Nikolai Andrianov - Russian Olympic Gymnast

Russian gymnast Nikolai Andrianov was the second most decorated athlete in Olympic history with 15 medals. He was the leader until he was passed by Michael Phelps of the USA who won 16 in swimming.

Andrianov died at the age of 59 on March 21, 2010 in his hometown of Vladimar. According to Russian news sources, Andrianov had suffered from a degenerative neurological disorder for many years.

He won seven Olympic gold medal for the Soviet Union, including four at the 1976 games in Montreal. His 15 medals included Moscow in 1980 and Los Angeles in 1984.

Frank Buckles - WWI Veteran

Almost 4.7 million Americans answered the call to service during World War I. Frank Buckles was the last survivor. He died on February 28, 2011 at his West Virgina farm at the age of 110. Death was due to natural causes.

Buckles quit high school to enlist in the Army at 16 on August 14, 1917. He lied about his age in order to serve. He ended up in France, driving an ambulance behind the front lines.

After the war, he traveled on commercial ships as a purser. He was caught in Manila when the Japanese invaded the Phillippines in 1941. He served 38 months as a civilian prisoner of the Japanese during World War II.

In 1953, he and his wife bought a cattle farm in West Virginia where he lived for the rest of his life.

His passing leaves only two veterans of the 65 million who served in the conflict: an Australian man 109 and a British woman 108.