Five Famous People Who Died As Children

While only a very few people manage to leave their mark upon mankind during their lifetimes, even rarer are the number of people who did so while they were children. The following is a list of people who managed to leave a lasting legacy, even though they died at a very young age.

1.- Pharaoh Tutankhamun: died age 18.

Tutankhamun ascended to the throne of Egypt at eight or nine some 1330 years Before the Common Era and ruled for almost a decade before dying, as an adolescent, of causes which are still unknown. His reign appears to have been largely forgotten, along with his tomb, not long after his death. Tutankhamun's fame, thus, is mostly posthumous and rests largely on the discovery of his tomb in 1922 by the Egyptologist Howard Carter. The discovery caused a world-wide sensation because it was the most intact Egytian royal tomb discovered to date, and held amazing treasures, the most famous of which, was probably King Tut's fabulous burial mask.



2.- Rosalia Lombardo: Died Age 18 months

Rosalia Lombardo was buried in the Capuccin catacombs in Palermo, Sicily, in the year 1920, and her fame rests principally upon the perfectly preserved state of the Rosalia's embalmed corpse. According to the story, Rosalia's father was so distraught by her death that he had his daughter embalmed by Dr. Alfredo Slafia, who did so using a method that was until very recently unknown. The corpse is so well preserved that the child appears, for all intents and purposes, so be peacfully sleeping, giving rise to her nickname "sleeping beauty."




3.- Samantha Smith: Died age 13

Samantha Smith was an ordinary child of ten living in Maine when she wrote a letter to Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov seeking to understand why relations between the United States and the then Soviet Union were so strained. Premier Andropov wrote Smith a personal reply and invited her to visit the Soviet Union, and invitation which Smith (and presumably her parents) accepted. The visit was a highly publicized event in both countries, and Smith made numerous television appearances on programs such as the Johnny Carson show, in connection with her trip. After the her visit to the Soviet Union, Smith would go on to star in several television shows and specials helping children to better understand the grown-up world of politics (Smith interviewed candidates for the 1984 presidential elections). Samantha Smith's short life came to a tragic end on August 25, 1985 when a small plane that she and her father were traveling in crashed while attempting a landing. All on board the plane died.




4. Anne Frank: Died Aged 15

Perhaps no individual has come to symbolize the inhuman brutality of Nazi Germany than Anne Frank, the Jewish child whose diary, first published in 1950, chronicles her family's time in hiding, from June 1942 to August 1944, while living under German occupation in the Netherlands. When the family's hiding place was discovered by Nazi troops, Anne and her family were arrested and shipped off to German concentration camps. Anne died of typhoid in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March 1945, mere weeks before the camp was liberated by British troops. Anne's diary is one of the most widely read writings associated with the war.




5.- Rumwold: Died, age 3 days

A legendary Catholic, child saint, Rumwold is said to have not only spoken, but also requested baptism, affirmed his Christian faith, and even preached a sermon before his death, only three days after he was born. According to the legend, Rumwold's mother was a devout Christian woman who married a pagan king, and refused to consummate the union until the king converted to Christianity. Rumwold is said to be buried in Buckingham, England.