September 26

September 26 in recent years

2023 (Tuesday)

2022 (Monday)

2021 (Sunday)

2020 (Saturday)

2019 (Thursday)

2018 (Wednesday)

2017 (Tuesday)

2016 (Monday)

2015 (Saturday)

2014 (Friday)

September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 96 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 46 BC – Julius Caesar dedicates a temple to Venus Genetrix, fulfilling a vow he made at the Battle of Pharsalus.
• 715 – Ragenfrid defeats Theudoald at the Battle of Compiègne.
• 1087 – William II is crowned King of England, and reigns until 1100.
• 1212 – The Golden Bull of Sicily is issued to confirm the hereditary royal title in Bohemia for the Přemyslid dynasty.
• 1345 – Friso-Hollandic Wars: Frisians defeat Holland in the Battle of Warns.
• 1371 – Serbian–Turkish wars: Ottoman Turks fought against a Serbian army at the Battle of Maritsa.
• 1493 – Pope Alexander VI issues the papal bull Dudum siquidem to the Spanish, extending the grant of new lands he made them in Inter caetera.
• 1580 – Francis Drake finishes his circumnavigation of the Earth.
• 1687 – Morean War: The Parthenon in Athens, used as a gunpowder depot by the Ottoman garrison, is partially destroyed after being bombarded during the Siege of the Acropolis by Venetian forces.
• 1688 – The city council of Amsterdam votes to support William of Orange's invasion of England, which became the Glorious Revolution.
• 1777 – American Revolution: British troops occupy Philadelphia.
• 1789 – George Washington appoints Thomas Jefferson the first United States Secretary of State.
• 1799 – War of the 2nd Coalition: Franco-Swiss troops defeat Austro-Russian forces, leading to the collapse of Suvorov's campaign.
• 1810 – A new Act of Succession is adopted by the Riksdag of the Estates, and Jean Baptiste Bernadotte becomes heir to the Swedish throne.
• 1905 – Albert Einstein publishes the third of his Annus Mirabilis papers, introducing the special theory of relativity.
• 1907 – Four months after the 1907 Imperial Conference, New Zealand and Newfoundland are promoted from colonies to dominions within the British Empire.
• 1910 – Indian journalist Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai is arrested after publishing criticism of the government of Travancore and is exiled.
• 1914 – The United States Federal Trade Commission is established by the Federal Trade Commission Act.
• 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Polygon Wood begins.
• 1918 – World War I: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive began which would last until the total surrender of German forces.
• 1923 – The German government accepts the occupation of the Ruhr.
• 1933 – As gangster Machine Gun Kelly surrenders to the FBI, he shouts out, "Don't shoot, G-Men!", which becomes a nickname for FBI agents.
• 1934 – The ocean liner RMS Queen Mary is launched.
• 1942 – Holocaust: Senior SS official August Frank issues a memorandum detailing how Jews should be "evacuated".
• 1950 – Korean War: United Nations troops recapture Seoul from North Korean forces.
• 1953 – Rationing of sugar in the United Kingdom ends
• 1954 – The Japanese rail ferry Tōya Maru sinks during a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait, Japan, killing 1,172.
• 1959 – Typhoon Vera, the strongest typhoon to hit Japan in recorded history, makes landfall, killing 4,580 people and leaving nearly 1.6 million others homeless.
• 1960 – In Chicago, the first televised debate takes place between presidential candidates Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy.
• 1969 – Abbey Road, the last recorded album by The Beatles, is released.
• 1973 – Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time.
• 1980 – At the Oktoberfest terror attack in Munich 13 people die and 211 are injured.
• 1981 – Nolan Ryan sets a Major League record by throwing his fifth no-hitter.
• 1983 – Soviet Air Force officer Stanislav Petrov identifies a report of an incoming nuclear missile as a computer error and not an American first strike.
• 1983 – Australia II wins the America's Cup, ending the New York Yacht Club's 132-year domination of the race.
• 1984 – The United Kingdom and China agree to a transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong, to take place in 1997.
• 1997 – A Garuda Indonesia Airbus A300 crashes near Medan airport, killing 234.
• 1997 – An earthquake strikes the Italian regions of Umbria and the Marche, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi to collapse.
• 2000 – Anti-globalization protests in Prague (some 20,000 protesters) turn violent during the IMF and World Bank summits.
• 2000 – The MS Express Samina sinks off Paros in the Aegean Sea killing 80 passengers.
• 2002 – The overcrowded Senegalese ferry, MV Le Joola, capsizes off the coast of the Gambia killing more than 1,000.
• 2005 – The PBS Kids Channel is shut down and replaced by a joint network with Comcast called Sprout.
• 2008 – Swiss pilot and inventor Yves Rossy becomes first person to fly a jet engine-powered wing across the English Channel.
• 2009 – Typhoon Ketsana hits the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, causing 700 fatalities.
• 2014 – A mass kidnapping occurs in Iguala, Mexico.

