Edith Anisfield Wolf

popular name: William Shakespeare

date_of_death: April 23, 1616

age: 52

cause_of_death: Exact cause unknown - possibly died after a brief illness

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best work produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language.

popular name: Otto Plath

date_of_death: November 5, 1940

age: 55

cause_of_death: Embolism in the lung and untreated diabetes

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: Otto Emil Plath was a German-American writer, academic, and biologist. After reading the writings of Charles Darwin, Plath also developed an interest in biology. In the following years, Plath taught and studied in both German and biology. In 1912, he earned an M.A. from the University of Washington. Beginning in 1922, Plath taught at Boston University. In 1925, Plath earned an M.S. from Harvard University, and in 1928, he earned a Ph.D in science, also from Harvard. Plath worked as a professor of biology and German language at Boston University and as an entomologist, with a specific expertise on bumblebees. He was the father of American poet Sylvia Plath and Warren Plath, and the husband of Aurelia Plath. He wrote the 1934 book Bumblebees and Their Ways. He is notable for being the subject of "Daddy", one of his daughter's most well-known poems. Interesting to note that Otto is the only Plath to be buried at Winthrop Cemetery.

popular name: Jules Verne

date_of_death: March 24, 1905

age: 77

cause_of_death: Chronic diabetes and complications from a stroke

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: Jules Verne was a French novelist, poet and playwright best known for his adventure novels and is often regarded as one of the pioneers of science fiction. Born in Nantes, France, Verne initially studied law but eventually turned to writing. He was heavily inspired by the technological advancements of his time and often incorporated them into his stories. Verne's most famous works include Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in Eighty Days, and The Mysterious Island. These novels blended adventure with futuristic scientific concepts and often predicted inventions like submarines and space travel. Despite some initial financial struggles, Verne gained fame and success after his works began to be published in serialized form. His imaginative stories captured the public's imagination, and he became one of the most translated authors of his time. Verne's later life was marked by personal tragedy, including a serious injury that left him partly disabled nonetheless he continued writing until his death in 1905.