a
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Marshall Herff Applewhite
Cult Leader / 1931 - 1997
Marshall Herff Applewhite was the leader of the Heaven's Gate religious group. He was a self-proclaimed prophet. He died in the group's mass suicide in 1997.
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(1931-1997)
Cult Leader
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LaVern Baker
Singer / 1929 - 1997
American singer LaVern Baker helped pioneer the R&B sound in the 1950s and released multiple hits with Atlantic Records, including the famous "Tweedle Dee."
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(1929-1997)
Singer
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Isaiah Berlin
Educator, Historian, Philosopher, Scholar, Academic Author, Journalist / 1909 - 1997
Isaiah Berlin was a trailblazing 20th century scholar, philosopher and author, who championed pluralistic thinking and openness to ideas.
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(1909-1997)
Educator, Historian, Philosopher, Scholar, Academic Author, Journalist
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Biggie Smalls
Rapper / 1972 - 1997
Biggie Smalls, also known as Notorious B.I.G., was a revered hip-hop artist and face of East Coast gangsta rap. He was shot and killed on March 9, 1997.
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(1972-1997)
Rapper
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William J. Brennan, Jr.
Supreme Court Justice / 1906 - 1997
William J. Brennan was an attorney who rose to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he served for 34 years.
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(1906-1997)
Supreme Court Justice
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Jeff Buckley
Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer / 1966 - 1997
Jeff Buckley was an American singer-songwriter who became widely known for his stirring cover of the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah."
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(1966-1997)
Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer
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William S. Burroughs
Author / 1914 - 1997
William S. Burroughs was a Beat Generation writer known for his startling, nontraditional accounts of drug culture, most famously in the book Naked Lunch.
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(1914-1997)
Author
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Melvin Calvin
Educator, Chemist / 1911 - 1997
Melvin Calvin was an American biochemist who received the 1961 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his discovery of the chemical pathways of photosynthesis.
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(1911-1997)
Educator, Chemist
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Jacques Cousteau
Photographer, Explorer, Filmmaker, Inventor, Military Leader, Scientist / 1910 - 1997
Jacques Cousteau was a French undersea explorer, researcher, photographer and documentary host who invented diving and scuba devices, including the Aqua-Lung. He also conducted underwater expeditions and produced films and television series, including the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.
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(1910-1997)
Photographer, Explorer, Filmmaker, Inventor, Military Leader, Scientist
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Andrew Cunanan
Serial Killer / 1969 - 1997
Andrew Cunanan was a serial murder who killed fashion designer Gianni Versace, and at least four other people, before commiting suicide in a Miami houseboat.
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(1969-1997)
Serial Killer
d
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Willem de Kooning
Painter / 1904 - 1997
Willem de Kooning was a Dutch-born American painter who was one of the leading exponents of Abstract Expressionism.
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(1904-1997)
Painter
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John Denver
Environmental Activist, Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer / 1943 - 1997
John Denver was one of the most successful singer-songwriters of the 1970s. His hits include "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Thank God I'm a Country Boy."
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(1943-1997)
Environmental Activist, Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer
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James Dickey
Literary Critic, Author, Poet / 1923 - 1997
James Dickey was a Poet Laureate and novelist best known for his 1970 book Deliverance.
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(1923-1997)
Literary Critic, Author, Poet
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Chris Farley
Actor / 1964 - 1997
Comedian and actor Chris Farley had an ensemble role on Saturday Night Live, and was also know for his movie roles in the comedies Wayne's World and Tommy Boy.
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(1964-1997)
Actor
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Dodi Fayed
Producer / 1955 - 1997
Dodi Fayed was an Egyptian heir and film producer who dated and was dled with Princess Diana of Wales in a Paris car crash.
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(1955-1997)
Producer
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Allen Ginsberg
Activist, Poet / 1926 - 1997
Allen Ginsberg is one of the 20th century's most influential poets, regarded as a founding father of the Beat Movement and known for works like "Howl."
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(1926-1997)
Activist, Poet
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Roberto Goizueta
Business Leader / 1931 - 1997
Roberto Críspulo Goizueta served as chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company. Over 16-years, he increased Coca-Cola's market value from $4 to $150 billion.
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(1931-1997)
Business Leader
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Art Hanes
Lawyer, Mayor / 1916 - 1997
Art Hanes was mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, between 1961 and 1963. He actively opposed racial integration.
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(1916-1997)
Lawyer, Mayor
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A.D. Hershey
Biologist / 1908 - 1997
American biologist A.D. Hershey won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1969 for his research done on viruses that infect bacteria.
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(1908-1997)
Biologist
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Michael Hutchence
Singer / 1960 - 1997
Michael Hutchence was the lead singer of the band INXS, a popular rock group in the 1980s and 1990s.
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(1960-1997)
Singer
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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
(1948-1997)
Songwriter, Singer
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Charles Kuralt
Radio Personality, News Anchor, Journalist / 1934 - 1997
Charles Kuralt was a multiple Emmy and Peabody Award-winning broadcast journalist who produced the well-loved "On The Road" segments for the CBS Evening News.