Births

• 932 – Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, Arab caliph (d. 975)
• 1329 – Anne of Bavaria, German queen consort (d. 1353)
• 1406 – Thomas de Ros, 8th Baron de Ros, English soldier and politician (d. 1430)
• 1462 – Engelbert, Count of Nevers, younger son of John I, Duke of Cleves (d. 1506)
• 1526 – Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (d. 1569)
• 1637 – Sébastien Leclerc, French painter (d. 1714)
• 1641 – Nehemiah Grew, English plant anatomist and physiologist (d. 1712)
• 1651 – Francis Daniel Pastorius, founder of Germantown, Philadelphia (d. 1720)
• 1660 – George William, Duke of Liegnitz (d. 1675)
• 1698 – William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire (d. 1755)
• 1711 – Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, English politician, First Lord of the Admiralty (d. 1779)
• 1750 – Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood, English admiral (d. 1810)
• 1758 – Cosme Argerich, Argentinian physician (d. 1820)
• 1767 – Wenzel Müller, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1835)
• 1774 – Johnny Appleseed, American gardener and environmentalist (d. 1845)
• 1783 – Richard Griffin, 3rd Baron Braybrooke, English politician and literary figure (d. 1858)
• 1791 – Théodore Géricault, French painter and lithographer (d. 1824)
• 1792 – William Hobson, Irish-New Zealand explorer and politician, 1st Governor of New Zealand (d. 1842)
• 1820 – Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Indian philosopher, painter, and academic (d. 1891)
• 1840 – Louis-Olivier Taillon, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Premier of Quebec (d. 1923)
• 1843 – Joseph Furphy, Australian author and poet (d. 1912)
• 1848 – Henry Walters, American art collector and philanthropist (d. 1931)
• 1849 – Ivan Pavlov, Russian physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
• 1865 – Mary Russell, Duchess of Bedford (d. 1937)
• 1869 – Komitas, Armenian-French priest and composer (d. 1935)
• 1870 – Christian X of Denmark (d. 1947)
• 1872 – Max Ehrmann, American poet and lawyer (d. 1945)
• 1873 – Wacław Berent, Polish author and translator (d. 1940)
• 1874 – Lewis Hine, American photographer and activist (d. 1940)
• 1875 – Edmund Gwenn, English-American actor and singer (d. 1959)
• 1876 – Edith Abbott, American economist, social worker, and author (d. 1957)
• 1876 – Ghulam Bhik Nairang, Indian poet, lawyer, and politician (d. 1952)
• 1877 – Ugo Cerletti, Italian neurologist and academic (d. 1963)
• 1877 – Alfred Cortot, Swiss pianist and conductor (d. 1962)
• 1877 – Bertha De Vriese, Belgian physician (d. 1958)
• 1878 – Walter Steinbeck, German actor (d. 1942)
• 1884 – Jack Bickell, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1951)
• 1886 – Archibald Hill, English physiologist, academic, and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1977)
• 1887 – Edwin Keppel Bennett, English author and poet (d. 1958)
• 1887 – Antonio Moreno, Spanish-American actor and director (d. 1967)
• 1887 – Barnes Wallis, English scientist and engineer, invented the Bouncing bomb (d. 1979)
• 1888 – J. Frank Dobie, American journalist and author (d. 1964)
• 1888 – T. S. Eliot, English poet, playwright, critic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
• 1889 – Gordon Brewster, Irish cartoonist (d. 1946)
• 1889 – Martin Heidegger, German philosopher and academic (d. 1976)
• 1890 – Jack Tresadern, English footballer and manager (d. 1959)
• 1891 – William McKell, Australian politician, 12th Governor General of Australia (d. 1985)
• 1891 – Charles Münch, French violinist and conductor (d. 1968)
• 1891 – Hans Reichenbach, German philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1953)
• 1892 – Robert Staughton Lynd, American sociologist and academic (d. 1970)
• 1894 – Gladys Brockwell, American actress (d. 1929)
• 1895 – Jürgen Stroop, German general (d. 1952)
• 1897 – Pope Paul VI (d. 1978)
• 1897 – Arthur Rhys-Davids, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 1917)
