn Franklin, American soul singer-songwriter (d. 1988) * May 14 ** Connie Lawn, American journalist (d. 2018) ** George Lucas, American film director and producer * May 15 ** Ulrich Beck, German sociologist (d. 2015) ** Gunilla Hutton, Swedish-born American actress and singer * May 16 – Danny Trejo, Hispanic-American actor * May 17 ** Luís de Matos Monteiro da Fonseca, Cape Verdean diplomat and civil servant ** Jesse Winchester, American-Canadian country singer-songwriter (d. 2014) * May 19 – Peter Mayhew, English-American actor (d. 2019) * May 20 ** Joe Cocker, English rock singer (d. 2014) ** Boudewijn de Groot, Batavian-born Dutch folk singer-songwriter ** Dietrich Mateschitz, Austrian businessman (d. 2022) * May 21 – Mary Robinson, President of Ireland * May 22 – Roberto A. Abad, Filipino lawyer * May 23 ** John Newcombe, Australian tennis player ** Avraham Oz, Israeli theater professor, translator and political activist * May 24 ** Patti LaBelle, American singer, actress and entrepreneur ** David Mark Berger, Israeli weightlifter (d. 1972) * May 25 – Frank Oz, English puppeteer and film director * May 26 – Jan Schakowsky, U.S. Representative, Illinois's 9th congressional district * May 27 – Chris Dodd, American politician * May 28 ** Rudy Giuliani, American politician, Mayor of New York City ** Gladys Knight, American singer ** Sondra Locke, American actress and director (d. 2018) ** Rita MacNeil, Canadian folk singer (d. 2013) ** Gary Stewart (singer), Gary Stewart, American country rock singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2003) ** Patricia Quinn (Northern Irish actress), Patricia Quinn (Lady Stephens), Northern Irish actress * May 29 – Helmut Berger, Austrian actor * May 30 – Meredith MacRae, American actress (d. 2000) * May 31 – Ayad Allawi, 38th Prime Minister of IraqJune
* June 1 – Robert Powell, English actor * June 2 ** Garo Yepremian, American football player (d. 2015) ** Marvin Hamlisch, American composer, conductor (d. 2012) * June 3 – Edith McGuire, American sprinter * June 4 – Michelle Phillips, American singer and actress * June 5 ** Colm Wilkinson, Irish actor and singer ** Whitfield Diffie, American cryptographer * June 6 ** Phillip Allen Sharp, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ** Edgar Froese, German electronic musician (d. 2015) ** Tommie Smith, American athlete * June 7 – Annette Lu, Taiwanese politician, 8th Vice President of the Republic of China * June 8 ** Mark Belanger, American baseball player (d. 1998) ** Don Grady, American actor and singer (d. 2012) ** Marc Ouellet, Canadian cardinal ** Boz Scaggs, American singer and guitarist * June 10 – Ze'ev Friedman, Israeli weightlifter (d. 1972) * June 13 – Ban Ki-moon, South Korean politician and 8th United Nations Secretary-General, Secretary-General of the United Nations * June 15 – Malaysia Vasudevan, Tamil playback singer and actor (d. 2011) * June 16 – Henri Richelet, French painter (d. 2020) * June 17 – Bill Rafferty, American comedian and impressionist (d. 2012) * June 18 ** Salvador Sánchez Cerén, 45th President of El Salvador ** Rick Griffin, American graphic artist (d. 1991) ** Sandy Posey, American pop singer ** Bonar Sianturi, Indonesian army officer (d. 2022) * June 19 – Chico Buarque, Brazilian singer-songwriter * June 21 ** Carmen Cardinali, Chilean professor, governor of Rapa Nui ** Franco Cordova, Italian international football player ** Corinna Tsopei, Greek actress, model and beauty queen, winner of Miss Universe 1964 ** Sir Ray Davies, English rock singer-songwriter, co-founder of The Kinks ** Kenny O'Dell, American country singer-songwriter (d. 2018) ** Tony Scott, English film director (d. 2012) ** Luigi Sgarbozza, Italian road racing cyclist ** Chris Wood (rock musician), Chris Wood, English rock musician (Traffic (band), Traffic) (d. 1983) * June 22 ** Ercole Gualazzini, Italian professional road bicycle racer ** Gérard Mourou, French electrical engineer, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics * June 23 ** Silvestre Bello III, Filipino businessman and lawyer ** Gan Ee Kiang, Malaysian pharmacologist * June 24 ** Jeff Beck, English rock musician ** Dennis Butler, English footballer and football manager ** John "Charlie" Whitney, English guitarist * June 25 – Ricardo Salgado, Portuguese economist and banker * June 27 ** Paul Koslo, German-Canadian actor (d. 2019) ** Zezé Motta, Brazilian actress and singer ** Patrick Sercu, Belgian cyclist (d. 2019) * June 28 – Luis Nicolao, Argentine butterfly swimmer * June 29 ** Gary Busey, American actor ** Seán Patrick O'Malley, American cardinal * June 30 ** Daniel Kablan Duncan, Ivorian politician ** Terry Funk, American professional wrestler ** Raymond Moody, American parapsychologist ** Alan C. Fox, American author, philanthropist and entrepreneur ** Glenn Shorrock, English-born Australian rock singer-songwriterJuly
