Most Significant Death For Every Year From 1963 To Present

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,187]

I am with the you can't really single out one person from anyone year as the most significant. How significant is a politician dying when they've been retired and the world has moved on? However, if this is significant I would like to try to even out the balance. Thus far it is mainly a list of famous politicians and artisans (music/film...) who have died. There aren't even that many sports people mentioned - I'll leave OoO to put in a bit of footballing action.

 

So to address this I shall add some scientists to the list, to accompany the mathematician (Bertrand) and the Nazi scientist (Mengele) OoO has mentioned. Though I see them more as equations and theories which easily outlive a person! As I said before (in a strangely not too dissimilar thread) that deaths didn't really stop me in my tracks if they occurred either before I was born, or when playing with friends was number one priority and current affairs was for boring grown ups.

 

James Chadwick: Physicist, Nobel Laureate and Discoverer of the Neutron - '74

Feynman: Physicist, Nobel Laureate, Manhatten Project Worker, Master of Supercool '88

Heisenberg: Physicist, Nobel Laureate, Manhatten Project Worker, Master of Uncertainty '76

Oppenheimer: Physicist, Manhatten Project Worker, Master of Approximations '67

Francis Crick - Physicist and Molecular Biologist, Nobel Laureate, one of the discoverers of DNA '04

 

...and that's just focusing on the phsicists!

 

I think however considering the title the deaths of Martin Luther King, Malcom X, Diana are more significant than those of film stars, politicians etc. who had lived a full life and were not really shocking. I predict the next thread to be of the they died to young vein...

 

 

Oh and there is always Granny Helen from Neighbours, everyone was talking about that stroke for a while.

 

Oh, MC, for you, who was the most significant death of all?

[Monoclinic 39]

Sorry to be sentimental but would have to be my grandparents. Okay I may have been briefy shocked that Kurt Cobain killed himself or Richey Edwards disappeared but real life moves on.

 

Celebrity deaths, it's not the winning that counts just the taking part

[Twelvetrees 10]

Interesting idea, and I agree that there is a difference between the death of a famous person and a death that has significance in itself.

 

As a case in point, I'd argue that the death of Salvador Allende in 1973 was more important to more people (the entire population of Chile) than that of Picasso or LBJ. Also looking very briefly beyond the Western world, Japan throws up Yukio Mishima in 1970 and Hirohito in 1989.

 

This will run and run....either that or we'll all get bored very quickly.

[Banshees Scream 108]

I am with the you can't really single out one person from anyone year as the most significant. How significant is a politician dying when they've been retired and the world has moved on?

 

Talking significance they wouldn't be that significant at all. A priceless point and it can only be looked at differently if for example 'George W Bush killed in the parking lot of a Rangers game' or 'Durning Hunting Season Dick Cheney shot dead instantly after being mistaken for a bear high up in that tree'

 

There aren't even that many sports people mentioned - I'll leave OoO to put in a bit of footballing action.

 

Sports get spotlight but I would imagine celebrity types get more of an advantage unless your some major athlete that is known worldwide. An example I could use is 'Tiger Woods' or 'Pete Rose' and the list goes on.

 

I mean 'scientists' or 'physicists' are probably only recognized by a certain majority of people and are not commonly known especially by people of this generation. Your example above was How significant is a politician dying when they've been retired and the world has moved on

 

My question for you is

 

How significant is a physicist dying when they've made their theories and the world has moved on?

 

I would go as far as saying your acting very hypocritical but instead I'll just wait for your answer.

[chicago103 36]

My revised list for those that haven't seen the edited first post:

 

1963: John F. Kennedy

1964: Herbert Hoover

1965: Winston Churchill

1966: Walt Disney

1967: Spencer Tracy

1968: Martin Luther King, Jr.

1969: Dwight D. Eisenhower

1970: Charles de Gaulle

1971: Nikita Khrushchev

1972: Harry S. Truman

1973: Lyndon Baines Johnson

1974: Georges Pompidou

1975: Moe Howard

1976: Mao Tse Tung

1977: Elvis Presley

1978: Pope John Paul I

1979: Nelson A. Rockefeller

1980: John Lennon

1981: Anwar Sedat

1982: Leonid Brezhnev

1983: Muddy Waters

1984: Richard Burton

1985: Yul Brynner

1986: Cary Grant

1987: Jackie Gleason

1988: Roy Orbison

1989: Lucille Ball

1990: Sammy Davis, Jr.

