26 April

Across recorded history, 1,462 notable lives are recorded as having ended on 26 April. Below are the 24 most widely documented — ranked by how many language editions of Wikipedia carry an article about them.

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Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

1832–1910

Norwegian writer

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer who authored plays, poetry, and prose.

Srinivasa Ramanujan

1887–1920

Indian mathematician

Srinivasa Ramanujan was an Indian mathematician who made substantial contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions.

Lucille Ball

1911–1989

American actress

Lucille Ball was an American actress who achieved prominence as a television performer and producer.

Yun Hyon-seok

1984–2003

South Korean poet, writer and LGBT activist

Yun Hyon-seok was a South Korean poet, writer, and activist who advocated for LGBT rights.

Arnold Sommerfeld

1868–1951

German physicist

Arnold Sommerfeld was a theoretical physicist who made significant contributions to the development of atomic and quantum physics.

Carl Bosch

1874–1940

German chemical engineer

Carl Bosch was a German chemical engineer who developed the high-pressure industrial process for the synthesis of ammonia.

Morihei Ueshiba

1883–1969

Japanese aikidoka

Morihei Ueshiba was a Japanese martial artist who founded the martial art of aikido.

Jonathan Demme

1944–2017

American filmmaker

Jonathan Demme was an American filmmaker known for directing a wide variety of feature films and documentaries.

John Wilkes Booth

1838–1865

American stage actor and assassin

John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

Count Basie

1904–1984

American jazz musician and composer

Count Basie was an American jazz musician and composer who led a long-running big band.

Broderick Crawford

1911–1986

American actor

Broderick Crawford was an American actor who appeared in numerous film, television, and stage productions.

Pavlo Skoropadsky

1873–1945

Ukrainian general

Pavlo Skoropadsky was a Ukrainian general who served as the head of the Ukrainian State.

Gichin Funakoshi

1868–1957

Japanese karateka

Gichin Funakoshi was a Japanese karateka who is recognized as the founder of Shotokan karate.

George Herbert Mead

1863–1931

American philosopher, sociologist, and psychologist

George Herbert Mead was an American philosopher who contributed significantly to the development of social psychology and the sociological perspective of symbolic interactionism.

Yoshinobu Ishii

1939–2018

Japanese association football player and manager

Yoshinobu Ishii was a Japanese association football player and manager.

Augusto Roa Bastos

1917–2005

Paraguayan writer

Augusto Roa Bastos was a Paraguayan writer known for his literary contributions to Latin American literature.

Eduard Suess

1831–1914

Austrian geologist

Eduard Suess was a geologist who contributed to the understanding of global tectonics and the formation of mountain ranges.

Lon Chaney

1883–1930

American actor

Lon Chaney was an American actor known for his work in silent films and his skill with character make-up.

Andrei Grechko

1903–1976

Soviet marshal

Andrei Grechko was a Soviet marshal who served as a military officer.

George Jones

1931–2013

American country musician

George Jones was an American country musician known for his extensive career as a recording artist and songwriter.

Mas Oyama

1923–1994

Korean-Japanese full-contact karate master, the founder of Kyokushin

Mas Oyama was a karate master who founded the Kyokushin style of full-contact karate.

Maria Schell

1926–2005

Austrian-Swiss actress

Maria Schell was an Austrian-Swiss actress who performed in numerous stage and film productions throughout her career.

Bessie Love

1898–1986

American actress

Bessie Love was an American actress who performed in film, stage, radio, and television productions throughout her career.

Carsten Niebuhr

1733–1815

German mathematician, botanist, cartographer and explorer in Danish service

Carsten Niebuhr was an explorer in Danish service who worked as a cartographer.

Source: Wikidata, released into the public domain under CC0. Snapshot: 2026-07. Names, dates and roles come from Wikidata; summaries are condensed from it. Nothing here is generated to fill a gap.