Famous People Who Died on February 26

Discover the most famous people who died on February 26. The list includes people like Bill Hicks, Giuseppe Tartini, Theodore Hesburgh, Theodore Schultz, Jack Clayton. Famous personalities featured on this list, include economists, political leaders, philosophers and mathematicians and from other domains of life. This list includes people from United States, Germany, United Kingdom and many more countries.

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Bill Hicks

(American Stand-Up Comedian and Satirist)

Birthdate: December 16, 1961

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Valdosta, Georgia, United States

Died: 1994

Stand-up comedian Bill Hicks was known for his controversial themes, which included religion and politics. He was ranked fourth on Channel 4's 2010 list of the "100 Greatest Stand-Up Comics.” He had also experimented with music before his untimely death due to pancreatic cancer at age 32.

Wendy Richard

(Best Known for Her Role as ‘Miss Shirley Brahms’ on the TV Sitcom ‘Are You Being Served?’)

Birthdate: July 20, 1943

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Middlesbrough, Cleveland, England

Died: 2009

Wendy Richard is best remembered as Shirley Brahms from Are You Being Served? and as Pauline Fowler from EastEnders, and won the British Soap Award for Special Achievement for the latter. She died of breast cancer at 65 but documented the final months of her life in a BBC documentary.

Lawrence Tierney

(Actor)

Birthdate: March 15, 1919

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA

Died: 2002

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Birthdate: November 15, 1919

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Died: 2017

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Birthdate: May 28, 1883

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Bhagur

Died: 1966

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was an Indian politician and independence activist. He formulated the Hindu nationalist philosophy of Hindutva and was a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha. He was known for his strong oratory skills and was an eloquent writer. He was initially charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but was later acquitted.

Mohammed V of Morocco

(Sultan of Morocco)

Birthdate: August 10, 1909

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Fes, Morocco

Died: 1961

Buddy Miles

(Drummer)

Birthdate: September 5, 1947

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Died: 2008

Birthdate: March 31, 1865

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Kalyan, Maharashtra, India

Died: 1887

Though she was married off at age 9 and had had a baby by 14, Anandi Gopal Joshi rose to become one of the first female doctors in India and the first Indian-origin woman to graduate with a medical degree in the US. Unfortunately, she died of tuberculosis shortly before her 22nd birthday.

Shirley Ardell Mason

(Artist)

Birthdate: January 25, 1923

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Dodge Center

Died: 1998

Birthdate: February 5, 1995

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Miami, Florida, United States

Died: 2012

Trayvon Martin was an African-American teenager who was fatally shot by a Hispanic-American named George Zimmerman in 2012. Although Zimmerman was acquitted based on Florida's stand your ground law, Martin's death led to rallies, marches, and protests across the nation. The protests forced the governor of Florida to examine Florida's self-defense laws.

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia

(Russian Naval Officer and Archaeological Explorer)

Birthdate: April 13, 1866

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Tbilisi, Georgia

Died: 1933

Russian naval officer and explorer Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich was the brother-in-law of the last emperor of Russia, Emperor Nicholas II. He played a significant role in the development of Russian military aviation during WWI. He spent his later life in exile in Paris and conducted many archaeological expeditions.

Hermann Ebbinghaus

(Psychologist, Educationist, University teacher)

Birthdate: January 24, 1850

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Barmen

Died: 1909

Especially remembered for his pioneering work on rote learning and memory, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus became interested in the subject after reading Gustav Fechner's Elements of Psychophysics. Eventually, he developed the experimental methods for measuring memory, using 2,300 three-letter nonsense syllables that he devised. Later, he also discovered the forgetting curve and the spacing effect and described the learning curve.

Jimmie Lee Jackson

(African American Civil Rights Activist)

Birthdate: December 16, 1938

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Marion, Alabama, United States

Died: 1965

Carl Menger

(Economist, University teacher)

Birthdate: February 23, 1840

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Nowy Sącz

Died: 1921

Carl Menger made significant contributions to the marginal utility theory and the subjective theory of value. Born to a lawyer father, he too studied law and also worked as a journalist for a while. He later taught at the University of Vienna and also established the Austrian School of economics.

Giuseppe Tartini

(Italian Composer of the Baroque Era Known for His Violin Sonata in G Minor)

Birthdate: April 8, 1692

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Piran, Slovenia

Died: 1770

Italian violinist Giuseppe Tartini initially studied and also established himself as a skilled fencer. Arrested for marrying an acquaintance of the archbishop of Padua, he fled to a monastery in Assisi, where he got addicted to music, later inventing the difference tone and a theory of harmony.