1991: Dr. Seuss

1992: Sam Walton

1993: Pat Nixon

1994: Richard Nixon

1995: Yitzhak Rabin

1996: Carl Sagan

1997: Princess Diane

1998: Frank Sinatra

1999: Glen T. Seaborg

2000: Sir Alec Guiness

2001: George Harrison

2002: Queen Mother

2003: Bob Hope

2004: Ronald Reagan

2005: Pope John Paul II

2006: Gerald Ford

2007: Lady Bird Johnson (thus far)

 

 

 

About my methodology I tried to weigh those deaths that are shocking (JFK, Elvis, Pope John Paul I, Princess Diane) with those that are not but were of people who had a very long and lasting impact on the (Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, Gerald Ford). A US President will almost always make the list if he dies in a given year unless a Pope, UK monarch or some other ultra world famous figure. Also just because a death is not shocking doesn't mean it didn't have a tremendous impact, take Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, their deaths were far from unexpected and yet they were a media firestorm and created an outpouring of emotion worldwide, heck even Gerald Ford had this to a lesser extent.

 

In general the longer someone has been well known or the longer ago they made their lasting mark on the world the more that plays in their favor. That can only be overcome by a death that is so shocking that it grabs the world's attention to the point that it takes away from someone who had a longer claim to fame. Case in point would be Princess Diane and Mother Theresa who died just a week apart. Mother Theresa had a longer impact on the world and in any other year she would have won but because she died the same year as Princess Diane who had a tremendous impact albeit for a shorter time but her death was so shocking that it put her over the top. Also in 1978 two popes dies, Paul VI who was pope for 15 years and John Paul I who was pope for 33 days and even though Paul VI had more of a long term impact his death was expected. John Paul I's death so soon after becoming pope under mysterious circumstances had more of an impact than the death of his predecessor.

 

Now this can also work in reverse as it did this year with Anna Nicole Smith and Lady Bird Johnson. Smith's death was shocking and was a media firestorm, Lady Bird Johnson's death was not shocking and was in the media only for a few days. Now part of it might be that I just refuse to have Anna Nicole Smith be the most significant death even though it can hardly disputed at least here in the US her death was the most talked about of anybody who died. So I gave it to Lady Bird because she was famous before Anna Nicole Smith was even born and being the wife of a president takes precedent over a B-list tabloid celebrity. Celebrities only make the cut if they have a lasting impact for their form of entertainment and not for personality cult alone. Thus someone like Cary Grant or Lucille Ball can cut it but not Anna Nicole or someone like Paris Hilton. Elvis had/has a personality cult but he actually had a tremendous impact on music and culture in general. Incidentally I wonder why anyone would question my choice of Cary Grant for 1986 because I read on this site that death list was started in part because of his death near the end of that year that and the fact that he is a British American A-list actor of the silver screen.

 

I considered Boris Yeltson for the top spot but Lady Bird Johnson had been famous long before even him. US first ladies are the only spouses of world leaders that could possibly be more significant than other world leaders and even then it depends on the first lady but in general it has to be a slow year for a first lady to win, I put Pat Nixon for 1993 mostly because I couldn't think of anyone else of significance who died that year. Jackie Kennedy would have surely made the list had she not died in the same year as Richard Nixon.

 

In general the length of fame is measured from the year he or she became famous either in some earth shattering break through role or entered the office of which they are most well known. For a pope, president or first lady this would be when they assumed office. Thus you have Boris Yeltson 1991 vs. Lady Bird Johnson 1963. Death in office can overcome this, so can a shocking death and also the level of fame and worldwide media coverage and since the US has such a huge media impact unfortunately it plays a significant part and Yeltson rightly or wrongly had very limited media coverage even less than Lady Bird Johnson. I don't have a precise formula but I just go by gut instincts. So in short Lady Bird over Boris due to US media coverage and length of fame and Lady Bird over Anna Nicole due to political stature and length of fame.

[To die for 3]

For shock value I would have to go with 'arry and say River Phoenix for 93 and Ayrton Senna for 94. Dead presidents just don't do it for me

 

Same goes for 2006 - Steve Irwin's death caused much more media hysteria. Although the shock value for that was "stabbed by stingray" rather than "eaten by crocodile".

[Monoclinic 39]

I mean 'scientists' or 'physicists' are probably only recognized by a certain majority of people and are not commonly known especially by people of this generation.