* July 1 ** Mercedes Bresso, Italian politician ** Mike Horan, Australian politician ** Nurul Haque Miah, Bangladeshi professor of chemistry and textbook writer (d. 2021) ** Diron Talbert, American football player ** Syd Jackson (footballer, born 1944), Syd Jackson, Australian rules footballer * July 2 ** Billy Campbell (Northern Irish footballer), Billy Campbell, Northern Irish footballer ** Vicente de la Mata (born 1944), Vicente de la Mata, Argentine football midfielder ** Paul Schudel, American football player and coach * July 3 – Michel Polnareff, French singer * July 4 ** Joe Berardo, Portuguese businessman, investor and art collector ** Joe Critchlow, Canadian football player ** Albert Kapengut, Soviet chess master * July 5 ** Mick Andrews, English international motorcycle trials rider ** Hendrik Born, German vice admiral ** Enrique Irazoqui, Spanish movie actor * July 6 ** Tim Brown (darts player), Tim Brown, Australian darts player ** Gunhild Hoffmeister, East German middle-distance runner ** Max Timisela, Indonesian footballer * July 7 ** Feri Cansel, Turkish-Cypriot actress (d. 1983) ** Nicholas, Crown Prince of Montenegro ** Mark Burgess (cricketer), Mark Burgess, New Zealand cricketer ** Jürgen Grabowski, German footballer ** Tony Jacklin, English golfer ** Feleti Sevele, Prime Minister of Tonga ** Michael Walker, Baron Walker of Aldringham, British Army officer * July 8 **Jaimoe, Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson, American drummer ** Jeffrey Tambor, American actor **William H. Pitsenbarger, United States Air Force Medal of Honour recipient (d. 1966) * July 10 – Carlos Ruckauf, Argentine politician * July 11 ** Keith Doncon, Australian rules footballer ** Neil Vant, Canadian Anglican clergyman, prospector, businessman and political figure ** Valdeir Vieira, Brazilian football manager * July 12 ** Terry Cooper (footballer, born 1944), Terry Cooper, English football player and manager * July 13 – Ernő Rubik, Hungarian inventor * July 16 ** Clarence Parfitt, Bermudian and Scottish cricketer ** Jose L. Cuisia Jr., Philippine diplomat and banker * July 17 ** Mark Burgess (cricketer), Mark Burgess, New Zealand cricket Captain (cricket), captain ** Catherine Schell, Hungarian actress ** Charles Lapointe, Canadian businessman, politician and public servant ** Tom Kalinske, American businessman ** Carlos Alberto Torres, Brazilian footballer (d. 2016) * July 18 – David Hemery, British Olympic athlete * July 20 ** Mel Daniels, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015) ** W. Cary Edwards, American politician (d. 2010) * July 21 ** John Atta Mills, 13th President of Ghana (d. 2012) ** Paul Wellstone, U.S. Senator from Minnesota (d. 2002) * July 26 ** Celeste Yarnall, American actress (d. 2018) ** Kiel Martin, American actor (d. 1990) * July 28 – Jozo Križanović, Bosnian politician (d. 2009) * July 31 ** Geraldine Chaplin, English-American actress ** Robert C. Merton, American economist, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureateAugust
* August 1 ** Andrew G. Vajna, Hungarian-American film producer (d. 2019) ** Yury Romanenko, Soviet cosmonaut * August 2 ** Jim Capaldi, British drummer, singer and songwriter (d. 2005) ** Naná Vasconcelos, Brazilian percussionist and vocalist (d. 2016) * August 3 – Jonas Falk, Swedish actor (d. 2010) * August 4 ** Richard Belzer, American actor and comedian ** William Frankfather, American actor (d. 1998) ** Orhan Gencebay, Turkish musician, composer, singer and actor * August 7 ** John Glover (actor), John Glover, American actor ** Robert Mueller, American lawyer, FBI director * August 8 ** Michael Johnson (singer), Michael Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017) ** Hasyim Muzadi, Indonesian Islamic scholar (d. 2017) * August 9 – Sam Elliott, American actor * August 11 ** Ian McDiarmid, Scottish actor ** Frederick W. Smith, American founder of FedEx * August 12 – Larry Troutman, American funk musician (d. 1999) * August 13 – Kevin Tighe, American actor * August 15 – Sylvie Vartan, French singer * August 18 ** Robert Hitchcock, Australian sculptor ** Volker Lechtenbrink, German television actor and singer ** Helena Rojo, Mexican actress and model * August 19 ** Mordechai Spiegler, Israeli footballer and manager ** Charles Wang, Chinese-born American businessman, philanthropist and sports team owner (d. 2018) ** Bodil Malmsten, Swedish novelist and poet (d. 2016) * August 20 – Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (d. 1991) * August 21 ** Kari S. Tikka, Finnish Professor of Finance (d. 2006) ** Peter Weir, Australian film director * August 22 – Ayşen Gruda, Turkish actress and comedian (d. 2019) * August 23 ** Saira Banu, Indian actress ** Roberto D'Aubuisson, Salvadorean Army officer and right-wing political leader (d. 1992) * August 24 – Rocky Johnson, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2020) * August 25 – Christine Chubbuck, American television reporter (d. 1974) * August 25 ** Pat Martino, American jazz guitarist (d. 2021) ** Abdullah Tarmugi Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore * August 26 – Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester * August 27 – G. W. Bailey, American actor * August 30 – Tug McGraw, American baseball player (d. 2004) * August 31 ** Jos LeDuc, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 1999) ** Earnie Shavers, African-American professional wrestlerSeptember
