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Grigori Rasputin
(Faith Healer)
c. 1869 – 30 December 1916 (Aged 47)
Born in Siberia, Russia. Died in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Rasputin was a self-proclaimed holy man/monk, who came to be an advisor of Russia’s Tsar Nicholas II.
His alleged healing powers gained him favor with the Tsar’s wife, Alexandra, after treating her son, Alexei, as well as his supposed gifts as a mystic.
Rasputin’s power was at its peak in 1915 when Nicholas II left St. Petersburg to oversee Russian armies fighting World War I, increasing both Alexandra and Rasputin’s influence.
However, as casualties and defeats mounted for Russia in the war, Rasputin and Alexandra became increasingly unpopular.
Rasputin was assassinated by a group of noblemen, including the Tsar’s first cousin, who was opposed to the power Rasputin yielded with Tsar and his wife.
Following a failed attempt to poison him, Rasputin was shot a number of times and thrown into the Little Nevka River, after being wrapped in a carpet.
Rasputin’s body was found a short distance downstream a couple of days later, showing signs of severe trauma.
Read more about Rasputin’s death here.
Percival Lowell
(Astronomer)
13 March 1855 – 12 October 1916 (Aged 61)
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Died in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Lowell was an astronomer who was best known for his speculation about canals on Mars & his work which, eventually, led to the discovery of the planet of Pluto.
In 1904, Lowell received the Prix Jules Janssen, the highest award of the French astronomical society.
Lowell died of a stroke at the age of 61.
Gabrielle Petit
(Belgian Spy)
20 February 1893 – 1 April 1916 (aged 23)
Born in Tournai, Hainaut, Belgium. Died in Schaerbeek, Brussels, Belgium.
Petit was a Belgian who spied for the British during World War I. She was arrested by the German military and found guilty of espionage.
Despite offers of amnesty in return for information, Petit refused to talk and was executed by firing squad.
After the war, Petit was seen as a martyr and received a state funeral. There was also a statue of her erected in Brussels.