 

[rant] This is exactly what concerns us scientists. Falling standards and the inability to recognise famous scientists. I have been into schools and worked with pupils before and seen for myself the difference in what they are taught and that is in just a decade. I would hate to compare my education to that of some of the older members on this forum. They in turn would be shocked and appalled at the low level. I think to a certain extent the modern comprehensive system is failing the more intelligent pupils as they are not pushed far enough and from my own experiences being able to pass school leavers exams with little effort and study did not give me the right "study attitude" when I needed it most, at university. These days there is a huge number of pupils leaving with straight A's at GCSE (UK exams @16), though my parents inform me that it was extremely rare for a pupil to get all 1's at O-Level (the exams that were replaced by GCSEs in UK, 1 being very good!)[/rant]

 

My question for you is

 

How significant is a physicist dying when they've made their theories and the world has moved on?

 

I would go as far as saying your acting very hypocritical but instead I'll just wait for your answer.

 

I thought I had made it as clear as could

I am with the you can't really single out one person from anyone year as the most significant. How significant is a politician dying when they've been retired and the world has moved on? However, if this is significant I would like to try to even out the balance.

 

You may not know the names of the scientists but the average man or woman on the street has a lot to thank science for - probably more than one has to thank a politician. TELEVISION, TELEPHONE, GPS, INTERNET, MICROWAVE OVEN, MODERN MEDICINE... I let you think about the rest of the day to day things that you couldn't live without.

 

I am completely with Twelvetrees, he summed up what I was thinking a lot better than I did (me thinks he has O-levels not GCSEs!). Death is relative. As is the media spin on things depending on where you come from which is probably why some of us Brits are disagreeing with some enteries on Chicago's list. Maybe it doesn't help starting with a random year which so happens to be the death of a very famouis American. From over here we might have chosen to start with the death of King George VI (52?)?

[Twelvetrees 10]

About my methodology I tried to weigh those deaths that are shocking (JFK, Elvis, Pope John Paul I, Princess Diane) with those that are not but were of people who had a very long and lasting impact on the (Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, Gerald Ford). A US President will almost always make the list if he dies in a given year unless a Pope, UK monarch or some other ultra world famous figure. Also just because a death is not shocking doesn't mean it didn't have a tremendous impact, take Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, their deaths were far from unexpected and yet they were a media firestorm and created an outpouring of emotion worldwide, heck even Gerald Ford had this to a lesser extent.

 

In general the longer someone has been well known or the longer ago they made their lasting mark on the world the more that plays in their favor. That can only be overcome by a death that is so shocking that it grabs the world's attention to the point that it takes away from someone who had a longer claim to fame. Case in point would be Princess Diane and Mother Theresa who died just a week apart. Mother Theresa had a longer impact on the world and in any other year she would have won but because she died the same year as Princess Diane who had a tremendous impact albeit for a shorter time but her death was so shocking that it put her over the top. Also in 1978 two popes dies, Paul VI who was pope for 15 years and John Paul I who was pope for 33 days and even though Paul VI had more of a long term impact his death was expected. John Paul I's death so soon after becoming pope under mysterious circumstances had more of an impact than the death of his predecessor.

 

Now this can also work in reverse as it did this year with Anna Nicole Smith and Lady Bird Johnson. Smith's death was shocking and was a media firestorm, Lady Bird Johnson's death was not shocking and was in the media only for a few days. Now part of it might be that I just refuse to have Anna Nicole Smith be the most significant death even though it can hardly disputed at least here in the US her death was the most talked about of anybody who died. So I gave it to Lady Bird because she was famous before Anna Nicole Smith was even born and being the wife of a president takes precedent over a B-list tabloid celebrity. Celebrities only make the cut if they have a lasting impact for their form of entertainment and not for personality cult alone. Thus someone like Cary Grant or Lucille Ball can cut it but not Anna Nicole or someone like Paris Hilton. Elvis had/has a personality cult but he actually had a tremendous impact on music and culture in general. Incidentally I wonder why anyone would question my choice of Cary Grant for 1986 because I read on this site that death list was started in part because of his death near the end of that year that and the fact that he is a British American A-list actor of the silver screen.

 

I considered Boris Yeltson for the top spot but Lady Bird Johnson had been famous long before even him. US first ladies are the only spouses of world leaders that could possibly be more significant than other world leaders and even then it depends on the first lady but in general it has to be a slow year for a first lady to win, I put Pat Nixon for 1993 mostly because I couldn't think of anyone else of significance who died that year. Jackie Kennedy would have surely made the list had she not died in the same year as Richard Nixon.

