1940 deaths

Russian Marxist revolutionary (1879–1940)

Swedish writer (1858–1940)

Russian-born American anarchist (1869–1940)

American writer (1896–1940)

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 1940

British physicist (1856-1940)

Russian author (1891–1940)

German cultural critic, philosopher and social critic (1892–1940)

German-Swiss artist (1879–1940)

Swedish writer (1859–1940)

German chemical engineer (1874–1940)

British biochemist

Russian language journalist, playwright, literary translator, and short story writer (1894–1940)

Jamaica-born British political activist, Pan-Africanist, orator, and entrepreneur (1887-1940)

prime minister of Spain, president of Spain (1880-1940)

Austrian doctor, Nobel prize laureate and psychiatrist (1857–1940)

NKVD director under Joseph Stalin (1895-1940)

American who was the tallest recorded person in history

German architect and designer (1868-1940)

German meteorologist (1846–1940)

123rd President of Catalonia (1934–1940)

Finnish politician and 4th President of Finland (1873-1940)

Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, poet and playwright (1871-1940)

Italian Marshal of the Air Force and minister (1896–1940)

Russian theatre director (1874–1940)

Scottish author and politician (1875–1940)

Italian mathematician and mathematical physicist (1860-1940)

Greek athlete

Russian Jewish poet, founder of Revisionist Zionist movement (1880–1940)

Estonian writer (1878–1940)

Japanese politician (1849-1940)

French painter (1868-1940)

Polish artist (1865–1940)

President of Austria (1858–1940)

Danish artist (1885-1940)

German prince (1868–1940)

(1875-1940) American automotive industry executive

Dutch paleoanthropologist (1858–1940)

American sociologist and photographer (1874–1940)

British physicist (1851-1940)

German technician and inventor (1860–1940)

American writer and screenwriter (1903–1940)

American explorer (1865-1940)

American film actor (1880-1940)

Swedish architect (1885-1940)

Polish long distance runner (1907-1940)

Italian footballer (1901-1940)

Greek Royal

English economist, social scientist and critic of imperialism (1858-1940)

Chinese educator, Esperantist and the president of Peking University (1868-1940)

Georgian historian and linguist (1876-1940)

Italian fencer (1894-1940)

French philosopher, politician, writer (1905-1940)

German poet and playwright (1890–1940)

German diplomat (1864–1940)

American actor (1869-1940)

Soviet politician (1892-1940)

American actress (1892–1940)

Greek prince (1888-1940); youngest child of George I of Greece and Olga Constantinovna of Russia

United States Marine Corps general, two time Medal of Honor recipient, activist, lecturer, official, and writer (1881-1940)