• 1898 – George Gershwin, American pianist and composer (d. 1937)
• 1900 – Suzanne Belperron, French jewelry designer (d. 1983)
• 1901 – George Raft, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1980)
• 1901 – Ted Weems, American bandleader and musician (d. 1963)
• 1905 – Millito Navarro, Puerto Rican baseball player (d. 2011)
• 1905 – Karl Rappan, Austrian footballer and coach (d. 1996)
• 1907 – Anthony Blunt, English historian and spy (d. 1983)
• 1907 – Shug Fisher, American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and comedian (d. 1984)
• 1907 – Bep van Klaveren, Dutch boxer (d. 1992)
• 1909 – Bill France, Sr., American race car driver, founded NASCAR (d. 1992)
• 1909 – A. P. Hamann, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (d. 1977)
• 1911 – Al Helfer, American sportscaster (d. 1975)
• 1913 – Frank Brimsek, American ice hockey player (d. 1998)
• 1914 – Achille Compagnoni, Italian skier and mountaineer (d. 2009)
• 1914 – Jack LaLanne, American fitness expert (d. 2011)
• 1917 – Réal Caouette, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1976)
• 1917 – Tran Duc Thao, Vietnamese-French philosopher and theorist (d. 1993)
• 1918 – Eric Morley, English businessman and television host, founded the Miss World (d. 2000)
• 1919 – Barbara Britton, American actress (d. 1980)
• 1919 – Matilde Camus, Spanish poet and author (d. 2012)
• 1922 – Takis Miliadis, Greek actor (d. 1985)
• 1922 – Nicholas Romanov, Prince of Russia (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Dev Anand, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2011)
• 1923 – Hugh Griffiths, Baron Griffiths, English cricketer, lawyer, and judge (d. 2015)
• 1923 – James Hennessy, English businessman and diplomat
• 1924 – Jean Hoerni, Swiss physicist, inventor and businessman (d. 1997)
• 1925 – Norm Dussault, American-Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2012)
• 1925 – Marty Robbins, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and race car driver (d. 1982)
• 1926 – Julie London, American singer and actress (d. 2000)
• 1926 – Manfred Mayrhofer, Austrian philologist and academic (d. 2011)
• 1927 – Robert Cade, American physician and educator, co-invented Gatorade (d. 2007)
• 1927 – Patrick O'Neal, American actor (d. 1994)
• 1927 – Enzo Bearzot, Italian footballer and manager (d. 2010)
• 1928 – Bob Van der Veken, Belgian actor (d. 2019)
• 1928 – Wilford White, American football player (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Philip Bosco, American actor (d. 2018)
• 1930 – Joe Brown, English mountaineer and author
• 1931 – Kenneth Parnell, American sex offender (d. 2008)
• 1932 – Manmohan Singh, Indian economist and politician, 13th Prime Minister of India
• 1932 – Donna Douglas, American actress (d. 2015)
• 1932 – Joyce Jameson, American actress (d. 1987)
• 1932 – Vladimir Voinovich, Russian author and poet (d. 2018)
• 1934 – Neil Coles, English golfer and architect
• 1935 – Bob Barber, English cricketer
• 1935 – Lou Myers, American actor (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Joe Sherlock, Irish politician (d. 2007)
• 1936 – Leroy Drumm, American sailor and songwriter (d. 2010)
• 1936 – Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, South African academic and politician, 8th First Lady of South Africa (d. 2018)
• 1937 – Valentin Pavlov, Russian banker and politician, 11th Premier of the Soviet Union (d. 2003)
• 1937 – Jerry Weintraub, American film producer and agent (d. 2015)
• 1938 – Lucette Aldous, New Zealand-Australian ballerina and educator
• 1938 – Lars-Jacob Krogh, Norwegian journalist (d. 2010)
• 1939 – Ricky Tomlinson, English actor and screenwriter
• 1941 – Salvatore Accardo, Italian violinist and conductor
• 1941 – Martine Beswick, Jamaican-English model and actress
• 1941 – David Frizzell, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1942 – Kent McCord, American actor
• 1942 – Gloria E. Anzaldúa, American scholar of Chicana cultural theory (d. 2004)