 

In general the length of fame is measured from the year he or she became famous either in some earth shattering break through role or entered the office of which they are most well known. For a pope, president or first lady this would be when they assumed office. Thus you have Boris Yeltson 1991 vs. Lady Bird Johnson 1963. Death in office can overcome this, so can a shocking death and also the level of fame and worldwide media coverage and since the US has such a huge media impact unfortunately it plays a significant part and Yeltson rightly or wrongly had very limited media coverage even less than Lady Bird Johnson. I don't have a precise formula but I just go by gut instincts. So in short Lady Bird over Boris due to US media coverage and length of fame and Lady Bird over Anna Nicole due to political stature and length of fame.

 

Forigive me if I seem a little critical, but you do appear to have imposed some retrospective rules that seek to alter the nature of the debate. After all, your original post was "off the top of your head".

 

What you were really looking for is the most famous person to have died, and this within a strictly defined set of media-based US-focused criteria (even the contrived start date sets a blatantly pro-US agenda). What you were not seeking, as the thread title would seem to imply, was the most significant death. I mean, Pat Nixon in 1993...seriously? What did she achieve that did not come directly as the result of her having married a sweaty crook in 1940?

 

For me - and hopefully for others, she'd be trailing way, way behind in the wake of Audrey Hepburn, Arthur Ashe, Bobby Moore, William Golding, Federico Fellini, River Phoenix, Pablo Escobar and Frank Zappa, all of whom, in one way or another, did a little more than become "Outstanding Homemaker of the Year" in 1953.

 

By the way, for the sake of accuracy - Yeltsin, Diana.

 

Cheerio

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,612]

What did she achieve that did not come directly as the result of her having married a sweaty crook in 1940?

 

For me - and hopefully for others, she'd be trailing way, way behind in the wake of Audrey Hepburn, Arthur Ashe, Bobby Moore, William Golding, Federico Fellini, River Phoenix, Pablo Escobar and Frank Zappa, all of whom, in one way or another, did a little more than become "Outstanding Homemaker of the Year" in 1953.

 

Thanks for clearing that up; I was always under the impression that she was on Corrie.

[Guest Coogan's Bluff]

In 1975 no one died. In 1976, no one died. In 1977, no one died. In 1978, no one died. In 1979, no-one died. In 1980... some one died. In 1981, no one died. In 1982 there was the incident with the pigeon. In 1983, no one died. In 1984, no one died. In 1985, no one died. In 1986... I mean, I could go on.

Best not to.

 

Never mind, Nighty, some of us got it.

.

[Youth in Asia 1,049]

In 1975 no one died. In 1976, no one died. In 1977, no one died. In 1978, no one died. In 1979, no-one died. In 1980... some one died. In 1981, no one died. In 1982 there was the incident with the pigeon. In 1983, no one died. In 1984, no one died. In 1985, no one died. In 1986... I mean, I could go on.

Best not to.

 

Never mind, Nighty, some of us got it.

.

 

Brilliant clip! Almost as funny as the idea that Labybird Johnson was more famous than Boris Yeltsin.

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,187]

In 1975 no one died. In 1976, no one died. In 1977, no one died. In 1978, no one died. In 1979, no-one died. In 1980... some one died. In 1981, no one died. In 1982 there was the incident with the pigeon. In 1983, no one died. In 1984, no one died. In 1985, no one died. In 1986... I mean, I could go on.

Best not to.

 

Never mind, Nighty, some of us got it.

.

Im obviously not trendy enough, didnt get it, now Ive seen it I still dont.

As funny as herpes.

[CarolAnn 925]

It's funny - I would argue that the death of Pope John XXIII was probably far more impactful (is that a word?) on the world than Kennedy. Robert Frost as well, for that matter.

 

It could be argued that in hindsight the death of Kennedy's child Patrick four months before he was assassinated was even more important - it spurred research into Hyaline Membrane Disease which has resulted in CPAP and pulmonary surfactant saving thousands of infants who would have died had the research not been done.

 

I guess my point is that it's all subjective and there ain't no point in arguing about it. Let's argue about something more constructive.

[Guest Guest]

I mean, Pat Nixon in 1993...seriously? What did she achieve that did not come directly as the result of her having married a sweaty crook in 1940?

 

For me - and hopefully for others, she'd be trailing way, way behind in the wake of Audrey Hepburn, Arthur Ashe, Bobby Moore, William Golding, Federico Fellini, River Phoenix, Pablo Escobar and Frank Zappa, all of whom, in one way or another, did a little more than become "Outstanding Homemaker of the Year" in 1953.

 

James Hunt's death was a significant one too - I remember where I was when Moore, Ashe, Hepburn & Hunt died.

