Louis Braille

popular name: Ossie Davis

date_of_death: February 4, 2005

age: 87

cause_of_death: Suspected heart disease

claim_to_fame: Historical Figure

best_know_for: Ossie Davis was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He and his wife, Ruby Dee were named to the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame; were awarded the National Medal of Arts and were recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1994. Ossie David made his film debut in 1950 in the Sidney Poitier film No Way Out. He was one of a handful of black actors able to find commercial success while avoiding stereotypical roles prior to 1970, which also included a significant role in the movies The Hill, The Cardinal, and The Scalphunters. In addition to acting, Ossie Davis was considered one of the most notable black directors of his generation. Some of his best known works include directing Gordon's War, Black Girl and Cotton Comes to Harlem.

popular name: Harriet Tubman

date_of_death: March 10, 1913

age: 90

cause_of_death: Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: Historical Figure

best_know_for: Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist, humanitarian, and spy for the Union Army during the Civil War. Born into slavery around 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland, she endured a harsh and brutal life before escaping to freedom in the North around 1849. After gaining her freedom, Tubman became one of the most prominent conductors on the Underground Railroad, risking her life to lead hundreds of enslaved people to freedom. Known for her courage, strategic thinking, and deep commitment to justice, she made numerous trips back to the South despite the constant danger of capture. During the Civil War, Tubman also worked as a nurse, cook, and eventually a scout and spy for the Union Army, contributing significantly to military intelligence efforts. After the war, she remained active in the fight for civil rights and women's suffrage. The grave of Harriet Tubman at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York enjoys visitors even after a century since her passing.

popular name: Rose Kennedy

date_of_death: January 22, 1995

age: 104

cause_of_death: Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: Historical Figure

best_know_for: Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was the mother of President John F. Kennedy and of two United States Senators, the long-suffering wife of a fabulously wealthy businessman-ambassador and the matriarch of a family whose political triumphs and personal tragedies she carried with quiet dignity until her dying days. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy will be best remembered as an American philanthropist, socialite, and matriarch of the Kennedy family. She was deeply embedded in the "lace curtain" Irish American community in Boston. Her father, John F. Fitzgerald, served in the Massachusetts State Senate (1892–1894), in the U.S. House of Representatives (1895–1901, 1919), and as Mayor of Boston (1906–1908, 1910–1914). Her husband, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., chaired the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (1934–1935) and the U.S. Maritime Commission (1937–1938), and served as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (1938–1940). Their nine children included United States President John F. Kennedy, U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith.