September 26

Pre-1600

• 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.
• 1423 – Hundred Years' War: A French army defeats the English at the Battle of La Brossinière.^[1]
• 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 in Plymouth, England.

1601–1900

• 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.^[2]
• 1799 – War of the 2nd Coalition: French troops defeat Austro-Russian forces, leading to the collapse of Suvorov's campaign.^[3]
• 1810 – A new Act of Succession is adopted by the Riksdag of the Estates, and Jean Baptiste Bernadotte becomes heir to the Swedish throne.^[4]

1901–present

• 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.^[5]
• 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.
• 1936 – Spanish Civil War: Lluis Companys reshuffles the Generalitat de Catalunya, with the marxist POUM and anarcho-syndicalist CNT joining the government.^[6]
• 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.
• 1978 – Air Caribbean Flight 309 crashes in Residencial Las Casas in San Juan, Puerto Rico, killing six.^[7]
• 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, thus preventing nuclear war
• 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.
• 1992 – A Nigerian Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules crashes in Ejigbo, Lagos, killing 159.
• 1994 – A Yakovlev Yak-40 crashes into a river near Vanavara, Russia, killing 24.^[8]
• 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.
• 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.
• 2010 – The Philippine Bar exam bombing occurred near the De La Salle University in Taft Avenue, Manila injuring 47 people.^[9]
• 2014 – A mass kidnapping occurs in Iguala, Mexico.

Pre-1600

• 932 – Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, Arab caliph (d. 975)
• 1329 – Anne of Bavaria, German queen consort (d. 1353)^[10]
• 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)^[11]
• 1526 – Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (d. 1569)

1601–1900

• 1637 – Sébastien Leclerc, French painter (d. 1714)^[12]
• 1641 – Nehemiah Grew, English plant anatomist and physiologist (d. 1712)
• 1651 – Francis Daniel Pastorius, founder of Germantown, Philadelphia (d. 1720)^[13]
• 1660 – George William, Duke of Liegnitz (d. 1675)
• 1698 – William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire (d. 1755)^[14]
• 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)^[15]
• 1865 – Archibald Butt, United States Army Officer (d. 1912)^[16]
• 1865 – Mary Russell, Duchess of Bedford (d. 1937)
• 1869 – Komitas, Armenian-French priest and composer (d. 1935)
• 1870 – Christian X of Denmark (d. 1947)^[17]
• 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)
• 1874 – Charles Vyner Brooke, 3rd Raj of Sarawak (d. 1963)^[18]
• 1875 – Edmund Gwenn, English-American actor (d. 1959)^[19]
• 1876 – Edith Abbott, American economist, social worker, and author (d. 1957)^[20]
• 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–present