Pat Nixon? Didn't hear of her until Nixon himself died a year later.

 

 

I'd also put, globally, Senna's death ahead of Nixon's - it was seen by billions of people & affected millions. Nixon's was just.. "oh well, good riddance."

[Brinsworth House Baiter 12]

I'd also put, globally, Senna's death ahead of Nixon's - it was seen by billions of people & affected millions.

 

Affected millions? What, like:

 

'Wow, man, d'ya see that? Woh, that's gotta hurt! Pass the Pringles.'

 

Or

 

'Hey, get in here quick and bring some beers with you, you just gotta see the action replay of this!'

 

Cheers,

 

BHB

[chicago103 36]

1963: John F. Kennedy

1964: Herbert Hoover

1965: Winston Churchill

1966: Walt Disney

1967: Spencer Tracy

1968: Martin Luther King, Jr.

1969: Dwight D. Eisenhower

1970: Charles de Gaulle

1971: Nikita Khrushchev

1972: Harry S. Truman

1973: Lyndon Baines Johnson

1974: Georges Pompidou

1975: Moe Howard

1976: Mao Tse Tung

1977: Elvis Presley

1978: Pope John Paul I

1979: Nelson A. Rockefeller

1980: John Lennon

1981: Anwar Sedat

1982: Leonid Brezhnev

1983: Muddy Waters

1984: Richard Burton

1985: Yul Brynner

1986: Cary Grant

1987: Jackie Gleason

1988: Roy Orbison

1989: Lucille Ball

1990: Sammy Davis, Jr.

1991: Dr. Seuss

1992: Sam Walton

1993: Audrey Hepburn

1994: Richard Nixon

1995: Yitzhak Rabin

1996: Carl Sagan

1997: Princess Diana

1998: Frank Sinatra

1999: King Hussein

2000: Sir Alec Guiness

2001: Mohammed Atta

2002: Queen Mother

2003: Bob Hope

2004: Ronald Reagan

2005: Pope John Paul II

2006: Gerald Ford

2007: Lady Bird Johnson (thus far)

 

 

 

I made a few changes, for one I changed it to Audry Hepburn for 1993, I was under the mistaken impression she died in 1994 (in which case Richard Nixon would win hands down), however I was always uneasy with Pat Nixon for 1993. For 2001 I switched George Harrison for Mohammed Atta the most infamous 9/11 hijacker, his death surely changed the world more than anybody else.

[Youth in Asia 1,049]

1963: John F. Kennedy

1964: Herbert Hoover

1965: Winston Churchill

1966: Walt Disney

1967: Spencer Tracy

1968: Martin Luther King, Jr.

1969: Dwight D. Eisenhower

1970: Charles de Gaulle

1971: Nikita Khrushchev

1972: Harry S. Truman

1973: Lyndon Baines Johnson

1974: Georges Pompidou

1975: Moe Howard

1976: Mao Tse Tung

1977: Elvis Presley

1978: Pope John Paul I

1979: Nelson A. Rockefeller

1980: John Lennon

1981: Anwar Sedat

1982: Leonid Brezhnev

1983: Muddy Waters

1984: Richard Burton

1985: Yul Brynner

1986: Cary Grant

1987: Jackie Gleason

1988: Roy Orbison

1989: Lucille Ball

1990: Sammy Davis, Jr.

1991: Dr. Seuss

1992: Sam Walton

1993: Audrey Hepburn

1994: Richard Nixon

1995: Yitzhak Rabin

1996: Carl Sagan

1997: Princess Diana

1998: Frank Sinatra

1999: King Hussein

2000: Sir Alec Guiness

2001: Mohammed Atta

2002: Queen Mother

2003: Katherine Hepburn

2004: Ronald Reagan

2005: Pope John Paul II

2006: Gerald Ford

2007: Lady Bird Johnson (thus far)

 

 

 

I made a few changes, for one I changed it to Audry Hepburn for 1993, I was under the mistaken impression she died in 1994 (in which case Richard Nixon would win hands down), however I was always uneasy with Pat Nixon for 1993. For 2001 I switched George Harrison for Mohammed Atta the most infamous 9/11 hijacker, his death surely changed the world more than anybody else. Also for 2003 I switched Bob Hope for Katherine Hepburn who had more of an impact on entertainment than Bob Hope.

 

I think you need to make a few more changes. Including people the rest of us have heard of might be a good first step.

[Phantom 2,509]

who is Carl Sagan?