* September 1 – Leonard Slatkin, American conductor * September 2 – Gilles Marchal, French singer-songwriter * September 3 – Ty Warner, American businessman, inventor of Beanie Babies * September 4 – Tony Atkinson, British economist (d. 2017) * September 6 ** Christian Boltanski, French artist ** Swoosie Kurtz, American actress * September 7 ** Abul Hayat, Bangladeshi actor ** Earl Manigault, American basketball player (d. 1998) ** Bora Milutinović, Serbian footballer and coach ** Sam Sloan, American chess player and autodidact * September 11 – Serge Haroche, French physicist * September 12 ** Leonard Peltier, Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native American activist and convicted murderer ** Barry White, African-American singer (d. 2003) * September 13 ** Carol Barnes, British newsreader (d. 2008) ** Jacqueline Bisset, English actress ** Peter Cetera, lead singer and guitarist of American rock group Chicago * September 15 ** Yoweri Museveni, Ugandan politician, 9th President of Uganda ** Graham Taylor, English footballer and football manager (d. 2017) * September 16 – B.J. Ward (actress), B.J. Ward, American voice actress * September 17 – Reinhold Messner, Italian mountaineer * September 18 ** Veronica Carlson, English actress and model ** Satan's Angel, American exotic dancer * September 19 – İsmet Özel, Turkish poet * September 21 ** Caleb Deschanel, American cinematographer and film director ** Hamilton Jordan, Jimmy Carter's first White House Chief of Staff (d. 2008) * September 22 – Frazer Hines, British actor * September 25 – Michael Douglas, American actor and producer * September 26 – Anne Robinson, British television host * September 27 – Angélica María, American-born Mexican singer-songwriter and actress * September 28 – Miloš Zeman, 3rd President of the Czech Republic * September 30 – Jimmy Johnstone, Scottish footballer (d. 2006)October
* October 2 – Vernor Vinge, American science fiction writer * October 4 ** Rocío Dúrcal, Spanish singer and actress (d. 2006) ** Tony La Russa, American baseball player and manager * October 5 – Arnhim Eustace, Vincentian politician and 3rd Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines * October 6 ** Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, born Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, pioneering female Thai Buddhist monk, previously academic ** Mylon LeFevre, American singer and evangelist * October 7 ** Donald Tsang, Sir Donald Tsang, 2nd Chief Executive of Hong Kong * October 8 – Dale Dye, American actor, technical advisor, radio personality and writer * October 9 ** John Entwistle, English rock bass guitarist and singer-songwriter (The Who) (d. 2002) ** Nona Hendryx, American R&B singer (Labelle) ** Peter Tosh, Jamaican singer and musician (d. 1987) * October 14 – Udo Kier, German actor * October 15 ** Mac Collins, American politician (d. 2018) ** Şerif Gören, Turkish film director ** Haim Saban, Israeli-American media proprietor ** David Trimble, Northern Irish Unionist political leader; recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize 1998 (d. 2022) * October 16 – Elizabeth Loftus, American cognitive psychologist and memory specialist * October 20 – Clive Hornby, English actor (d. 2008) * October 21 – Jean-Pierre Sauvage, French scientist; recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 * October 25 ** Jon Anderson, English rock singer-songwriter and musician ** Ron Coote, Australian rugby league player ** Kati Kovács, Hungarian jazz, pop and rock musician ** Azizan Abdul Razak, Malaysian politician (d. 2013) * October 27 – Nikolai Karachentsov, Russian actor (d. 2018) * October 28 ** Dennis Franz, American actor ** Marián Labuda, Slovak actor (d. 2018) ** Ian Marter, English actor and writer (d. 1986) * October 30 – Ahmed Chalabi, Iraqi businessman and politician (d. 2015) * October 31 – Hal Wick, American politician (d. 2018)November
* November 1 ** Kinky Friedman, American singer-songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and columnist ** Rafic Hariri, 2-Time Prime Minister of Lebanon (d. 2005) ** Bobby Heenan, American professional wrestling manager and commentator (d. 2017) ** Oscar Temaru, President of French Polynesia * November 2 ** Michael Buffer, American ring announcer and actor ** Keith Emerson, English keyboardist (d. 2016) * November 4 – Linda Gary, American actress (d. 1995) * November 7 – Luigi Riva, Italian footballer * November 10 ** Askar Akayev, 1st President of Kyrgyzstan ** Silvestre Reyes, American politician ** Tim Rice, English lyricist, writer and broadcaster * November 11 – Kemal Sunal, Turkish comedian * November 12 ** Booker T. Jones, American R&B singer-songwriter, musician and producer ** Al Michaels, American sportscaster * November 17 ** Jim Boeheim, American basketball player and coach ** Gene Clark, American singer-songwriter (d. 1991) ** Danny DeVito, American actor, film producer and director ** Gary Goldman, American animator, film producer and director ** Rem Koolhaas, Dutch architect ** Lorne Michaels, Canadian television and film producer ** Tom Seaver, American baseball pitcher (d. 2020) ** Sammy Younge Jr., American civil rights activist (d. 1966) * November 18 ** Wolfgang Joop, German artist, fashion designer and art collector ** Ed Krupp, American astronomer, director of the Griffith Observatory * November 20 Louie Dampier, American basketball player * November 21 ** Dick Durbin, American politician ** Earl Monroe, American basketball player ** Harold Ramis, American actor, director and comedy writer (d. 2014) * November 23 – Peter Lindbergh, German fashion photographer and film director (d. 2019) * November 24 ** Candy Darling, American actress (d. 1974) ** Ibrahim Gambari, Nigerian scholar and diplomat * November 25 ** Ben Stein, American law professor, actor and author ** Michael Kijana Wamalwa, Kenyan politician, 8th Vice President of Kenya * November 30 – George Graham (footballer, born 1944), George Graham, Scottish football player and managerDecember