• 1943 – Ian Chappell, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
• 1943 – Tim Schenken, Australian race car driver
• 1944 – Jan Brewer, American politician, 22nd Governor of Arizona
• 1944 – Keith O'Nions, English geologist and academic
• 1944 – Anne Robinson, English journalist and game show host
• 1945 – Louise Beaudoin, Canadian academic and politician
• 1945 – Gal Costa, Brazilian singer
• 1945 – Bryan Ferry, English singer-songwriter
• 1946 – Andrea Dworkin, American activist and author (d. 2005)
• 1946 – John MacLachlan Gray, Canadian actor, playwright, and composer
• 1946 – Radha Krishna Mainali, Nepalese politician
• 1946 – Louise Simonson, American author
• 1946 – Claudette Werleigh, Haitian Prime Minister
• 1946 – Christine Todd Whitman, American politician, 50th Governor of New Jersey
• 1947 – Lynn Anderson, American singer and actress (d. 2015)
• 1947 – Philippe Lavil, French singer and actor
• 1947 – Dick Roth, American swimmer
• 1948 – John Foxx, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and keyboard player
• 1948 – Olivia Newton-John, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actress
• 1949 – Clodoaldo, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1949 – Wendy Saddington, Australian singer and journalist (d. 2013)
• 1949 – Jane Smiley, American novelist
• 1949 – Minette Walters, English journalist and author
• 1950 – Andy Haden, New Zealand rugby player
• 1951 – Tommy Taylor, English footballer and manager
• 1951 – Stuart Tosh, Scottish singer-songwriter and drummer
• 1953 – Dolores Keane, Irish singer and actress
• 1953 – Douglas A. Melton, American biologist and academic
• 1953 – Paul Stephenson, English police officer
• 1954 – Craig Chaquico, American guitarist
• 1954 – Kevin Kennedy, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster
• 1954 – Cesar Rosas, Mexican-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1956 – Steve Butler, American race car driver and engineer
• 1956 – Linda Hamilton, American actress
• 1957 – Bob Staake, American author and illustrator
• 1957 – Klaus Augenthaler, German footballer and manager
• 1957 – Michael Dweck, American photographer and director
• 1958 – Rudi Cerne, German figure skater and journalist
• 1958 – Darby Crash, American singer-songwriter (d. 1980)
• 1958 – Robert Kagan, Greek-American historian and author
• 1958 – Kenny Sansom, English footballer
• 1958 – Richard B. Weldon, Jr., American sailor and politician
• 1959 – Andrew Bolt, Australian journalist
• 1959 – Trevor Dodds, Namibian golfer
• 1959 – Rich Gedman, American baseball player and coach
• 1959 – Ilya Kormiltsev, Russian poet and translator (d. 2007)
• 1960 – Uwe Bein, German footballer and manager
• 1960 – Jouke de Vries, Dutch academic and politician
• 1960 – Doug Supernaw, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1961 – Cindy Herron, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1961 – Marianne Mikko, Estonian journalist and politician
• 1961 – Will Self, English novelist and journalist
• 1962 – Melissa Sue Anderson, American-Canadian actress
• 1962 – Peter Foster, Australian criminal
• 1962 – Mark Haddon, English author and poet
• 1962 – Steve Moneghetti, Australian runner
• 1962 – Al Pitrelli, American guitarist and songwriter
• 1962 – Tracey Thorn, English singer-songwriter and writer
• 1962 – Jacky Wu, Taiwanese singer, actor, and television host
• 1963 – Lysette Anthony, English actress and producer
• 1963 – Joe Nemechek, American race car driver
• 1964 – Nicki French, English singer and actress
• 1964 – Dave Martinez, American baseball player and coach
• 1964 – John Tempesta, American drummer
• 1965 – Petro Poroshenko, Ukrainian businessman and politician, 5th President of Ukraine
• 1966 – Dean Butterworth, English-American drummer
• 1966 – Christos Dantis, Greek singer-songwriter and producer
• 1966 – Shane Dye, New Zealand jockey
• 1966 – Craig Heyward, American football player (d. 2006)
• 1966 – Jillian Barberie, Canadian actress and sportscaster
