Brazilian footballer (born 1940)

Pelé

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known by his nickname Pelé, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies, is recognised as a Guinness World Record. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.

Born

1940

October 23

Died

2022

Era

1940s

Country

—

About

Pelé, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1940 Born
2022 Died

Also on October 23

What else happened on this day, through history

-4004 James Ussher's purported creation date of the world according to the Bible.
-42 Liberators' civil war: Mark Antony and Octavian decisively defeat an army under Brutus in the second part of the Battle of Philippi, with Brutus committing suicide and ending the civil war.
425 Valentinian III is elevated as Roman emperor at the age of six.
502 The Synodus Palmaris, called by Gothic king Theoderic, absolves Pope Symmachus of all charges, thus ending the schism of Antipope Laurentius.

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The world in 1940

When Pelé arrived

april 14 World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway, preceding a larger force which will arrive two days later.
april 23 The Rhythm Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people.
april 7 Booker T. Washington becomes the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp.
april 8 The Central Committee of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party elects Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal as General Secretary, marking the beginning of his 44-year-long tenure as de facto leader of Mongolia.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on October 23

Alicia Borinsky 1946– Argentine writer Carlos Lamarca 1937–1971 Brazilian captain (died 1971) Charly García 1951– Argentine singer-songwriter and keyboard player Douglas Jardine 1900– Indian-English cricketer and lawyer (died 1958) Fred Shero 1925–1990 Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1925) Gilbert N. Lewis 1875–1946 American chemist (born 1875) Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp 1634– Swedish queen (died 1715) Johnny Kitagawa 1931– Japanese businessman, and talent manager (died 2019) Matthew Barzun 1970– American diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1940

Abbas Kiarostami 1940–2016 Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, and photographer (born 1940) Abdurrahman Wahid 1940–2009 Indonesian journalist and politician, fourth President of Indonesia (born 1940) Bruce Chatwin 1940–1989 English-French author (born 1940) Bruce Lee 1940–1973 American actor and martial artist (born 1940) David Jason 1940– English actor, director, and producer Edmund White 1940–2025 American novelist, memoirist, and essayist (died 2025) Fabrizio De André 1940–1999 Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1999) Fran Tarkenton 1940– American football player and sportscaster Frank Zappa 1940–1993 American singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer and producer (died 1993)

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Keep going

More to explore

Pelé's birthday October 23 Pelé's zodiac Scorpio When Pelé arrived 1940