* December 1 – John Densmore, drummer, member of The Doors. * December 2 ** Cathy Lee Crosby, American actress (''That's Incredible!'') ** Ibrahim Rugova, 1st President of Kosovo (d. 2006) * December 3 – Ralph McTell, English folk singer-songwriter * December 4 – Dennis Wilson, American pop singer-songwriter and drummer (d. 1983) * December 5 – Jeroen Krabbé, Dutch actor and film director * December 6 ** Kit Culkin, American stage actor ** Ron Kenoly, American Christian leader ** Sutiyoso, Indonesian politician and general, governor of Jakarta ** Jonathan King, English music producer * December 7 ** Daniel Chorzempa, American organist ** Georges Coste, French rugby player and coach * December 8 – Sharmila Tagore, Indian actress and model * December 9 ** Giacomo dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, 80th List of Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller, Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (d. 2020) ** Tadashi Irie, Japanese yakuza boss ** Ki Longfellow, American novelist ** Neil Innes, English writer, comedian and musician (d. 2019) * December 10 – Andris Bērziņš (Latvian President), Andris Bērziņš, 8th President of Latvia * December 11 ** Brenda Lee, American singer ** Lynda Day George, American actress ** Teri Garr, American actress * December 12 ** Diana Bracho, Mexican actress ** Kenneth Cranham, Scottish born actor ** Cara Duff-MacCormick, Canadian stage actress * December 17 – Bernard Hill, British actor * December 19 ** Mitchell Feigenbaum, American mathematical physicist (d. 2019) ** María Martha Serra Lima, Argentine singer (d. 2017) ** Tim Reid, African-American actor and film director ** Terry Underwood, Australian author * December 20 – Ray Martin (television presenter), Ray Martin, Australian journalist and television presenter * December 21 ** Bill Atkinson (footballer, born 1944), Bill Atkinson, English footballer ** Michael Tilson Thomas, American conductor ** Zheng Xiaoyu, Chinese bureaucrat (d. 2007) * December 22 – Steve Carlton, American baseball player * December 23 ** Wesley Clark, U.S. general and NATO Supreme Allied Commander ** Ingar Knudtsen, Norwegian novelist and poet * December 24 – Erhard Keller, German speed skater * December 25 **Jairzinho, Brazilian football player ** Kenny Everett, British comedian and radio DJ. (d. 1995) * December 26 ** Bill Ayers, American education theorist, previously radical anti-war activist ** Jane Lapotaire, British actress ** Aleksey Mikhalyov (translator), Aleksey Mikhalyov, Russian translator * December 28 ** Kary Mullis, American chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019) ** Edgar Vivar, Mexican actor (Señor Barriga and Ñoño in ''El Chavo del Ocho'') * December 29 – King Birendra of Nepal (d. 2001) * December 30 – Joseph Hilbe, American statistician and author * December 31 ** Neil Ross, British-American voice actor and announcer ** Jan Widströmer, Swedish painter and poetDeaths
January
* January 1 ** Edwin Lutyens, Sir Edwin Lutyens, British architect (b. 1869) ** Charles Turner (Australian cricketer), Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (b. 1862) * January 3 – Franz Reichleitner, Austrian SS officer and Nazi concentration camp commandant (b. 1906) * January 4 – Kaj Munk, Danish playwright, Lutheranism, Lutheran pastor and martyr (b. 1898) * January 6 – Ida Tarbell, American journalist and muckraker (b. 1857) * January 7 – Lou Henry Hoover, First Lady of the United States (b. 1874) * January 9 – Antanas Smetona, President of Lithuania (b. 1874) * January 10 ** William Emerson Ritter, American biologist (b. 1856) ** Andrey Toshev, Bulgarian scientist and diplomat, 26th Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1867) *February
* February 1 – Piet Mondrian, Dutch painter (b. 1872) *March
* March 3 – Paul-Émile Janson, Belgian politician, 30th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1872) * March 4 – Louis Buchalter, Jewish-born American mobster, head of Murder, Inc. (executed) (b. 1897) * March 5 **Max Jacob, French poet (b. 1876) **Neel E. Kearby, American fighter ace (killed in action) (b. 1911) *March 8 - Xu Zonghan, Chinese medical doctor, politician and revolutionary (b. 1877) * March 9 – Demetrios Capetanakis, Greek poet, essayist and critic (b. 1912) * March 11 ** Hendrik Willem van Loon, Dutch-born American historian, journalist and writer (b. 1882) ** Irvin S. Cobb, American writer (b. 1876) * March 15 **Otto von Below, German general (b. 1857) **Mariya Oktyabrskaya, Soviet national hero (b. 1905) * March 17 – Mario Bravo, Argentinian politician and writer (b. 1882) * March 19 ** Giuseppe de Liguoro, Italian actor and director (b. 1869) ** Noël Édouard, vicomte de Curières de Castelnau, French general (b. 1851) * March 22 – Pierre Brossolette, journalist and French Resistance fighter (b. 1903) * March 23 – Myron Selznick, American film producer (b. 1898) * March 24 ** Aldo Finzi (politician), Aldo Finzi, Italian politician (executed) (b. 1891) ** Pietro Pappagallo, Italian Roman Catholic priest and blessed (b. 1888) ** Orde Wingate, British soldier (b. 1903) * March 25 – Omelyan Kovch, Soviet Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox priest, martyr and blessed (b. 1884) * March 28 – Stephen Leacock, British-born Canadian humorist, author and economist (b. 1869) * March 31 ** Antoni Kiewnarski, Polish WWII hero (b. 1899) ** Mineichi Koga, Japanese admiral (b. 1885) ** Włodzimierz Kolanowski, Polish army officer (b. 1913)April
