Famous People Who Died in 1938

Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1938. This list includes people like Robert Johnson, Muhammad Iqbal, Clarence Darrow, Jane Toppan, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, journalists, poets and philosophers who died in 1938. This list includes people from United States, Russia, Germany & France and many more countries.

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Birthdate: May 19, 1881

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Thessaloniki

Died: November 10

Kemal Atatürk, known as the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, was its first president. He unified Turkey into a secular country and invested in education and women’s rights. He also popularized the Latin-based Turkish alphabet and made minorities speak Turkish in public. His policies are known as “Kemalism.”

Birthdate: May 8, 1911

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Hazlehurst, Mississippi, United States

Died: August 16

Singer and guitarist Robert Johnson is remembered as a Delta blues legend. Lack of proper documentation of his early life led to various legends surrounding him, such as one that claimed he had made a deal with the Devil to excel in music. He also inspired an award-winning biography.

Muhammad Iqbal

(One of the Most Important Figures in Urdu and Persian Literature)

Birthdate: November 9, 1877

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Sialkot, Pakistan

Died: April 21

Muhammad Iqbal was a Scholar, poet, and politician. Born in British India (present-day Pakistan), Iqbal's poetry in Persian and Urdu languages is regarded as one of the greatest of the modern era. Also an influential politician, Muhammad Iqbal's vision of an independent Muslim state helped inspire the creation of Pakistan where he is recognized as the national poet.

Thomas Clayton Wolfe

(An Important Writer in Modern American Literature and One of the First Masters of Autobiographical Fiction)

Birthdate: October 3, 1900

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Asheville, North Carolina, United States

Died: September 15

Novelist Thomas Wolfe is remembered for his novels Look Homeward, Angel and Of Time and the River. He had also authored countless short stories and plays. His signature style included elements of autobiographical writing mixed with poetic and lyrical prose. His works influenced Beat Generation writers, too.

Birthdate: April 18, 1857

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Kinsman Township

Died: March 13

Marie of Romania

(Wife of Ferdinand I of Romania and Former Queen Consort of Romania (1914 - 1927))

Birthdate: October 29, 1875

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Eastwell Park, Kent, England

Died: July 10

Marie of Romania was a descendant of Queen Victoria and born as the Princess of Edinburgh, before she married King Ferdinand I and became the last queen of Romania. A visual artist and a patron of the Art Nouveau movement, she was also a skilled equestrian and driver.

Konstantin Stanislavski

(Co-founder of ‘Moscow Art Theatre’ and Developer of Stanislavski's System of Acting)

Birthdate: January 17, 1863

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Died: August 7

Legendary Soviet and Russian theatre-practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski, who played an instrumental role in promoting new Russian drama of his time, is best-known for co-founding the world-renowned Moscow Art Theatre and developing the Stanislavski's system of training and preparing actors. Sergeyevich was considered one of the prominent theatre directors of his day and also earned repute as a remarkable character actor.

Birthdate: June 17, 1871

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Died: June 26

Typhoid Mary

(The First Person to be Identified as an Asymptomatic Carrier of the Pathogenic Bacteria 'Salmonella Typhi')

Birthdate: September 23, 1869

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland

Died: November 11

Irish immigrant Mary Mallon, or Typhoid Mary, worked as a cook in affluent American households. When people started falling ill in and around places where Mary had worked, it was discovered that she was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid. Escaping every time, she caused three deaths and was eventually forcibly isolated.

George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven

(Military Leader)

Birthdate: December 6, 1892

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: New Palace, Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse, Germany

Died: April 8

Faustyna Kowalska

(Polish Catholic Religious Sister and Mystic)

Birthdate: August 25, 1905

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Głogowiec, Poland

Died: October 5

Polish Catholic nun Faustyna Kowalska is remembered for her diary, which recorded her multiple visions of Jesus and was later published. She later got an artist to paint the Image of the Divine Mercy, based on her visions. Known as the Apostle of Divine Mercy, she was canonized as a saint in 2000.

Birthdate: November 26, 1869

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: London, England, United Kingdom

Died: November 20

Daughter of King Edward VII of Norway, Maud of Wales, was known for being a tomboy and had even been nicknamed Harry, after a valiant admiral. She married Prince Carl of Denmark. After Carl took over as King Haakon VII of Norway, Maud became the queen of Norway, too.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

(German Expressionist Painter and Printmaker Who was One of the Founders of the Artists Group 'Die Brücke')

Birthdate: May 6, 1880

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Aschaffenburg, Germany

Died: June 15

One of the pioneers of Expressionism, German painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner co-established the artists’ group Die Brücke, or The Bridge. His iconic works such as Girl under Japanese Umbrella and Street, Berlin displayed psychological and erotic themes. Declared a "degenerate" by the Nazis, he later committed suicide.

Grey Owl

(Writer, Novelist)

Birthdate: September 18, 1888

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Hastings

Died: April 13

Corneliu Zelea Codreanu

(Romanian Politician & Founder and Leader of the Legionary Movement (Iron Guard))

Birthdate: September 13, 1899

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Huși, Romania

Died: November 30

Romanian far-right politician Corneliu Zelea Codreanu founded the anti-Semitic and fascist movement called Iron Guard, also known as the Legionary Movement. While the movement turned into a successful political party, it was crushed by King Carol II, while Codreanu was imprisoned and then shot to death while escaping.

