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Neil Alden Armstrong is perhaps the most famous astronaut to have ever lived. He was the first person to set foot on the Moon, followed by Buzz Aldrin, on 21 July 1969. Born in August 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio, he developed a passion for flying and as a young high school student took flying lessons at the local airport. Later in life Armstrong received Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering and was a fully qualified Naval Aviator. He joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1962 and was the command pilot of The Gemini 8 and mission commander of the Apollo 11 space flight. He is most famous for his first steps on the moon and the iconic quote “one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt, affectionately known by his initials FDR, was the 32nd U.S. President and one of the most important politicians during the mid 20th century. His first term as President came in 1933 and he set about improving conditions caused by the Great Depression. His second term began in 1937 after a landslide election win the year before. World War II became a major focus of this term and the United States remained neutral for much of this term, although support was provided to China and Great Britain. In an unprecedented move he ran for a consecutive third term in office. At the time it was an unwritten rule that two-terms was the maximum term that could be served. Despite, this he won the election in 1940 and set about providing stronger support to the Allies in the war. The United States was fully drawn into the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and he announced war on Germany and Japan the next day. He worked closely with the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, to help bring about an allied victory and end to the war. His policies are also credited by many with the successful economic recovery after the Great Depression and World War II. Amazingly, he was re-elected for a fourth term in office in 1944, but his failing health meant that he didn’t end up seeing out the full term. Let’s take a look at the last years of his life.

Whitney Houston was a famous singer and actor and one of the most successful performers of all time. In fact, in 2009 she was listed as the most awarded female performer of all time with two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and more than 410 career awards in total. She was also one of the best selling artists with more than 170 million videos, singles and albums sold worldwide. She had 6 album releases, 3 soundtrack albums and 1 holiday album, all of which achieved a gold or better certification. She also holds the record as the only artist to have seven consecutive number 1 hits. Her acting career was less successful, but “The Bodyguard” was a major box office success. Unfortunately, Houston struggled with a battle against drugs during her career and had stints in rehabilitation. Let’s find out when this much celebrated performer died and how it happened.

Edger Allan Poe was a famous American author, poet, literacy critic who was born on January 19, 1809. He is best known for his short stories, which were always mysterious and often dealt with grim topics. He is considered to be the father of the detective fiction genre and to have played a significant part in the creation and development of the science fiction genre. Poe was the first American author to try and earn a living solely from writing and his first published pieces being a collection of small poems written under an anonymous name. His most successful piece of writing is his poem “The Raven” that was published in 1845. Let’s find out how this distinguished writer died and how it happened.

Sir Winston Churchill was a British politician and one of the best known British Prime Ministers of all time. He led the United Kingdom during World War II and is regarded by many as one of the best wartime leaders in history. He was also widely respected as an artist, historian, and writer and won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his many published works. Churchill served two terms as Prime Minister, from 1940-1945 and from 1951-1955. The second term came to an end when his health started to fail. Let’s take a look at the final years of Churchill’s life.

Frank Sinatra was a popular singer and actor who is widely regarded as one of the top performers of all time. He began his singing career in the 1930’s, but success didn’t come until the 1940’s when he was asked to sing in Tommy Dorsey’s band. It wasn’t long before he was topping the charts and in 1942 he left the band to forge one of the most successful solo careers of all time. He was active for 50 years and in this time won 11 Grammy Awards and sold more than 150 million albums and singles, which makes him one of the most successful singers of all time. Along with this he also launched his own record label and became a successful Academy Award winning actor. Sinatra was actively performing until the final few years of his life. Let’s find out how Frank Sinatra died and when this occurred.

Thomas Jefferson was a founding father and one of the most important figures in the formation, and early years, of the United States. He achieved many things in his life including; author and signatory of the Declaration of Independence, 2nd Governor of Virginia, 1st Secretary of State, 2nd Vice President, 3rd President and much more. He was born on April 13, 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia in the family home. He began his political career in 1775 when he served as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. It was at this congress that he met John Adams (founding father and 2nd President) and the two remained friends for the rest of their lives. Let’s take a look at the final days of his life.

Princess Diana (official title at death was Diana, Princess of Wales) was the first wife of Prince Charles (His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales), who is the next in line for the British crown. The two were married in 1981, but were separated in the early 1990’s and officially divorced in 1996. During her life Princess Diana was widely loved for her sense of style, personality and compassionate charity work. Despite the messy separation and claims of marital affairs by both parties she continued to be widely loved by many people after the divorce. She was commonly pursued by the paparazzi and was once the most photographed woman in the world! Unfortunately, Princess Diana died at 4am on August 31, 1997, at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. Her funeral 6 days later was one of the most watched events in history.

Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States and is widely remembered as one of the best Presidents in modern history. He was first elected in the 1980 presidential election and took office on January 20, 1981. He was reelected in a landslide in 1984 and concluded his second term on January 20, 1989. Two of his greatest achievements were boosting the economy and helping to end the Cold War. Before he became the President he was the Governor of California and was also previously a successful actor. Let’s find out when and how this popular President died.

Elvis Presley, best known as simply Elvis or “the King,” was one of the most popular singers in history. His career began in Memphis in 1954 and just 2 years later he had his first number 1 hit with the single “Heartbreak Hotel.” He quickly become a megastar and was one of the most important figures in the rising popularity of early rock and roll. He remains the best selling solo artist in popular music history. Alongside his many hit singles and albums he also had a very successful acting career. His sudden death on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42, came as a shock to many people and he was mourned by both his fans and the music industry as a whole.