I would have thought George Harrison's would hold more significance than Mohammed Atta. Who had heard of Atta prior to 9/11 with the exception of those in military intelligence?

[Canadian Paul 93]

I think you need to make a few more changes. Including people the rest of us have heard of might be a good first step.

 

Which of those names elude you exactly? I can see people not knowing who Carl Sagan is and I had to check to make sure Leonid Brezhnev was the person I thought he was (he was), but the rest are very high profile people.

 

who is Carl Sagan?

I would have thought George Harrison's would hold more significance than Mohammed Atta. Who had heard of Atta prior to 9/11 with the exception of those in military intelligence?

 

Carl Sagan was an incredibly large figure in astronomical sciences - I think he founded SETI and did a lot of things that made astronomy more interesting and accessible to the average person. Plus he died of... cancer I think... youngish (50ish) and it was a big surprise to everyone. Granted, I learned about him recently, but I can see how he could be a contender in this somewhat fruitless exercise.

 

Mohammad Atta is another one that depends on your point of view - if we're talking about people who's death changed the world the most, then Atta over Harrison. If we're talking about people who were more well known and who's life had a great impact, then Harrison over Atta. All subjective.

[Windsor 2,210]

1979

 

Nelson A. Rockefeller - former US vice-president - died after having fun with young lady friend.

 

Louis Mountbatten - hero of WWII, last Viceroy of India, almost PM by military coup - murdered by the Irish Repuplican army.

 

I suppose it boils down to our own ideas of priority. You are a self declared expert on the US Presidency, and I have interest in Monarchy.

[Cowboy Ronnie 77]

Having spent formative years in the Midwest US, I can see where Chi 103 is coming from with some of his picks. The US is unlike the UK in that as there's not 20 different countries 2 hours away, and it's pretty much a continent unto itself, what goes on overseas is just not reported on or talked about as much as it is in Europe. To put it in perspective, when Maggie Thatcher resigned it was about the third story on the CBS Evening News that day. In world terms, deffo Mountbatten over Rockefeller. No doubt if we put it to a poll the DLers would make some changes, but overall, not a bad list at all.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,612]

Having spent formative years in the Midwest US, I can see where Chi 103 is coming from with some of his picks. The US is unlike the UK in that as there's not 20 different countries 2 hours away, and it's pretty much a continent unto itself, what goes on overseas is just not reported on or talked about as much as it is in Europe. To put it in perspective, when Maggie Thatcher resigned it was about the third story on the CBS Evening News that day. In world terms, deffo Mountbatten over Rockefeller. No doubt if we put it to a poll the DLers would make some changes, but overall, not a bad list at all.

 

I love this thread, it's possibly the dumbest ever.

[Canadian Paul 93]

Having spent formative years in the Midwest US, I can see where Chi 103 is coming from with some of his picks. The US is unlike the UK in that as there's not 20 different countries 2 hours away, and it's pretty much a continent unto itself, what goes on overseas is just not reported on or talked about as much as it is in Europe. To put it in perspective, when Maggie Thatcher resigned it was about the third story on the CBS Evening News that day. In world terms, deffo Mountbatten over Rockefeller. No doubt if we put it to a poll the DLers would make some changes, but overall, not a bad list at all.

 

I love this thread, it's possibly the dumbest ever.

 

Au contraire!

 

Never doubt the power of Iain Harry.

[themaninblack 2,112]

Comedy deaths

 

I know it's just out of the timeframe, but a really significant comedy death was in 1962...Ernie Kovacs!

Harpo Marx 1964

Stan Laurel 1965

Lenny Bruce and Buster Keaton 1966

Tony Hancock 1968

Harold Lloyd 1971

Michael Flanders 1975

Alistair Sim 1976

Charlie Chaplin and Groucho Marx 1977

Joyce Grenfell 1979

Peter Sellers 1980

John Belushi 1982

Dick Emery 1983

Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Leonard Rossiter 1984

Phil Silvers 1985

Kenneth Williams 1988

Graham Chapman 1989

Terry-Thomas 1990

Frankie Howerd and Benny Hill 1992

Les Dawson 1993

Bill Hicks 1994

Peter Cook and Kenny Everett 1995

Ernie Wise 1999

Dudley Moore 2002

Bob Monkhouse 2003

Richard Pryor 2005

 

 

To be updated...

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,612]

Horse Deaths

 

1957 Golden Miller

1989 Secretariat

1995 Red Rum

 

 

Gorilla Deaths

 

1978 Guy

1933/1976/2005 etc King Ko...