Richard Jordan Gatling

(American Inventor)

Birthdate: September 12, 1818

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Hertford County, North Carolina, United States

Died: 1903

Fernandel

(Actor and Singer)

Birthdate: May 8, 1903

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Marseille, France

Died: 1971

Jef Raskin

(American Human–Computer Interface Expert Who Conceived and Initiated the Macintosh Project at Apple)

Birthdate: March 9, 1943

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States

Died: 2005

One of the first employees of Apple Computer, Jef Raskin introduced the Macintosh project, to create a computer that was much less complex compared to the Apple II. Before joining Apple, he was a computer science teacher and a Stanford researcher. He was also a passionate music composer.

Princess Irina Alexandrovna of Russia

(Aristocrat)

Birthdate: July 15, 1895

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Fermerskiy Dvorets, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Died: 1970

Birthdate: March 1, 1921

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Brighton, England

Died: 1995

Princess Thyra of Denmark

(Princess)

Birthdate: September 29, 1853

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Yellow Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark

Died: 1933

Sybil Ludington

(American Revolutionary War Heroine)

Birthdate: April 5, 1761

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Ludingtonville, New York, United States

Died: 1839

Born to a militia officer, Sybil Ludington later made history with her fearless resistance to the British during the American Revolutionary War. Most of her statues today find her perched on a horse, in a tribute to her night-long horseback ride to inform American soldiers of an impending British attack.

Howard Hanson

(Composer)

Birthdate: October 28, 1896

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Wahoo, Nebraska, United States

Died: 1981

Norm Van Lier

(Basketball Player)

Birthdate: April 1, 1947

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: East Liverpool, Ohio, United States

Died: 2009

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Robert R. Livingston

(Politician)

Birthdate: November 27, 1746

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States

Died: 1813

Saitō Makoto

(Political leader)

Birthdate: October 27, 1858

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Isawa District, Iwate, Japan

Died: 1936

Japanese naval officer Saitō Makoto had initially worked as a naval attaché in the U.S. He later served as the governor of Korea and the minister of the Japanese navy, eventually becoming the prime minister of Japan. He was assassinated by members of the February 26 rebellion in 1936.

Takahashi Korekiyo

(Politician, Accountant, Economist)

Birthdate: July 27, 1854

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Edo

Died: 1936

Born an illegitimate son of an official painter of the shogunate, Takahashi Korekiyo was later adopted by a samurai. He went to the U.S. and worked there for a while, before returning to Japan. He eventually stepped into politics and later became the prime minister of Japan.

Tony Young

(Actor)

Birthdate: June 28, 1937

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Died: 2002

Earl Lloyd

(Basketball player)

Birthdate: April 3, 1928

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.

Died: 2015

Height: 6'5" (196 cm)

Lorenzino de' Medici

(Politician)

Birthdate: March 23, 1514

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Died: 1548

Boris Trajkovski

(2nd President of Macedonia)

Birthdate: June 25, 1956

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Monospitovo, North Macedonia

Died: 2004

Christian Bach

(Argentine-Mexican Actress Known for Roles in Telenovelas: 'la Patrona' and 'Vidas Robadas')

Birthdate: May 9, 1959

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Died: 2019

Christian Bach was an Argentine-born Mexican actress best known for her performance in popular telenovelas such as Soledad, El amor nunca muere, Bodas de odio, and Encadenados. She is also known for her work as a producer of several successful telenovelas.

Otto Wallach

(German Chemist Who was Awarded Nobel Prize for His Work on Alicyclic Compounds)

Birthdate: March 27, 1847

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Königsberg

Died: 1931

Otto Wallach was a German chemist best remembered for winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1910. He won the award for his work on alicyclic compounds. Wallach is also remembered for developing the Wallach rearrangement, the Leuckart-Wallach reaction, Wallach degradation, and Wallach's rule. In 1912, Otto Wallach was honored with the prestigious Davy Medal.

Nexhmije Hoxha

(Albanian Communist Politician & Wife of the 22nd Prime Minister of Albania, Enver Hoxha)

Birthdate: February 8, 1921

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Bitola, North Macedonia

Died: 2020

Nexhmije Hoxha was an Albanian communist politician. She is best remembered as the wife of the 22nd Prime Minister of Albania, Enver Hoxha. After her husband's demise in 1985, Nexhmije Hoxha was made chairwoman of the Democratic Front of Albania. However, she was forced to resign from this position in 1990 and was replaced by Adil Çarçani.

