2 September

Across recorded history, 1,456 notable lives are recorded as having ended on 2 September. Below are the 24 most widely documented — ranked by how many language editions of Wikipedia carry an article about them.

← September 1 September 3 →

J. R. R. Tolkien

1892–1973

English writer and philologist

J. R. R. Tolkien was an English writer and philologist known for his contributions to fantasy literature.

Ho Chi Minh

1890–1969

Vietnamese communist leader, founder of North Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese politician who founded North Vietnam.

Pierre de Coubertin

1863–1937

founder of modern Olympic Games, pedagogue and historian

Pierre de Coubertin was the founder of the modern Olympic Games.

Islam Karimov

1938–2016

1st President of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Islam Karimov served as the first President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Barbara McClintock

1902–1992

American scientist and cytogeneticist

Barbara McClintock was a cytogeneticist who conducted pioneering research on maize genetics.

William Rowan Hamilton

1805–1865

Irish mathematician and astronomer

William Rowan Hamilton was an Irish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of optics, classical mechanics, and abstract algebra.

Viktor Frankl

1905–1997

Austrian Holocaust survivor, psychiatrist, philosopher and author

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist and author who survived the Holocaust.

Henri Rousseau

1844–1910

French painter

Henri Rousseau was a French painter known for his self-taught style and depictions of lush, imaginative jungle scenes.

Christiaan Barnard

1922–2001

South African cardiac surgeon

Christiaan Barnard was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the first human-to-human heart transplant.

Ronald Coase

1910–2013

British economist and Nobel laureate

Ronald Coase was an economist and Nobel laureate who studied the role of firms and transaction costs in the economy.

Mikis Theodorakis

1925–2021

Greek composer

Mikis Theodorakis was a Greek composer who wrote numerous works including film scores and symphonic music.

Alfonso García Robles

1911–1991

Mexican diplomat and politician

Alfonso García Robles was a Mexican diplomat who played a central role in the creation of the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

David Graeber

1961–2020

American anthropologist and anarchist

David Graeber was an American anthropologist known for his work on economic theory and his involvement in political activism.

Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig

1783–1872

Danish Lutheran pastor, theologian, hymn-writer and educator

Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig was a Danish theologian who influenced national education and wrote numerous hymns.

Frank Drake

1930–2022

American astronomer and astrophysicist

Frank Drake was an astronomer who pioneered the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and developed the Drake equation to estimate the number of active civilizations.

Sun Myung Moon

1920–2012

Korean religious leader

Sun Myung Moon was a Korean religious leader who founded the Unification Church.

Frederik Pohl

1919–2013

American science fiction writer and editor

Frederik Pohl was an American science fiction writer and editor.

Jean Victor Marie Moreau

1763–1813

French General

Jean Victor Marie Moreau was a French general who served as a military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars.

Thomas Telford

1757–1834

Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason

Thomas Telford was a civil engineer who designed numerous bridges, roads, and canals throughout Great Britain.

Bernardino Rivadavia

1780–1845

First President of Argentina (born 1780-1845)

Bernardino Rivadavia served as the first president of Argentina.

John Bowlby

1907–1990

British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst

John Bowlby was a psychiatrist who developed attachment theory to explain the importance of the bond between infants and their primary caregivers.

Alan Kurdi

2012–2015

three-year-old who died from capsized boat August 2015

Alan Kurdi was a child who died after the boat carrying him and his family capsized at sea.

Bob Mathias

1930–2006

American athlete and congressman

Bob Mathias was an American decathlete who served as a member of the United States Congress.

Vasyl Oleksandrovych Sukhomlynsky

1918–1970

Ukrainian educationalist

Vasyl Oleksandrovych Sukhomlynsky was a Ukrainian pedagogue who authored numerous works on educational theory and practice.

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.