* April 1 – Sharifzyan Kazanbaev, Soviet army officer (b. 1916) * April 2 – John Batchelor (missionary), John Batchelor, British missionary and reverend (b. 1855) * April 9 – Yevgeniya Rudneva, Soviet WWII heroine (b. 1920) * April 13 – Bartolomeo Gosio, Italian scientist (b. 1863) * April 15 – Giovanni Gentile, Italian philosopher and Fascist politician (assassinated) (b. 1875) * April 17 – J. T. Hearne, English cricketer (b. 1867) * April 21 – Hans-Valentin Hube, German army general (b. 1890) * April 24 – Charles Jordan (magician), Charles Jordan, American magician (b. 1888) * April 25 – George Herriman, American cartoonist (b. 1880) * April 28 ** Mohammed Alim Khan, Emir of Bukhara (b. 1880) ** Frank Knox, American Secretary of the Navy during WWII (b. 1874) * April 29 ** Billy Bitzer, American cinematographer (b. 1874) ** Bernardino Machado, Portuguese political figure, 2-time Prime Minister of Portugal and 2-time President of Portugal, leader of the World War I (b. 1851) * April 30 – Paul Poiret, French couturier (b. 1879)May
* May 5 – Bertha Benz, German automotive pioneer, wife and business partner of automobile inventor Karl Benz (b. 1849) * May 7 – William Ledyard Rodgers, American admiral and military and naval historian (b. 1860) * May 11 – Leon Kozłowski, Polish archaeologist and politician, 25th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1892) * May 12 ** Max Brand, American author (b. 1892) ** Harold Lowe, British sailor, 5th officer of the RMS Titanic, RMS ''Titanic'' (b. 1882) ** Arthur Quiller-Couch, British writer and academic (b. 1863) ** Edel Quinn, Irish Roman Catholic laywoman, missionary and venerable (b. 1907) * May 15 – Patriarch Patriarch Sergius of Moscow, Sergius I (b. 1867) * May 16 ** George Ade, American author (b. 1866) ** Filip Mișea, Aromanian activist, physician and politician (b. 1873) * May 17 – Milena Jesenská, Czechoslovakian journalist, writer, editor and translator (b. 1896) * May 20 ** Fraser Barron, New Zealand bomber pilot during WWII (b. 1921) ** Eugenio Colorni, Italian philosopher and activist (b. 1909) ** Vincent Rose, American musician and band leader (b. 1880) * May 21 **Edmund Mortimer (actor), Edmund Mortimer, American actor and director (b. 1874) **Li Jiayu, Chinese general of the National Revolutionary Army (b. 1892) * May 23 – Thomas Curtis (athlete), Thomas Curtis, American Olympic athlete (b. 1873) * May 24 ** Inigo Campioni, Italian admiral (executed) (b. 1878) ** Matsuji Ijuin, Japanese admiral (b. 1893) ** Luigi Mascherpa, Italian admiral (b. 1893) ** Harold Bell Wright, American writer (b. 1872) * May 25 – Clark Daniel Stearns, 9th Governor of American Samoa (b. 1870) * May 30 ** Patriarch Mesrob I Naroyan of Constantinople (b. 1875) ** Jessie Ralph, American actress (b. 1864)June
* June 5 – Józef Beck, Polish statesman (b. 1894) * June 6 ** Joseph Campbell (poet), Joseph Campbell, Northern Irish poet and lyricist (b. 1879) ** Wilhelm Falley, German general (killed in action) (b. 1897) ** Don Pratt, American general (killed in action) (b. 1892) ** Ker-Xavier Roussel, French painter (b. 1867) * June 12 – Erich Marcks, German general (b. 1891) * June 14 – George Stinney, American executed minor (b. 1929) * June 16 ** Marc Bloch, French historian (b. 1886) ** Prafulla Chandra Ray, Sir Prafulla Chandra Ray, Indian chemist (b. 1861) * June 18 – Harry Fielding Reid, American geophysicist and seismologist (b. 1859) * June 25 ** Dénes Berinkey, 21st Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1871) ** Lucha Reyes (Mexican singer), Lucha Reyes, Mexican singer (b. 1906) ** María Chinchilla Recinos, Guatemalan teacher (b. 1909) * June 27 – Milan Hodža, Slovak politician, champion of regional integration in Europe (b. 1878) * June 28 – Anton Breinl, Australian medical practitioner and researcher (b. 1880)July
* July 1 – Carl Mayer, Austrian screenwriter (b. 1894) * July 6 ** Andrée Borrel, French World War II heroine (b. 1919) ** Vera Leigh, British World War II heroine (b. 1903) ** Chūichi Nagumo, Japanese admiral (b. 1887) ** Sonya Olschanezky, German World War II heroine (b. 1923) ** Diana Rowden, British World War II heroine (b. 1915) * July 7 ** Georges Mandel, French politician and WWII hero (b. 1885) ** Leonie von Meusebach–Zesch, American dentist (b. 1882) * July 8 ** George B. Seitz, American director (b. 1888) ** Takeo Takagi, Japanese admiral (killed in action) (b. 1892) * July 9 ** Ingvar Fredrik Håkansson, Swedish pilot (b. 1920) ** Kent Rogers, American voice actor (b. 1923) * July 12 ** Jesus Baza Duenas, Guamese Roman Catholic priest, martyr and blessed (b. 1911) ** Theodore Roosevelt Jr., American political and business leader (b. 1887) * July 14 – Asmahan, Syrian-born Egyptian singer (b.1912) * July 15 – Joseph Sadi-Lecointe, French aviator (b. 1891) * July 16 – Moncena Dunn (inventor), Moncena Dunn, American inventor (b. 1867) * July 17 – Tarsykiya Matskiv, Soviet Eastern Catholic religious sister and blessed (b. 1919) * July 18 ** Augusto De Angelis, Italian writer and journalist (b. 1888) ** George Holt (actor), George Holt, American actor and director (b. 1878) ** Rex Whistler, British artist (b. 1905) * July 20 ** Ludwig Beck, German general and Chief of the German General Staff (b. 1880) ** Heinz Brandt, German officer (b. 1907) ** Mildred Harris, American actress (b. 1901) ** Günther Korten, German colonel-general, chief of staff of the Luftwaffe (b. 1898) ** Claus von Stauffenberg, German resistance leader (b. 1907) * July 21 ** Werner von Haeften, German resistance member (executed) (b. 1908) ** Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim, German resistance leader (b. 1905) ** Hans-Ulrich von Oertzen, German resistance member (suicide) (b. 1915) ** Friedrich Olbricht, German resistance leader (b. 1888) ** Henning von Tresckow, German general and resistance leader (suicide) (b. 1901) * July 23 – Eduard Wagner, German general and resistance member (suicide) (b. 1894) * July 25 ** Lesley J. McNair, American general (b. 1883) ** Jakob von Uexküll, Baltic German biologist (b. 1864) * July 26 ** Clóvis Beviláqua, Brazilian jurist, historian and journalist (b. 1859) ** Wessel Freytag von Loringhoven, German resistance member (suicide) (b. 1899) ** Takakazu Kinashi, Japanese army officer (b. 1902) ** Reza Shah, 20th Prime Minister of Iran and Pahlavi dynasty, Shah of Iran (b. 1877) * July 27 – Perry McGillivray, American Olympic swimmer (b. 1893) * July 28 – Werner Schrader, German resistance member (suicide) (b. 1895) * July 30 **Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov, Soviet aeronautical engineer and aircraft designer (b. 1892) **Lee Powell (actor), Lee Powell, American actor (b. 1908) * July 31 – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French pilot and children's writer (b. 1900)August
* August 1 ** Jean Prévost, French writer and journalist, member of the Maquis (World War II), Maquis (b. 1901) ** Manuel L. Quezon, Filipino statesman, soldier and politician, 2nd President of the Philippines (b. 1878) * August 2 – Kakuji Kakuta, Japanese admiral (b. 1890) * August 4 – Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński, Polish poet (b. 1921) * August 5 – Jędrzej Moraczewski, Polish politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1870) * August 7 ** Agustín Barrios, Paraguayan guitarist and composer (b. 1885) ** Jadwiga Falkowska, Polish teacher and activist (b. 1889) * August 8 ** Robert Bernardis, German resistance fighter (executed) (b. 1908) ** Albrecht von Hagen, German resistance fighter (executed) (b. 1904) ** Paul von Hase, German general and resistance leader (executed) (b. 1885) ** Erich Hoepner, German colonel-general and resistance leader (executed) (b. 1886) ** Juliusz Kaden-Bandrowski, Polish journalist and novelist (b. 1885) ** Hellmuth Stieff, German resistance fighter (executed) (b. 1901) ** Michael Wittmann, German tank commander (killed in action) (b. 1914) ** Erwin von Witzleben, German field marshal and resistance leader (executed) (b. 1881) ** Peter Yorck von Wartenburg, German resistance fighter (executed) (b. 1904) * August 9 – Felix Nussbaum, German painter (b. 1904) * August 10 ** Alfred Kranzfelder, German resistance fighter (b. 1908) ** Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenburg, German resistance fighter (b. 1902) ** Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, Nazi opponent and lawyer (b. 1905) ** Hans Albrecht, Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein (b. 1917) * August 11 ** Francesco Federico Falco, Italian doctor (b. 1866) ** Hideyoshi Obata, Japanese general (b. 1890) * August 12 ** Jose Garvida Flores, Filipino writer, poet and playwright (b. 1900) ** Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., American fighter pilot, oldest son of Joseph P. Kennedy (b. 1915) ** Suzanne Spaak, Belgian World War II heroine (b. 1905) * August 15 ** Egbert Hayessen, German resistance fighter (b. 1913) ** Hans Bernd von Haeften, German resistance fighter (b. 1905) ** Wolf-Heinrich Graf von Helldorff, German police chief and resistance fighter (b. 1896) * August 17 ** Franciszek Brodniewicz, Polish actor (b. 1892) ** Eugénio de Castro, Portuguese poet and writer (b. 1869) * August 18 ** Eugeniusz Horbaczewski, Polish pilot (b. 1917) ** Ernst Thälmann, German Communist leader (executed) (b. 1886) * August 19 ** Günther von Kluge, German field marshal (suicide) (b. 1882) ** Henry Wood, Sir Henry Wood, British conductor (b. 1869) * August 21 ** Friedrich Gustav Jaeger, German resistance fighter (b. 1895) ** Maciej Kalenkiewicz, Polish engineer and military officer (b. 1906) ** Marian Lalewicz, Polish architect (b. 1876) * August 23 ** Aleksander Augustynowicz, Polish painter (b. 1865) ** Abdülmecid II, last Caliph of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1868) ** Nikolai Roslavets, Soviet composer (b. 1880) * August 24 – Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia, Italian aviator (b. 1915) * August 25 – Teresio Vittorio Martinoli, Italian pilot (b. 1917) * August 26 ** Hans Georg Klamroth, German resistance fighter (executed) (b. 1898) ** Otto Kiep, German resistance fighter (b. 1886) ** Hans Leesment, Estonian general (b. 1873) ** Ludwig Freiherr von Leonrod, German resistance fighter (executed) (b. 1906) ** Adam von Trott zu Solz, German diplomat and resistance fighter (executed) (b. 1909) * August 27 ** Carlo Fecia di Cossato, Italian navy officer (b. 1908) ** Princess Mafalda of Savoy (b. 1902) * August 28 ** Teresa Bracco, Italian Roman Catholic religious sister and blessed (killed in battle) (b. 1924) ** Rudolf Breitscheid, German politician (b. 1874) ** Bronislaw Kaminski, Polish army officer (b. 1899) * August 30 ** Moissaye Boguslawski, American pianist and composer (b. 1887) ** Eberhard Finckh, German resistance fighter (b. 1899) ** Hans Otfried von Linstow, German resistance fighter (b. 1899) ** Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel, German general and resistance leader (b. 1886)September
