Across recorded history, 1,440 notable lives are recorded as having ended on 17 September. Below are the 24 most widely documented — ranked by how many language editions of Wikipedia carry an article about them.
1902–1994
Austrian-British philosopher of science and social and política e falsificationism and for criticism of Plato, Hegel and Marx as totalitarian opponents of open society
Karl Popper was a philosopher of science known for the concept of falsificationism and his criticism of totalitarianism in open societies.
1797–1863
French poet, playwright, and novelist
Alfred de Vigny was a French writer who produced a body of work encompassing poetry, plays, and novels.
1918–1996
vice president of the United States from 1969 to 1973
Spiro Agnew served as the vice president of the United States.
1887–1948
American anthropologist and folklorologist
Ruth Benedict was an American anthropologist who conducted extensive research on the relationship between personality and culture.
1814–1879
French architect
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was a French architect known for his extensive restoration work on prominent medieval buildings throughout France.
1899–1961
Turkish statesperson
Adnan Menderes was a Turkish politician who served as the Prime Minister of Turkey.
1748–1836
French botanist
Antoine Laurent de Jussieu was a French botanist who developed a system of plant classification.
1850–1936
French chemist
Henry Louis Le Châtelier was a French chemist known for developing the principle that describes the response of chemical systems to changes in equilibrium.
1932–2025
American philosopher
John Searle was an American philosopher known for his contributions to the philosophy of language and the philosophy of mind.
1858–1915
French writer
Remy de Gourmont was a French writer who produced a diverse body of literary criticism, poetry, novels, and essays.
1925–1980
Dictador of Nicaragua (1967–72, 1974–79)
Anastasio Somoza Debayle was a politician who served as the president of Nicaragua.
1800–1877
British inventor and photographer
William Henry Fox Talbot was a British inventor who developed the calotype process, a foundational method in the history of photography.
1879–1904
Indonesian heroine, feminist
Kartini was an Indonesian women's rights activist who advocated for the education and empowerment of women.
1775–1864
English writer, poet, and activist
Walter Savage Landor was an English poet and writer known for his literary works.
1895–1948
Swedish diplomat
Folke Bernadotte was a Swedish diplomat who served as a mediator in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
1818–1892
German jurist
Rudolf von Jhering was a German jurist who significantly influenced the development of legal theory through his work on the purpose of law.
1899–1972
American actor
Akim Tamiroff was an American actor who appeared in numerous motion pictures throughout his career.
1881–1948
German writer
Emil Ludwig was a German writer known for his biographical works.
1892–1938
Soviet economist
Nikolai Kondratiev was a Soviet economist known for his research on long-term economic cycles.
1863–1945
English psychologist
Charles Spearman was an English psychologist who developed the g factor theory of human intelligence.
1930–1997
31st Prime Minister of Norway
Jan P. Syse was a Norwegian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Norway.
1844–1907
African American sculptor
Edmonia Lewis was a sculptor who achieved international recognition for her work in the neoclassical style.
1948–2020
American novelist
Terry Goodkind was an American novelist known for writing the fantasy series The Sword of Truth.
1914–1984
American actor
Richard Basehart was an American actor who appeared in numerous film, television, and stage productions throughout his career.
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.
The whole archive — 569,000 lives, every day of the year — in an app that works with no network at all.