• 1967 – Bruno Akrapović, Bosnian footballer and manager
• 1967 – Shannon Hoon, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1995)
• 1967 – Craig Janney, American ice hockey player
• 1968 – Jim Caviezel, American actor
• 1969 – Andy Petterson, Australian footballer and coach
• 1969 – David Slade, English director and producer
• 1969 – Holger Stanislawski, German footballer and manager
• 1969 – Paul Warhurst, English footballer and manager
• 1970 – Daryl Beattie, Australian motorcycle rider
• 1970 – Sheri Moon Zombie, American actress and fashion designer
• 1970 – David Parland, Swedish guitarist (d. 2013)
• 1972 – Ras Kass, American rapper and producer
• 1972 – Beto O'Rourke, American politician
• 1972 – Shawn Stockman, American singer
• 1973 – Marty Casey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1973 – Julienne Davis, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Chris Small, Scottish snooker player and coach
• 1973 – Olga Vasdeki, Greek triple jumper
• 1974 – Boris Cepeda, German-Ecuadorian pianist and diplomat
• 1974 – Gary Hall, Jr., American swimmer
• 1974 – Martin Müürsepp, Estonian basketball player and coach
• 1975 – Emma Härdelin, Swedish singer and violinist
• 1975 – Jake Paltrow, American director and screenwriter
• 1975 – Chiara Schoras, German actress
• 1976 – Michael Ballack, German footballer
• 1976 – Sami Vänskä, Finnish bass player
• 1977 – Kerem Özyeğen, Turkish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1977 – Aka Plu, Japanese comedian and actor
• 1978 – Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, Kenyan runner
• 1979 – Jon Harley, English footballer
• 1979 – Simon Kirch, German sprinter
• 1979 – Naomichi Marufuji, Japanese wrestler
• 1979 – Fuifui Moimoi, Tongan-New Zealand rugby league player
• 1979 – Cameron Mooney, Australian footballer
• 1979 – Jaycie Phelps, American gymnast
• 1979 – Taavi Rõivas, Estonian politician, 16th Prime Minister of Estonia
• 1979 – Jacob Tierney, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1980 – Patrick Friesacher, Austrian race car driver
• 1980 – Brooks Orpik, American ice hockey player
• 1980 – Daniel Sedin, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1980 – Henrik Sedin, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1981 – Yao Beina, Chinese singer (d. 2015)
• 1981 – Christina Milian, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
• 1981 – Ayumi Tsunematsu, Japanese voice actress
• 1981 – Kanako Urai, Japanese professional wrestler
• 1981 – Serena Williams, American tennis player
• 1982 – Rob Burrow, English rugby player
• 1982 – Simon Picone, Italian rugby player
• 1982 – John Scott, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1982 – Miguel Alfredo Portillo, Argentinian footballer
• 1982 – Jon Richardson, English comedian and radio host
• 1983 – D'Qwell Jackson, American football player
• 1983 – Archimede Morleo, Italian footballer
• 1983 – Ricardo Quaresma, Portuguese footballer
• 1984 – Nev Schulman, American photographer, television host, and producer
• 1986 – Sean Doolittle, American baseball player
• 1987 – Rosanna Munter, Swedish singer-songwriter
• 1987 – Vladimir Niculescu, Romanian professional football player
• 1987 – Cyril Gautier, French road bicycle racer
• 1988 – James Blake, English singer-songwriter and producer
• 1988 – Kiira Korpi, Finnish figure skater
• 1988 – Mark Simpson, English clarinet player and composer
• 1989 – Chinami Suzuki, Japanese model, television host, and actress
• 1989 – Jonny Bairstow, English and Yorkshire Wicketkeeper/Batsman
• 1991 – Dan Preston, English footballer
• 1991 – Alma Jodorowsky, French actress, fashion model and singer
• 1991 – Réka Demeter, Hungarian football defender
• 1992 – Yoo Ara, South Korean singer and actress
• 1993 – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, American basketball player
• 1994 – Lucas Gafarot, Spanish footballer
• 1994 – Jack Conger, American swimmer
• 1995 – Miloš Veljković, Serbian footballer
• 2000 – Princess Salma bint Abdullah, Jordanian princess

