Louis Braille

popular name: Toots Shor

date_of_death: January 23, 1977

age: 73

cause_of_death: Cancer

claim_to_fame: Historical Figure

best_know_for: Until recently, Toots Shor was long forgotten by most –– now a whole new generation is discovering NYC’s legendary “saloon” thanks to Mad Men. The Mad Men design team even built a virtual Toots Shor set (where Don and Betty drank martinis and ate their famous Caesar Salad prepared at tableside) and sparked a renewed interest in the style of the period. The original was a bar/restaurant in NYC that thrived in the 40s and 50s –– a place where actors, writers, singers, journalists and sports figures came to play. In its heyday, it was the place to go, located at 51 w 51st Street from 1940 to 1959 (after that it moved around the corner to 52nd Street). The ringmaster was Toots Shor - one of New York's most famous restaurateurs and one of the country's foremost patrons of artists, actors, musicians and sports figures.

popular name: Aaron Burr Sr.

date_of_death: September 24, 1757

age: 41

cause_of_death: Fever

claim_to_fame: Historical Figure

best_know_for: Aaron Burr Sr. was a notable Presbyterian minister and college educator in colonial America. He was a founder of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and the father of Aaron Burr (1756–1836), the third vice president of the United States. When Jonathan Dickinson, the first president of the College, died soon after his appointment in 1747, Burr (who taught at the College) then became the second president on November 9, 1748. During his tenure (1748–1757), the curriculum was settled, the student body increased from 8 in 1747 to 40–50 in 1751, and the first commencement was held. Among the first graduates was Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; five others became Presbyterian ministers. Burr moved the College to its permanent home at Princeton, New Jersey, where he supervised the construction of Nassau Hall, Princeton's best-known structure and the largest building in colonial New Jersey when it was completed in 1756. In 1755, Burr was relieved of his pastoral duties in order to concentrate full-time on his work at Princeton. At age 32, he became the youngest person ever to serve as president of Princeton.

popular name: Kara Kennedy

date_of_death: September 16, 2011

age: 51

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Historical Figure

best_know_for: Kara Kennedy was born into a public family, the daughter of the Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Joan Bennett Kennedy, but was a private person who was able to live her life outside the public glare. After graduating from the National Cathedral School in 1978, Kara worked on her father’s 1980 Presidential campaign before matriculating at Tufts University. Following the receipt of her degree in 1983 she pursued a career in television, working at Fox News in New York and at an evening news magazine in Boston. She also successfully co-managed her father’s 1988 re-election campaign with her brother Patrick. Her lung cancer diagnosis came in 2002, and the prognosis was grim. But with her trademark determination, she went through aggressive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, and had been in remission from her cancer since that time. Her family has speculated that her heart was weakened by the aggressive cancer treatments she received when she passed away at the young age of 51.