Louis Braille

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: Eddie Rickenbacker

date_of_death: July 23, 1973

age: 82

cause_of_death: Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: Historical Figure

best_know_for: Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker was called America’s Ace of Aces during World War I, the highest scorer of American aerial victories over the Germans. He could just as easily have been labeled the ‘luckiest man alive,’ however, since he survived — by his own count — 135 brushes with death during his exciting lifetime. With 26 aerial victories, he was the United States' most successful fighter ace in the war and is considered to have received the most awards for valor by an American during the war. He was also a race car driver, an automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the long-time head of Eastern Air Lines. At one time he even owned and raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Towards the end of his life as CEO of Eastern Air Lines, the company was the most profitable airline in the postwar era. However during the late 1950s Eastern Air Lines' fortunes declined, and Rickenbacker was forced out of his position as CEO in 1959. Rickenbacker also resigned as the chairman of the board in 1963, at the age of 73. After that, Captain and Mrs. Rickenbacker traveled extensively for a number of years and in the 1960s, Rickenbacker became a well-known speaker, sharing shared his vision for the future of technology and commerce. Upon his death, he was buried at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.

popular name: Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney

date_of_death: August 4, 1859

age: 73

cause_of_death: Extended illness

claim_to_fame: Historical Figure

best_know_for: The little town of Ars, France, about 20 miles north of Lyon, has become famous through the holy life and labors of St. John Vianney, its beloved Cure. The story of Jean Vianney emphasizes how God uses the simple and under-rated people to confound those who are regarded as wise by the world. A man who was considered only marginally fit to be a priest and became a saint. Saint Jean Vianney was a French Catholic priest who is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and as the patron saint of parish priests. He is often referred to as the "Curé d'Ars" (i.e. the parish priest of Ars), internationally known for his priestly and pastoral work in his parish in Ars, France, because of the radical spiritual transformation of the community and its surroundings.