* September 1 – Krystyna Dąbrowska, Polish sculptor and painter (b. 1906) * September 2 – Maria Vetulani de Nisau, Polish soldier (b. 1898) *September 3 - Friedrich Alpers, German Nazi politician and general (b. 1901) * September 4 ** Erich Fellgiebel, German general and resistance fighter (b. 1886) ** Heinrich Graf von Lehndorff-Steinort, German resistance fighter (b. 1909) ** Fritz Thiele, German general and resistance fighter (b. 1894) * September 5 – Gustave Biéler, Swiss WWII hero (b. 1904) * September 6 – Jan Franciszek Czartoryski, Polish Dominican Order, Dominican friar, martyr and blessed (b. 1897) * September 7 – Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes, Cuban composer (b. 1897) * September 8 ** Georg Hansen, German resistance fighter (b. 1904) ** Ulrich von Hassell, German diplomat and resistance fighter (b. 1881) ** Paul Lejeune-Jung, German resistance fighter (b. 1882) ** Ulrich Wilhelm Graf Schwerin von Schwanenfeld, German resistance fighter (b. 1902) ** Günther Smend, German resistance fighter (b. 1912) ** Josef Wirmer, German resistance fighter (b. 1901) * September 9 – Robert Benoist, French race car driver and war hero (b. 1895) * September 11 – Joseph Müller (priest), Joseph Müller, German Roman Catholic priest and Servant of God (executed) (b. 1894) * September 12 – Robert Fiske (actor), Robert Fiske, American actor (b. 1889) * September 13 ** Grigore Bălan, Romanian general (died of wounds) (b. 1896) ** Yolande Beekman, French WWII heroine (executed) (b. 1911) ** Madeleine Damerment, French WWII heroine (executed) (b. 1917) ** Noor Inayat Khan, Indian WWII heroine (executed) (b. 1914) ** Eliane Plewman, British WWII heroine (executed) (b. 1917) ** W. Heath Robinson, British cartoonist and illustrator (b. 1872) * September 14 ** Heinrich Graf zu Dohna-Schlobitten, German resistance fighter (executed) (b. 1882) ** John Kenneth Macalister, Canadian WWII hero (b. 1914) ** Michael Graf von Matuschka, German resistance fighter (executed) (b. 1888) ** Frank Pickersgill, Canadian WWII hero (b. 1915) ** Roméo Sabourin, Canadian WWII hero (b. 1923) ** Nikolaus von Üxküll-Gyllenband, German resistance fighter (executed) (b. 1877) ** Hermann Josef Wehrle, German Catholic priest and resistance member (executed) (b. 1899) * September 16 – Gustav Bauer, 11th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1870) * September 18 ** Hendrikus Colijn, Dutch policeman, politician and businessman, 25th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1869) ** Anton Saefkow, German communist (executed) (b. 1903) * September 22 – Fritz Lindemann, German army officer (died of wounds) (b. 1894) * September 23 – Matylda Palfyova, Czechoslovakian artistic gymnast (b. 1912) * September 25 ** Walter Breisky, Austrian civil servant, acting Chancellor of Austria (b. 1871) ** Eugeniusz Lokajski, Polish athlete, gymnast and photographer (b. 1909) ** Leo Chiozza Money, Italian-British economist and politician (b. 1870) * September 27 ** Aimee Semple McPherson, Canadian-American Pentecostal evangelist (b. 1890) ** Aristide Maillol, French sculptor and painter (b. 1861) ** David Dougal Williams, British painter (b. 1888) * September 28 – Josef Bürckel, German Nazi gauleiter (b. 1895) * September 29 ** Otto Herfurth, German general and resistance fighter (b. 1893) ** Wilhelm Leuschner German politician and resistance fighter (b. 1890) ** Joachim Meichssner, German resistance fighter (b. 1906) ** Joachim Sadrozinski, German resistance fighter (b. 1907)October
* October 1 ** William Mulock, Sir William Mulock, Canadian lawyer, politician and businessman (b. 1843) ** Rudolf Schmundt, German general (b. 1896) * October 2 ** Benjamin Fondane, Romanian-French Symbolist poet, critic and existentialist philosopher (gassed in Auschwitz concentration camp) (b. 1898) ** Julián Felipe, Filipino musician and bandleader (b. 1861) ** Maeda Toshisada, Japanese politician (b. 1874) * October 4 – Al Smith, American politician (b. 1873) * October 5 – Prince Gustav of Denmark (b. 1887) * October 8 – Wendell Willkie, American politician (b. 1892) * October 9 ** Kitty Marion, German-born actress and women's rights activist in England and the United States (b. 1871) ** Stefanina Moro, Italian resistance member (b. 1927) * October 12 ** Ramón Castillo, Argentinian politician, 25th President of Argentina (b. 1873) ** Carl Langbehn, German resistance member (b. 1901) ** Rudolf von Marogna-Redwitz, German resistance member (b. 1886) * October 13 ** Hans-Jürgen von Blumenthal, German resistance member (b. 1907) ** Roland von Hößlin, German resistance member (b. 1915) * October 14 – Erwin Rommel, German field marshal (b. 1891) * October 17 – Anton Hafner, German aviator (b. 1918) * October 18 ** Alexander, Prince of Erbach-Schönberg (b. 1872) ** Josef Maria Eder, Austrian chemist (b. 1855) * October 19 ** Isadore Bernstein, American screenwriter (b. 1876) ** Deneys Reitz, South African soldier and diplomat (b. 1882) * October 20 ** Eduard Brücklmeier, German diplomat and resistance member (b. 1903) ** Hermann Maaß, German politician and resistance member (b. 1897) ** Adolf Reichwein, German politician and resistance member (b. 1898) * October 21 – Hilma af Klint, Swedish abstract painter (b. 1862) * October 22 – Richard Bennett (actor), Richard Bennett, American actor (b. 1870) * October 23 – Charles Glover Barkla, British physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1877) * October 24 ** Louis Renault (industrialist), Louis