Deaths

• 800 – Berowulf, bishop of Würzburg
• 862 – Musa ibn Musa ibn Qasi, Muslim military leader (b. c. 790)
• 1241 – Fujiwara no Teika, Japanese poet
• 1290 – Margaret, Maid of Norway Queen of Scotland (b. 1283)
• 1313 – Gottfried von Hagenau, Alsatian theologian, medical doctor, and poet
• 1327 – Cecco d'Ascoli, Italian encyclopaedist, physician and poet (b. 1257)
• 1328 – Ibn Taymiya, Islamic scholar and philosopher of Harran (b. 1263)
• 1345 – William II, Count of Hainaut
• 1371 – Jovan Uglješa, Serbian despot
• 1413 – Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1337)
• 1417 – Francesco Zabarella, Italian cardinal (b. 1360)
• 1468 – Juan de Torquemada, Spanish cardinal and theologian (b. 1388)
• 1536 – Didier de Saint-Jaille, 46th Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitaller
• 1588 – Amias Paulet, Governor of Jersey (b. 1532)
• 1600 – Claude Le Jeune, French composer (b. 1530)
• 1620 – Taichang Emperor of China (b. 1582)
• 1623 – Charles Grey, 7th Earl of Kent, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire (b. 1540)
• 1626 – Wakisaka Yasuharu, Japanese daimyō (b. 1554)
• 1716 – Antoine Parent, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1666)
• 1764 – Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro, Spanish monk and scholar (b. 1676)
• 1800 – William Billings, American composer and educator (b. 1746)
• 1802 – Jurij Vega, Slovene mathematician and physicist (b. 1754)
• 1820 – Daniel Boone, American hunter and explorer (b. 1734)
• 1868 – August Ferdinand Möbius, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1790)
• 1877 – Hermann Grassmann, German mathematician and physicist (b. 1809)
• 1902 – Levi Strauss, German-American businessman, founded Levi Strauss & Co. (b. 1829)
• 1904 – Lafcadio Hearn, Greek-Japanese author and academic (b. 1850)
• 1904 – John Fitzwilliam Stairs, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1848)
• 1922 – Charles Wade, Australian politician, 17th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1863)
• 1935 – Andy Adams, American author (b. 1859)
• 1935 – Iván Persa, Slovene-Hungarian priest and author (b. 1861)
• 1937 – Bessie Smith, American singer and actress (b. 1894)
• 1943 – Henri Fertet, French Resistance fighter (b. 1926)
• 1945 – Béla Bartók, Hungarian pianist and composer (b. 1881)
• 1946 – William Strunk, Jr., American author and educator (b. 1869)
• 1947 – Hugh Lofting, English-American author and poet (b. 1886)
• 1951 – Hans Cloos, German geologist and academic (b. 1885)
• 1952 – George Santayana, Spanish philosopher, novelist, and poet (b. 1863)
• 1953 – Xu Beihong, Chinese painter and educator (b. 1895)
• 1954 – Ellen Roosevelt, American tennis player (b. 1868)
• 1957 – Arthur Powell Davies, American minister and author (b. 1902)
• 1959 – S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (b. 1899)
• 1959 – Leslie Morshead, Australian general (b. 1889)
• 1959 – Teodor Ussisoo, Estonian furniture designer and educator (b. 1878)
• 1965 – James Fitzmaurice, Irish soldier and pilot (b. 1898)
• 1968 – Ben Shlomo Lipman-Heilprin, Polish-Israeli neurologist and physician (b. 1902)
• 1968 – Daniel Johnson, Sr., Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Quebec (b. 1915)
• 1968 – Władysław Kędra, Polish pianist (b. 1918)
• 1972 – Charles Correll, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1890)
• 1973 – Samuel Flagg Bemis, American historian and author (b. 1891)
• 1973 – Ralph Earnhardt, American race car driver (b. 1923)
• 1973 – Anna Magnani, Italian actress and singer (b. 1908)
• 1976 – Leopold Ružička, Croatian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
• 1977 – Uday Shankar, Indian dancer and choreographer (b. 1900)
• 1978 – Manne Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
• 1979 – Arthur Hunnicutt, American actor (b. 1910)
• 1982 – Alec Hurwood, Australian cricketer (b. 1902)
