Lista de Personas Famosas que murieron en 1940

Mijaíl Efímovich Koltsov fue un periodista soviético. Es considerado el hombre de Stalin en Madrid durante la Guerra Civil Española, aunque posteriormente fuera denunciado, sentenciado y ejecutado por el régimen estalinista. A la muerte del dictador en 1953, su figura fue rehabilitada.

Werner Kurt Armin Meinhof was a German art historian of the 20th century.

Chiungtze C. Tsen, given name Chiung, was a Chinese mathematician born in Nanchang, Jiangxi. He is known for his work in algebra. He was one of Emmy Noether's students at the University of Göttingen.

Frédéric Swarts (2 September 1866 – 6 September 1940) was a Belgian chemist who prepared the first chlorofluorocarbon, CF₂Cl₂ (Freon-12) as well as several other related compounds. He was a professor in the civil engineering at the University of Ghent. In addition to his work on organofluorine chemistry, he authored the textbook "Cours de Chimie Organique." He was a son of Theodore Swarts (chemist, *1839 Antwerpen; †1911 Kortenberg, Belgium) and a colleague of Leo Baekeland.

Ludwig Dill fue un pintor alemán.

William Meade Lindsley Fiske III was the 1928 and 1932 Olympic champion bobsled driver and, following Jimmy Davies, was one of the first American pilots killed in action in World War II. At the time Fiske was serving in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He was one of 11 American pilots who flew with RAF Fighter Command between 10 July and 31 October 1940, thereby qualifying for the Battle of Britain clasp to the 1939–45 campaign star.

El Príncipe Guillermo Federico Francisco José Cristián Olaf de Prusia fue el hijo mayor del príncipe heredero Guillermo de Prusia y de la duquesa Cecilia de Mecklemburgo-Schwerin. A su nacimiento, era el segundo en la línea de sucesión al trono alemán, esperándose que algún día ocupara la corona a la muerte de su padre y su abuelo, el emperador Guillermo II, algo que no sucedió.