Levi Eshkol

(Politician)

Birthdate: October 25, 1895

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Orativ

Died: 1969

Angelo Secchi

(Italian Jesuit Priest and Astrophysicist, Who Made the First Survey of the Spectra of Stars)

Birthdate: June 28, 1818

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Reggio Emilia, Italy

Died: 1878

A pioneer in astronomical spectroscopy, Italian Jesuit priest and astronomer Angelo Secchi was among the first scientists who authoritatively stated that the Sun is a star. Notable contributions of Secchi, who served as director of the observatory at the Roman College for nearly three decades, includes discovering three comets and solar spicules; and inventing Secchi disk, heliospectrograph and telespectroscope.

Joseph de Maistre

(Philosopher Who Advocated Social Hierarchy & Monarchy in the Period Immediately Following the French Revolution)

Birthdate: April 1, 1753

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Chambéry, France

Died: 1821

A qualified lawyer, Joseph de Maistre was also a skilled diplomat, moralist, and author. Part of the Savoy Senate, he was exiled in Switzerland after Napoleon’s invasion and later also served in Russia and an envoy of the Sardinian king. A staunch Roman Catholic, he was against liberal and scientific beliefs.

Roger II of Sicily

(King of Sicily)

Birthdate: December 22, 1095

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Mileto, Italy

Died: 1154

Roy Eldridge

(Musician)

Birthdate: January 30, 1911

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: 1989

Height: 5'3" (160 cm)

Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March

(English noble)

Birthdate: November 11, 1328

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Ludlow, England

Died: 1360

Yokoyama Taikan

(Japanese Painter)

Birthdate: November 2, 1868

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Mito, Ibaraki, Japan

Died: 1958

Sakai Hidemaro, better known by his pseudonym, Yokoyama Taikan, redefined Japanese art along with his artist friend Hishida Shunsō. Both he and Shunsō pioneered the Nihonga technique, which focused on colors rather than the traditional technique of line drawing. Cherry Blossoms and Mountain Path remain two of his best works.

Alois Senefelder

(Actor and playwright who invented the printing technique of lithography in the 1790s)

Birthdate: November 6, 1771

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Prague, Czechia

Died: 1834

Esek Hopkins

(Naval officer)

Birthdate: April 26, 1718

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Died: 1802

Ronald Gillespie

(British Chemist Who Specialized in the Field of Molecular Geometry)

Birthdate: August 21, 1924

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: London, United Kingdom

Died: 2021

Ronald Gillespie was a British chemist who specialized in the field of molecular geometry. Gillespie, who moved to Canada in 1958, is credited with instituting inorganic chemistry education in Canada. Ronald Gillespie was the recipient of several prestigious awards and honors, such as the Keith Laidler Award, the Henry Marshall Tory Medal, and the Canadian Centennial Medal.

Dan Shomron

(Israeli Military Commander Best Remembered For Planning and Commanding 'Operation Entebbe')

Birthdate: August 5, 1937

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Ashdot Ya'akov

Died: 2008

Dan Shomron was a Israeli military commander who served as the Israel Defense Forces' Chief of Staff from 1987 to 1991. He is best remembered for planning and commanding Operation Entebbe, a hostage-rescue operation, in 1976. The operation was dramatized in a couple of films, including the 1977 film Raid on Entebbe, where Dan Shomron was played by Charles Bronson.

Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine

(Politician)

Birthdate: October 4, 1807

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Boucherville, Canada

Died: 1864

Birthdate: May 25, 1917

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Syracuse, New York, United States

Died: 2015

Theodore Hesburgh was an American educator, social activist, and author. Over the course of his career, Hesburgh was involved in several American governmental and civic initiatives, international humanitarian projects, commissions, and papal assignments. In 1964, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2000, he received the Congressional Gold Medal for his service.

Aḥmad Shuqayrī

(First Chairman of the Executive Committee of the 'Palestine Liberation Organization')

Birthdate: January 1, 1908

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Tabnīn, Lebanon

Died: 1980

Aḥmad Shuqayrī was a Lebanese Palestinian political leader who served as the first Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization from May 1964 to December 1967. Aḥmad Shuqayrī was used as a scapegoat by his opponents as one of his purported statements was used as part of the government's rationalization of their initiation of the Six-Day War.

Manfred, King of Sicily

(King of Sicily)

Birthdate: 1232 AD

Birthplace: Venosa, Italy

Died: 1266

Mary Whiton Calkins

(Psychologist, University teacher)

Birthdate: March 30, 1863

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Hartford

Died: 1930