• 1984 – Paquirri, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1948)
• 1984 – John Facenda, American sportscaster (b. 1913)
• 1987 – Ramang, Indonesian footballer and manager (b. 1928)
• 1987 – Herbert Tichy, Austrian geologist, journalist, and mountaineer (b. 1912)
• 1988 – Branko Zebec, Yugoslav football player and coach (b. 1929)
• 1989 – Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Indian singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1920)
• 1990 – Hiram Abas, Turkish intelligence officer (b. 1932)
• 1990 – Alberto Moravia, Italian author and critic (b. 1907)
• 1991 – Billy Vaughn, American singer and bandleader (b. 1919)
• 1995 – Kalju Pitksaar, Estonian chess player (b. 1931)
• 1996 – Nicu Ceaușescu, Romanian politician (b. 1951)
• 1998 – Betty Carter, American singer (b. 1930)
• 1999 – Oseola McCarty, American philanthropist (b. 1908)
• 2000 – Richard Mulligan, American actor (b. 1932)
• 2000 – Baden Powell de Aquino, Brazilian guitarist and composer (b. 1937)
• 2003 – Shawn Lane, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1963)
• 2003 – Robert Palmer, English singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
• 2004 – Marianna Komlos, Canadian bodybuilder, model, and wrestler (b. 1969)
• 2005 – Helen Cresswell, English author and screenwriter (b. 1934)
• 2006 – Byron Nelson, American golfer and coach (b. 1912)
• 2006 – Iva Toguri D'Aquino, American wartime propaganda broadcaster (b. 1916)
• 2007 – Bill Wirtz, American businessman (b. 1929)
• 2008 – Marc Moulin, Belgian keyboard player, producer, and journalist (b. 1942)
• 2008 – Paul Newman, American actor, director, producer, and businessman (b. 1925)
• 2010 – Terry Newton, English rugby player (b. 1978)
• 2010 – Gloria Stuart, American actress (b. 1910)
• 2011 – Bob Cassilly, American sculptor, founded the City Museum (b. 1949)
• 2012 – M'el Dowd, American actress and singer (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Sylvia Fedoruk, Canadian physicist and politician, 17th Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Eugene Genovese, American historian and author (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Sam Steiger, American journalist and politician (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Azizan Abdul Razak, Malaysian politician, 10th Menteri Besar of Kedah (b. 1944)
• 2013 – Seánie Duggan, Irish hurler (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Mario Montez, Puerto Rican-American actor (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Sos Sargsyan, Armenian actor and director (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Jim Boeke, American football player and coach (b. 1938)
• 2014 – Sam Hall, American screenwriter (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Gerald Neugebauer, American astronomer and physicist (b. 1932)
• 2014 – Tamir Sapir, Georgian-American businessman (b. 1946)
• 2015 – Eudóxia Maria Froehlich, Brazilian zoologist (b. 1928)
• 2015 – Sidney Phillips, American soldier, physician, and author (b. 1924)
• 2015 – Ana Seneviratne, Sri Lankan police officer and diplomat (b. 1927)
• 2019 – Jacques René Chirac, French politician & President of France (1954–1957) (b. 1932)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast days:
  • Canadian Martyrs (Roman Catholic Church in Canada)
  • Cosmas and Damian
  • John of Meda
  • Nilus the Younger
  • Wilson Carlile (Anglican)
  • September 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Day of the National Flag (Ecuador)
• Dominion Day (New Zealand)
• European Day of Languages (European Union)
• National Good Neighbor Day (United States)
• Revolution Day (Yemen)

External links

• "On This Day". BBC.
• The New York Times: On This Day
• "Historical Events on September 26". OnThisDay.com.
• "Today in Canadian History". Canada Channel.