26 September

Across recorded history, 1,405 notable lives are recorded as having ended on 26 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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Jacques Chirac

1932–2019

President of France from 1995 to 2007

Jacques Chirac was a politician who served as the President of France.

Paul Newman

1925–2008

American actor

Paul Newman was an American actor who also worked as a film director, producer, and racing driver.

Béla Bartók

1881–1945

Hungarian composer and pianist

Béla Bartók was a Hungarian composer who conducted extensive research into folk music.

Walter Benjamin

1892–1940

German cultural critic, philosopher and social critic

Walter Benjamin was a philosopher and cultural critic known for his influential essays on art, literature, and society.

Alberto Moravia

1907–1990

Italian writer and journalist

Alberto Moravia was an Italian writer known for his novels exploring themes of sexuality, social alienation, and existentialism.

George Santayana

1863–1952

Spanish-American philosopher

George Santayana was a philosopher who authored works across the fields of aesthetics, social criticism, and metaphysics.

Georg Simmel

1858–1918

German sociologist, philosopher, and critic

Georg Simmel was a sociologist and philosopher who contributed to the development of social theory and the study of urban life.

Anna Magnani

1908–1973

Italian actress

Anna Magnani was an Italian actress known for her work in cinema.

Leopold Ružička

1887–1976

Croatian scientist

Leopold Ružička was a chemist who served as a university teacher.

August Macke

1887–1914

German painter of the expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter

August Macke was a German painter associated with the expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter.

Gloria Stuart

1910–2010

American actress

Gloria Stuart was an American actress who appeared in numerous film, stage, and television productions throughout her career.

August Ferdinand Möbius

1790–1868

German mathematician and astronomer

August Ferdinand Möbius was a German mathematician and astronomer who discovered the non-orientable surface known as the Möbius strip.

Bessie Smith

1894–1937

American blues singer

Bessie Smith was an American blues singer who achieved significant success as a recording artist.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi

1926–2022

Egyptian Islamic theologian based in Doha, Qatar

Yusuf al-Qaradawi was an Egyptian Islamic theologian who resided and worked in Doha, Qatar.

Levi Strauss

1829–1902

German-Jewish-born American businessman

Levi Strauss was an American businessman who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans.

Lafcadio Hearn

1850–1904

Greek-Irish writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture and literature of Japan to the West

Lafcadio Hearn was a writer who introduced the culture and literature of Japan to the West.

Geoffrey Wilkinson

1921–1996

British Nobel laureate in Chemistry

Geoffrey Wilkinson was a British chemist and Nobel laureate in Chemistry.

Hermann Grassmann

1809–1877

German polymath, linguist and mathematician

Hermann Grassmann was a German mathematician and linguist who developed the theory of extension and contributed to the study of Sanskrit.

Daniel Boone

1734–1820

American pioneer and frontiersman

Daniel Boone was an American explorer who is recognized for his role as a pioneer and frontiersman.

Carl Jonas Love Almqvist

1793–1866

Swedish romantic poet, early feminist, realist, composer, social critic and traveller

Carl Jonas Love Almqvist was a Swedish writer and composer known for his contributions to romantic literature and early feminist social criticism.

Shyama Charan Lahiri

1828–1895

Indian yogi and guru

Shyama Charan Lahiri was an Indian guru who taught the practice of Kriya Yoga.

Miloš Obrenović I

1780–1860

Prince of Serbia

Miloš Obrenović I was the Prince of Serbia who served as a ruler and revolutionary leader.

S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike

1899–1959

4th Prime Minister of the Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from 1956-59

S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike served as the fourth Prime Minister of the Dominion of Ceylon.

Hugh Lofting

1886–1947

British author

Hugh Lofting was a children's writer who created the character Doctor Dolittle.

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.