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In the year 1940
1,371 Notable birthdays
Jesús Quintero
Spanish journalist (1940–2022).
Born August 18th, 1940 in San Juan del Puerto.
Died October 3rd, 2022 at 82 years old in Ubrique (respiratory failure). [ref]
Marina Karella
Greek visual artist (born 1940).
Whitney Smith
Founder of vexillology, the study of flags (1940–2016).
Born February 26th, 1940 in Arlington.
Died November 17th, 2016 at 76 years old in Peabody.
Mike Melvill
Test pilot.
Born November 30th, 1940 in Johannesburg.
Died March 19th, 2026 at 85 years old [ref]
Eddie McCreadie
Scottish footballer and manager (1940–2026).
Born April 15th, 1940 in Glasgow.
Died January 12th, 2026 at 85 years old in Johnson City. [ref]
Jimmie Durham
American artist (1940–2021).
Born July 10th, 1940 in Houston. [ref]
Died November 17th, 2021 at 81 years old in Berlin. [ref]
Jan Jongbloed
Dutch footballer (1940–2023).
Born November 25th, 1940 in Amsterdam.
Died August 30th, 2023 at 82 years old [ref]
Klaus Wennemann
German actor (1940–2000).
Born December 18th, 1940 in Oer-Erkenschwick.
Died January 7th, 2000 at 59 years old in Bad Aibling (lung cancer).
Endre Szemerédi
Hungarian-american mathematician and theoretical computer scientist.
Born August 21st, 1940 (age 85 years) in Budapest.
Chris Menges
British cinematographer and film director.
Born September 15th, 1940 (age 85 years) in Kington.
Phillip E. Johnson
American legal academic (1940-2019).
Born June 18th, 1940 in Aurora.
Died November 2nd, 2019 at 79 years old in Berkeley. [ref]
Rudolph Moshammer
German fashion designer (1940–2005).
Born September 7th, 1940 in Munich.
Died January 14th, 2005 at 64 years old in Grünwald.
Mike Beuttler
Racecar driver.
Born April 13th, 1940 in Cairo.
Died December 29th, 1988 at 48 years old in Los Angeles (death from AIDS-related complications).
Just Jaeckin
French film director (1940–2022).
Born August 8th, 1940 in Vichy.
Died September 6th, 2022 at 82 years old in Saint-Malo. [ref]
Saparmyrat Nyýazow
President of turkmenistan from 1990 to 2006.
Born February 19th, 1940 in Gypjak. [ref]
Died December 21st, 2006 at 66 years old in Ashgabat (myocardial infarction). [ref]
Boaventura de Sousa Santos
Portuguese sociologist.
Born November 15th, 1940 (age 85 years) in Coimbra.
Mate Boban
Bosnian croat politician (1940-1997).
Born February 12th, 1940 in Sovići. [ref]
Died July 7th, 1997 at 57 years old in Mostar (cerebral hemorrhage).
Ali Nasir Muhammad
Leader of south yemen from 1980 to 1986.
Born December 31st, 1940 (age 85 years). [ref]
Yoshio Harada
Japanese actor (1940-2011).
Born February 29th, 1940 in Adachi.
Died July 19th, 2011 at 71 years old in Tokyo (pneumonia). [ref]
Jacques Higelin
French actor and singer (1940-2018).
Born October 18th, 1940 in Brou-sur-Chantereine.
Died April 6th, 2018 at 77 years old in Nogent-sur-Marne (dementia with Lewy bodies). [ref]
Jack White
German music producer and composer, association football player (1940–2025).
Born September 2nd, 1940 in Cologne.
Died October 16th, 2025 at 85 years old in Berlin. [ref]
Birthdays 526 to 550 of 1371
My life is better with every year of living it. Rachel Maddow