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(1934-1997)
Radio Personality, News Anchor, Journalist
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Fela Kuti
Civil Rights Activist, Songwriter, Drummer, Pianist / 1938 - 1997
Musician and activist Fela Kuti pioneered Afrobeat music and was repeatedly arrested and beaten for writing lyrics that questioned the Nigerian government.
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(1938-1997)
Civil Rights Activist, Songwriter, Drummer, Pianist
l
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Denise Levertov
Anti-War Activist, Poet / 1923 - 1997
Denise Levertov was an English-born poet, essayist and political activist who wrote matter-of-fact verse on both personal and political themes.
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(1923-1997)
Anti-War Activist, Poet
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Roy Lichtenstein
Illustrator, Painter / 1923 - 1997
Roy Lichtenstein was an American pop artist best known for his boldly-colored parodies of comic strips and advertisements.
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(1923-1997)
Illustrator, Painter
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Dora Maar
Artist, Poet / 1907 - 1997
Dora Maar was a French artist and poet best known as Pablo Picasso's lover and muse.
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(1907-1997)
Artist, Poet
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Burgess Meredith
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor / 1907 - 1997
Actor Burgess Meredith appeared on stage, film and TV. Memorable roles included George in the 1939 film Of Mice and Men and Mickey Goldmill in Rocky.
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(1907-1997)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
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James Michener
Author / 1907 - 1997
James Michener was an American novelist and story-story writer who penned Tales of the South Pacific, which one a Pulitzer Prize in 1947.
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(1907-1997)
Author
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Robert Mitchum
Film Actor, Songwriter, Singer / 1917 - 1997
A legendary tough guy on and off-screen, Robert Mitchum was one of the most memorable leading men of the twentieth century.
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(1917-1997)
Film Actor, Songwriter, Singer
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Mother Teresa
Nun, Saint / 1910 - 1997
Mother Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor.
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(1910-1997)
Nun, Saint
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Laura Nyro
Pianist, Singer / 1947 - 1997
Laura Nyro is best known for her musical career as a singer-songwriter, which began in the 1960s.
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(1947-1997)
Pianist, Singer
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Princess Diana
Children's Activist, Princess / 1961 - 1997
Princess Diana was Princess of Wales while married to Prince Charles. One of the most adored members of the British royal family, she died in a 1997 car crash.
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(1961-1997)
Children's Activist, Princess
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A.L. Rowse
Historian, Academic Author / 1903 - 1997
A.L. Rowse was one of the 20th century's foremost historians on Elizabethan England. He wrote biographies of several English historical and literary figures.
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(1903-1997)
Historian, Academic Author
s
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Mobutu Sésé Seko
World Leader / 1930 - 1997
Mobutu Sésé Seko was president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which was also known as Zaire for much of his reign, from 1965 to 1997.
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(1930-1997)
World Leader
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Betty Shabazz
Educator, Civil Rights Activist, Nurse / 1934 - 1997
Betty Shabazz is best known as the wife of African-American nationalist leader Malcolm X, who was assassinated in New York City in 1965.
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(1934-1997)
Educator, Civil Rights Activist, Nurse
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Red Skelton
Film Actor, Television Actor, Painter, Comedian, Radio Personality, Television Personality / 1913 - 1997
Son of a circus clown, Red Skelton was a radio and television comedian and host best known for his emotionally complex routines.
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(1913-1997)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Painter, Comedian, Radio Personality, Television Personality
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Jimmy Stewart
Film Actor, Theater Actor / 1908 - 1997
Jimmy Stewart was a major motion-picture star known for his portrayals of diffident but morally resolute characters in films such as It’s a Wonderful Life.
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(1908-1997)
Film Actor, Theater Actor
t
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Brandon Tartikoff
Television Producer / 1949 - 1997
Brandon Tartikoff was the president of NBC Television during its rise to the top from 1980 till 1991.
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(1949-1997)
Television Producer
v
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Gianni Versace
Entrepreneur, Fashion Designer / 1946 - 1997
A designer to celebrities and royalty such as Princess Diana, Gianni Versace brought vitality and art to an industry considered out of touch with the street.
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(1946-1997)
Entrepreneur, Fashion Designer
w
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Robert Weaver
Academic, Economist / 1907 - 1997
Noted economist Robert Weaver, was the first African American to serve in the U.S. cabinet as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
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(1907-1997)
Academic, Economist
x
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Deng Xiaoping
Political Leader / 1904 - 1997
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese communist leader, the most powerful figure in the People's Republic of China from the late 1970s until his death in 1997.
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(1904-1997)
Political Leader
y
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Coleman Young
Civil Rights Activist, Mayor / 1918 - 1997
Coleman Young helped found the National Negro Labor Council, which sought jobs for African Americans, and was the first African American mayor of Detroit.
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(1918-1997)
Civil Rights Activist, Mayor
z
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Fred Zinnemann
Director / 1907 - 1997
Director Fred Zinnemann’s films were known for their realistic characters and atmosphere. He won an Oscar for his 1953 film From Here to Eternity.
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(1907-1997)
Director