• 1901 – George Raft, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1980)
• 1901 – Ted Weems, American bandleader and musician (d. 1963)
• 1902 – Albert Anastasia, Italian-American mobster (d. 1957)^[21]
• 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 (d. 2024)
• 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 (d. 2020)
• 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)^[22]
• 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)^[22]
• 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)^[22]
• 1938 – Lucette Aldous, New Zealand-Australian ballerina and educator
• 1938 – Jonathan Goldsmith, American actor^[23][24]
• 1938 – Lars-Jacob Krogh, Norwegian journalist (d. 2010)
• 1939 – Ricky Tomlinson, English actor and screenwriter^[25]
• 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^[26]
• 1942 – Kent McCord, American actor^[26]
• 1942 – Gloria E. Anzaldúa, American scholar of Chicana cultural theory (d. 2004)
• 1943 – Ian Chappell, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
• 1943 – Tim Schenken, Australian racing 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^[26]
• 1945 – Louise Beaudoin, Canadian academic and politician
• 1945 – Gal Costa, Brazilian singer (d. 2022)^[27]
• 1945 – Bryan Ferry, English singer-songwriter^[26]
• 1946 – Andrea Dworkin, American activist and author (d. 2005)^[28]
• 1946 – John MacLachlan Gray, Canadian actor, playwright, and composer
• 1946 – Mary Beth Hurt, American actress^[26]
• 1946 – Radha Krishna Mainali, Nepalese politician
• 1946 – Louise Simonson, American author
• 1946 – Claudette Werleigh, Haitian Prime Minister^[29]
• 1947 – Lucius Allen, American basketball player^[30]
• 1947 – Lynn Anderson, American singer and actress (d. 2015)^[22]
• 1947 – Philippe Lavil, French singer and actor
• 1947 – Dick Roth, American swimmer
• 1948 – Olivia Newton-John, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2022)^[31]
• 1948 – Vladimír Remek, Czech politician, diplomat, cosmonaut and military pilot^[32]
• 1949 – Clodoaldo, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1949 – Wendy Saddington, Australian singer and journalist (d. 2013)
• 1949 – Jane Smiley, American novelist^[22]
• 1949 – Minette Walters, English journalist and author
• 1950 – Andy Haden, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2020)
• 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^[26]
• 1955 – Carlene Carter, American singer-songwriter^[26]
• 1956 – Steve Butler, American race car driver and engineer
• 1956 – Linda Hamilton, American actress^[26]
• 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 (d. 2020)
• 1961 – Jeanie Buss, American sports executive^[33]
• 1961 – Cindy Herron, American singer-songwriter and actress^[26]
• 1961 – Marianne Mikko, Estonian journalist and politician
• 1961 – Will Self, English novelist and journalist^[22]
• 1962 – Melissa Sue Anderson, American-Canadian actress^[26]
• 1962 – Jonas Bergqvist, Swedish ice hockey player^[34]
• 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^[26]
• 1962 – Jacky Wu, Taiwanese singer, actor, and television host
• 1963 – Lysette Anthony, English actress and producer
• 1963 – Joe Nemechek, American race car driver
• 1964 – Dave Martinez, American baseball player and coach
• 1965 – Radisav Ćurčić, Serbian-Israeli basketball player^[35]
• 1965 – Petro Poroshenko, Ukrainian businessman and politician, 5th President of Ukraine
• 1966 – Jillian Barberie, Canadian actress and sportscaster^[26]
• 1966 – Christos Dantis, Greek singer-songwriter and producer
• 1966 – Shane Dye, New Zealand jockey
• 1966 – Craig Heyward, American football player (d. 2006)
• 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^[26]
• 1968 – Ben Shenkman, American actor^[26]
• 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 racer
• 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^[36]
• 1972 – Shawn Stockman, American singer
• 1973 – Marty Casey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1973 – Julienne Davis, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Dr. Luke, American record producer and songwriter^[26]
• 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 – Chris Kunitz, Canadian ice hockey player^[37]
• 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 racing driver
• 1980 – Brooks Orpik, American ice hockey player
• 1980 – Daniel Sedin, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1980 – Henrik Sedin, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1981 – Asuka, Japanese professional wrestler
• 1981 – Yao Beina, Chinese singer (d. 2015)
• 1981 – Christina Milian, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress^[26]
• 1981 – Ayumi Tsunematsu, Japanese voice actress
• 1981 – Serena Williams, American tennis player^[38]
• 1982 – Rob Burrow, English rugby player
• 1982 – Simon Picone, Italian rugby player
• 1982 – Miguel Alfredo Portillo, Argentinian footballer
• 1982 – John Scott, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Archimede Morleo, Italian footballer
• 1983 – Zoe Perry, American actress^[26]
• 1983 – Ricardo Quaresma, Portuguese footballer
• 1984 – Nev Schulman, American photographer, television host, and producer^[22]
• 1985 – Talulah Riley, English actress^[26]
• 1985 – Greg Stiemsma, American basketball player^[39]
• 1986 – Sean Doolittle, American baseball player^[40]
• 1987 – Cyril Gautier, French road bicycle racer
• 1987 – Rosanna Munter, Swedish singer-songwriter
• 1987 – Vladimir Niculescu, Romanian footballer
• 1988 – Chris Archer, American baseball player^[41]
• 1988 – James Blake, English singer-songwriter and producer^[22]
• 1988 – Kiira Korpi, Finnish figure skater
• 1988 – Buddy Matthews, Australian wrestler^[42]
• 1989 – Jonny Bairstow, English cricketer
• 1991 – Réka Demeter, Hungarian football defender
• 1991 – Alma Jodorowsky, French actress, fashion model and singer
• 1991 – Dan Preston, English footballer
• 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
• 1996 – Shake Milton, American basketball player^[43]
• 1996 – Jessika Ponchet, French tennis player^[44][45]
• 2000 – Frankie Amaya, American soccer player^[46]
• 2000 – Princess Salma bint Abdullah, Jordanian princess
• 2001 – Xinyu Wang, Chinese tennis player^[47]

Pre-1600

• 800 – Berowulf, bishop of Würzburg
• 862 – Musa ibn Musa al-Qasawi, 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)

1601–1900

• 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)
• 1825 – José Bernardo de Tagle y Portocarrero, Marquis of Torre Tagle, Peruvian soldier and politician, 2nd President of Peru (b. 1779)^[48]
• 1846 – Thomas Clarkson, English abolitionist (b. 1760)^[49]
• 1868 – August Ferdinand Möbius, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1790)
• 1877 – Hermann Grassmann, German mathematician and physicist (b. 1809)

1901–present

• 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)^[50]
• 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)
• 1961 – Charles Erwin Wilson, American politician, 5th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1890)^[51]
• 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. 1928)
• 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, Croatian and 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)
• 1997 – Dorothy Kingsley, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1909)^[52]
• 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)
• 2002 – Nils Bohlin, Swedish engineer, invented three-point safety belt (b. 1920)^[53]
• 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)
• 2016 – Toughie, last known Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog (h. fl. 2005)^[54]
• 2019 – Jacques Chirac, French politician, President of France (b. 1932)^[55]

• Christian feast days:
  • Canadian Martyrs (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)^[56]
• International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons^[57]
• National Good Neighbor Day (United States)
• Petrov day^[58]
• Revolution Day (Yemen)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to September 26.

• "On This Day". BBC.
• The New York Times: On This Day
• "Historical Events on September 26". OnThisDay.com.