Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967)

Renowned Poet Lauerate of African Americans. He translated the joy, pain and love of African Americans to the world. He is buried at the Schomburg Library of African American Culture in Harlem. (bio by: Dianne Washington)  Family links:  Parents:  Caroline Mercer Langston Clark (1873 – 1938)Cause of death: Cancer

Antoine Le Claire (1797 - 1861)

Pioneer. First white settler in Iowa. Co-founder of the city of Davenport, Iowa. Le Claire, Iowa is named for him. He acted as an interpreter for the US government in dealings with Native Americans in the midwest, notably providing his services at the signing of the treaty which secured the Black Hawk Purchase, which included […]

Tony Hemmerling (1911 - 1983)

Professional Hockey Player. A native of Landis, Saskatchewan, he played the position of Left Wing for the New York Americans from 1936 to 1937. He passed away in Spokane, Washington, at the age of 72. (bio by: K)

Leslie Roy “Les” Cunningham (1913 - 1993)

Professional Hockey Player. A native of Calgary, Alberta, he played as a center for the New York Americans from 1936 to 1937, and the Chicago Blackhawks from 1947 to 1949. (bio by: K)  Family links:  Spouse:  Kay Cunningham (1914 – 1990)* *Calculated relationship

Phil Lucas (1942 - 2007)

Film Maker. For four decades, he was known as one of the foremost Native American filmmakers. Himself a Choctaw Indian, he produced or directed more than 100 television shows, films, documentaries and consulted on how to accurately portray Native Americans. Among his works was the 1980 PBS series “Images of Indians,” co-produced the early 1990s […]

Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1793 - 1864)

Indian Agent. Explorer. Author. He was involved with the Native Americans of the Midwest for over thirty years. While working with the Chippewa, he was the first to discover and report the true source of the Mississippi River. It is believe that he was the first non-Native American to visit Lake Itasca while looking for […]

Rev Frederic Baraga (1797 - 1868)

Religious Leader. He was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Upper Michigan. A priest to the Ojibway Indians, his efforts to evanglize these Native Americans and to improve their lives was well known.  A county, a village, a street, a township and numerous shrines have been named for him.  For twenty years he labored to […]

Native Diver (1959 - 1967)

Famed California Racehorse. Native Diver will always be remembered by racing fans for winning three straight Hollywood Gold Cups from 1965 to 1967, running faster each time as he got older. Through 81 starts and 37 victories, the stable banked $1 million dollars in earnings, the first California horse to accomplish this feat. At the […]

Native Dancer (1950 - 1967)

Race Horse.  Native Dancer, a thoroughbred race horse nicknamed the Gray Ghost because of his color, was the first horse to gain fame through the medium of television. Born at Scott Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, he was owned by Alfred G. Vanderbilt II. In his first season of racing Native Dancer won all nine races […]

José Bettinoti (1878 - 1915)

Singer. One of the last Argentine payadores (singer that improvises songs with his guitar, like a troubadour). Composer of the song “Pobre mi Madre Querida,” which was popularized by Carlos Gardel. (bio by: 380W)

Nicolette Larson (1952 - 1997)

Singer. She was a popular singer best known for her 1978 cover of Neil Young’s song “Lotta Love”. She was acclaimed Female Vocalist of 1978 by Rolling Stone Magazine and followed with the hit single “Four Strong Winds”. Shifting her style to country music, she toured with various artists and had a Top 40 country […]

Jean Sablon (1906 - 1994)

Singer. Born in Nogent-sur-Marne, France, he was a popular international French singer, known for his music hall and vaudeville style. He started in the cabarets of Paris at the age of 17 and was the first singer to use a microphone in his stage act. His records sold in the millions around the world and […]

Susannah McCorkle (1946 - 2001)

She was a jazz and cabaret singer who performed in major clubs and concert halls throughout the country. In addition to being an accomplished singer, she also was a published writer. Cause of death: Suicide

Anita Palmero (1902 - 1987)

Singer. Noted female tango singer who achieved popularity during the 1930s. She was born in Málaga, Spain, and came to Argentina circa 1925. (bio by: Guada)

Joey Ramone (1951 - 2001)