Renault, French industrialist, founder of ''Renault'' (b. 1877) ** Karl Freiherr von Thüngen, German general and resistance member (executed) (b. 1893) * October 25 ** Shōji Nishimura, Japanese vice admiral (b. 1889) ** Yukio Seki, Japanese kamikaze pilot (b. 1921) * October 26 ** Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, youngest and last surviving child of Queen Victoria (b. 1857) ** Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, Japanese fighter ace (b. 1920) ** José de la Riva-Agüero y Osma, Peruvian historian, writer and politician, 84th Prime Minister of Peru (b. 1885) ** William Temple (bishop), William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1881) * October 27 – Judith Auer, German World War II resistance fighter (b. 1905) * October 31 ** Henrietta Crosman, American actress (b. 1861) ** Joseph Hubert Priestley, British botanist (b. 1883)November
* November 1 ** Ismael Pérez Pazmiño, Ecuadoran journalist and politician (b. 1876) ** Andrey Sheptytsky, Soviet Eastern Catholic archbishop and venerable (b. 1865) * November 2 ** Karol Irzykowski, Polish writer (b. 1873) ** Thomas Midgley Jr., American chemist and inventor (b. 1889) * November 4 – John Dill, Sir John Dill, British field marshal (b. 1881) * November 5 – Alexis Carrel, French surgeon and biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1873) * November 7 ** Max Bergmann, German biochemist (b. 1886) ** Richard Sorge, Soviet spy, executed (b. 1895) ** Hannah Szenes, Hungarian World War II heroine, poet, executed (b. 1921) * November 10 ** Wang Jingwei, Chinese statesman, President of the Nanjing-based and Japanese-supported collaborationist Government of the Republic of China (b. 1883) ** Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg, German diplomat and resistance member (b. 1875) * November 12 ** George David Birkhoff, American mathematician (b. 1884) ** George Houston (actor), George Houston, American actor (b. 1896) ** Otto Frank (physiologist), Otto Frank, German physiologist (b. 1865) * November 13 ** Carl Lampert, Austrian Roman Catholic priest and blessed (b. 1894) ** Friedrich Lorenz, German Roman Catholic priest and blessed (b. 1897) * November 14 ** Walter Cramer, German resistance member (b. 1886) ** Trafford Leigh-Mallory, British aviator and Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal (b. 1892) ** Bernhard Letterhaus, German trade unionist and resistance member (b. 1894) ** Ferdinand von Lüninck, German politician and resistance member (b. 1888) * November 16 – Maria Rodziewiczówna, Polish writer (b. 1863) * November 19 – Ignacio Bolívar, Spanish naturalist and entomologist (b. 1850) * November 22 ** Joseph Caillaux, French politician, 57th Prime Minister of France (b. 1863) ** Arthur Eddington, Sir Arthur Eddington, British astronomer, physicist and mathematician (b. 1882) ** Sadakichi Hartmann, Japanese-born American critic and poet (b. 1867) ** Johan Pitka, Estonian entrepreneur, sea captain and admiral (b. 1872) * November 25 – Kenesaw Mountain Landis, 1st commissioner of Major League Baseball (b. 1866) * November 26 – Florence Foster Jenkins, American socialite and singer (b. 1868) * November 30 – Lilo Gloeden, German resistance member (b. 1903)December
* December 1 – Franciszek Pius Radziwiłł, Polish nobleman and activist (b. 1878) * December 2 ** Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Italian poet, editor and art theorist, founder of the Futurism, Futurist movement (b. 1876) ** Josef Lhévinne, Soviet pianist (b. 1874) * December 3 – Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (b. 1882) * December 4 – Roger Bresnahan, American baseball player and member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1879) * December 9 – Laird Cregar, American actor (b. 1913) * December 11 – Montgomery Cunningham Meigs (1919-1944), Montgomery Cunningham Meigs, American WWII hero (b. 1919) * December 12 – Bernard Chrzanowski, Polish activist (b. 1861) * December 13 – Wassily Kandinsky, Russian-born Polish artist (b. 1866) * December 14 – Lupe Vélez, Mexican actress, dancer and singer (b. 1908) * December 15 – Glenn Miller, American band leader (accident) (b. 1904) * December 19 – King Abbas II of Egypt (b. 1874) * December 20 ** Caesar von Hofacker, German resistance member (b. 1896) ** Carl Wentzel, German resistance member (b. 1875) * December 22 – Harry Langdon, American comedian (b. 1884) * December 26 – George Bellamy (actor), George Bellamy, British actor (b. 1866) * December 27 ** Amy Beach, American pianist and composer (b. 1867) ** Peter Deunov, Bulgarian spiritual teacher (b. 1864) ** Sára Salkaházi, Hungarian Roman Catholic religious sister and blessed (b. 1899) * December 30 – Romain Rolland, French writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866) * December 31 **Vicente Lim, Filipino general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (b. 1888) **Ruth Hanna McCormick, American politician, activist and publisher (b. 1880)Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Isidor Isaac Rabi * Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Otto Hahn * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – Joseph Erlanger, Herbert Spencer Gasser * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Johannes V. Jensen * Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – International Committee of the Red CrossReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:1944 1944, Leap years in the Gregorian calendar