Suzanne Valadon

(Painter)

Birthdate: September 23, 1865

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Bessines-sur-Gartempe, France

Died: April 7

Height: 5'0" (152 cm)

Jigoro Kano

(Japanese Educator, Athlete, and the Founder of Judo)

Birthdate: December 10, 1860

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Hyogo, Japan

Died: May 4

Legendary Japanese athlete Jigoro Kano is remembered as the founder of judo. A fine educator, he had also had a 23-year stint as the principal of 2 schools, which later became the University of Tsukuba. He was also the first Asian to be part of the International Olympic Committee.

Birthdate: September 15, 1876

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Debanandapur, Bandel, India

Died: January 16

Iconic Bengali author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay is best known for his works such as Devdas, Srikanta, and Parineeta, many of which have been made into films. Born into a poverty-stricken family, he found solace in literature and began writing in his teens. He was a prominent figure of the Bengali Renaissance.

Hans Christian Gram

(Danish Bacteriologist)

Birthdate: September 13, 1853

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark

Died: November 14

Hans Christian Gram was a Danish bacteriologist best remembered for developing a technique called Gram stain, which is still used today to classify bacteria. He achieved international recognition after developing the Gram stain technique. Hans Christian Gram also served as a professor at the University of Copenhagen.

Warner Oland

(Actor)

Birthdate: October 3, 1879

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Bjurholm Municipality, Sweden

Died: August 6

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Georges Méliès

(One of the First Filmmakers to Use Storyboards & Fictional Narratives in Movies)

Birthdate: December 8, 1861

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: January 21

Initially a professional illusionist and later a film director, Georges Méliès became interested in motion pictures after watching the first real film made by Lumière brothers. Realizing the potential of film-making as an art, he soon started experimenting, making technical and narrative developments. Among the 400 films he made were Christ Walking on Water, A Trip to the Moon etc

King Oliver

(Musician)

Birthdate: December 19, 1881

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Aben, Louisiana, United States

Died: April 10

Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark

(Prince)

Birthdate: January 22, 1872

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Athens, Greece

Died: February 8

Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark was the son of Queen Olga and George I of Greece. A talented painter, Nicholas was nicknamed Greek Nicky within the royal family to tell him apart from his cousin Nicholas II. In 1896, Prince Nicholas helped organize the Summer Olympics. He was godfather to George Simitis' son and future Prime Minister Kostas Simitis.

Harvey Samuel Firestone

(Entrepreneur)

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Birthdate: December 20, 1868

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Columbiana

Died: February 7

Alma Gluck

(Romanian-American Opera Singer Who Was the First Musician to Sell a Million Record Copies)

Birthdate: May 11, 1884

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Ias,i, Bucharest, Romania

Died: October 27

Initially a stenographer, Romanian-born American opera singer Reba Fiersohn, better known as Alma Gluck, started her music career after her marriage and soon found success with her performances at the Metropolitan Opera. She scripted history by scoring the first million-selling phonograph record and also co-founded the American Woman's Association.

Joseph Strauss

(American Structural Engineer Who Revolutionized the Design of 'Bascule Bridges')

Birthdate: January 9, 1870

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Died: May 16

Best known for designing the Golden Gate Bridge, engineer Joseph Strauss specialized in movable bridges and developed the concepts of the bascule bridge and the vertical-lift bridge. Born to a pianist mother and a painter-writer father, he later also penned poems such as The Mighty Task is Done.

Reginald Johnston

(Commissioner of Weihaiwei (1927–1930) ,Former diplomat who served as the tutor and advisor to Puyi, the last Emperor of China)

Birthdate: October 13, 1874

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland

Died: March 6

Max Factor Sr.

(American makeup designer)

Birthdate: September 15, 1877

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Łódź, Poland

Died: August 30

Known for his pioneering contribution to the make-up industry in Hollywood and for his revolutionary products such as Supreme Greasepaint, Max Factor Sr. was a Polish Jew, who moved to the US in the early 1900s. He founded his own brand of cosmetics, popularized the word “make-up,” and won an honorary Academy Award.

Alfonsina Storni

(Argentine Poet and Playwright of the Modernist Period)

Birthdate: May 29, 1892

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Sala Capriasca, Switzerland

Died: October 25

Alfonsina Storni was an Argentine playwright and poet of the modernist period. She was one of the first women to find success in the Argentine literature and theater scene, which were dominated by men. Her literary works not only inspired her readers but also inspired other writers.

Edmund Husserl

(German Philosopher, Mathematician and Founder of Phenomenology)

Birthdate: April 8, 1859

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Prostějov, Czechia

Died: April 27

Edmund Husserl was a German philosopher of Moravian origin. He established the school of phenomenology. He studied mathematics, physics, and astronomy at the University of Leipzig and worked as an assistant to mathematician Karl Weierstrass. He later became a professor of philosophy and taught for several years. He is considered a major figure in 20th-century philosophy.

Birthdate: March 4, 1889

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Green Ridge

Died: August 4

Genrikh Grigoryevich Yagoda

(Official)

Birthdate: November 7, 1891

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Rybinsk, Russia

Died: March 15

Lady Ottoline Morrell

(Writer)

Birthdate: June 16, 1873

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England

Died: April 21

Lev Shestov

(Former existentialist and religious philosopher best known for his critiques of both philosophic rationalism and scientism)

Birthdate: February 12, 1866

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Kyiv, Ukraine

Died: November 19

Karel Čapek

(Czech Writer and Playwright Who is Best Known for His Science Fiction)

Birthdate: January 9, 1890

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Malé Svatoňovice, Czechia

Died: December 25

Karel Čapek was a Czech writer, critic, and playwright. He is best remembered for his science fiction work, including his play Rossum's Universal Robots and his novel War with the Newts. Credited with introducing the word robot, Karel Čapek's works were celebrated after World War II. He was also nominated for the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature on seven occasions.

Gabriele D'Annunzio

(Former Member of Italian Chamber of Deputies (1897-1900))

Birthdate: March 12, 1863

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Pescara, Italy

Died: March 1

Known for literary works like Il Piacere and La Gioconda, Italian journalist, poet and playwright Gabriele D'Annunzio dominated the second period of Italian Decadentism. He became a national war hero during the First World War. His political endeavours include establishing and leading the short-lived Italian Regency of Carnaro in Fiume. He is often described as the forerunner of Italian fascism.

Isabelo de los Reyes

(Co-Founder of the Philippine Independent Church 'Iglesia Filipina Independiente')

Birthdate: July 7, 1864

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Vigan

Died: October 10

Isabelo de los Reyes, also known as Don Belong, was a prominent Filipino politician and activist who co-founded the independent Philippine church Iglesia Filipina Independiente. A labor leader and author, too, he served as the senator of the Philippines. He also wrote extensively on folklore, religion, and history.

Benjamin Cardozo

(Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1932 to 1938)

Birthdate: May 24, 1870

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Died: July 9

American lawyer Benjamin Cardozo had served as the Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court. More of a liberal, he supported the modification of existing legal principles to make them more modern. He is remembered for his mild-mannered nature and for his contribution to the American common law.

Suzanne Lenglen

(French Tennis Player)

Birthdate: May 24, 1899

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: July 4

Height: 5'6" (168 cm)

Leopold Godowsky

(Virtuoso Pianist, Composer and Teacher, Termed as ‘Buddha of the Piano’ by Famous Musicians)

Birthdate: February 13, 1870

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Soshly, Lithuania

Died: November 21

Leopold Godowsky was a renowned Polish-born American pianist, composer and teacher counted among the most highly regarded performers of his day. Notable works of the virtuoso, who was reputed for his remarkable piano technique, includes his compositions like Java Suite, Walzermasken, Passacaglia and Triakontameron; and 53 Studies on Chopin's Études, a set of 53 arrangements of Études by Frédéric Chopin.

Frigyes Karinthy

(Author)

Birthdate: June 25, 1887

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary

Died: August 29

Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy was the first to state the concept of six degrees of separation, in his short story Chains. Initially a journalist, he later mastered the short story format and also penned novels such as Voyage to Faremido. He also wrote the script for the film The Stork Caliph.

Birthdate: November 11, 1859

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: London, England, United Kingdom

Died: July 16

Ödön von Horváth

(Writer)

Birthdate: December 9, 1901

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Rijeka, Croatia

Died: June 1

Born to an Austro-Hungarian diplomat, Ödön von Horváth grew up studying in Hungarian but later became one of the finest writers of German literature. The writer of iconic plays such as Italian Night and Tales from the Vienna Woods, he was a significant anti-fascist playwright. He died in a thunderstorm.

Octavian Goga

(37th Prime Minister of Romania (1937 - 1938))

Birthdate: April 1, 1881

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Rășinari, Sibiu County, Romania

Died: May 7

Right-wing Romanian politician Octavian Goga was a significant part of the Romanian nationalistic movement and the Romanian National Party. He later formed the National Christian Party and led Romania as its prime minister. He was a talented poet, playwright, and journalist, too, and penned works such as The Olt River.

Valery Chkalov

(Test Pilot Who Was Awarded the Title Hero of the Soviet Union (1936))

Birthdate: February 2, 1904

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Chkalovsk, Russia

Died: December 15

William Glackens

(American Painter)

Birthdate: March 13, 1870

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: May 22

Birthdate: February 15, 1861

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Fleurier

Died: May 13

Born in Switzerland, Charles Édouard Guillaume grew up to win the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the nickel-steel alloys invar and elinva. He also served the International Bureau of Weights and Measures as its director, while his research covered horology and space radiation, too.

Branislav Nušić

(Playwright)

Birthdate: October 20, 1864

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Belgrade

Died: January 19

Robert Wiene

(German Film Director, Screenwriter and Producer)

Birthdate: April 27, 1873

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Wrocław, Poland

Died: July 17