15 February

Across recorded history, 1,720 notable lives are recorded as having ended on 15 February. Below are the 24 most widely documented — ranked by how many language editions of Wikipedia carry an article about them.

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Robert Duvall

1931–2026

American actor and director

Robert Duvall is an American actor and director known for his extensive work in film and television.

Alexander Borodin

1833–1887

Russian composer, doctor and chemist

Alexander Borodin was a Russian composer and chemist who contributed significantly to both the fields of classical music and organic chemistry.

Mirza Ghalib

1797–1869

Indian poet

Mirza Ghalib was an Indian poet known for his extensive body of literary work.

Owen Willans Richardson

1879–1959

British physicist

Owen Willans Richardson was a physicist who conducted research on the phenomenon of thermionic emission.

H. H. Asquith

1852–1928

British politician; Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916

H. H. Asquith was a British politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Nat King Cole

1919–1965

American singer and jazz pianist

Nat King Cole was an American singer and jazz pianist who achieved international fame for his vocal performances and musical recordings.

Raquel Welch

1940–2023

American actress

Raquel Welch was an American actress who gained international prominence for her work in film and television.

Paul Berg

1926–2023

American biochemist, Professor emeritus at Stanford University & Nobel laureate in Chemistry

Paul Berg was an American biochemist and Nobel laureate in Chemistry who served as a professor emeritus at Stanford University.

Henry Way Kendall

1926–1999

American particle physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics

Henry Way Kendall was an American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on deep inelastic scattering.

Glenn Miller

1904–1944

American band leader, arranger, and composer

Glenn Miller was a bandleader who achieved international success as a prominent figure in the big band era of jazz music.

Bruno Ganz

1941–2019

Swiss actor

Bruno Ganz was a Swiss actor known for his extensive work in film, television, and theater.

Ethel Merman

1908–1984

American actress and singer

Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater.

Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth

1757–1844

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1801 to 1804

Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Lew Wallace

1827–1905

American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, territorial governor and statesman, politician, and author of 'Ben Hur'

Lew Wallace was an author and Union general who wrote the novel Ben-Hur.

Muhsin Hendricks

1967–2025

South African imam and LGBTQIA activist

Muhsin Hendricks was a South African imam and activist who advocated for the rights of LGBTQIA individuals.

Martha Gellhorn

1908–1998

journalist from the United States

Martha Gellhorn was a war correspondent who reported on major global conflicts throughout the twentieth century.

Leopoldo Luque

1949–2021

Argentine footballer

Leopoldo Luque was an Argentine association football player who represented his country in international competition.

George Gaynes

1917–2016

American actor

George Gaynes was an American actor who appeared in numerous film, television, and stage productions throughout his career.

Robert Luther

1822–1900

German astronomer

Robert Luther was an astronomer who discovered numerous asteroids.

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin

1878–1939

Russian painter

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin was a Russian painter known for his contributions to the development of modern art.

Robert Adler

1913–2007

American physicist and inventor

Robert Adler was an inventor who developed the wireless remote control for television.

Otto von Kotzebue

1787–1846

Baltic German explorer

Otto von Kotzebue was an explorer who conducted multiple voyages across the Pacific Ocean.

Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding

1882–1970

British officer in the Royal Air Force

Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding was a Royal Air Force officer who commanded the fighter defenses during the Battle of Britain.

Camilo Torres Restrepo

1929–1966

Colombian theologian

Camilo Torres Restrepo was a Colombian priest who participated in revolutionary activities.

Source: Wikidata, released into the public domain under CC0. Snapshot: 2026-07. Names, dates and roles come from Wikidata; summaries are condensed from it. Nothing here is generated to fill a gap.