Singer. Punk Rocker and lead singer for the seminal rock band “The Ramones.” Cause of death: Lymphatic cancer

Francisco Martino (1884 - 1938)

Singer. Argentinian folk singer and composer. He sang with Carlos Gardel in the 1910s. (bio by: Guada)

Clarice Vance (1871 - 1961)

Singer. She was a popular Vaudeville singer and entertainer who was known for her recordings “I’m Wise” and “He’s a Cousin of Mine.” (bio by: Laurie)

Linda Thelma (1970 - 1939)

Actress, Singer. She was the first female tango singer in Argentina. (bio by: Guada)

Roberto Maida (1970 - 1993)

Singer. He was an Argentinian tango singer who achieved popularity in the 1930s.

Angel Vargas (1904 - 1959)

Tango Singer. aka “El Ruiseñor de las Calles Porteñas” (The Nightingale of Buenos Aires Streets). Born José Angel Lomio he was a singer with an impressive personality, he was the paradigm of the “orchestra singer”. Sadly, he died young, and still without a decline as singer, he was one of the major artist of the […]

Jani Lane (1964 - 2011)

Singer. Lead singer for the 1990s hair metal band Warrant.  After the success of Warrant, he had a short acting career followed by solo albums and songwriting.  His most recent lead singer gig was filling in for Great White singer Jack Russell in 2010. (bio by: Lanie)

John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925)

Artist. He was an expatriate American artist who became the most celebrated portrait painter of his time, Known for his glamorous style influenced by Velázquez and the impressionists, Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt, oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, novelists Robert Louis Stevenson and Henry James, actress Ellen Terry and art patron Isabella Stewart Gardner […]

Walter Wallace Singer (1911 - 1992)

Professional Football Player. He was and end at Syracuse University from 1932 to 1934 and then played offensive and defensive end for the New York Giants from 1935 to 1936. He also played baseball at Syracuse with his twim brother Milton. His NFL career stats were as follows: Games: 22, Receptions: 8, Receiving yards: 60, […]

Abby Singer (1917 - 2014)

Production Manager/Assistant Director. In a career that spanned over fifty years, he worked either as a production manager or an assistant director on several films but he worked primarily on television shows. As an assistant director, he worked on movies such as “Death of a Salesman”, “Shot in the Frontier”, “7th Cavalry”, “The Guns of […]

Maida “Muff” Singer (1942 - 2005)

Author. A Chicago native with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, she joined the Peace Corps in 1965 and taught in a penal colony in the Philippines for two years. She returned to the United States and worked for 10 years as chief of staff for Howard L. Berman, member of the House […]

Simeon Singer (1970 - 1970)

Rabbi. Author of the standard prayer book used in British and Commonwealth synagogues since 1890.

Loren Singer (1923 - 2009)

Author. Best known for his thriller “The Parallax View” (1970), which was made into a 1974 motion picture adaptation starring Warren Beatty. The son of a physician, Singer was trained by the Office of Strategic Services while with the United States Army during World War II. In the post-war years, he received a bachelor’s degree […]

Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902 - 1991)

Author. Isaac Bashevis Singer was born Icek-Hersz Zynger in Radzymin, near Warsaw, Poland, the son of a Hasidic rabbi and Bathsheba, the daughter of a rabbi. In 1920 Singer entered the Tachkemoni Rabbinical Seminary for a short time. In 1923 he moved to Warsaw where he worked as a proofreader for the Literarische Bleter, a […]

Israel Joshua Singer (1893 - 1944)

Author. Born Yisroel Yehoshua Zinger (or Zynger), he was the brother of writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. Writing in Yiddish,  he worked as a journalist in Europe and published his first novel, “Steel and Iron”, in 1927.  His long novel “The Brothers Ashkenazy” (1936) is considered his masterpiece.  Singer emigrated to the United States in 1934 […]

James Benson Irwin (1930 - 1991)

Astronaut. After he graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1951, he joined the US Air Force, earned his pilot wings and became a flight instructor. After various services assigned to a top-secret test missions, he was accepted in the astronaut program in 1966. At NASA, he was put in charge of the testing program […]