20 September

Across recorded history, 1,464 notable lives are recorded as having ended on 20 September. Below are the 24 most widely documented — ranked by how many language editions of Wikipedia carry an article about them.

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Jean Sibelius

1865–1957

Finnish composer

Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer recognized for his significant contributions to the development of national identity through his symphonic music.

Saint-John Perse

1887–1975

French poet and diplomat

Saint-John Perse was a French poet and diplomat who served in the French foreign service while authoring numerous works of literature.

Paul Erdős

1913–1996

Hungarian mathematician

Paul Erdős was a Hungarian mathematician who collaborated with hundreds of other researchers throughout his career.

Jacob Grimm

1785–1863

German philologist, linguist, jurist and mythologist

Jacob Grimm was a philologist who is recognized for his extensive work in collecting and publishing traditional fairy tales.

Annie Besant

1847–1933

British socialist, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator

Annie Besant was a British activist and writer who campaigned for women's rights and advocated for theosophy.

Theodor Fontane

1819–1898

German novelist and poet

Theodor Fontane was a German novelist and poet known for his contributions to literary realism.

Simon Wiesenthal

1908–2005

Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter

Simon Wiesenthal was a Nazi hunter who dedicated his life to locating and documenting war criminals following the Holocaust.

Gherman Titov

1935–2000

Soviet cosmonaut

Gherman Titov was a Soviet cosmonaut who performed the second crewed orbital space flight.

Burhanuddin Rabbani

1940–2011

Afghanistan politician, former President of Afghanistan

Burhanuddin Rabbani was an Afghan politician who served as the President of Afghanistan.

Raisa Gorbacheva

1932–1999

wife of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev

Raisa Gorbacheva was a university teacher and the wife of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Ludvík Svoboda

1895–1979

Czechoslovak general and politician

Ludvík Svoboda was a Czechoslovak general and politician who served as a military officer and statesperson.

Taizo Kawamoto

1914–1985

Japanese association football player and manager

Taizo Kawamoto was a Japanese association football player and manager.

Erich Hartmann

1922–1993

German officer and fighter pilot during World War II

Erich Hartmann was a German fighter pilot who served during World War II.

Kārlis Ulmanis

1877–1942

Prime Minister of Latvia and agronomist

Kārlis Ulmanis was a Latvian politician and agronomist who served as the Prime Minister of Latvia.

Pablo de Sarasate

1844–1908

Spanish violinist and composer

Pablo de Sarasate was a Spanish violinist and composer known for his performances and musical works.

Brian Clough

1935–2004

English football player and manager

Brian Clough was an English football manager who achieved significant success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest.

Tibor Sekelj

1912–1988

Hungarian author and explorer

Tibor Sekelj was an explorer and author who traveled extensively and contributed to the development of the Esperanto language.

Fiorello H. La Guardia

1882–1947

American politician; 99th Mayor of New York City

Fiorello H. La Guardia was an American politician who served as the Mayor of New York City.

Pierre Méchain

1744–1804

French mathematician and astronomer

Astronomer Pierre Méchain conducted extensive geodetic surveys to determine the length of the meter.

José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia

1766–1840

Paraguayan lawyer, politician and dictator

José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia was a Paraguayan politician who served as the country's dictator.

Liliane Bettencourt

1922–2017

French heiress, socialite and businesswoman

Liliane Bettencourt was a French businesswoman who served as a primary shareholder of L'Oréal.

Sergey Bodrov, Jr.

1971–2002

Russian actor

Sergey Bodrov, Jr. was a Russian actor who also worked as a film director, screenwriter, and television presenter.

Sven Nykvist

1922–2006

Swedish cinematographer and film director

Sven Nykvist was a Swedish cinematographer known for his extensive collaborations with director Ingmar Bergman.

Curtis Hanson

1945–2016

American filmmaker

Curtis Hanson was an American filmmaker who worked as a director, producer, and screenwriter.

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.