Did you know
was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from late 1954 to early 2003, with a seven-month break in 1956.
Notable Deaths on June 26
2003 — Strom Thurmond
American general, lawyer, and politician, 103rd Governor of South Carolina (born 1902)
June 26 has 112 recorded notable deaths across history, from 116 BC to 2026. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
112 source records
116 BC – 2026
Today in history
Major events on June 26
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1955 The South African Congress Alliance adopts the Freedom Charter at the Congress of the People in Kliptown. Source
- 1918 World War I: Allied forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord defeat Imperial German forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince in the Battle of Belleau Wood. Source
- 1997 J. K. Rowling publishes the first of her Harry Potter novel series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in the United Kingdom. Source
- 1963 Cold War: U.S. President John F. Kennedy gives his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall. Source
Did you know
The Muslim scholar Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) considered Tusi to be the greatest of the later Persian scholars.
Did you know
Veronica Guerin became a reporter in 1990, writing for the Sunday Business Post and Sunday Tribune.
Did you know
The Philadelphia native played in the Negro leagues and Mexican League for nine years before entering the minor leagues in 1946.
Did you know
Kim Koo was a leader of the Korean independence movement against the Empire of Japan, head of the Korean Provisional Government from 1926 to 1927 and from 1940 to 1945, and a Korean reunification activist after 1945.
More major people who died on June 26
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1274
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
Persian scientist and writer (born 1201)
Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī, also known as Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī or simply as (al-)Tusi, was a Persian polymath, architect, philosopher, physician, scientist, and theologian.
1996
Veronica Guerin
Irish journalist (born 1958)
Veronica Guerin Turley was an Irish investigative journalist focusing on organised crime in Ireland, who was murdered in a contract killing believed to have been ordered by a South Dublin-based drug cartel.
1993
Roy Campanella
American baseball player and coach (born 1921)
Roy Campanella, nicknamed "Campy", was an American professional baseball player, primarily as a catcher.
1949
Kim Koo
South Korean educator and politician, 13th President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (born 1876)
Kim Ku, also known by his art name Paekpŏm, was a Korean independence activist and statesman.
1957
Alfred Döblin
Polish-German physician and author (born 1878)
Bruno Alfred Döblin was a German novelist, essayist, and doctor, best known for his novel Berlin Alexanderplatz (1929).
1979
Akwasi Afrifa
Ghanaian soldier and politician, 3rd Head of State of Ghana (born 1936)
Lieutenant General Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa was a Ghanaian soldier, farmer, traditional ruler and politician.
2025
Carolyn McCarthy
American nurse and politician (born 1944)
Carolyn McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing New York's 4th congressional district from 1997 to 2015.
2011
Edith Fellows
American actress (born 1923)
Edith Marilyn Fellows was an American actress who became a child star in the 1930s. Best known for playing orphans and street urchins, Fellows was an expressive actress with a good singing voice.
2004
Naomi Shemer
Israeli singer-songwriter (born 1930)
Naomi Shemer was an Israeli songwriter, composer, and performer, widely described as the "first lady of Israeli song".
2012
Sverker Åström
Swedish diplomat, Swedish Permanent Representative to the United Nations (born 1915)
Carl Sverker Åström was a Swedish diplomat. After completing his studies, Åström began his career as an attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm.
2024
Taiki Matsuno
Japanese voice actor (born 1967)
Taiki Matsuno was a Japanese actor and voice actor from Shinagawa, Tokyo. He was attached to Aoni Production. His real name, as well as his former stage name, was Tatsuya Matsuno.
1574
Gabriel de Lorges
Count of Montgomery, captain of the Scottish Guard of Henry II of France (born 1530)
Gabriel de Lorges, Count of Montgomery, Lord of Lorges and Ducey, was a French nobleman of Scottish extraction and captain of the Scots Guard of King Henry II of France.
1992
Buddy Rogers
American wrestler (born 1921)
Buddy Rogers, better known by the ring name "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, was an American professional wrestler who was one of the biggest professional wrestling stars in the beginning of the television era.
2022
Margaret Keane
American artist (born 1927)
Margaret D. H. Keane was an American artist known for her paintings of subjects with big eyes. She mainly painted women, children, or animals in oil or mixed media.
2002
Jay Berwanger
American football player (born 1914)
John Jacob "Jay" Berwanger was an American college football player. In 1935, Berwanger was the first recipient of the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, renamed the Heisman Trophy the following year.
2015
Yevgeny Primakov
Ukrainian-Russian journalist and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Russia (born 1929)
Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov was a Russian politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Russia from 1998 to 1999.
2005
Richard Whiteley
English journalist and game show host (born 1943)
John Richard Whiteley was an English presenter and journalist, best known for his 23 years as host of the game show Countdown.
1946
Yōsuke Matsuoka
Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1880)
Yōsuke Matsuoka was a Japanese diplomat and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Empire of Japan during the early stages of World War II.
2007
Liz Claiborne
Belgian-American fashion designer, founded Liz Claiborne (born 1929)
Anne Elisabeth Jane Claiborne was an American fashion designer and businesswoman.